Page 77 of Penalty to the Heart

“When shit hits the fan, Caleb is going to feel more alone than he is now. He’ll see enemies everywhere he turns, thinking that there isn’t a soul out there who has his back. I really don’t want him to feel like that. And I don’t want him to implode just because of those feelings. So, I guess what I’m asking, Doc, is don’t lose hope in him, okay? Right now, you might be the only friend he has.”

“But I’m not, am I? I’m his therapist. You’re his friend, Nathan. Proven by how you don’t want Caleb to face whatever is about to happen alone,” I explain, taking the tough love approach. “So instead of asking me to do this favor for you, maybe now is the perfect time for you to rise to the occasion and be there for your friend.”

“I want to,” he whispers, his features twisting in sorrow.

“But you’re afraid that you won’t be able to,” I finish for him again.

“Yeah. Isn’t that just goddamn awful to admit? If the tables were reversed, he’d be there for me in a heartbeat.” Nathan snaps his fingers to drive the point home. “Which just makes me feel even shittier.”

“Take your time, Nathan. You’ll know what to do when the time comes. I have no doubt that you’ll do the right thing for yourself and your friend when push comes to shove.”

“I hope so,” he mumbles, discouraged.

“You will. You’re a good friend.”

“Like I said… I sure don’t feel like one right now.”

“But that’s just it. Only a true friend would feel bad for not being there for the other. If you didn’t care so much, Caleb would merely be an afterthought for you.”

“Have you met Caleb Donovan?” He lets out a chuckle. “He couldn’t be an afterthought even if he tried.”

“No. I guess he couldn’t. He does leave an impression, doesn’t he?” I mutter more to myself than to Nathan.

“You can definitely say that.” Nathan chuckles warmly. “Jack used to joke and say that there exists a life before Caleb entered your world, and then there’s the one that follows—the two could not be more different.”

That’s what I’m afraid of.

Chapter 14

Caleb

You know that queasy feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you sense that something just isn’t right?

That something is just… off?

You know the one.

It’s that gut-wrenching sensation that arises when you feel that everyone knows something you don’t.

Call it paranoia, raising its ugly head to create some havoc in my brain, or call it fucking intuition. All I know is there is this cautioning voice whispering in my ear to stay alert at all times.

It’s been this way for days now.

No matter what I do, I can’t shake this nagging suspicion that shit is about to go down. And not only do my friends know about it, but they have collectively decided to keep it under wraps, too afraid of my reaction when I find out.

I fucking know something is up.

I feel it in my goddamn bones.

Whenever I walk into a room, everyone just stops talking, as if I could overhear whatever secret they’re keeping from me.

So far, no one has had the balls to tell me—not the coach, not the GM, not my agent, not even my best friend. Though, in all fairness, Nate hasn’t exactly been eager to talk to me about anything lately.

Safe to say, it’s not fun being the odd man out.

The only one who I can count on keeping things real with me nowadays is Roxie.

Unfortunately, I had to miss our session tonight to come to this photoshoot for Sports Spectator Magazine and get my picture taken with the same people who have spent the last week lying to my face—my teammates.

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