The Jock by J.L. Beck Page 0,76

and you in the house. This isn’t a fucking frat party or catchall house.”

“Sure,” I grit out, my anger rising with each second he continues standing here.

Slowly, he walks toward the door, but I doubt he’ll leave North Woods. I’ve antagonized him, and now he’s out to make my life a living hell.

As soon as he’s out the door, I walk over to it and click the lock into place. Not that it matters, he has a key after all. When I turn around, Blair is looking at the floor.

“Look, we can make this work. We can do the long-distance thing. It’s only an hour, and I can drive up to see you every weekend,” I start, but as soon as she lifts her gaze from the floor, I know there is no point in continuing.

“I can’t do this with you.” I can see the walls building back up, see them closing in around her. She’s retreating, turning in on herself.

“Don’t say that. Please…” I don’t care how desperate I sound. All I care about is keeping Blair beside me because she is the last good thing I have in my life.

“I’m sorry, Cage, but I’m done. This is too much. You don’t even like football, and you agreed to leave!” She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. Tears start to fall from her eyes and skate down her cheeks. “I guess you got one thing out of this though. You achieved your goal. You made me fall in love with you. The nobody nerd fell for the handsome jock who she knew she could never have. Too bad this won’t end with a happily ever after.”

Retreating toward the door, I know she is seconds away from leaving. Fierce determination forces me to move my legs and run toward her. I can’t let her go without a fight, even though I can feel her slipping through my fingers like grains of sand.

Grabbing her by the shoulder, I attempt to turn her around, but she shrugs my hold off and whirls around on me. Big fat tears are already trailing down her cheeks, and I feel her pain, feel it in my gut. That bet was stupid, so fucking stupid. Why did I even do it?

Because you wanted what you couldn’t have…

“Blair, please…”

“No! Leave me alone. I don’t want to see you anymore. I’m done. We’re done!” She hurls the words at me like they’re bricks, and they are.

Each word slams into me with the intensity of a speeding bullet.

“I love you, Blair,” I croak, feeling weak in the knees.

“I love you too, but you’re leaving. You’re leaving me to go to Blackthorn to play a sport you don’t even enjoy. There is no future for us.”

“We can make it work. I told you, I would come and visit, stay every weekend.”

I know I’m grasping at straws, that she’s already made up her mind, but I would be a stupid man not to try.

She shakes her head, soft locks of brown hair fall onto her face, shielding half of it from view, and I’ve never seen her so broken. I did this to us. First, with the bet, and now with my father.

“I’m sorry, Cage,” she whispers.

Everything around me falls away. There is no sound, no floor beneath my feet. I’m holding my aching heart in my hands, watching in horror as she ambles to the door, opens it, and walks out, leaving me standing in a house that has never felt so empty before.

23

Blair

They say first love is the hardest, but I disagree. Love in general hurts and losing the person you love, well, it feels like a piece of your own heart is being cut out.

Words cannot describe the anguish I feel over his loss. It feels like I’m grieving someone’s death, and I don’t understand why.

Maybe because it was real?

I just can’t be sure. I don’t know what to believe. All I know is that I miss him.

He’s called so many times over the last three days, I ended up shutting off my phone. It just kept ringing, and I was close to cracking.

I hate leaving Jude’s house more than anything, but three days is enough time to spend camped out in your best friend’s spare bedroom. Eventually, I’m going to have to dry my tears, and pull on my big girl panties, so why not do it now?

“You know you can stay, right?” Jude’s concerned voice meets my ear as I walk toward the