in all the ways that counted, so we had to find a way to co-exist.
“I...” he hesitated.
“Go,” I said quietly. “He needs you; he needs to know you’re okay with all of this.”
Cameron might have said he was ready to quit the team, but I knew he wasn’t. Not really. But this thing between him and Jason was swaying him toward making the wrong decision. And regardless of what I thought about football, I didn’t want him to give up his dreams.
As if he felt us watching him, Cameron’s head snapped over to us. His eyes darkened when he saw Jason at my side. I dropped my hand to my step-brother’s back and nudged him forward. “Go, you’ll regret it if you don’t. Trust me.”
Cameron
I watched Hailee and Jason as he decided whether or not to come over here. She wanted him to, it was right there in her honey-brown eyes. But I didn’t make a move; this had to be on him.
Hailee was in my corner now. She might have only been in my life officially for a few days, but she had been there every step of the way. At the hospital while we waited for Mom to come out of surgery, waiting outside the locker room while I told Coach I needed some time away from the team. She’d been there, no questions asked. She just got it. Understood what I needed. And she was there.
It meant the fucking world to me.
But Jason was wired different. In his eyes, empathy and compassion were weaknesses. Traits that meant letting people get close—something he rarely did. So when he started stalking toward me, I braced myself for whatever shit was about to come out of his mouth.
“Hey,” he said.
“What’s up?” I tipped my head. Since I could remember, the two of us had been inseparable, but now it felt like there was an entire football field between us.
“It didn’t feel right out there tonight.” Jase looked over at me, his hair falling over his eyes slightly.
“You got the win; that’s all that matters, right?” I hadn’t meant for it to sound like a dig, but he flinched.
“Come on, bro, it’s not… Look, I screwed up, I get it.” His expression didn’t match the Jason I knew—the guy who was one step closer to State. “But you didn’t tell me, you didn’t—”
“You didn’t want to hear it.” My eyes shuttered. “You’re not like the rest of us, Jase. You’re so focused on football, on the future…”
“But this is different. I would’ve…” He let out a heavy sigh “How is she?”
“She’s doing okay but they won’t know if she needs radiotherapy yet.” Doctor Kravis was remaining optimistic that he’d gotten all the tumor cells, but since it was a grade two meningioma there was still a chance it could come back.
“Fuck,” Jase hissed out. “I’m so fucking sorry, man.”
“She’s alive and they got it, that’s what we’re focusing on right now.”
The wait for her to get out of surgery was something I never wanted to experience again. Those six hours had been excruciating. If hadn’t been for Xander’s incessant questions and having Hailee right there beside me, I think I would have lost it.
Jase rubbed the back of his neck. He wanted to say something, I could see it in his eyes. “What?” I asked.
“Nah, it doesn’t matter.”
“Go on, say it.”
“Do you think you’ll come back to the team… now she’s okay?”
I shook my head incredulously. Even now, he couldn’t see past football.
“Fuck, that came out wrong.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I mean, I get why you couldn’t play tonight; to be honest, I’m surprised you came at all.”
I hadn’t wanted to, but Dad insisted. Even Mom had given her blessing.
“What I mean is, I need you. You and me, Chase. We need to see this thing through together.”
“I don’t know if—”
“I know.” He held up his hands. “And I get it, I do. But we worked too hard for this, you worked too hard for it.”
“Listen, Jase, I’m not sure Penn State is—”
“Fuck Penn State. You’ve got to do what’s best for your family, I get it. It was always my dream anyway. But this year, it’s ours. I can do it without you, but honestly,”—Jase locked eyes on me—“I don’t want to.”
“Worried you’re nothing without your star wide receiver?” I smirked.
“Damn right I am. Kaiden is good but he’s no Fourteen.” He gave me a rare smile. “So what do you say, Chase? Are you in?”
“I