Page 11 of The Study Session

“What's wrong?” he asks, a curious wrinkle on his sweaty brow.

I grab his hand and walk away from the field as briskly as I can, nervously looking around for any sign of those three guys. When we're in a secluded alcove, away from prying ears, I step forward and look at him as I whisper, explaining everything that happened.

Jax runs his fingers through his already tousled black hair, his lips pulled into a thin line. “I could fucking kill him,” he mutters under his breath.

“What was he talking about, Jax?” I ask, feeling as if I'm owed an explanation. I know Jax's past is probably more checkered than I would like, but that doesn't mean he can keep things like this from me. “What did they do to help you? What kind of stuff were you getting into in Glendale?”

He stops pacing back and forth and stares at me with a hurt expression on his face. I feel a pain of guilt questioning him, but I feel like I have to ask. I don't know who he is. Every time I try to ask him something, he's evasive.

“Look, everything's going to be fine,” he says, approaching me and tentatively putting his hands on my shoulders to try to calm me. My body relaxes under his touch, and he gives me a reassuring smile. “People in Glendale have stronger bonds than you can ever imagine. I'm sure they're just upset that I'm changing. I'll talk to them, I promise.”

He pulls me close to him and wraps his arms around me, kissing the top of my head gently while stroking my hair. It's not lost on me that he didn't answer my question. I know he has his past and his secrets, so his evasiveness does not make me feel any better. But I know now isn't the time to bring that up.

I stand on my tiptoes to give him a kiss, telling myself I'll find out the truth another time. For now, it's business as usual.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The music at Talon and Sawyer's place is loud, and everyone is clamored inside, bumping up against each other as they dance. I'm sitting on the couch next to some other guys from the team with a nice cold beer in my hand and watching my girl have fun. I should be happy.

Even though I should be enjoying this moment, finally feeling like I belong among these people, I can't stop thinking about what Corinne told me. Adrian had the nerve to approach her and try to spoil what we have and that pisses me off. I could wrap my hands around his thick fucking throat and kill him right now.

I try to forget about it, I really do. But the idea of him putting his hands onmywoman and shoving her to the ground makes my blood boil. Am I really going to let him get away with that? Who the hell does Adrian think he is?

Adrian is just a constant reminder of the baggage I have from where I came from. How am I ever supposed to move on and make something of myself when that life is still pulling me down? I need it to be over. I need Adrian to know that our friendship is done. If he's half the friend he says he is, he'llaccept that. I just wish he can realize I have something good here, for the first time in my life, and let me go.

“You are amazing out there on the field,” someone shouts in my ear. I turn to see Gerard sitting on the arm of the couch, a pleasant smile on his face. He holds a hand out to me to shake, and I take it, offering him an unspoken white flag.

“Someone's got to carry this team to state,” I joke, sparking laughter from the guys around me.

“Honestly, we would have made it there before, but winning is a whole other ball game,” Sawyer says behind me. “With you on the team, that trophy's ours already.”

Some of the guys high-five behind me, and I feel happy. This is the camaraderie I've always wanted in a team. Back in Glendale, being friends with the team meant petty crime and rivalries with other kids in the neighborhood.Thisis normal.

Corinne is in the center of the living room with her friend Rowen, both of them holding hands and jumping while they scream to a song playing over the stereo. I watch her with warmth tight in my chest before standing up and making my way outside.

I'm not going to let Adrian ruin another moment of my life.

A few people straggle outdoors smoking their vapes with red Solo cups in their hands. They shout their congratulations at me as I wave, walking toward the curb with my phone in my hand. Adrian picks up on the third ring.

“It took me sending a message to get a call back, I see,” Adrian says with an annoying chuckle.

“I'm going to tell you this one time, and I need you to get it through your thick fucking skull,” I begin, keeping my voice low to avoid drawing eyes from the others around me. “You stay away from me. Leave me alone, and don't you dare come near Corinne ever again. I don't want any more threats, any more warnings. It's over.”

There is a pause on the other end, but I know Adrian is still there. I can imagine him sitting at home on his front porch with a can of Coors Light in his hand, clenching it tighter so the frothy beer spills all over him.

“You need to learn your fucking place,” Adrian seethes through the phone. “I made you who you are. And you're going to turn your back on me? You're pathetic. You're going to regret ever fucking talking to me like this.”

The only thing I regret is not doing this ages ago. My life is already on an upswing now that Adrian and the rest of the gang are out of my life. Right now, I have a bright future ahead of me and a beautiful girl at my side. This is all I could have wanted for myself. It's time to leave the past behind.

“I mean it, Adrian. It's over,” I say, not waiting to hear his rebuttal because I hang the phone up immediately after. I almost expect him to call back, but surprisingly, he doesn't.

For the first time in my life, I feel good. Everything is working out in my favor, and I want this feeling to last as long as possible. Nothing is holding me back anymore. All I have ahead of me is the future, and it's mine to shape.

I head back inside, walking through the crowd in the living room to find Corinne still dancing with Rowen.

“Where'd you go?” Corinne asks with a wide, drunken smile on her lips.

I don't say anything back. Instead, I pull her in close and press my lips against hers, tasting the fruity cocktail thrown together in a punch bowl for the party. She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me close to her as people nonchalantly bump into us as they dance.

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