Page 247 of Out of Bounds

"Or I’ll…." King hesitated. "I’ll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Heading back home to get some sleep?"

"Yeah."

The lie was so easy, it didn’t even feel like one. With a turn to the right, my sneakers crunched against the grass again and I made a slow path back to my dorm.

102

Kassie

Concern

For the first time in months, I wore my own hoodie.

I forgot I even owned that hoodie.

There weren’t any hickies to hide but I practically crouched inside of it, walking across campus with the cardboard box in hand, keep it a good six inches away from me like I was carrying something infected.

In the box is everything. All the little knick knacks and Romans crap and things Ryan bought me and things he purposely left behind, pretending like he hadn’t meant to. Everything.

The training center loomed overhead and my eyes shot to the ground. There were so many people inside that knew me, so many people that I knew, and the quieter I went about this,the better it’d be. This is a surgical procedure. Ripping off the bandaid and tossing it in the trash. Nothing more.

“No, I have my little sister on Sunday.”

My eyes flickered up at the familiar sound and I ducked down again. Adam and King looped close, both in conversation together, and my heart hammered in my chest.

“Bring my niece along,” Adam retorted. “She’d be great for the party.”

King grunted in disbelief and Adam started up a whole charade about how they could sanction off one of the rooms for her.

They’d texted me too. Adam told me I’m still required to hang out with them and King sent a long paragraph about how he hoped I was doing okay. I’d deleted the messages as soon as they’d popped in my inbox.

I couldn’t face the boys. I couldn’t do it.

Because if I saw them, I knewhe’dbe there.

Once I walked into the lobby of the training center though, I faltered. What was I supposed to do with the box? Take it to someone who worked with a football team?

How do I do this?

I’d never had so many reminders that someone took up root in my life. It was evidence I had to get rid of.

“No, I haven’t heard from her,” June’s voice carried through the hall on her phone. My heart beat quickened again as she continued. “Kassie needs time. I don’t know. Yeah. I don’t know.”

Oh god.

I took a hurried breath and lurched off to the right, off to the front desk. Dropping everything off with them was the right thing to do. They could call in Ryan.

Ryan, on the huge poster in front of me.

His muscular arms folded over his chest, his jersey taunt over his chest, the number four in the upper hand corner, and the hard glint in his eyes, the one he had in front of the press. The one that disappeared when he was with me.

“Nope, nope, nope” I whispered under my breath and stumbled back, running right into someone.

Of all goddamn days, ofcourse. I hit the ground and the cardboard box went flying. Everything tumbled across the floor, the Marrs sunglasses he conventionally left in my bag after our trip to the pool, the jerseys I had littered around my room, all the sketches I’d drawn of him driving in his car, the number four magnets we had on our fridge—everything.

---