Page 25 of For Emery

I stared at her, unsure what I expected from someone who had no trouble forgetting about me over the past four years.

Her eyes jumped between me and the building. “I’m gonna be late.”

I stared at her, wondering why she was so anxious to get away from me. I wasn’t the one who left. I wasn’t the one who went silent. I wasn’t the one who deserved the cold shoulder.

Her patience reached its max. “See ya.” She turned away again.

“Will I?”

She stopped and glanced back at me.

“Will I see you or will you be too busy with Flip?”

With disappointment in her eyes, she shook her head and turned away, disappearing inside the building.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

What was wrong with me?

Why couldn’t I act normal for more than a couple seconds at a time when it came to her?

* * *

I stormed into the locker room, pissed at myself for being such an asshole to Emery. Again. I dropped my bag in front of my locker and rummaged through it for my shower supplies. I needed to cool off before practice began.

“What the fuck did you do to Emery?” Flip’s voice carried over my shoulder.

I spun around as he stalked toward me, ready to throw down again.

When was this guy gonna learn?

I stepped toward him, in no mood for his shit. “Stay out of it, punk.”

“Punk?” He stepped up to me, his face inches from mine. “Can’t find your own girl so you go after mine? Is that your game?”

“If you two are so tight,” I said, not backing down. “Why don’t you ask her about us.”

“I did. She said you’re nobody.”

A knot twisted in my gut at his words. Had she really said that or was he just trying to piss me off? It didn’t matter. I shoved him. He lost his footing and slammed into the lockers behind him.

“What the hell’s going on?” Coach said, rushing into the locker room.

I pulled my eyes from Flip and glanced to Coach. “Nothing, Coach. Just making the young kids feel welcome.” I patted Flip’s chest to drive my point home, when what I really wanted to do was level him with a right hook.

Coach wasn’t stupid. He didn’t buy my explanation for even a second. But before he could ream me out in front of the others, I turned and grabbed my gear, opting to suit up away from everyone after my shower. That way I could pull it together then head out to the field with no one realizing he’d rattled me.

I purposely missed more than one block during our two-hour practice. I could take Coach yelling at me. What I couldn’t take was letting Flip-fucking-Caruso win.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Grady

I hurried into the psych building the following day, searching for room 328. I found it halfway down the third-floor hallway and peeked in the vertical window in the closed door. The door handle rattled and the door pushed open, causing me to shuffle back. “Can I help you?” the professor asked, her eyes quickly widening. “Mr. Grady? One semester of Human Sexuality wasn’t enough for you? You came back for seconds?”

Professor Reyes. Fuck.

All eyes in the classroom shifted to me standing in the doorway. I lifted my hand to them, spotting Emery, wide-eyed in the last seat of the last row. “What’s up everyone?”

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