Page 41 of The Boyfriend Zone

I didn't answer. The truth was too humiliating to voice aloud, especially now that it had all been for nothing. I was benched anyway, but instead of a few weeks of controlled rest, I was facing who knew how long of recovery—possibly surgery—and all while the scouts who had come to evaluate me watched someone else take my place.

"You need imaging," Dr. Shaw continued, helping me into the sling. "First thing tomorrow. I'm calling the sports medicine clinic now to get you in."

I nodded numbly, too overwhelmed by pain and disappointment to argue. As the team filed out for the third period, Tristan paused beside me.

"We'll win this for you," he promised, his captain's authority making it sound almost possible.

"Thanks," I managed, trying to summon a smile. "Go get 'em."

Once they were gone, the locker room fell eerily quiet. Dr. Shaw left to make his call, promising to return with stronger pain medication. Alone with my thoughts, I felt the full weight of my failure crashing down on me.

My phone buzzed in my bag, and I knew without looking that it would be my father, demanding to know why I wasn't on the ice. I couldn't face that conversation yet. Instead, I closed my eyes, trying to breathe through another wave of pain.

The door opened, and I braced myself for Dr. Shaw's return or Coach's disappointment. Instead, I heard a familiar voice, soft with concern.

"Sean?"

Lucas. I opened my eyes to find him standing a few feet away, his expression a mixture of worry and relief.

"Hey," I said weakly. "Come to get the scoop on the injured star?"

It was a cheap shot, unfair and untrue, but pain and humiliation made me lash out. To his credit, Lucas didn't rise to the bait.

"No," he said simply. "I came to see if you were okay."

The sincerity in his voice undid me. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, and I turned away, unable to bear his witness to my breakdown.

"Not really," I admitted, my voice cracking. "Pretty far from okay, actually."

I heard him move closer, felt him kneel beside the bench where I sat. "What can I do?" he asked.

What could he do? What could anyone do? The damage was done, the consequences inescapable. And yet, having him there, asking that simple question, made the crushing weight on my chest ease just slightly.

"Just stay?" The request slipped out before I could overthink it. "For a minute, at least."

"Of course." Lucas settled on the bench beside me, close but not touching, respecting my space even as he offered his presence. "As long as you need."

We sat in silence for a moment, the distant roar of the crowd marking the progress of the game without us. I wondered if they were winning, if Jensen was filling my spot adequately, if the scouts had already written me off.

"It's been bad for weeks," I confessed suddenly, the words spilling out like water through a broken dam. "The shoulder. I knew I should have rested it, seen a doctor. But I couldn't let everyone down."

"And now?" Lucas prompted gently.

I laughed, a hollow sound that echoed in the empty locker room. "And now I've let everyone down anyway. Best of both worlds."

"That's not true."

"Isn't it?" I gestured to the empty room, the ice I wasn't playing on, the future slipping away with every throb of pain in my shoulder. "Look around, Lucas. This is what failure looks like."

"No," he said firmly. "This is what happens when someone pushes themselves too hard for too long. It's not failure, Sean. It's human."

When was the last time anyone had expected me to be simply human, with all the frailties and imperfections that entailed?

"My dad's going to kill me," I whispered, the fear that had been driving me all along finally surfacing. "This was my shot, my chance to prove I could make it to the next level. The scouts were here tonight, and I blew it."

"If one game determines your entire future, then it's not much of a future," Lucas pointed out. "The scouts will be back. You'll heal. And if your dad can't understand that, then that's on him, not you."

The door swung open again, and Dr. Shaw returned, pill bottle in hand. He paused briefly at the sight of Lucas, but didn't comment on his presence.

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