JAX (The Beckett Boys #2) - Olivia Chase Page 0,92
did everyone else in the bar—
“And he’s up!” the announcers said. “Back in the game. Looks like there’s time for one, maybe two more plays before the half. Let’s see what Everett sends us out with.”
The bar as a whole gave a sigh of relief so loud that people chuckled afterward, then leaned in, eager to see how the first half of the game would close. Horton had scored earlier, and lead with seven points, but that wasn’t a strong enough lead to merit too much confidence just yet.
They set up the play— lots of shouting of numbers and phrases and I really had no idea what it all meant. The ball snapped into play, the announcers narrated loud and quick and the ball passed to Jacob. He reeled back to throw—
The ball barely made it ten yards— I figured I could have thrown it that far. Jacob grabbed at his shoulder the moment the ball left his hand, though he tried to keep playing—
The ball was intercepted by a North Carolina player, who narrowly dodged being tackled and began to sprint. The bar went crazy, shouting, screaming for someone from Harton to catch him, but it was no use— the player ran the ball in for a touchdown, and the North Carolina crowd went wild. When they ran the ball in, I saw the scoreboard click up— North Carolina, eight points, and Harton, seven.
“That was insane,” Kiersten said to a stranger next to her. “Five seconds left in the half and they run in a seventy-five yard touchdown?”
“Look,” the girl said, pointing to the television screen. The announcers were replaying what happened when Jacob tried to make the failed pass— when he clutched his shoulder, obviously in pain.
“Looks like he might have a more serious problem. Sure wish he’d let the coaches know so they could replace him,” one of the sportscasters said.
“Absolutely, and you know, that’s sometimes the trouble with having a team hero— they want to stay in at all costs, and that’s clearly not always the best move. Now Harton is going to have to recover in the second half, and I’m guessing Jacob Everett isn’t going to be the one to lead that charge.”
The sportscasters had predicted correctly— when the Rams reemerged after halftime, Jacob was nowhere to be seen, and Adams was leading the charge.
Horton won the game, but there was a sense of unease, of frustration, even, around the campus as everyone returned to their dorms and suites and apartments. Relief that it’d worked out, but worry over Jacob’s injury, frustration that he’d tried to soldier on and nearly ruined it all.
I found myself feeling worried for Jacob too on a more personal level, but it wasn’t all too difficult to squash those feelings down long enough to make cereal for dinner and settle onto our tiny balcony with a book while Piper and Kiersten caught up on the lives of the Kardashians in the common room.
It was almost midnight when I realized I’d fallen asleep. I blinked awake and sat up straight in the camp chair I’d drifted off in. It took me a moment to realize what woke me up— Piper and Kiersten talking, loudly. I turned my head to look inside. I could see my roommates at the door, but whomever was on the other side was still out of my line of sight.
“Look, let’s just go out and get a drink. Take your mind off everything,” Piper was saying brightly.
The person at the door must have replied, because Piper paused for a moment, then said, “Well, then maybe we just go back to Football House for a little while. Relax?” It was clear what she meant by “relax”— sex, and lots of it.
The person at the door said something else, and Kiersten jumped in. “I’m serious, she’s asleep. Besides, we’re way more fun. Come on—“ she stepped forward, into the doorway, and out of my line of sight.
I rose, curious, and slid the screen door open. Piper’s eyes flicked my way, and they were furious— so furious that they confirmed who I suspected was on the other side of the door.
“Sasha,” Jacob Everett said when I came into his view. “Come on. Let’s go out.” There was so much arrogance in his voice, the cocky smile. Did he seriously think he could ignore me for weeks, then show up and have me leap into his arms?
“They were right. I was asleep. Another time,” I said stiffly.