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I have cancer.
I shake my head, refusing to go down that road. I lost one person I loved to cancer. I watched him die before my very eyes. I can’t do it again. I just…
Slapping the money on the counter, I grab my coffee. “I have to get to the lab. I’ll see you later.”
Spencer slaps me on the shoulder as I walk toward the door. “Try not to fall asleep, will ya?”
“Fuck off, Monroe.”
After the coffee, the rest of my day improves. Or at least I don’t fall asleep. Between my classes, I get my ass to the gym, where I sweat off all my frustrations.
I’m halfway through my leg workout when Coach stops in front of me. Gage, our backup quarterback, is a few steps behind him, looking uncomfortable as fuck.
I grit my teeth as I push through the last two reps before lowering the bar back into place. My breathing is ragged, and I’m a sweaty mess, so I grab a towel, wiping some of it away before pulling my earbuds out of my ears. “Need something, Coach?”
“I want you to work with Gage.”
I narrow my eyes at the kid, who shifts awkwardly from one leg to the other. Our other backup quarterback transferred schools at the end of last season because he got an offer to play first-string. Our third-string quarterback broke an arm after doing a keg stand drunk. Idiot. So now, we were relying on the rookie to step in if anything happened to Nixon. Not likely, but still.
“Sure,” I say reluctantly. It’s not like I can tell the coach to fuck off and find a different babysitter for the guy. “Is something going on?”
“Just figured it would be good for you two to work together and get a feel for each other before today’s practice. That’s all.”
Today’s practice?I pull my brows together. “And what happens at today’s practice?”
“Gage will be filling in for Nixon.”
Filling in…
“Why?”
Coach narrows his eyes at me, clearly not amused by my questioning. Well, screw him.
“Nixon had a medical emergency.”
Coach’s statement draws the attention of a few guys on the team who’ve been working out, but I can barely hear their questions over the buzzing in my ears.
Medical emergency.
Jade’s face flashes in my mind as the dread spreads through me, making my gut twist.
I have cancer.
No, I shake my head, refusing to believe it. It can’t be. She was fine. I just saw her a few hours ago. She wasfine.
You better than anyone knows how quickly things can change, the little voice at the back of my head taunts.
“He’s fine,” Coach bellows, his words pulling me out of my mind. “It’s a family thing. He’ll be at practice tomorrow, and all will go back to normal. But today, Gage will take Nixon’s place, and we’ll use this as an opportunity to improve our team. Now get back to work.”
A family thing.
I stumble back.
No, no, no.
“Wentworth?” Coach’s piercing gaze meets mine. “Are you okay?”
Okay? How the fuck can I be okay after what he just said? How can he be okay?
