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“It’s pretty convenient that it means leaving behind your dream. What is Piper sacrificing?” I don’t give him a chance to answer as I shake my head. “She’s getting everything she wants, including her puppy-dog boyfriend, tagging along, willing to accommodate her every wish. You don’t realize it, but you’re changing yourself for her, and not in a good way. You’ve wanted this for as long as I can remember and now some girl you’ve been dating for a matter of months is going to destroy your future.”
That might’ve been a low blow, but it comes from a place of concern. He’s literally uprooting his entire life plan right now.
“Who are you to tell me how to live my life?” Xavier levels me with an uncharacteristic scowl.
“I thought I was your best friend. The person who was there for you when your mom got sick, when your dad remarried, when you broke your leg and had to sit out for a season freshman year. I’ve been there through all of it, and never in all those years, not once, did you dream of going anywhere other than Colorado.”
“I’m not allowed to change my mind?” Xavier asks.
“Of course, you are, I’m just not sure it’s your mind making your decisions right now. I mean, you signed that letter a few weeks ago. I have to assume up until then you were still planning on Colorado.”
We may have drifted recently, but I’m willing to bet I still know Xavier well enough to say he wouldn’t have taken that step if he’d already decided to leave our dream team behind.
“I was considering it.” He nods. “But I can be a standout in Kansas instead of just another guy on the roster in Colorado.”
“Did Piper tell you that?” It takes all my strength not to follow that up with a snort.
“If she did?”
“Then I’d tell you to get a second opinion from someone who actually knows football.”
“She’s not wrong. There’s less competition there. Are you going to tell me that I don’t know football now, too?”
“Who’s to say you couldn’t be a standout in Colorado?”
“It’s possible.” The corner of his lip ticks upward, a lame attempt at a smile, before he turns serious. “But considering Piper wouldn’t be there, it isn’t worth finding out.”
My eyebrows jump to the top of my forehead. “Fine. If you want to be whipped into giving up everything you love, go for it. But who’s to say Kansas will pick you up if you have to sit out a year? You know as well as I do that every day, week, and month counts when it comes to sports. You told me as much when you were on crutches, worried you’d lose your chance to play college ball if you had to miss a game or two. Now, you’re giving up an entire year? Do you hear yourself right now?”
Xavier pops off the couch and whirls on me, eyes narrowed. “Do you hear yourself? If you’re my best friend you should be supporting me, not trying to convince me I’m making a mistake.”
“You are making a mistake, though. I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t say anything.” I stand to meet him, my voice rising as I reach my full height. “Don’t sacrifice your dreams for someone else.”
“She’s part of the dream now,” he shouts, causing me to stagger backward. For several long minutes, neither of us move. We just stand here, staring, chests heaving as the silence falls around us. I’m not sure what to do or say, so I wait for him to be the one to break the quiet.
Only, he doesn’t.
What is happening right now?
When I’m finally calm enough to try for some middle ground, I unclench my jaw and step forward “I know you have feelings for Piper, and I’m not trying to discount those. But if she’s really the one she’ll still be there regardless of what school you go to.”
“I love her, Cruz. I don’t expect you of all people to understand.”
That’s a cheap shot designed to hurt, but at the end of the day he’s right. I don’t. I never expected him to throw that in my face though.
And at the risk of sounding like a total jerk, I’m not buying it. It’s not that I don’t believe in finding your person or falling in love, even if I don’t get it personally, but at our age? And isn’t love supposed to be about supporting each other, pushing one another to accomplish their goals in life, and cheering them on as they do. That’s not what Piper’s doing. She’s holding Xavier back, and I don’t know how to get on board with that. I don’t know how to make him see what I see.
Before I can make another attempt to convince him to stay, his phone dings.
“Let me guess. You’re being summoned?” My voice is thick with sarcasm.
“She just wants to know where I am.”
I check the watch on my wrist. “Her Majesty gave you a whole hour to undo the plans we’ve had since we were kids. How gracious. I’ll be forever in her debt.” I’m being an ass, but he’s the one upending everything. He’s the one making bad decisions. He’s the one who forgot about me long before today.
“Dammit, Cruz. Could you think about someone besides yourself for a change?”
What the fuck? Was I talking to myself this whole time? I must’ve been if he thinks my issue is anything other than his future.
