On The Rebound (Steinbeck U #1) - L.A. Cotton Page 0,68
me. It’s only what I’d wanted, but all week I’d looked for her around campus, and all week, I’d been disappointed.
When I’d finally seen her, walking past The Pivot, I hadn’t thought twice about chasing her down, but she’d completely blown me off.
“I tried to call,” Maverick said, leaning against the bar next to me.
“I know.” I looked out at the sea of red, white, and black.
The guys were all pumped to hang out with some of their idols.
“Where’s Callum?” he asked.
“Beats me.” I shrugged, draining my beer and slamming it on the counter.
“Zach, come on.” Maverick laid a hand on my arm. “Talk to me. How is Dec—”
“Don’t,” I growled. “Just don’t.”
Brad caught my eye and raised a brow. I shook my head. No, I didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t want to talk about Declan or Callum or Calli.
Fuck.
Calli.
Fucking her was supposed to rid her from my system, but it had only had the opposite effect. She was inside me. Buried deep in my soul. And I didn’t know what the hell to do about it.
“Are you ready for the exhibition game?”
“We’re going to kick some alumni ass,” Brad whooped. He was like a kid at Christmas, lapping up the excitement of being surrounded by some of the Scorpions most iconic players from the last decade. Maverick Prince, Tom Balor, Luis Ayton, Khris Lowry. Scorpion royalty was in the house and everyone felt the buzz.
Everyone except me apparently.
“Zach?” Maverick asked, and I lifted my shoulders in a small shrug.
“We’re ready.”
He turned around, leaning on the bar. “You know that’s not what I asked. I asked if you’re ready.”
“Why do you care so much?” My eyes lowered to his.
I was being an asshole. Nothing new there. I thought Calli and I going our separate ways was supposed to make me feel better, lighter somehow. But I felt like I was drowning. Being swallowed whole by the darkness circling me every second of every day.
“I know what it’s like to have everything ripped away from you.”
I assumed he was talking about Declan. Because that’s what people cared about—Declan’s accident. His dreams. His life. But then he added, “It can’t be easy leading the team in his stead.”
Brad left us, probably sensing the heaviness of the impending conversation. I took a shuddering breath, running a hand over my face. “It’s a fucking joke.”
Maverick gave me a small nod. “I was surprised, when I found out you’d transferred.”
“You and me both.” I would never forget the moment my dad told me about his grand plan to salvage the Messiah reign at SU.
“You need to do it, for Declan,” he’d said. “For our family. For Declan.”
I’d argued. Of course I had. But it didn’t make any difference. Once my father had a plan, he always saw it through. And it was easier to go along with it than fight him on it. Besides, my brother was lying in a coma… how the fuck was I supposed to tell him no?
“It’s a lot of pressure, if you ever need someone to talk to—”
“Yeah, yeah, Prince, I got the memo.”
“You won’t push me away that easily,” he smirked. “I can be quite persistent.”
“Is Lo in town?” I changed the subject. I couldn’t imagine him leaving her in Wicked Bay. The two of them were couple goals. High school sweethearts who had stood the test of time, and four years at college.
“No, it’s girls’ weekend. She and my mom and sisters are busy wedding planning.”
“Oh shit, that’s right. It’s soon?”
“Christmas. We’re spending the holidays in Lake Tahoe.”
“Marriage, that’s a big step, man,” I said.
“Not when you find the right girl.” Maverick’s whole face lit up, twisting something deep inside me.
I thought I’d found the right girl once. We were only young—too fucking young to be dreaming of forever—but it hadn’t stopped me imagining a life with Calli.
“Have you been to see him?” Maverick asked me and I froze.
“Hey, relax.” He eyed my hand, the one white knuckling my beer. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think I’d be able to do it either. But your parents really want—”
“Seriously?” I balked. “You came here to do their bidding?”
“It’s not like that and you know it.” His smile thinned. “But I know something about family, Zach. And despite how much we think we don’t need them or how much they hurt us, you don’t want to grow old with any regrets, man.”
I sighed.
“You know, I used to be a lot like you. Angry at the world