Page 199 of Forever Relentless

Noah didn’t look away and didn’t back down. “Who do you think was putting your packages from Knox in the locker?” He folded his arms across his chest and looked so mature and adult. I envied him. “He knows everything. So judge me for wanting some fucking distance from this program.”

“What packages?” I asked.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It’s nothing important.”

“Painkillers,” Dante said flatly. “I hurt my shoulder. It’s better now.”

My question and Dante’s confession seemed to break the tension. He looked over at Noah.

“Did I fuck up so badly that your answer is to walk away?”

Noah didn’t hide his pain quickly enough, and I wanted to go over, but knowing I hadn’t reacted any better than his friends . . . I was a lot of things, but I was not a hypocrite.

“It’s not that . . . Look, I’m considering options.” Noah’s voice was detached.

“Ash said Gray reached out to you today.” Dante looked so sad, and I felt myself get emotional.

“Yeah.” Noah waved his phone. “I went out for a walk as I thought it over.”

“What did you decide?” Dante asked.

“Honestly?” He shrugged. “Not sure.” He turned back to his room. “It’s my choice to make. It’s nothing personal.” He closed the door behind him.

“Nothing personal? I think we fucked up.” Dustin had a flair for stating the obvious.

Dante looked torn, but then those cool blue eyes rested on mine. “Your turn, Briar.”

“I have zero influence on where he plays football.”

Dante nodded once. “Neither do we, but I think you came here for more than that.”

He tapped Dustin on the shoulder. “C’mon, I need to walk off some steam.”

I’d expected him to be the difficult one. I hadn’t expected their fight to be so much more than football. They left me standing in their dorm room. The door clicked shut behind them.

I looked from the front door . . . to Noah’s.

We’d all fucked this up.

The coward in me wanted to leave. Mason was right.

But the woman who faked an ID, got a job at a college to expose her brother’s old coach, pulled up her big girl pants, and walked to his bedroom door.

I squared my shoulders and rapped my knuckles against the wood before I could overthink it. My hand rested on the handle.

“Noah?”

I swallowed loudly as I opened the door.

“Can we talk?”

Chapter 37

Noah

The knock wasn’t loud.