Fear grips me as I’m reminded of my mom. One day she was singing off-key and making Benny and me waffles, and the next she was gone.
Life never offers any promises.
Neither do quarterbacks, a cynical voice in my head warns.
The sandwich settles like a rock in the pit of my stomach.
Ever since that phone call with my aunt this morning, my anxiety is through the roof. I can’t help feeling like something bad is going to happen.
My thoughts circle back to Rider. I tried to keep things positive with him last night, saying everything would be okay with Adele, but that’s because I wanted him to calm down. While it worked and chilled him out, I realize I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for Adele to call and say Cricket’s back and wants Poppy.
And possibly Rider too.
I’m almost ashamed to admit it’s a concern. Poppy’s welfare should be my sole focus. And yet Rider and I just started seeing each other. Hello? He hasn’t even officially called me his girlfriend.
I bite my bottom lip and wonder if I’m overreacting.
I’ve survived so much by keeping a low profile and being cautious. By not taking stupid chances.
And Rider’s always been the exception to my rules.
Now I’m in so deep, if something happens now and we break up, I’ll be devastated. What happened freshman year will pale in comparison.
As implausible as it might seem—that Rider would want to get with Poppy’s mother—people do that all the time. Date or even marry for the sake of a child.
I would know. It’s why my parents married. Because my mother got pregnant with me.
Rider won’t ditch you like that. He might not use the word ‘girlfriend’, but he’s treated you like one.
I tell myself he’s just gun-shy. After all, there’s no rule that requires him to stamp a label on our relationship.
We have time to figure everything out.
We do.
When Sienna texts me that she’ll be out tonight with her guy, I can’t help but compare my situation to hers.
They’re not the same, Gabriela. You and Rider do things in public together all the time. He’s not like Sienna’s mystery man.
But I’m bothered enough to want to share my concerns with him. If it weren’t days before his last regular season game, I would bring it up. It’s not like me to hold back. Except I want to respect his need to keep things drama-free between us. If I put myself in his shoes, being a sudden single parent would be more than enough to max out what I could handle.
After this weekend, he has almost a month before the playoffs. I’ll wait until next week to bring up my concerns. Really, what’s a few more days?
Crumpling the wax paper from my sandwich in one hand, I look around the student union as it gets busier. Rider said he might stop by here this afternoon, after he talked to his professor. He’s obviously running late, and I need to get to class.
As I throw away my trash, a familiar female voice calls out, “And who do we have here?”
I turn and find Miranda arm-in-arm with Zoe.
“You two are friends.” Of course they’re friends. Zoe made my life miserable professionally, and Miranda nearly ruined my love life. It figures the universe tag-teamed these two.
Miranda’s fake eyelashes flutter as she feigns a smile. “We were roommates freshman year.”
I’m guessing that’s why Zoe hates me, although I’ve never done anything to Miranda either except get dumped, which gave her the opening she wanted with Rider.
What did he see in Miranda beyond looks?
She’s beautiful, dummy. Did he need a reason beyond her being runway-gorgeous?
“Cool. Well, I have to go.” With a blank expression on my face, I swing my bag onto my shoulder, hoping to get out of here as quickly as possible, but as I start to pass them, Zoe holds her arm out in front of me. In her hand, her phone is cued up to a video.
“Go ahead.” Her feline sneer is a warning. “Press play.”
I won’t like whatever I’m about to see, that much is certain. Walk away, Gabriela. Don’t give in to this game she’s playing.
“I have to get to class.”
She holds up her other hand. “I just want you to know what you’re getting yourself into and why you shouldn’t get attached to Rider.”
Miranda, with the ultimate guileless expression, shrugs. “It’s true, Gabby. Rider and I have something special, and I don’t want you