Page 90 of A Quarterback for Christmas

She shrugs. “That’s what the whispers are about. No one knows the real reason, or if they do, they aren’t sharing it with mere mortals like me. Maybe ask your dad.”

Why didn’t my dad mention it when I saw him for dinner on Friday night? Drew’s not leaving. He can’t be. Granted, we haven’t spoken in a few days, but that kind of decision doesn’t just happen overnight, and he would have mentioned it to me at some point, especially since one of the main things drawing me away from confirming our relationship status was his and my father’s close relationship.

“Drew’s leaving,” I breathe out in disbelief.

Marissa lifts her head and smiles. “How did you not know this? I thought you and Drew were close?”

I thought we were too. “That’s why I don’t believe it.”

“Oh, it’s true, alright. He announced on social media last night that he was looking at new colleges.” She swipes up her phone, types in a few words, and then shows me the post.

‘Thank you to St. Michaels, Coach Summers and the rest of the coaching staff for the last two years. I’ve enjoyed being a part of your team and its incredible legacy, but unfortunately,it’s time for me to move on. I wish you all the best for your upcoming season and am pleased to announce that I will be transferring to a new college for my junior year. Further details to follow soon.’

Even though it’s his official page, and his smiling face is staring back at me, it doesn’t make me believe the statement is any truer. Drew’s leaving me. The guy I wanted to be with, I just didn’t knowhowto be with him. But now he’s taken the choice away from me because he’s going to move thousands of miles away. If anyone was supposed to leave St. Michael’s before graduating, it was supposed to be me. I wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place. I should have been in London.

My heart feels like it wants to push through my chest, and I don’t know what to do. The cafeteria is too crowded; I think I need air.

“As you’d expect, absolutely everyone is talking about it.”

“Why would he leave? It makes no sense.” He and my father are best friends. Drew followed him to St. Michael’s for crying out loud. There’s no way Drew would just turn his back on my father like that. There’s no way my dad would have been so cool with it that he would serve me roast chicken for dinner on Friday and not mention it. I’m the one that’s flighty and prone to disappointment, not Drew.

“I heard they were thinking of starting one of the freshman quarterbacks next season, and Drew couldn’t stand being back up again.”

None of this makes sense. My dad would never risk starting a freshman quarterback just out of high school when he had Drew on the bench. Drew’s been waiting for his shot ever since he got here, and he’s got to be better than anyone else.

But why would my dad let Drew go like that?

“I need to speak to my dad.” I rush out of my seat, grabbing my tray in haste as I head to the trash can.

“Let me know what you find out,” Marissa calls behind me, but I don’t acknowledge it. Too much is buzzing through my head, and I still don’t believe it.

Instead of going to my dad’s office, I jog in the other direction, knowing the only way I will get a straight answer is if I talk to Drew himself.

Knocking feverishly on the now familiar black door, my heart rate spikes. When Drew and I had that argument in the gym, I didn’t expect to be talking about him transferring colleges in our next conversation.

This is all so crazy. I keep thinking that I must be dreaming or someone hacked his socials as a prank. He can’t just up and leave me without an explanation.

Waiting at the door, I rub my hands together and look around the neighborhood, hoping to release some nervous energy.

I have no idea how he’ll react, considering he’s been ignoring me like the plague over the last week. I need to talk to him now, though. If he’s really leaving, then this is a big deal. He’s not just leaving me; he’s leaving everything he ever built with my dad and all his teammates behind.

“Bella?” I frown but quickly mask it with a smile because I don’t want Jacob to see me disappointed. “What are you doing here?” There’s no malice in his voice, just confusion and a little tenderness.

Forcing my face into a smile, I say, “Hey, Jacob. Is Drew home?” I tip myself onto my toes, trying to look over Jacob’s shoulder discreetly.

He responds with an uneasy half-grin. “I’m, uh, Drew’s kind of busy at the moment.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He’s silent; I’m sure he’s inwardly cursing himself for saying that. I step forward to walk around Jacob, but he stands in my way. “Are you seriously not going to let me in?”

He closes the door a little more, making a sneak entry impossible. “I can’t.”

“So, Drew is home then?” I can just as easily walk around the back of the house and let myself in via the gym, but as I already made an effort to come through the front, I’d like to do that instead of breaking and entering.

“He doesn’t want to see you, Bella.” Jacob’s shoulders relax as though holding that in was visibly restricting his breathing. Too bad I don’t believe him. Yes, Drew and I fought, but if he wanted to leave, he needed to confront me first.

“Why not?”

“Why do you think?”

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