-29-
JAY
Since it was too cold to stand around outside talking for more than a few minutes, Kayla told her family to head over to her apartment and we would meet them there.
She sat silently in the passenger seat of my Charger while I cleaned the windshield off with the wipers and a shit-ton of wiper fluid. Even after the smeary mess was gone and I could see, I sat with my hands on the steering wheel, waiting for her to say something.
“I know you’re upset, and I’m sorry.” She smoothed her palms down her legs and her fingers played with the edge of her skirt. “I wanted to tell them, but I was nervous. I really like you, and I wanted them to like you, too.”
“So, you were, what? Protecting me?”
She nodded vigorously. I rolled my eyes and put the car in gear. “Sorry, but that sounds like bullshit. If you were protecting someone, it was yourself.”
“What does that mean?”
“Come on, Kayla. You take every chance you get to pretend I don’t go to Michigan. Part of me is beginning to wonder if you’ve even accepted it yourself.”
She straightened in her seat. “Are you kidding me right now?” She emphasized every word. “I went to a freaking Michigan game!”
Where she’d worn her OSU shirt, sulked the entire time, and thought my touchdown shouldn’t count, so it wasn’t like I had her support. “You did,” I said. “But let me ask you this. How come every time we’re together, you put your hand”—I tapped the spot of my tattoo—“here?”
Did she think I hadn’t notice how she always covered it up when I had my shirt off?
She was quiet, and when I glanced at her, she looked ashamed. I didn’t enjoy seeing her like that.
“You’re right.” Her voice was tiny. “All I can say is I’m trying. I’ve spent my whole life hating that school, and where do you think I learned it from?” She let out a deep breath. “This isn’t going to make them happy. I have no idea what they’re going to do.”
I nearly strained my eyes choking back the desire to roll them. This was just a stupid fucking rivalry. “I’m sure it’s going to be okay.”
She pressed her lips together and turned her head to stare out the window.
When Kayla unlocked her front door and let us inside, I took the secondhand reject chair positioned across from the couch, leaving that option for the McCarthy family. Cooper dropped down and played on his phone, indifferent to it all.
Bob and Stephanie were a whole different story. They sat on the edge of the couch, stiff and glaring at their daughter like she’d done something awful. Kayla stood halfway between us, trying to be Switzerland.
“How the hell did this happen?” her mother demanded.
Kayla’s mouth opened, then shut, like she wasn’t sure what to say, so I answered for her. “We met at Marcy’s wedding.”
The apartment door swung open without warning, and Chuck, still in his marching band uniform, entered. He unsnapped his collar as he gave a friendly smile to the McCarthys, but he must have sensed the tension in the room. His smile faded and everything went quiet as a tomb. When he saw me sitting in the chair, the thought running through his head was obvious. Uh, oh.
“Is this the intervention?” Chuck joked. “I tried to get her counseling, but the doctor said she’s too far gone.”
I gave him points for trying to lighten the mood, but it had no effect.
Stephanie turned to her husband. “Why aren’t you more upset? You need me to remind you about the touchdown that cost us The Game last year? Because it’s dating our daughter.”
I wanted to chuckle, but limited myself to a cocky smile as I remembered that moment. My fourth quarter touchdown had tied the game up, and the extra point afterward got us the W. When I’d crossed into the end zone, I thought there was going to be mass suicide in the Buckeye stands.
Kayla shot me a nasty look, like she knew what I was thinking about, and it wiped the smile from my face. Too soon.
“Kayla,” her mother continued. “There have to be a thousand available boys here at school who are better.”
“FYI, it’s sitting right here,” I said, annoyed.
Her mother’s gaze turned to me and, shit, her stone-cold expression was impressive. “Shouldn’t you be off learning how not to choke in bowl games?”
Cooper snickered, but couldn’t be bothered to look up from his phone.
“Mom, you’re upset, I get it.” Kayla yanked the bow from her hair and tossed it angrily down on the coffee table. “But Jay’s my boyfriend.”
She’d put her hands on her hips, defiant, and declared it loudly for everyone to hear. I sucked in a breath, stunned at how easily she’d thrown the label on us. Even with all this shit going on, I couldn’t help but be thrilled she’d finally claimed me.
“Of course, I’m upset!” Stephanie stared at her daughter like she couldn’t believe it. “You’ve been lying to us for months, young lady. We raised you better than that.”
Kayla’s defiance took a hit, and her hands hung at her sides.
I’d wanted so badly to see her, but I hadn’t meant to fuck everything up. “Maybe I should go.”
Her mom brightened. “That sounds like a plan. Head north until you smell it, and then west until you step in it.”
Wow. Kayla had been telling me all along her parents were going to be difficult. Maybe I should have done a better job listening.
She frowned at her mother. “No, we need to talk about this.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Stephanie said. “You can’t date a guy from that school, and certainly not him.”
“Mom, you can’t choose who I want to be with.”
It felt like someone had sucked all the air out of the apartment. Kayla had been right. This was a disaster.
I came to my feet. If they needed time to get over it, I could give them that. Besides, I was more than a little nervous if they delivered her an ultimatum right now, I’d lose. She’d pick OSU over me.
“I’m going,” I said.
“No, you’re not,” Kayla fired back. “Sit your ass down.” She turned her focus back to her mother. “You’re being unreasonable.”
“Me?” she gasped. “I’m being unreasonable?” She looked around, maybe for validation. Her husband appeared angry, but said nothing. He sat stock-still, as if waiting for a ball to snap. Stephanie let out a grunt of frustration and flung her hands in the air before rising from the couch. “You know what? I can’t be here.”
