On The Rebound (Steinbeck U #1) - L.A. Cotton Page 0,108
job done, okay?”
A collective round of, ‘Yes, sir,’ rang out around me. Brad cast me a concerned look though.
“What?” I said.
“That was some heavy shit.”
I shrugged. “That’s James’ problem, not mine.”
“Dude, he’s your brother’s best friend. Not to mention the fact you’re boning his—”
I elbowed him hard in the stomach, glaring at him to shut the fuck up.
“Yeah,” he croaked, “my bad.”
“Okay, hit the showers,” Coach said. “Zach, a word please.”
“Uh oh, Messiah’s in trouble,” Saul snickered, and I flipped him off.
I waited for the gym to empty before approaching the court. “What’s up, Coach?”
“I want you to talk to Callum for me.”
What the fuck?
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Coach. We—”
“I don’t give a shit what’s going on between the two of you right now. He’s your teammate, your brother’s best friend. And this is his senior year. He needs to get his shit together if he wants to draft in the spring.”
Fuck.
“Yeah, okay,” I said through gritted teeth. “But I can’t guarantee he’ll listen.”
“Then make him. Callum has too much to lose this season. I know he’s hurting but Declan wouldn’t want him to throw everything away because he can’t get a handle on his pain.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Coach gripped my arm. “I knew I could count on you, son. What we’ve asked of you this season is too much, I know that. But I want you to know I brought you here because I truly believed you had what it took to lead this team in your brother’s stead.”
Before, his words would have rubbed me the wrong way. But there was something sincere about the way he said them now, as if he knew the burden resting on my shoulders was too great for any one person to bear.
“Whatever happens out there this season,” he added, “this is your team now, Zach. Not Declan’s, yours. It’s up to you what you do with that.”
“Is he here?” I asked AJ the second he answered the door.
“Yeah, he’s here, but I’m not sure you coming around is a good idea.”
“I’m not leaving until I speak to him.”
He shook his head, his lips quirking with amusement. “I thought you’d say that.” He pulled the door open wider. “Enter at your own peril.”
“I can handle James,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about. He’s in the den,” he said as if I knew where that was. “Last door on the left.”
“Thanks.”
The house Callum shared with the other senior players was the last place I wanted to be, but the second Coach had asked me to come, I knew I’d do it. Because Callum wasn’t only my teammate, or my brother’s best friend—he was my girl’s brother. And despite the ocean between them, they were family. Which in some strange fucked up way, made him my family.
I wiped my clammy hands down my shorts and knocked on the door.
“Fuck off,” Callum yelled.
“Nice to see you too.” I slipped into the room. It was a typical guy’s den, the lingering scent of sweaty socks, liquor, and sex permeating the air.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” He glowered.
“Coach sent me.”
“You came. Obligation fulfilled.” He swigged the bottle of whiskey hanging from his fingers. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
“We should talk.”
“No, we really shouldn’t.” Callum’s eyes shuttered as he inhaled a sharp breath. He looked about as pleased to see me as I was to be here. “He’s a fucking vegetable and everyone’s acting like it’s business as usual. It’s bullshit.”
I winced at the pain in his voice. “It sucks,” I said. Because it did.
Declan didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve any of it. But the world went on. Life went on. It had to.
“Coach is right though, Cal. He wouldn’t want you to throw away everything you’ve worked for. It’s your senior year. You have a real shot at going pro, man. You can’t just let that slip through your fingers because you’re hurting.”
“You think I want to feel like this?” he spat. “He isn’t getting better, Zach. He isn’t going to magically wake up and be okay. He’s lying there in that bed, clinging onto life, when we both know...” He heaved a ragged breath, unable to say the words.
I dropped down on the couch and ran a hand over my face. “They’re not ready to let go.” My parents and Victoria were clinging onto the hope of a miracle that would never come true. Declan wasn’t coming out of this.