have it all figured out, don’t you? You have all the answers. Does it even matter what I say at this point?”
Hot tears roll down my face. “You disappoint me, Rider.”
He laughs. It’s an ugly, dark sound that twists something inside of me. “Don’t you know by now? I disappoint everyone.”
Then he stalks into his house and slams the door.
62
RIDER
The moment the door slams, I know I’ve made a mistake. A big one. But I’m too pissed to do anything about it.
I feel like I’ve been taking hits from a battering ram all week. From Mrs. Hildebrand on Sunday and Sully reaming me out, to teammates who are pissed and even professors who stopped me to tell me how disappointed they are in me, it’s been a giant headfuck.
It’s like being back in my hometown where everyone glares at me with suspicion.
Like I never escaped.
Like the last four years never existed and I’m that loser Hank Kingston’s good-for-nothing son, all over again.
The last thing I expected was to have Gabby on my front lawn accusing me of something so laughable.
I’ll never get back together with Miranda. I told her as much. And I’d certainly never mess around behind Gabby’s back.
But Miranda called me yesterday and offered her support. Said her father wants to offer his attorney if I need legal representation, that her family would be happy to pay for it. Apparently, her parents are huge boosters, and her dad wants the team to go all the way this season. He’s afraid Meyers can’t hack it.
Which makes sense because I’m not sure Meyers is ready to do the job against a team like UT either. Maybe against a different school, but not against the number two team in the country. Hell, UT might kick my ass, and I’ve had four years to prepare for this game.
Miranda swore she just wanted to help. And I quote, “From one friend to another in a time of need.”
I don’t have the money to pay for an attorney. Hell, I can barely pay for babysitters and diapers right now.
And as Miranda pointed out, I might need an attorney. One who has my best interest at heart and not the school’s. Especially since so many photos have come out this week of me partying with random women over the years. Not that anything happened with most of them. I swear they were edited to look more damning, but there’s no way I can prove that.
I’m not sure what to make of Gabby accusing Miranda of having some kind of involvement in this scandal. I rack my brain and think back to all the times Miranda showed up to my games, to our parties, but nothing suspicious comes to mind. She even seemed cool that I’ve moved on and fine with our platonic status.
I scramble to figure out what might have made Gabby so angry above and beyond the scandal, which she’s had a front-row seat to the entire time.
Did I say I was single during that press conference? Yes. As per the school’s public relations expert who told me to keep the narrative simple. That I would only be dragging Gabby into the cesspool if I named her as my girlfriend. That I did not want the negativity and nastiness that people would level at her.
I think back to my interactions with Miranda today. To anything Gabby might have seen.
Did Miranda grab my hand in the restaurant? Yes. But it was accompanied by a, “Rider, don’t go thinking I’m making the moves on you. I just want you to know I’m here for you. No judgment.”
Did she grab my arm while we were walking to the car? Yes, because she said she was light-headed from her migraine medication, which is why she asked me to drive. And since I stood there like a dumbass when Gabby passed out last May, I figured I’d better be safe than sorry.
Did Miranda hug me when she left? Yes. Did I feel weird about it? No. I wasn’t feeling her up. Did it give her the wrong impression? Doubtful. She knows we’re never hooking up again.
Did she put her hand in my hair? Yes. She said there was a leaf in it.
So fucking sue me.
I’m not sleeping with her.
More than anything, though? I’m stunned by how fucking hurt I am that Gabby accused me of it. That she’s so ready to condemn me without giving me the benefit of the doubt.
After the shitty week I’ve had, it’s crushing.
I’m a