Page 44 of Header

Tori steeled her spine and made her way to the fields. Emmett was quiet, something that she would need to talk to him about after. Clearly, Isaac had done something to upset him and she doubted it was just what she saw on the video.

Eighteen

He hated being late. Prided himself on never being late for anything, actually. Tonight, he was late.

It may have been intentional. He might have been avoiding Tori. If he weren’t early, then there was less of a risk of an awkward as hell encounter between them.

Chance needn’t have bothered. Tori wasn’t here tonight. She’d apparently called off sick and he knew why. It was the same reason that he was late. They were avoiding each other to the extreme.

Isaac wasn’t there either which was a blessing. Chance doubted the man would ever show up again. Emmett stood with Leah instead tonight. Didn’t mean Isaac couldn’t show up later but for now he was nowhere to be seen.

“Come on, man,” Maddox called.

Chance ran to join him, getting ready for the lessons to begin. They rounded up kids, Chance happily back with Emmett’s group and not the younger kids. The runner was already up to his old tricks as Buddy hefted Sean off the fence and placed him back with the group.

Emmett tapped Chance’s arm. “My mom is sad.”

“I’m sorry, bud.” Was all he could manage to say around the lump forming in his throat.

Sure she’d apologized yesterday, but it had also been clear that she didn’t want to be with him. It still fucking hurt.

“Can you help?” Emmett asked.

Chance shook his head. “I don’t think I can this time, bud.”

Emmett dropped his head and stared at his feet. “Does this mean that you aren’t my friend anymore?”

“Of course we’re still friends,” Chance assured him. “I might not see you quite as much but we are always friends, okay?”

Maddox came up at the tail end of the conversation. “Bro, you’re all our friend. Tell you what. I’ll get you and your mom some good seats to our last game coming up, okay?”

Emmett nodded but wasn’t as enthusiastic as he would have been a week ago. He went off to do some passing with another kid and Chance ran a hand through his hair.

His stomach was in knots over the way things had played out between him and Tori but having Emmett involved in it only made it harder.

“Maybe you can take him to the game if Tori doesn’t want to go? He might like that,” Maddox offered.

“I don’t even know that Emmett wants to go. This shit is so screwed up.”

“It is. You’ll get through it,” Maddox slapped him on the back and joined the kids again.

Chance shook off all the depressing thoughts that were threatening to cave him in and followed Maddox into the chaos. The kids would be a good distraction.

And they were, for the whole hour. Then it was over and Chance was face to face with Leah and Emmett.

“For what it’s worth, I was on your side,” Leah told him.

“There are no sides,” Chance told her. “It just didn’t work out.”

“Let her cool off a bit. She’s always been unsure of herself and the things that Isaac said to you, he said those to her regularly and worse.” Leah looked around to see if anyone was listening. “I love her, but she made a mistake and while she will own up to it, she also thinks this is how things were supposed to work between you two because you’re so different.”

“We aren’t that different,” Chance told her.

Leah shrugged. “That’s not how she sees it.”

“Maddox,” Emmett called. “Can Leah come with us to the game?”

“Wait, what?” Leah asked.

---