Page 62 of The Wrong Quarterback

If I thought I looked bad…he looked worse. His face was pale, eyes rimmed with dark circles, and there was a green pallor to his skin, like he was going to be sick at any moment. He looked awful, like he was barely holding it together.

A part of me, the one that had always loved him, felt bad for how horrible he looked. He was clearly suffering, and I had always just wanted him to be happy. I’d always thought thatIcould do that for him.

But I needed to stop thinking that way.

“Casey,” he said, stumbling off the wall he’d been leaning against, his voice thick, the desperation clear. “I don’t know what happened last night. I don’t remember…any of it. I swear.” He shook his head, his eyes pleading, reaching for something in me. “I’m so sorry. I would never?—”

I stared at him, the sting of tears threatening, my throat burning with everything I wanted to say but couldn’t.Sorry.As if sorry could erase the image of him tangled with someone else, of every promise he’d broken. As if it could take away the betrayal that still clawed at my chest, raw and unhealed.

“No,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I don’t care what happened, Gray. Ineverwant to see you again.”

He fell back a step, like I’d physically struck him, his whole face shocked and disbelieving. “Casey, I don’t even remember anything. I would never have done that to you. Ever. I love you!”

Now I was the one who felt like I’d been slapped, because that word…love.

It couldn’t possibly make me feel like this.

I looked away, refusing to let him see the tears that were already gathering in my eyes.

Natalie touched my arm gently. “Let’s go. You’re going to be late,” she murmured, shooting Gray a dirty look.

Without another word, she looped her arm in mine and led me toward the entrance to where my class was. Thank goodness she knew where we were going, my autopilot wasn’t working at the moment.

“Casey! I’m going to prove it to you. We’re not done!” Gray yelled after us, but I didn’t look back.

I held my head high, even as my heart shattered with every step. And I didn’t let the tears come until we were out of his sight. I may have sobbed after that, but at least I hadn’t done it in front of him.

Because he didn’t deserve my tears.

CHAPTER 16

PARKER

“You’re in a chipper chapper mood,” Jace commented as I threw him the ball. We were doing a few warm-up passes before drills started, and he was wincing every time he caught the ball from how hard I was throwing.

I couldn’t help it, though. It felt like last night had been this huge turning point, and I couldn’t wait to start the next step.

“Just really excited about life right now, Thatcher,” I told him as he broke left, and I launched the ball. Jace reached up and caught it mid-air over his shoulder.

And that’s why he was the best.

Jace was grinning as he jogged back toward me.

“Sure it doesn’t have to do with acertaingirl? And the fact that hercertainboyfriend fucked up big time last night?” asked Jace, fluttering his eyelashes at me obnoxiously.

“Why do you keep on saying ‘certain’ like that?” asked Matty.

“Or is it the fact that you were the one that made the boyfriend fuck up in the first place?” Jace continued, ignoring Matty completely.

I huffed out a laugh. Jace’s brother was basically a pharmaceutical company unto himself, so I’d had my pick ofdrugs to choose from. Unfortunately, that meant Jace knew all about my plan. Which led to Matty being told as well.

Good thing I trusted these guys with my life.

“So that’s it, we’re just crazy now?” Matty asked, grabbing the football from me and beginning to toss it in the air. “We’re just talking about this like it’s nothing?”

Jace stole the football from him. “It’s called true love,Matthew. Just wait, you’re going to crack one of these days over Ms. Stalker, and it’s all going to be over. You’re going to be insufferable.”

The three of us glanced over to where the blond was sitting in her car, watching us closely.

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