Page 30 of Saving the Halfback

“No.”

“Ah…but that’s not what you told me. Do you remember? When you told me I was the best part of your day. When I made you laugh.”

I shook my head. “Left Pink Forty.” I imagined Chase in this play. I didn’t know who the other tight ends were on the team…

“Of course, I was the best part. I was the only part. The only one to be there for you. They all abandoned you. As your future husband, I will always be the only man you need to talk to.”

I bet Chase could make it through; he was fast. Not as fast as Lachlan, but he was very strategic…

“Are you listening to me?” Ed’s voice rose. “They left you!” he screamed. “They left you, and I was there. Your mother, your father, your friends, they never cared about you!” Ed’s form dissipated, along with his voice, as the passenger door opened.

“Bailey?” Lachlan’s eyes were full of concern.

I shook my head. “I’m fine,” I whispered. “It’s fine, I just…” I cleared my throat. Ed was gone. “I was just going over plays in my head.” I nodded, liking that it was partially true. “I kind of zoned out, thinking about them.”

Lachlan slid onto the seat, placing his backpack on the floor. “While driving?” I could hear the disbelief in his voice.

“Yeah.” I cleared my throat and pulled out of his driveway, heading toward the city. “So, I don’t get in Omni Two, the two Xs that—” Cutting myself off, I asked, “And that’s another thing. Why is X offense and O defense? It took me nearly three plays to figure out—”

“Bailey”—Lachlan reached over, his hand resting on my arm—“take a deep breath.”

My eyes fell to his hand, and he quickly pulled away. I looked back to the road.

“Omni Two. It’s a play we used often last year because it worked well,” Lachlan began. He went over the play, then took out the playbook to explain the positions. I got lost in his voice. Hearing Ed’s voice in my head all morning had knots in my stomach. Lachlan’s voice was soothing. I felt those tight knots release, felt the tension seep from my muscles.

Even after Lachlan had stopped talking, I could feel myself continue to relax in his presence. That same sandalwood and earthy scent, the one unique to him, washed over me, lulled me. “What is that smell?” I asked, then cursed myself for being so weird.

“Uh…smell?” He lifted the neck of his shirt and took a sniff.

I laughed. “It’s not bad. I just always smell it on you. The sandalwood and—”

“Weed.”

My smile fell. “What?”

“Weed, cannabis.”

“Wait…you smoke?”

He shrugged. “That's why I don’t drive.” His hand came up, rubbing the back of his neck, “It…helps me.”

“It’s… I mean…” Who was I to judge? “Does Coach know?”

“No. Well, I think he has a feeling, but he’s never said anything. He can’t know, no one can. I’ll be kicked off the team. It’s legal here—I’m eighteen—but it’s forbidden in competitive sports.”

“Why do you do it, then?”

“Why were you shaking when you picked me up?” he asked.

I sighed. “Touché.” I pulled the truck into a parking space, the lot slowly filling with football players. So many secrets among us. This never used to be how it was. This wasn’t even how it was supposed to turn out. “Eth, Chase, you, and I used to talk about how high school would be. How we would pick the same courses to get into the same classes. This is definitely not what we had pictured, and I can’t help but feel it’s my fault.”

Lachlan toyed with his fingers for a moment before speaking. “I regret not letting you visit…” His voice was low. “When I was locked up. I’ve been wanting to apologize, but an apology seems inadequate at this point. Years have passed. Not days or weeks but years. What can I say?”

My eyes swung to him. “Yeah, that was a dick move.” Lachlan chuckled, and the tense moment broke, making it easier to breathe in the truck.

“You know what’s worse? They said they could put you guys on ado not enterlist and then you would stop coming. I said no, because knowing you came anyway helped me.”

“Then, why didn’t you see us?” I asked.

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