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“It’s Ryder.”
Every muscle in my body immediately grows taut, and I clench my jaw. If that piece of shit did something to hurt Cami, I’m going to kill him, consequences be damned.
“What did he do?” I ask.
“He knows about us, Carter.”
And then, she tells me about his visit to her office earlier. She tells me all about his scheme to blackmail her. As I listen, the rage inside of me boils hotter and hotter and the cold certainty that I’m going to beat him to a bloody pulp settles down over me. I’ll definitely be cut from the team and might go to jail, but knowing I hurt him bad enough that he’ll never even look at Cami again makes it all worth it.
“I don’t know what to do,” she says, her voice quiet and filled with fear.
“Well, you’re not going to break up with me for him, that’s for sure.”
“I don’t feel like I have a choice.”
Cupping her face in my hands, I stare into her eyes. “You’re mine, Cami. Mine. Nobody, least of all that little shit, is going to lay a finger on you. I am not going to allow it. Period.”
“If I don’t do what he wants, he’s going to tell my dad about us, Carter. And if he does that, you’re going to get cut. I can’t be the reason for that. This is your career?—”
“Like I said, you’re mine. And I will not share you with anybody.”
She leans her head against me again, and I hold her. My mind spins, and I stroke her hair and tell her everything is going to be okay. I’m no angel and have done some fucked up things in my life, but what Ryder did is a depth I would have never stooped to. Ever.
“I’m going to beat him to a bloody pulp,” I say. “I’m going to put the fear of God into him.”
"You can't do that. He'll go to my father if you lay a hand on him, and you’ll be cut. You’ll be lucky if you don’t catch an assault charge. Beating him up will solve absolutely nothing. In fact, you’ll be making a martyr out of him and handing him the QB1 job?—”
“Right now, I don’t care about football. I don’t care about being the starter. The only thing I care about is what this piece of shit is trying to do to you. To us.”
She looks at me with a complex mix of emotions in her eyes. I don’t know how to interpret them all, but the one thing that’s clear is that she feels safe… and that she’s grateful for it. Leaning down, I place a gentle kiss on her forehead.
“I’m sorry, Carter?—”
“Stop. This isn’t on you. This is on Ryder. Period. You have absolutely nothing to apologize for.”
“Why is he doing this? Is he just that intent on getting one over you?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think it has anything to do with me.”
“Then what? Why is he doing this?”
“Ryder is a punk who’s been told how special he is his entire life. He’s used to always getting what he wants. But you said no to him. You didn’t give him what he wanted, and he didn’t like that. Not one bit. This is him finding a way, no matter how pathetic, to get what he wants. This is how he wins. He gets you, and I no longer stand in his way.”
I’m no psychologist but as I speak, the more right it sounds. I think maybe there’s some small bit of revenge in this since I got what he wanted. But I think that’s minor. Secondary. I believe the driving force behind it is, I believe, his petulant and childish need to get his way. To get what he wants. This is all about his selfishness. About his entitlement. About his belief that he’s special and is entitled to whatever he wants.
“I’m sorry, Carter.”
“Shush. Like I said, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. Nothing.”
“What are we going to do?”
I rack my brain, trying to figure a way out of this mess. There’s no solution that doesn’t end with me potentially being cut for defying my coach’s order and having a relationship with her. I stare into her eyes and feel the emotions swirling around inside of me. I feel them coalesce around my heart, and it’s at that moment when the answer comes to me.
“Come on,” I say. “I know what we’re going to do.”
15
CAMI
