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“What do you care?” I grunt out as I finish the last of my lunges. I grab a towel and wipe it over my face as I head for the door.
“Get over here and spot your old man.” I huff out a sigh. My dad lays down on the bench and I begrudgingly walk over to stand behind it. “Practice starts next week,” he says, blowing out a breath as he lifts the bar. “You ready?”
“Yes, sir.”
“This injury is just a set-back. Keep up with rehab and you’ll be back to full training in no time. Foster is a well-respected name within the Raiders community. You’re lucky enough to have it–you need to put in the work to make us proud.”
I have no idea what the fuck he means by that, but I pass it off as another jab and grunt out another, “Yes, sir.”
“You heard from your coach about the captaincy yet?”
“He’s going to make the announcement before the first game of the season.”
“You’re lucky to still be on the team full stop. You need to regain his trust. No distractions. God knows there were enough of them last year.”
I bite my tongue. Dad lifts the bar and I reach out to help him settle it back onto the rack. Thinking I’m free, I make the move to walk away but he stops me by grabbing my bicep–hard.
“Don’t you think you’ve embarrassed us enough? Lift your act, Conrad. If you get kicked off the team, we’re not going to keep paying for your tuition. And if you don’t graduate, you can kiss your inheritance goodbye.”
I wrench out of his grip and storm out of the gym, taking no satisfaction as the door slams behind me. I need to get out before I smash my fist into that smug bastard’s face. I grab my keys and climb into the car, and I’m out of the driveway before I can figure out where I’m going.
I drive aimlessly around town for a while, and it’s only then that the weight of Jasper being gone hits me. Without him, I’ve got nowhere to go. The rest of my teammates are fun to hang out with and shoot the shit, but I’m not close enough to any of them to lean on them. I’ve got no one.
Once I’m stopped at a red light, I pound on the steering wheel and scream my frustrations out into the car. “Fuck!”
The car park at Glasson’s Point is empty. The mid-afternoon heat has everyone flooding the beaches to get a break. I pull into a park close to the staircase that leads to the lookout. I rest my head against the steering wheel and take a few deep breaths.
I make my way down to the lookout. The heat is heavy and sweat pours down my body as I lean against the railing, staring down over my hometown. As my hands grip the wood, I try hard to block out the memories of the way Ivy’s body felt against mine.
On the way over, I picked up a bottle of whiskey. It’s heavy in my hand as I crack the lid and take a long pull of the smooth, amber liquid. I wince at the burn as it hits the back of my throat. I hate that I’m letting my dad win. It’s a Tuesday afternoon and I’m writing myself off because I’ve got no one to talk me out of it. Ellie would be so disappointed in me.
My phone rings and I curse when I see Ellie’s name on the screen. Did she know I was thinking about her? That’s a scary thought. I consider letting it go to voicemail, but I answer it anyway.
“Hey, El.” I try to make my voice as upbeat as possible, but there’s no fooling her.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Connie, don’t lie to me.”
“Oh, just another pep talk from good old Dad.” Ellie groans. “It’s fine.I’mfine. How’s the NT?”
“It’s great!” I listen with a smile as she gushes about everything. “It’s amazing. They are just so grateful for everything they have. It really puts things into perspective, you know?”
I glance down at the bottle of whiskey in my hand, suddenly overwhelmed with guilt. “That’s awesome, El.”
“Anyway, that’s not why I called. The Byron Bay Music Festival is only two weeks away. Did you manage to get the tickets?”
Fuck. With all the drama at home, I’d completely forgotten. “I, uh, haven’t heard anything from Rupert yet.”
“You’re going to his party tonight, though, right?”
“What?”
“His party tonight. It’s all-over social media. You’re going?”
I suppress a groan. Of course it’s all over social media. “Guess so.”
