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D stayed with me. She only left to grab us food, then she returned to her spot next to me on the mattress. The light faded, and the silence was pressing on me like someone had dropped a hundred-pound weight on my chest.
Eventually, she interlaced our hands. "We'll figure it out, okay?"
That one sentence made me snap. "Figure what out?" I barked at her. "I can't afford anything beyond community college without a scholarship."
My family wasn't poor, but we also were not rich enough for my parents to send me to any school on their dime. And that was okay; I had been working toward this scholarship for years. I never worried about my future because I knew I could do it on my own.
Not anymore.How could this have happened?
Initially, I blamed them—my friends—anger and frustration clouding my judgment. I'd been there for them—loyal to a fault. I had helped Rhys hide from his family—from Lilly. Yet, he never revealed the real reason to me, and I let him. I thought he'd tell me eventually, but he never did—not until he was forced.
Was that friendship?
Lilly's search for answers had put everyone at risk. She became a target, and not just to the real villain hiding in the shadows. She found out who she was. To Rhys. To the people she thought were her family. None of that was her fault. Shitty fucking circumstances were the reason, but…Lilly ended up in the spotlight. Half the country felt for her; the other half crucified her. And I chose to stand by her side.
Big mistake, as it turned out.
I lost my future while they'd be living their happily ever after. I couldn't afford UG's tuition. Not that I wanted to attend that school after they dropped me. My dream school, since I was a little kid, had shown me the middle finger. Well, fuck them.
The next day,I went to find Rhys and Lilly in the kitchen. Lilly was in the process of making her signature Earl Grey while Rhys was sitting at the island, scrolling through his phone. Both turned as I entered, and there might as well have been a flashing neon sign hanging from the ceiling. They knew.
Fuck. Me!
"D told you?" I didn't think she would, but how else—
"UG posted an article that their biggest prospect would not be joining the team next year as planned. Jager texted this morning, asking what happened," Rhys elaborated with hollowed cheeks.
Double fuck me. It was already out? And Jager, of all people. He used to be one of our teammates in high school until the first article about Lilly hit the pages. Jager ran his mouth, and Rhys let his temper get the best of him. We were on neutral terms with him those days, but that didn't change the humiliation choking me that he was the one that had found out first.
"UG took the funds for my scholarship away," I explained in a flat tone.
"What?" The shrill pitch in Lilly's one-word explosion made me flinch. She slammed her Yeti on the countertop and spun around.
"Why?" Rhys slanted his head and watched me as I dropped down onto the bench of the breakfast nook.
I placed my hands, palms down on the tabletop, and repeated the phone conversation with Jonah without looking at them. Den joined us a few minutes into my recap and slid in next to me, her leg pressed against my thigh in silent support. The more I talked, the more my chest compressed.
"They can't do that!" Lilly exclaimed, outraged when I finished.
"Bro, is that even legal?" Rhys looked between all of us.
"It is." That was the first thing I checked yesterday.
"I'll give you the money for school. Just pick where you want to go," Lilly said calmly.
My head jerked in her direction, and I felt my eyebrows near my hairline. "Excuse me?"
Before Lilly could respond, Rhys interjected, "Of course. I mean, uh…"—he glanced at his girlfriend—"it's Calla's money, but…" He trailed off. Rhys never used Lilly's given name anymore. It was either babe or Calla, the nickname he had given her years ago—before theirfalling out—and now picked back up again.
Lilly rolled her eyes at him, then focused back on me. "I have more money than I can ever spend, I'll pay for your—"
"NO!" I interrupted, and Den jumped in her seat next to me.
"Why not?" Rhys stared at me incredulously.
Of course he doesn't get it.
The association with Lilly had already cost me my future. Who the fuck knew what would happen if it came out that she—her family's money—paid for my education? My reputation—if I would even get a chance for a professional football career—would be a joke. Everyone would assume I bought my athletic career.
