Page 118 of Hits Different

“I’m really sorry. It’s the rules”.

I’m about to suggest that we leave, but then I remember the last time we were here, Freddie spent all night with me at the hospital making sure I was okay. Maybe I wasn’t as good a teammate as I thought, but I can still be a good friend.

I lean across the counter, looking her right in the eye.

“Any chance you could make an exception for a desperate fool in love, and his slightly-selfish-but-still-cute best friend?” I catch her nametag. “Jess? Beautiful name, by the way. My first girlfriend was called Jess”.

“Well…” she blushes.

“I’m Brandon. We were actually in town a few weeks ago. We play for the Wolves. This is my lovestruck friend Freddie”.

“Wait, I know you”. She snaps her fingers. “You guys won the championship. Hell of a game”.

“That’s us. I mean, moreme, if we’re being honest”, I lean forward conspiratorially. “I scored the winner”.

Her eyes light up. “Wow, that’s amazing”.

“Thanks. Couldn’t have done it without Freddie. See, my buddy—a defender, so you probably wouldn’t recognise him—” Freddie narrows his eyes— “Just proposed and this ring has sentimental meaning to his fiancée”.

“That’s so sweet”.

“Unfortunately, given his less than glamourous position within the team, this could be his one and only chance to lock it down with his true love”. Her mouth curves into a smile, as she looks between us. “I totally get that two over-excited college guys showing up asking to see the fancy jewellery when you’re trying to close is probably more stress than you get paid for, but if there’s any way you could help us out, I’d really appreciate it”.

She makes a thoughtful noise with her tongue, then smiles. “I’ll call the manager and see if I can get the key”.

She sashays into a backroom and picks up the phone. Freddie nudges me sharply in the ribs. “Your doctor was right about the magical power of that bone structure”.

“I’m sorry, man”, I say in a rush. It kills me that without meaning to, I’ve hurt his feelings. “I should have been better. I’ll send you all the info I got from Summit. One of us should get something out of it, and it’s not going to be me. I think soccer and I are done”.

It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud. The words turn to ash in the atmosphere.

Freddie frowns. “Do you really believe that?”

“That since my accident, I magically suck at soccer?” I force a cheerful smile, “It’s sad but true. The hype train has run off the rails”.

“Two other things happened at the same time as your accident, you know. The first has to do with that bullshit online. You didn’t mention that you’d been spending time with Parker”.

“He works at Summit. His cousin owns it”.

“Ah”. Freddie says. “So, you’ve been with him all summer? Including times that might have preceded a certain late night SOS phone call?”

The back of my neck suddenly feels warm. “And…” he prompts.

“I can’t talk about it without betraying his privacy”. It’s not that I don’t trust Freddie, but Parker hasn’t even come out to his family yet. “I’m not avoiding. There’s different rules for boys like me”.

“Have you ever listened to Lainey Ellis's podcast?” I shake my head. “You should. The most recent episode. But for now, let’s talk in hypotheticals”, Freddie drums his fingers on the counter. “Hypotheticallyyou’ve been seeing someone that you can’t talk to your friends about. Let’s call him… Barker”.

“Jesus, and I cannot emphasise this enough,Christ”.

“You’ve been in love with him ever since I’ve known you”, Freddie says softly.

“Which has nothing to do with my sudden inability to kick a ball properly”.

“But the second thing might. Let’s stick with Barker for now”.

“We’re in love. But I don’t want to mess things up for him. He took me to our secret spot and somehow pictures of us still got out there. Some loser in a Mustang”. I swallow. “It’s his first ever MMA fight today and I’m not there”.

“Which brings me to the second thing”, Freddie takes a deep breath. “Brad Fleming retired”.

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