mean you’re sticking around?” Grady yelled and I fought a smile.
“Well, you’ll be needing your star wide receiver, won’t you?”
“Hells yeah.” He grinned and the place erupted.
Jase and Ash were on me the second I leaped down off the bench. Jase grabbed the back of my neck and pressed his head to mine, his eyes saying everything I knew he never would. And then Ash joined us, his arms looped around both our necks, pulling us close. “Thank fuck, I don’t have to lose any more sleep over whose side I’m on.”
A moment of understanding passed between the three of us. We were on the precipice of something, we could all feel it. All we had was this moment before everything changed.
“Do you think you’ll commit when the scouts come out next week?” Ash asked and my eyes found Hailee standing with Felicity by the bar.
“Yeah, I’m going to commit.”
Football was a part of me, a part of who I was. And I owed it to myself, to my family to see where it took me.
“Well don’t keep us hanging. Where’s it going to be?”
“Michigan,” I said without hesitation. “I’m going to commit to Michigan.”
It was a rash decision, one I knew I’d need to talk to my parents about, not to mention Hailee. But life was precious, and I didn’t want to spend a minute wasting it. If things went south with Mom, I’d cross that bridge when it came. We still had nine months before college. A lot could change between now and then.
But here, in this moment, I wanted the dream.
I wanted football.
And the girl.
Hailee
“Oh my god, it’s so big.”
“I know something that’s big,” Asher turned around and flashed Flick a wicked grin.
“Asher, really.” She rolled her eyes at him before settling her gaze once more on the New York skyline as we crossed the bridge. Jason grunted, his eyes thinning as he focused on the road, but I brushed it off because Cameron was wrong.
He had to be wrong.
Flick didn’t like my step-brother—there was nothing to like.
“Are you excited?” Cameron’s lips brushed the shell of my ear, sending a trail of heat zipping through me. I clenched my legs together and his smooth chuckle washed over me.
“Yeah, I’ve always wanted to see a Reba exhibition. I can’t believe Kent managed to score us tickets.”
“You, tickets,” Jason said. “I told you already, I’m not going to some lame art show. Besides, Ash’s cousins are going to give us the tour, right?”
“What?” I asked, looking from him to Cameron and back again. “You didn’t say anything about Asher’s cousins.” This trip had officially been hijacked by my step-brother.
Fuck my life.
We might have found a temporary truce since everything with Cameron’s mom happened, but I was under no illusion it would last. Too much had happened between us. But for a rare weekend, our differences weren’t front and center. Cameron needed this weekend, we all did. And nothing was going to ruin it.
Not a damn thing.
Thirty minutes later, after battling the city traffic, we were finally in the hotel.
“Holy shit, Hails, I can’t believe it. Would you check out this view? I can see the Empire State Building.” Flick’s voice held a tinge of wonder as she beckoned me to the floor-to-ceiling window in our accommodation for the night.
The penthouse suite overlooking Fifth Avenue was ridiculous. But Flick had insisted I room with Cameron, so I couldn’t complain too much. Jason and Asher were sharing the other double room—with two king beds—and Flick had happily taken the twin.
“New York,” she sighed dreamily. “I still can’t believe it. And,”—my best friend leaned in, whispering—“I heard Asher tell Jason his cousins are taking us to a club. A club, Hails. I’m so freaking excited.”
My brows pinched as I tried to share her enthusiasm. “A club? I’m not sure—”
“Oh no you don’t, Hailee Raine. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Do you know how many kids from school would kill to be here right now? We are embracing this.”
“Let me guess,” I said. “It’s on your—”
“Ssh. Don’t let the guys hear. It’s bad enough Cameron overheard us before. I don’t want them thinking I’m...” Her voice trailed off as something caught her eye over my shoulder. I glanced back to find Jason and Asher watching us.
“Are you two going to stand there all fucking day or can we get out of here?”
“Can you at least try to be civil?” I asked Jason, but he merely grunted and went to the