Page 86 of Chess Not Checkers
She nods, though she’s breathing heavily, then looks at him with fire in her eyes. “We need to talk about boundaries.”
I suck in a breath.This ought to be interesting.
Chapter forty-two
Falling Like Leaves
Jasmine Chamberlain
“Boundaries?” Bash asks, a mixture of confusion and concern in his gaze.
“Yes, boundaries,” I huff out, trying to catch my breath.
I spent the morning psyching myself up to face him. When I got Shepherd’s text that he was going to the meeting, I entered a game of mental tug-of-war. I walked into Marigold’s room and word vomited my every thought about the matter. She looked at me over the rim of her coffee mug, crumpled papers scattered over her desk, and told me togrow upand tell Bash how I felt. Apparently, she hadn’t slept that night and didn’t have the energy to pull punches. But it was exactly what I needed, so I couldn’t be mad at her.
My conclusion came a little late, though, so I ran here as fast as I could in hopes that I could keep Bash from doing anything irrational.
“You can’t bench Shep,” I say, trying to hold his gaze but settling for the collar of his shirt. I can feel Shepherd’s eyes on me.
“I didn’t—”
“And it was wrong of you to make a rule that players can’t date cheerleaders because of me—”
“I’m sorry about that—”
“I’m grateful that you’re protective over me—” I stop, and look up at him. His words catch up in my brain. “Wait, you didn’t bench him?”
There’s a touch of amusement in his expression. I look at Shepherd, who’s smiling at me. He shakes his head. I swivel back to Bash.
“And you’re sorry about the rule?” I clarify.
He nods. “I was a little overzealous. Though I stand by that no guy deserves you, and my rule had good intentions behind it.”
My shoulders drop. “Okay, well, that ruins my speech.”
Bash chuckles. “I’m sorry. It did seem like it was going to be a good one.” His expression turns somber. “Can I ask you something?”
My anxiety flares up again. All of my emotions are pulling at my mind. Elation that Shepherd isn’t in trouble, residual anger at the idea that he could have been benched, and worry that I’ve messed up my relationship with Bash.
I nod.
“Shepherd said you were worried about disappointing me and that’s why you hid your relationship. Is that true?”
I look down. “You’ve done so much for me. You and MJ both took me in, and you gave me my apartment. I didn’t want to let you down in any way. I’ve been working so hard to make you proud, and when I found out about the no-dating-cheerleaders rule, I worried that I might ruin everything.”
“Jaz, look at me,” Bash says softly. I lift my head, wringing my hands. “There are no conditions or strings attached to your apartment. We gave you that because we love you. I’m happy you’re working hard, but do that for you, not for me or MJ.”
“I don’t want you to feel like you wasted your money.”
He crosses the space between us and gives me a hug. “You’re not an investment; you’refamily.” He squeezes me for emphasis, then pulls back to look down at me. “Don’t you ever think that you need to pay me back or live up to some standard. All I want is for you to be happy and safe, okay?”
I nod, tears stinging the backs of my eyes. Somehow, my family always knows exactly what I need to hear. It might take me some time to truly believe his words, but this is the kickstart I needed. And I’m grateful I have people in my life who care enough to remind me of the truth when the lies get loud.
“Okay,” I whisper and accept another hug from him.
“Also, I gave Shepherd my blessing, but if he breaks your heart, I reserve the right to bench him for the rest of his college career,” he says, and I let out a watery laugh.
“I’ll take that deal,” Shepherd says. I look over at him through blurry eyes. “I don’t plan on breaking her heart.”
