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He shrugged, running his nose along my jaw. I sucked in harshly, my eyes fluttering, hundreds of butterflies taking flight in my stomach. “I never hated you, Hailee. I hated that I couldn’t have you. But Jas—”
“Don’t,” I urged. “Don’t ruin this.” Any mention of my step-brother was only bound to burst the temporary bubble of bliss we’d created for ourselves.
“You know, we’ll have to talk about this, us, eventually,” he said.
“I know. I just… I want it to be ours for a little while longer.”
Cameron nodded, leaning in to capture my lips again. Our tongues swirled together in long, lazy licks. “Can I tell you something?” he asked finally pulling back.
“Anything.” Easing away to put some space between us, I looked him in the eye. “You can tell me anything.”
“I’m scared, Hailee. I’m so fucking scared there’s something wrong with my mom.”
Oh god, his mom. I hadn’t even thought to ask how she was because I’d been dealing with my own crisis. “Is she—”
“She’s okay. They released her yesterday after a few hours of monitoring, but I found them earlier looking over all these papers and they were both acting cagey. Dad said they want to talk to me tonight, that everything was going to be okay, but I have this feeling…” His voice broke, and my heart broke right along with him. Wrapping my arms around him, I pulled Cameron into me. “This year is supposed to be my year, Hailee. I’m supposed to be excited about college, about the future. And all I can think is what if something is wrong, really wrong…”
“It’s okay,” I said softly. “I’m sure it’s all going to be okay.”
“And the worst of it is,”—Cameron pulled back to look at me, his expression beaten—“I can’t tell anyone. I mean, Ash knows some stuff, but Jase doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand because football is everything to him. The end goal. But I have to think about Xander, my family. My dad wants me to focus on football, on winning State, but what kind of person does that make me?”
“Cameron, you’re eighteen. It’s senior year, I’m sure if things were… well, I’m sure your dad would tell you if he needed more help.”
He gave me a small smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t know anything anymore,” he sighed. “Football, the team… Jase; it always seemed so important but now Mom might be sick, really sick, and you’re caught in the crossfire in this thing with Thatcher and I just don’t know—”
“Ssh.” I pressed my lips to the corner of his mouth. “I’m here, I’m right here.” I’ll be here as long as you need me.
Cameron held onto me like I was a life raft and he was drowning, and I realized there was so much more to the infuriating, cocky guy I knew him to be. He was shouldering the weight of the world; the pressures and expectations of the team against his family’s situation. And now, for reasons I still didn’t quite understand, he’d taken on my worries too.
I’d spent almost six years hating him. For being Jason’s sidekick. For standing by, even helping, my step-brother make my life hell. I hated their stupid football team, that hadn’t changed. I hated what they stood for, what they represented. The way people worshipped the ground they walked on and excused their shitty behavior because they wore a blue and white jersey. I hated the whole damn institution.
But I also couldn’t deny that although I hated Rixon Raiders with every fiber of my being, I was pretty sure I was falling for one.
Cameron
I left Hailee asleep in Felicity’s bed. She was exhausted. After we’d talked and kissed and touched some more, she started to crash. So I’d told her to get some rest and that I would check in with her later. I needed some air. Not from Hailee, she’d been perfect. Everything I needed and hadn’t even realized. But she’d said something when we were together, something I couldn’t shake.
Heading over to Ash’s house, I was hardly surprised to pass Felicity on her way out, Asher hot on her heels. “Do I even want to know?” I asked him as we both watched her storm from the house, fists clenched by her sides, anger rolling off her in waves.
“Just Jase being his regular asshole self.” He shrugged. “I’ll go make sure she’s okay.”
I gave him a nod and he took off after her. At least now we had the house to ourselves. I found Jase in the kitchen, nursing a funky looking protein drink.
“Did you do it?” I looked him in the eye, praying to God Hailee was wrong.
“What the fuck did you say?” Jase’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he rose to his full height.
“Tell me you didn’t do it? Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t set this whole thing up to ruin her?”
I hadn’t even considered it until Hailee planted the seed. But as I’d lay there, watching her, it had taken root, growing into something ugly. Something I couldn’t stop.
It was a stretch though. Jason hated Thatcher, so the idea of them collu
ding to hurt Hailee was out of the question. Especially given the history between them. But I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d had a hand in everything going down the way it had.
“You think I had something to do with…” He dragged a hand down his face, letting out a heavy sigh. “No, I didn’t fucking do it. But part of me wishes I had. Is that what you want to hear?”
“But Aimee—”
