Page 73 of Game Changer
“All right, I gave you seven days, man, but now it’s getting pathetic.” Leo rips the covers from my head, ruining the perfect nest I’d made for myself. “Jesus, you reek. When’s the last time you showered?”
“Go away.” I groan, but with no covers left, I’m forced to stare up at Leo towering over me with a pinched expression. “I’m perfectly fine here.”
“Do your professors feel the same?”
“I emailed them,” I angrily retort. “So again, leave me alone.”
“Can’t do that,” Leo replies. “Someone’s here to see you.”
My head snaps at the prospect ofhershowing up unannounced, but Mark’s bulky figure steps into my vision instead. I should have known it wouldn’t be her. Why would it be when I said I needed space? She’s respecting my wishes, so why am I disappointed?
Mark is shoulder to shoulder with Leo now, and when he crosses his arms over his chest, it’s a lot more intimidating than when Leo with his slender frame does it. It’s like comparing a rhino to a field mouse.
Mark’s voice leaves no room for bullshit when he says, “Get up.”
My body stiffens, but I make no effort to move. Truthfully, I’ve succumbed to the depression that overtook me on that gravel pathway of Maya’s house. That whole situation was a bone-chilling reminder that I wouldn’t amount to anything. I’m a nobody and still undecided about what I want to do with my future. The minute I thought I did know, Maya’s father threw it back in my face like a joke. As if it wasn’t a career to be proud of.
And I shouldn’t care what Maya or her parents think, but I do. I care whateveryonethinks about me. It’s what drove me to have anxiety attacks when I was playing football. It’s why I felt overwhelmed by the pressure to amount to something great, like those around me. Cameron, the star football player. Maddie studying to become a freakingdoctor. I’ll never measure up to half their success, and after hearing Maya’s father say it out loud, I’ve accepted it. I’vebecomeit.
Mark scoffs. “If you think I won’t drag your ass out of this bed and throw you in the shower myself, you’re sorely mistaken. Now get the hell up. Leo’s been coddling you for the past week, so now I’m here for the tough love.”
“Hey, I didn’t coddle him,” Leo retorts. “He did that by wrapping himself up in that fucking comforter like he was preparing for metamorphosis.”
I roll my eyes. “I didn’t ask for help or for you guys to get me out of bed. I want to be leftalone.”
“Well, that’s not going to happen.” Mark puts his hands around my ankles and arches a brow. “What’ll it be, Davis? Are you going to hold on to a fraction of your manhood, or am I going to carry you to the showers like a child?”
“Has anyone ever told you both that you’re goddamn insufferable?” The thought of Mark carrying me is ridiculous, so I sit up, wincing at the soreness of my muscles. It’s ironic since I haven’t done shit after leaving Maya’s house. I was supposed to change my major on Monday. I was supposed to attend a game for the boys this past Sunday. Neither of those things happened.
“It’s normal to lick your wounds for a day or two after a breakup,” Mark explains.
“We didn’t break up. We . . .” Well, did we? I asked for space and haven’t contacted her in seven days. Maybe she considers it a breakup, but regardless, we have to speak at some point to get everything out in the open and officially declare it.
“Took space,” Mark finishes for me. “Leo filled me in. How muchspaceare you planning to take? Girls don’t wait around forever.”
“Maybe I don’t want her to.” My fears slip out like word vomit. “Who am I kidding? I was living in a fantasy world, thinking we could actually be together. I was waiting for the shoe to drop, knowing it was too good to be true, and learning her parents disapproved of me made everything make a whole lot of sense. She’s better off without me, or maybe I’m better off without her. I don’t know. She kept this from me, knowing that once I found out, I’d be heartbroken again. That’s not easy to forgive.”
“Didn’t say it had to be easy to forgive, but at some point, you’ve gotta pick yourself back up.” Mark’s hand lands on my shoulder. “Any girl who doesn’t want you is missing out, Ethan.Shewas lucky to haveyou.”
“Ditto.” Leo hums in agreement.
“Please. Have you seen her? She’s way out of my league.”
Mark shakes his head. “Looks aren’t everything, dude.”
“That’s rich coming from the guy with two different hair gels,” I drawl.
Leo cuts Mark with a glare. “You use two different hair gels?”
“They’re used to create different textures,” Marks says, in an attempt to defend himself.
“Do you mean curly or straight? Or, like, hairstyles?”
“Different—” Mark sighs deeply. “We’re getting off topic. ThepointI’m trying to make is you’ve got a heart of gold, Ethan. It’s why we’re your friends. It’s why the kids love you.” The scowl he makes next makes the pit in my stomach grow larger. “It’s why they were so disappointed you didn’t make it to their game, and it’s why I’m here to get you out of whatever funk you’ve found yourself in.”
“They wouldn’t have wanted me at their game,” I mutter. “They’ve idolized me and turned me into someone I’m not. Those kids have their whole future ahead of them, and the last thing they need is a failure who’s barely keeping his head above water telling them what to do with it.”
“You’re wrong.” Mark clears his throat, forcing me to meet his stare. “Is that why Jake made his first sack last game? Are you going to look me in my eye and tell me you had no part in that after staying after practice repeatedly with him to help with his form?”
