Page 69 of Faking the Play

I had a feeling I knew where this was going, but hoped I was wrong.

“I took the key to their apartment that they’d given you and had a copy made. I gave the key to Jason.” Megan sniffled as her eyes welled up with tears. “I swear I didn’t know what he was going to do until he told me yesterday. When we were watching the game and the guys got hurt, Jason was so happy, and I realized that only a really horrible person could be happy about something like that.”

“Yeah, Megan. And Jason’s a horrible person,” I said tightly. “He posted those pictures of me online. He lied about me sleeping with Dr. Isenberg. He lied about me stealing from him. He’s lied about everything he says he did in college.”

“I know,” she said quietly, not bothering to wipe away the tears that spilled down her cheeks. “I know all of that now because he told me. He thought I was so in love with him that I wouldn’t care. Actually, I think he thought I’d be impressed.”

“What do you want from me, Megan?” I asked, suddenly exhausted. “You want me to forgive you for helping Jason ruin the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time?”

She shook her head. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I’m trying to make things right. That’s why I went to the hospital this morning and told the guys about what Jason did.”

I looked over at the panda, suddenly understanding. They hadn’t come to the realization that I hadn’t cheated or lied. They “believed me” now because someone else had told them the truth.

“Okay, well, now everyone knows the truth,” I said. “Your job is done.”

“You should give them another chance,” she said. “The looks on their faces when they realized what’d happened…they were destroyed.”

“Now they know how I feel,” I said softly. “I can’t be with someone who needs proof to believe that I’m not a cheater or a liar.”

“Amelia—” she began.

“No,” I snapped. “Now, if you really want to do something for me, leave me alone.”

Chapter thirty-seven

Amelia

My dorm room looked like a botanical garden combined with someone’s Amazon wish list and then exploded. The guys kept sending stuff, each item specifically linked to some shared memory or the sort of thing that proved how well they knew me. I knew they’d respect my wishes if I asked them to stop, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Not because I wanted all the stuff, but because I really did miss them and didn’t have the strength to completely cut them out of my life.

And it didn’t help that Megan was on their side.

She hadn’t said much about me giving them another chance, but she also didn’t complain as our room slowly filled up with stuff. She was also being a better roommate than she’d been the entire time we’d lived together, which made it hard to stay angry with her.

Some people might not have understood why I was more willing to forgive her than I was the guys, especially considering she hadn’t believed me over Jason, and then she’d been instrumental in causing the problem that had driven me and the guys apart. The thing was, I’d only known her for four years. I’dconsidered her one of my best friends, but that was only because I didn’t really have anyone else. Looking back, I realized how little we actually knew about each other.

The guys and I had a deep, intimate history, even if we’d only been lovers for a short time. They’d known me in ways that no one else ever had, and they’d still believed the worst.

I wasn’t ready to get past that hurt, and I didn’t know if I’d ever be.

But I was, apparently, going to the playoff game despite my numerous efforts to avoid it.

I’d stuck to my resolve not to go until Professor McNeil offered extra credit for attending. Extra creditandhe’d provide tickets for us. If my grades had been where they normally were, I probably would’ve passed on the offer, but I’d screwed up a couple assignments in his class right after what happened with the guys, and it put my grade on the border between a B and an A. Going to the game would give me the points I needed to get that A.

So here I was, bundled up against the cold and hoping that the hat and scarf, along with my coat and gloves, would keep anyone from recognizing me. Word about what had happened with me and the guys hadn’t made the rounds, but everyone in my dorm knew that something was up.

The fact that Megan had kept her mouth shut about all of it had been the last push I needed to ask her if she was going to the game, and if she’d go with me so I didn’t have to sit alone. She agreed and managed to trade tickets with one of my classmates to get a seat next to me. I’d hoped the seats were way up high, but Professor McNeil had actually gotten some pretty good seats only a few rows behind our team. Normally, I would’ve been thrilled, but now I was just hoping to avoid prying eyes and keep the guys from noticing me at all, and for the twenty minutes leading up to the team’s entrance, it seemed to be working.

It was harder to ignore the conversations around us about Logan’s career-ending injury. I’d managed to do it all week by avoiding people as much as I could, but now I was surrounded and the stands were packed, with no empty space for me to escape to.

Then everyone was on their feet, cheering as the Rams came running onto the field, and I suddenly found it hard to breathe. I couldn’t see Ryan or Ethan from here, but it was easy to spot Logan as he made his way up the sidelines, maneuvering his crutches like he’d been doing it his whole life. I couldn’t see his face from where I stood, but I imagined it couldn’t be easy for him to not be with the rest of the guys, to know he was never going to play again. That something great and wonderful that he’d been a part of was lost to him forever…

My heart squeezed and a lump formed in my throat. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t sit here and watch the game like it was no big deal.

I turned toward Megan to tell her that I needed to go, but froze as a familiar voice echoed from the sound system.

“Amelia Fine? Amelia, I know you’re here.”

I looked over at Megan, the guilty expression on her face telling me exactly how Logan knew I’d come to the game.

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