Page 69 of Pick Me

Things were about to get real deep with Jackson, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

Chapter Seventeen

Jackson

“Is everything okay?” Matty asked as he spotted me on the bench. A vein was about to pop in my neck as I pushed up the heaviest weight I’d ever lifted. My arms were shaking, my face was flushed, but I didn’t care because the mounting pressure in my head was taking my mind off all the other things going on.

“I’m fine,” I gritted out. I would lift this stupid weight if it was the last thing I ever did.

Matty chuckled before wrapping his hands around the bar. “Yeah, you know what? I think we’ve had enough of that.” He wrestled the weight out of my hand before racking it.

I gave him an annoyed glare and rolled my eyes.

“Dude, do you really think I’m going to let you kill yourself? I’m your spotter.”

“Should have asked Aiden,” I muttered, even though I hadn’t seen that idiot since he kicked us out of his house. I couldn’t blame him. If I had Lyss on tap, I’d probably do the same thing. But then I thought about it instead of just saying shit in my head.Would I?Lyss was a nice girl, but she wasn’t for me. Much like Britt, she wasn’t my type. Thea was.

I swiped the towel from the floor and wiped my sweat-soaked face with it, scrubbing until it hurt. The pressure in my head was mounting, and I wanted to think about anything other than Thea for at least a minute.

“You know Aiden would’ve let the weight fall on your face.”

“Exactly. That psychopath needs to go to jail. What a perfect way to get him caught.”

Matty chortled. “You know perfectly well that Aiden’s daddy wouldn’t let that happen. Somehow, your death would be your own fault, and your parents would be paying compensation to his for the rest of their lives.”

“Good point. I never want to hear him complain about his father again.”

I stood, blew out and breath, and shook my arms while bouncing on my feet. Why wouldn’t the thoughts go away?

“Are you worried about the draft?”

I turned and glared at my floppy-haired friend. “You mean the one I’m not entering because I have to repeat my junior year?” The words sounded bitter, but I wasn’t. I had no intentions of making a living out of getting knocked in the head. My ambitions were different, and even an expert hacker wouldn’t get it. At least, that was what I’d say to make myself feel better at having no draft potential. I was a mediocre player at best, and being around Tanner only emphasized that fact.

“Oh, yeah. Forgot about that.”

“Yeah, so while you’re following Britt around and she builds her career as one of the best broadcasters sports have ever seen. I’ll still be here. With Thea.”

“Don’t sound so happy about it.” Matty took a seat next to me on the bench as he drank from his water bottle.

“How can I be happy when she’s driving me crazy?”

“What’s she doing this time?” He eyed me, waiting for a response, which was becoming harder and harder to articulate.

“Everything. Nothing. I don’t know. She’s just there.” I raised my hands in front of me, trying to give him a sense of the chaos in my brain. He didn’t get it. That gold band on his finger was mocking me and my inability to get the girl I wanted.

“Well, that makes sense.”

“It doesn’t, though. She kissed me last night.”

“Wait, willingly?”

I whipped my head in his direction. “Yes, willingly. Who do you think I am?”

“Well, I don’t know. Last I heard, she wanted to fry your balls or something. I didn’t think you’d be able to get to kissing any time soon.” He looked up and laughed. “I guess Britt won the bet.”

“Britt hasn’t won anything. Thea and I are not sleeping together. She was wrong.”

“So, you kissed her, then what?”

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