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“What else would there be?” I refuted.
Max was silent a few moments but then nodded. “All right. Well, as long as you think he’s cool to be around Wes.”
I nodded, thinking of how, just hours ago, I’d told him to stay away from my brother. But not because I thought he would hurt him.Because he will hurt me.
“I’m going to see Wes.” Max started for the stairs but paused before heading up. “Win?”
I grunted.
“Whenever you’re ready to talk, I’m here. I’m always here for you.”
A lump of emotion clogged my throat. Not many people saw the caring side of Max. Hell, most people would argue it didn’t even exist. But it did. And it meant more to me than he would probably ever know.
“Thanks,” I said, my voice slightly hoarse.
He went quietly up the stairs and exited the basement, which left me down here alone. Alone with the memories that haunted me. Alone with feelings I didn’t want but wouldn’t disappear.
10
Lars
I couldn’t say no.
I knew I should. I knewhewould want me to. Hell, he practically demanded I stay away from his precious brother.
I didn’t want to. And since he’d tried to order me? I wanted to even less.
Besides, how was I supposed to tell the team I couldn’t meet up after our second practice to plan this initiation Rush was demanding?
I halfheartedly tried theBut doesn’t initiation apply to me too? Shouldn’t I not be allowed to help plan it?argument.
“No way, bro. Let’s eat pizza,” was the reply I got.
Why shouldn’t I hang out with my new team? I was Elite now. Why should I isolate myself because Win told me to stay away from his brother? I wouldn’t do it. I deserved friends too, and I liked these guys. They might be a little loud, but they were funny and accepting. Maybe it was a bonus they made so much noise. Maybe they wouldn’t notice I was too quiet.
So here I was walking into Wes’s place along with a handful of Elite.
My bravado waned a little when we arrived. I hadn’t realized we would be hanging at Wes’s place. As we stepped inside the townhouse with its large gray sectional and flat-screen TV, I glanced around nervously, almost expecting Win to pop out.
Part of me secretly hoped he did. I was so messed up. Even after earlier, there was still a piece of me that wanted to see Win, that craved his presence.
“Bro, I’m so hungry I could eat the ass of a skunk without a fork,” Jamie bemoaned, reaching into his bag to pull out a protein bar and shove half into his mouth in one bite. “I’m eating an entire pizza by myself.”
I wrinkled my nose at his words, the picture it conjured not welcome in my brain. But even grossed out, my stomach growled angrily. Two swims would do it to a guy.
Ryan laughed.
“Bro, that’s nasty,” Kruger mused.
I hung back a little as Ryan, Jamie, Kruger, and Prism flung themselves on the oversized couch, which suddenly didn’t seem as oversized anymore.
Wes clapped me on the shoulder on his way to join them. “Have a seat.”
“Who’s ordering the food?” Jamie asked, pulling out his phone only to drop it in his lap. “Ryan. You’re up.”
“Fine, I’ll get it. You’re getting extra anchovies.”
“That’s just disrespectful,” Jamie muttered.
