Page 109 of Shut Up and Jingle Me
“That’s strategy,” Luke says, bumping my shoulder with his.
For the first few rounds, it actually works. I laugh when Daniel throws a shell right as I cross the finish line; Luke smacks him with a pillow and declares himself the “moral victor.” For a little while, I almost forgot the weight sitting behind my ribs.
Almost.
Somewhere around the third round, I realize I’ve stopped talking. My controller’s still in my hands, but my mind’s not really here anymore.
Daniel notices first. “Hey,” he says softly. “You good?”
“Yeah,” I lie, staring at the screen. “Just distracted.”
Luke pauses the game, which heneverdoes. “Distracted by what?”
I should make a joke—something easy, something flirty or dumb—but my throat won’t cooperate. The silence stretches too long, and that’s all it takes for both of them to trade a look.
Luke leans forward, elbows on his knees. “You don’t have to tell us, but... you look like someone kicked your puppy. Last time I saw someone looking like you was Colt after he thought he fucked it all up with Micah.”
That gets a small laugh out of me, even if it sounds rough. “Feels about right.”
Daniel’s quieter. “This about Calder?”
The name hits like a bruise, fresh and deep. I don’t even ask how he knows. I just nod.
“Thought so,” Daniel says.
Luke doesn’t look smug or surprised—just worried. “What happened?”
The question breaks whatever’s left of my composure.
I tell them everything. About the trip, the snowstorm, the kiss. The way it felt easy and right until it wasn’t. The look on Coach’s face when he caught us. The silence since. The meeting this afternoon.
By the time I finish, my voice feels shredded.
Luke exhales slowly, running both hands through his hair. “Damn, Starling.” His voice isn’t teasing this time—it’s low and careful. “When you told me he was coming home with you, I thought maybe—hell, Ihoped—I was wrong.”
I blink at him. “About what?”
“That he was the kind of guy who could break a soft boy without meaning to,” Luke says quietly. “Didn’t think he’d prove me right this fast.”
Daniel shoots him a look. “Easy, man.”
Luke sighs. “Yeah, I know. Sorry, Eli. Just…I’m mad that you got hurt.”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “Me too.”
Daniel leans back. “That’s… a lot, dude.”
Luke tosses a pillow at me, gentler this time. “Okay, first of all? None of this makes you a villain. You didn’t break some sacred vow—you fell for someone. It happens. Especially when they make it easy to.”
Daniel nods. “And for what it’s worth, Coach likes you both. He’ll find a way to keep you here.”
“I don’t care about here,” I say. “I just—” I stop, pressing my palms over my face. “I love him. And he left like it didn’t mean anything.”
Neither of them sayshe didn’t mean it.They don’t feed me false hope. They just... stay there.
Daniel nudges a soda toward me. “You’re allowed to be wrecked for a while.”
Luke rests his forearms on his knees, staring at the floor. “Yeah. But for what it’s worth? I don’t think he’s done. Guys like that—they panic, they pull back. But if he really felt it, he’ll circle back. They always do.”
