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JACE
“Senior Night is this Friday,” Coach said after practice on Monday.
Since Saturday night’s game and Principal Vaughn’s head being thrown onto the field like a football, Coach had been very hesitant to even continue the season. But we only had one home game left. Coach had reminded us multiple times today that security would be increased, so nothing would interrupt the game this time.
I’d have to talk to Poison about that one.
“Parents should arrive on the field thirty minutes before game time to walk you out during the ceremony, which will celebrate all the hard work each of you seniors have put into this season and all the seasons before this one.”
Looking down at my feet, I kicked some dirt with my cleat. Dad wouldn’t come to the game, and Mom was dead. I’d be one of the only seniors walking out onto the field alone. It kinda sucked, kinda didn’t. Harlan didn’t deserve any credit for raising me and making me into a football star. I had done that all by myself.
After practice, I nodded good-bye to Jamal and jogged over to the bleachers, where Allie sat with chattering teeth.
“Thank goodness you’re done. I didn’t want to go home alone, and it’s freaking cold outside.” She hopped down and wrapped her cold fingers around my palm, leading me toward my Maserati.
When we slid into the car, Allie slammed the door and looked over at me. “I was thinking … I love watching you play football.” Allie tucked some sweaty hair behind my ear and leaned in close. “I don’t want you to sacrifice your career and our future to kill your father. He’s already taken away your mother. Don’t let him take away everything you’ve worked so hard for.”
“Our future,” I said, letting the words linger on my tongue. I had been so caught up in the now, so caught up in dealing with my dad and trying to get her to love me again, that I hadn’t thought much about us.
If I killed my father and got caught, I’d be thrown in jail. I wouldn’t get to see Allie. I wouldn’t be able to build a family with her. I wouldn’t be able to see her flourish and succeed as a biologist. Murdering my father would end my life and all hopes I had with her.
“Where have you been accepted to college?” I asked because we hadn’t talked about our future—our immediate future—yet.
She grinned and looked out the windshield. “UPenn, Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Stanford …” She squealed and jumped slightly in the car.
I smiled at her, but as she continued to list off the colleges she had gotten accepted into, I couldn’t help but feel hurt. None of these colleges were close to where I was going. We would be so far away from each other, and I didn’t know if I could deal with being so far from her for such a long time. We had been living together—living together—for the past two years. Being away from her would kill me on the inside.
“Stanford is so hard to get into.” She looked back at me and dropped her grin, brows furrowing together. “What’s wrong?”
Forcing myself to smile harder, I shook my head. “Nothing.”
She frowned and moved closer. “Something’s wrong, Jace. Tell me.”
“Nothing is wrong, Allie.”
Bullshit. Utter bullshit.
This was my fault. So caught up in what college would be most beneficial to me, I hadn’t thought about Allie. I stupidly thought that she would follow me wherever I went, thought we could live together, wake up every morning and cook bacon and eggs together. Never had I thought she’d go off to her own college and we’d be away from each other.
“I’m happy for you,” I said, grasping her jaw lightly.
After pushing back my seat, I grabbed her waist and pulled her into my lap. She giggled and sat on top of me, her ass against my thighs and her clenching pussy against my sweatpants.
“My girl has worked so hard for this. I’m so proud of you.”
“Are you sure nothing is wrong?” she asked, resting her forearms on my shoulders.
“Never been surer in my life.”
Fuck.
Setting my hands on her hips, I squeezed them gently. “Where, uh, where are you planning on committing to?” I asked her, staring at the way her father’s dog tags glimmered around her neck. I couldn’t look my own girlfriend, the love of my fucking life, in the eye because she’d see right through the lies.
She toyed with the ends of my hair and relaxed in my arms. “I’m not sure. They’re all good colleges. If I like this internship that Imani’s father found for me, I’ll probably go to Carnegie Mellon. They have good interdisciplinary collaboration and are at the forefront of innovation, but th—” As she stopped, she tensed in my arms. “But …”
“That’s exactly what you want, right?” I asked, giving her my weakest smile.
The light in her eyes disappeared. “But you won’t be with me,” she whispered. Tears welled up in her eyes, and I watched them quiver, her tears seconds from falling. “Michigan is hours away …”
