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Chapter 27
Brett
I’m on the field, running like my life depends on it. My lungs scream at me, my thighs burn, but I keep pushing. I’m going to keep training until this shitty feeling in my chest goes away. Until I stop thinking about everything that went wrong.
When I collapse on the grass, gasping for air like a fish out of water, my body feels sufficiently numb. But my head is still spinning—all of this was for nothing.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Colin asks.
“Training,” I say, looking up at him. He’s my shade, and I can only see his silhouette against the bright sun behind him.
“We have the day off for a reason, asshole,” he says. “You’re going to fuck yourself up before the game if you do this, and if we lose this game…”
“Shut up,” I say. I’m trying to be intimidating, but it’s hard to sound macho when I’m about to throw up my lungs after training so hard. “I need this. It’s either this or drink myself into a coma, and I don’t think the latter will be good for the game tomorrow.”
Colin shakes his head and holds out his hand. I take it and let him help me up.
“Come on; you need something to get your energy back.”
I walk with him to the cafeteria. My legs feel like jelly and I have to be careful that they don’t just buckle.
Maybe Colin is right. Maybe I did fuck myself up.
Colin picks energy drinks and high-protein meals for lunch. I feel sick—I’m pretty sure if I eat anything, it’s going to come right back up. But Colin is trying to look after me, and I let him.
When we sit down at the tables in the dining area, I crack open the energy drink and gulp it down. Colin watches me, eyebrows raised.
“What happened?” he asks.
“Who says something happened?”
“Last I heard, you were headed to a wedding with the girl you’re head over heels in love with. Now, you’re here killing yourself off like it’s nobody’s business.”
“Yeah, well, we’re over.”
Colin sits back and folds his thick arms over his broad chest. He studies me, and I can’t figure out what he’s thinking.
“So, move on. Get the next one,” he finally says.
I blink at him. “That easy, huh?”
“Isn’t it? That’s what you always do.”
I sigh. He’s right. But this isn’t the way it always is. Jenna is different than the women I’ve been with before. I mean…it’s Jenna. The one that got away before I had her. The one that’s getting away again. Because I’m a piece of shit who couldn’t make it work.
“Yeah, you’re right,” I say. “I’ll just find someone else to fuck and forget about the girl I’ve been in love with only, like, my whole life.”
Colin sighs and shakes his head. “You were really serious about her.”
“That’s what I said to you.”
“I know you said that. I just didn’t think it was real. I mean, you have a hell of a reputation with women. You’re the guy everyone wants but no one can get for anything other than a night between the sheets with you. You’re the guy who prides himself on not getting emotionally involved.”
I shrug. Everything was different with Jenna. It’s not like I wanted to fall for her. It’s not like I needed someone in my life. Hell, I was happy doing my thing.
I tell Colin what happened. I don’t tell him about Marc, but I tell him what happened between me and Jenna, and how it involves Noah, too.
Colin shakes his head, whistling through his teeth.
