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I love this guy.
“What about your parents?”
“They’re on a business trip. My sister is at her friend’s house.”
“Great, lead the way, Chef Winslow.”
We drove to a massive three-storied house in La Jolla. The mansion was enormous and overlooked the beach. It also made me feel completely inadequate the minute I pulled into the driveway.
“It’s just a home,” he said when he noticed my unease.
“Sure it is, with seven bedrooms and an Olympic size infinity pool.”
“Money doesn’t make you happy.”
“Only a person who’s never known poverty would say that.”
“My dad is a workaholic. The only time I see him is during my matches, and I have to endure hours of criticism whenever I do.
My parents fight all the time because he’s never home. This makes my mother cry whenever she’s alone. She wants to leave him but doesn’t know where to go. She gave up her entire career for him and thinks she’s too old to start over.
I smile at the world because I don’t want my sister to worry. I don’t want my mom to be sad, but most of all, I don’t want my best friend to think I’m a loser for complaining when she has it so much worse than I do.”
“I would never think you were a loser.”
“Well, sometimes I feel like it. I can’t even tell my father I don’t want to be a football player because he will disown me when I do.”
“What do you want to be? If you could be anyone or anything, what would you be?”
“I’d like to make a difference. There is so much garbage in this world, I wish I could protect people and keep injustices from happening instead of watching them from the sidelines.”
This was the first time he and I have discussed the issue like this. Moose joked around a lot and avoided talking about his feelings like the plague.
I knew he felt left out by Gabe’s plan, but between you and me, I’m glad he wasn’t involved in taking down the Guild. I didn’t want him anywhere near these dangerous people.
“Would you go out with me if I wasn’t a big shot football player?”
I stared at him in confusion. Why would he think I liked him for that?
“I hate to break it to you, Egghead, but I barely enjoy football. I like the math behind it, sure, but that’s pretty much it.”
“You know my father will disown me if I don’t follow in his footsteps. I might even end up poor.”
“I live in a house small enough to fit in your living room. Before that, I slept in a 12 ×12 cell. Wealth means absolutely nothing to me. I just find it sad your dad is using his to control you.”
“I know. Sometimes, I wish I was enough for him.”
“Eric, your dad loves you. Yes, he’s hard on you, but mine was too, and so is Ghost. It doesn’t mean they’re not proud of us.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He didn’t seem sure about it, however, so I awkwardly patted him on the arm. Moose was bigger than life, and I didn’t like it when he was sad.
“So, does this mean you’re my girl?” I gave him a secretive side smile.
“Does this mean you’re my boy?”
“I’ve always been yours, Jelly Fish.”
Heart. Melting.
