Page 40 of Trick Play

There were about ten guys hanging around the couches playing a weird alien shooting game on the enormous flat screen. I scanned the group until I spotted Ethan and made my way toward him.

Reid beat me over, shaking Ethan’s shoulders.

Ethan barely opened his eyes, and his head rolled to the side.

“What did he take?” Reid barked out.

Shawn Bennett stood across the room. “Just some whiskey and rum.”

Reid shook his head. “He can’t drink. We’re in the middle of the season.”

“Relax, man. He looked like he needed it. He didn’t even speak when he got here. He was all in his head and miserable,” another guy cut in. I didn’t recognize him, but judging by his size, he was on the football team.

“How many?” Haley asked.

“Like three? He passed out pretty quick,” someone replied.

Three, and he was out? That didn’t make sense. Even I could handle that.

“Let’s get him out of here. We can’t let anyone else see him like this,” Reid said with a groan as he tried to lift him.

“Dude, it’s fine,” another giant said. “No one here is going to say anything, and no one else is coming over tonight.”

“What if he had too much? Or he’s reacting to something. He shouldn’t pass out after three drinks.” Haley straightened, glaring at them.

The giant put his hands up. “He hasn’t had anything to drink with us since …” He glanced around the room.

“At least last year. He never drinks when he’d over here, but tonight we could all see he needed something to help him relax. We weren’t going to let anything happen to him,” Shawn said, and I believed him.

These guys cared about Ethan, but I didn’t feel right leaving him here. He came here seeking escape, but that didn’t mean he should wake up alone. I wanted him to know someone cared.

“We can’t take him to the dorms like this,” Reid admitted.

“He doesn’t have to go anywhere. Let him sleep it off here,” Shawn offered.

Haley and Reid shared a look.

“That’s fine. He does it all the time, Kennedy,” Reid replied.

“I’ll stay.” The words were out before I could think about them.

They turned to me. Haley’s brows furrowed. “What? No, you don’t have to do that. I will, or Reid.”

I stepped forward. “No, I want to talk to him when he wakes up, so I’ll stay.”

“That’s fine. We’ll clear out, and I’ll bring you some blankets and pillows,” Shawn said before going up the stairs.

None of the other guys argued. One of them turned off the game, and they all left the same way.

“We can stay with you,” Reid offered.

“Yeah, you don’t have to stay here alone.”

I turned to him. “Do you trust these guys?”

He glanced around. “Not as much as my own team, but they’re not going to mess with you.”

“I’ll be fine. Once he wakes up, I’ll drive him home.”