Page 42 of My Brother's Teammates

I nodded eagerly. “Yes, ma’am. As long as we can schedule around my classes I am all in!”

“Ever waitressed before?” She saw my expression shift and rolled her eyes. “Come on. I’ll get you started on the paperwork while we’re slow. Let’s put you on at lunch and see if you sink or swim. How’s that sound?”

I pushed Hudson’s shoulder so he’d let me out of the booth. “Sounds terrifying, but I didn’t drown the first time it happened to me and the stakes were much higher that time.”

“I think I’m going to like you. I hope you’re better than the last girl. She couldn’t remember table numbers to save her life.” Jackie pointed at the guys. “You two, go away. You know I love you both, but you’re not going to be in here distracting my new waitress. Go lift some weights or something.”

***Jenny***

Itriedtoquietlyslip into the house that night, hoping for some idiotic reason that I’d be able to get away without having to talk to everyone about my secrets. I was tired from following Jackie around all day, learning how to not suck at waitressing. My feet hurt and my face was sore from forcing a smile at everyone. I wanted to take a scalding hot shower and maybe find a bed to slip into that wasn’t mine.

I made it two steps up the stairs before a throat clearing from the living room made me freeze. I looked over and found Axel standing with his arms crossed. Dropping my backpack, I slumped in on myself and sighed.

“Come on, Kitten.”

Jason’s voice came from deeper in the living room. “Dammit, Axel. What’d I say about calling my sister that?”

Axel rolled his eyes and then winked at me. “You said call her that more?”

A pillow hit him in the back of the head, but he didn’t seem to care as he met my gaze and silently asked me if I was okay. I shrugged back at him and blew out a deep breath. My worst fear was about to come true, so I probably wasn’t okay. I was just too tired to know it.

Jason looked me over when I walked in and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

I sank into the recliner, glad to be able to curl in on myself. “You want the truth or something I’d rather give that would make me a million times happier?”

Ryder sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Truth.”

Jason frowned at him. “She’s talking to me, man. And yeah, I want the truth. Hud and Axel said some shit went down in class today. What’s up?”

I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged them. “I don’t want to tell you. I didn’t want to tell any of you. If Hudson and Axel hadn’t figured it out today, this wouldn’t be happening right now. I would happily carry this secret to my grave and beyond. Jesus himself could’ve asked me about it and I would’ve gaslit him into thinking he had the wrong girl.”

“Goddammit, Jen, just spit it out.” Jason didn’t mean to be harsh, but he was nervous. I could see it all over his face.

“My ex.” I looked up at the ceiling and then forced myself to meet Jason’s eyes. “Please don’t make me tell you. We can just act like it never happened. I’m fine now, J, honestly. Just tell them you don’t want to know.”

Jason moved forward on the couch. “Jenny… Just tell me. You’re freaking me out.”

Axel caught my gaze. “It’s okay.”

Tears filled my eyes, but I blinked them away and blew out a shaky breath. “Professor Hall. Landon.”

Jason’s face didn’t change. “What about him?”

Ryder swore viciously and sat back on the couch. Red tinted his cheekbones and his hands were fisted on his knees. “Son of a fucking bitch.”

Jason frowned. “What?”

I begged Jason with my gaze to understand and not make me say it. My stomach was flipping with anxiety and I felt like I’d crumble if I had to say the words out loud.

“Jenny?” Jason moved across the room and sat on the coffee table in front of me. He reached out and cupped my knees. “You can’t be saying what I think you’re saying so you need to spell it out for me.”

I bowed my head and sucked in a shuddering breath. “I was in a relationship with Landon Hall, Professor Landon Hall. He… He asked me to move in with him and that’s how I ended up here. I gave up my apartment and packed all my things and when I showed up at his house, he told me I couldn’t move in because he was afraid it was too dangerous after all. He’ll be up for tenure eventually.”

I said the words in a dull voice, just barely able to force them out at all. My throat was scratchy, and I absently rubbed it as I waited for the explosion.

“When did it start?” Jason’s voice was low and dangerous. “I want details, Jen.”

The memories were fresh in my mind from earlier in the day and I did my best to recite them without emotion. “First semester freshman year was mostly normal. Towards the end, we hung out alone a lot. He knew so much about the field I wanted to go into and he seemed so smart. No one ever paid attention to me in school so having someone older… It felt special. A couple days after my nineteenth birthday, we…” I trailed off. “You don’t need all of this, do you?”

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