Page 126 of Just One Season
“She’s asking about me?” Hope surges, then fades. Why would that matter? It’ll be better when she’s gone from Fort Collins for good. Then I’ll know for certain there’s no chance for us. But while she’s still here, I can’t help but yearn for her.
“I don’t remember.” Atticus yanks the sweatshirt over his curls and grabs a baseball cap from his locker, settling it on his head backwards, red strands escaping from all sides. “Maybe she was asking about one of the other guys. You’re not very memorable.”
“Fuck off.” I groan.
“As fun as this conversation is, I’m out of here.” Lachlan follows Harley out of the locker room, and they leave me alone with my torturer.
I glance over through the glass window at Coach Jackson. I planned on talking to him about my trade fears, and now’s the perfect time. But I can’t let this go with Atticus. Not yet.
Atticus sighs, clutching his phone in one hand and a half-empty electrolyte drink in the other. But he doesn’t walk away yet.
“Fine. But only because you are seriously pathetic right now. Lucy’s interview went great. She saw January while she was over there, and I think she’s all in.”
“Oh.” My heart drops, and my entire body sags.
“Sorry, man.”
“She get an actual job offer yet?”
“Nah, not yet.”
“Thanks.” I sink to the bench and hang my head. “You go ahead. I’m staying to talk to Coach.”
Atticus takes two steps away, then pauses and turns back.
“One piece of advice, if I may?” He’s got a dead serious look on his face.
“Go ahead.” I look up at him.
“If you’ve got something to say to my sister, say it. You have nothing to lose. She’ll be gone soon. Far away. Don’t have regrets about not shooting your shot while you still can.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. There’s a faraway look in Atticus’s eyes, and I wonder if he’s thinking about his own regrets. Then the look is gone, and he focuses back on me.
“But—” I run my hand through my hair. “What if it’s pointless? Itispointless, I mean.” So incredibly pointless. So pointless, I want to lay flat on this dirty locker room floor and close my eyes until the heavy feeling lifts off my chest.
“Just speak what’s in your heart. No regrets, you know what I mean?” Atticus turns and strides out of the room.
“What the fuck was that about?” I say to no one.
But there’s something niggling at me.
The light shuts off in Coach Jackson’s office, and I sit up straight when he walks into the locker area.
“I was hoping to catch you, Coach.”
“Great game out there. You’re looking really sharp this season.”
Coach Jackson is a good man. I know I can trust him. But still, asking about this feels awkward as hell.
“I’m worried about getting traded,” I blurt. “And I wanted to get your thoughts on that.”
“Why on earth would you worry about getting traded?” Coach looks genuinely shocked at my query.
I grimace. He doesn’t know that I have good reason to worry about that.
“Paul hates me.”
But… is that even true anymore? Sure, I got more than my fair share of dirty looks when the season started and that one humiliating talking to, but after things were happening with Lucy, it seemed to fade away. Then stop. Maybe Lucy and I were that good at fake dating.