“Mom, just wait a minute.”
But she wouldn’t. She yanked open the door and cast the angry words over her shoulder to her family. “I’m going to the car. Are you coming?”
Cooper got up and followed, tossing a sympathetic glance to his sister before disappearing through the doorway. Bob moved deliberately up off the couch, his hard gaze fixed on me.
“I coached here. I’ve seen players do all kinds of shit they think they can get away with because they’re in the football program. I don’t care what school you go to or who you play for. You do anything that’s not okay with my daughter,” his expression was scary, “I’ll bury you. Understood, son?”
I swallowed hard and nodded.
His attention swung to Kayla and softened. “She’s freaking out. I’ll give her some time to cool off, and then I’ll try talk to her.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
His heavy footsteps carried him out the door and it shut loudly behind him. The silence was painful, freezing all of us in place.
Kayla filled her voice with fake enthusiasm. “Well, that went great!”
I shouldn’t have ambushed her at the bar, but I told myself it was going to be fun. The ultimate challenge. I’d failed miserably, and it ate at me how her parents hated me on sight. They didn’t even give me a chance.
Chuck lingered awkwardly, like the dude had no idea what he was supposed to do. “They’ll get over it,” he offered. “It couldn’t stay a secret forever.”
Kayla’s mouth pulled to one side. “What about your feelings for Beth? You going to keep that a secret forever?”
She’d probably do anything to take the attention off herself, and I expected both Chuck and I to get whiplash from her abrupt topic shift.
All he did was scowl. “Don’t deflect.”
“Who’s Beth?” I asked.
“Some trombone he wants to get with.”
“We’re talking about a girl, right? Not an instrument.”
Chuck arched an eyebrow, signaling he was not amused. “I’m waiting for the right time. A sign.”
“What you’re doing is wasting time. Seriously, ask her out already.”
Was that fear in his eyes? “What if it’s a ‘no’?”
She shrugged. “Then you know. You’re the one always spouting off that ‘think positive’ crap.”
He shrugged out of his uniform top, exposing the white undershirt beneath, and hung the jacket over his arm. “I’m not going to take advice from you. You date a guy from Michigan.” He smiled at his own joke. “I’m going to bed, kids. Thanks for reminding me it’s alone.” As he walked past us, he sniffled like he was crying.
His door thudded closed, and instantly the tension between Kayla and me was back. “You all right?”
“Fine.” Her voice wasn’t confident, though.
I didn’t know how to feel. I raked a hand through my hair, waiting for her to say or do something. But she didn’t.
“I wish you’d told them about me,” I said finally. It was the tip of the iceberg, but I was giving her an opening. I didn’t want to gang up on her after what had just happened.
“And I wish you’d let me do it the right way,” she shot back.
We’d been officially boyfriend and girlfriend for less than five minutes. Was this impasse going to make this the shortest relationship in history? I didn’t want that, but I wasn’t going to apologize. I hadn’t done anything wrong.
She blinked, and her tension faded, making her look exhausted. She took a hesitant step toward me. “You’re going to have to leave soon, I assume.”
I nodded.
“We haven’t gotten naked yet.” Her tone was cautious. “Is there any way we can we save the awkward discussion about my family for another time?”
“What, pretend it didn’t happen?” I said, dubious.
She shrugged slowly, almost sad. I didn’t like how nervous she looked. We had a lot of shit to talk about, but her parents’ disappointment was crushing her, and I knew all about that. I’d do anything to make her feel better.
“Yeah,” I said, forcing a light tone. “You should know, I stopped listening after you said naked anyway.”
It was typical Kayla, using sex to avoid her confusing feelings about the rivalry, and fucking hell, I fell for it again.
I returned to the U-M campus at noon on Sunday. I’d been smart enough this time to schedule my appointment with the trainer for after lunch. It’d still be tight, though. I had a database project to work on, and I had to get a good grade. My academic advisors watched me closely, and if my grades slipped, the coaches would be on my ass like nothing else.
There’d been grumbling last year about my grades and reminders that if I was ruled academically ineligible to play, I wouldn’t just be letting myself down. I’d be a disappointment to the whole fucking team.
Like I needed more pressure.
Darius unknowingly added to it when he texted me a screencap from Facebook. Someone had posted a picture of me in the Buckeye Bar last night. At least they weren’t able to tag me in it. I’d quit social media two years ago when girls started using it to track me down.
I walked along the hall toward my room, thumbing out a message to Kayla that I’d made it. Was she still in bed where I’d left her? We hadn’t talked about her family this morning either. I tried to give her space and let her start the conversation, but she hadn’t by the time I’d had to leave, and frustration wore on me.
My key didn’t turn in the lock. Huh. I’d left my door open.
I flipped on the lights, and went rigid.
Hanging from the ceiling was a Brutus Buckeye mascot doll, with its stupid nut-shaped head, idiotic smile, and a noose tied around its neck. It barely held my attention, because my gaze moved on to take in the carnage.
My room was a disaster.
Books and the rest of my school shit were all over the place. The mattress had been pulled halfway off the bed frame and spilled out onto the floor. Clothes from my closet were everywhere. I couldn’t tell if whoever fucked with my room had pulled things off my wall, because a bedsheet had been haphazardly duct taped over it. One word was painted on the fabric in angry letters.
Traitor.
I stepped into my room, slammed the door shut, and ripped the sheet down.