Page 95 of For Emery

“What?”

“The man who did it was my girlfriend’s estranged stepfather. And he wasn’t caught. There’s a history of domestic violence with him, and I had a terrible feeling he’d be coming for my girlfriend next. And he did. He followed her to Alabama and broke into her dorm room. He was about to attack her when I showed up.”

“Jesus Christ,” Coach said, leaning back in his chair and letting my story sink in.

“The guy had the nerve to press charges against me.”

Coach rang his hands in front of him, clearly thinking about the repercussions for my actions. “So, where do things stand now legally?”

“My uncle’s working on a deal. I’ll know more this week. He’s also meeting with the director of athletics in the morning.”

He nodded, seemingly knowing and understanding what that meant for my future on the football team. His ruling could be anything from community service to dismissal from the team.

“Since the self-disclosure piece was taken away from me with everything being leaked to the media, I wanted you to at least understand what really went down and why.”

Coach nodded. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“If you knew it would ruin your chances at the pros, would you still have done it?”

“Absolutely.”

Coach sat silently debating my response.

I stood from the sofa, not wanting to take any more of his time. “Thanks for hearing me out, Coach.” I walked toward the front door.

“Grady,” he called to me.

I stopped and looked over my shoulder at him still seated in his chair.

“For whatever it’s worth, I’ll talk to the director myself in the morning.”

“Thank you.”

“And Grady? You’ve come a long way this year as a player and human being. I don’t want you to think it’s gone unnoticed.”

My lips twisted in deliberation. “I’m gonna take that as a compliment.”

Coach chuckled as I turned and made my way outside his house.

* * *

Thoroughly exhausted after talking to Coach—scratch that—after every fucking thing that had gone down, I pulled off my shirt and shorts and stepped into the shower. Any remnant of blood still on me washed off, and pink water pooled at my feet. Once it had all been washed off, I dried off and walked to my room. I slipped inside quietly, so not to wake Em as I pulled on some boxers. I climbed into bed behind her, wrapping my arms around her small body and trying to lose myself in the familiar scent of her.

“Jordan?” she whispered.

“I’m here.”

She twisted in my arms. “Are you okay?”

I dropped my forehead to hers. “Are you seriously asking if I’m okay after what you’ve been through?”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

I pulled her closer so I didn’t have to lie to her face. “I’m fine. My uncle’s working on it.”

“I went to the police station. They said you’d been released.”

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