My mother nodded. “You may be feeling some of those things as a coping mechanism. I believe you and Alec really love one another. You’re just young,” she said, pushing my long hair back from my face.
“And you’re blinded by this weird obsession.” I shrugged.
“Let’s see how things play out. You have every right to be upset with him right now.”
She didn’t get it. She wasn’t listening.
She never listened.
“What are you doing here this morning?” I asked, suddenly wondering why my sister wasn’t at practice. And this conversation with my mother was pointless and I was done engaging with her about it.
“The state meet is Saturday. No more double practices. And our run after school will be short this week.” She picked up her plate and set it in the sink. “I’m riding with you today.”
“Perfect.” I pushed to my feet, dropped my plate in the sink and grabbed my jean jacket and my keys, before slipping on my booties. “Let’s go.”
My stomach wrenched and twisted. I didn’t know how it was going to be at school today. Clem and I pulled out of the driveway and she reached for my hand. “Don’t be nervous. You didn’t do anything wrong. Alec should be nervous. And don’t worry about Mama. She’ll figure it out.”
“Thanks for always having my back, Clem. I’m excited to see you race this weekend.”
“I’m actually nervous. I’m a freshman. I’m just lucky to be there,” she said. Clem never got nervous. That’s how I knew she cared. She wanted to do well. This was her passion. I thought about starting the basketball cheer season after Thanksgiving and I cringed. The idea of standing up there with Karina, of cheering for Alec. It made me nauseous.
“You’re going to kill it.”
“I’ll try. I wonder if Mama will come?” Clem asked as we pulled into the school parking lot.
“Daddy and I will be there for sure. And I’ll talk to her and try to get her to come.”
“She never misses your games when you cheer. But she’s only gone to one of my races. Isn’t that weird?”
My chest tightened. I never realized how much our mother favored my activities. But that was only because I always did what she wanted. “That’s because Mama T is there, and they both cheered for East Texas High. I don’t even like cheering. And the thought of seeing Alec at the games, and Karina at practice. I don’t want to do it anymore.”
We sat in silence and I turned the car off.
“Then don’t. You’re about to graduate high school, Addy. It’s time to start doing what you want.”
I nodded. “How did you get so wise?”
We stepped out of the car, and she laughed. “I was born this way.”
The sound of a motorcycle rumbled beside us as Jett pulled in the spot next to my white Volkswagen convertible Bug and Clem and I stood there staring in silence.
He pulled off his helmet and his dark hair was tousled on his head. He wore faded jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black worn leather jacket.
Oh my god.
I couldn’t look away.
“Hey, Ace. What’s up, Clem?” he asked before he winked at us and walked right by.
“Now that’s a boy I’d bend all the rules for,” Clem whispered.
I cracked up. “Stop it. Let’s go to class. No more staring.”
“Uh, you were staring too. And don’t look now, but Alec is heading our way.”
“Hey, Addy, can we talk?” he asked. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he looked sad. I hated seeing him this way, but there really wasn’t anything to discuss.
Clem growled and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, my little wolf. Go to class. I’ve got this.”
“Love you,” my sister said before shooting a glare at Alec and walking away.
“Jesus. I guess you told her what I did.”
“They all know, Alec. You told your mom I broke up with you. My mother wanted to know why. I wasn’t going to cover for you after you threw me under the bus. Besides… it happened. We all need to move on.” I was surprised he didn’t know already. Surprised that Mama hadn’t called his mom and told her what happened. This was a first. Maybe our fight had actually made her think about things.
“Fuck. I can’t believe you told them.” He ran a hand through his hair.
“And I can’t believe you fucked Karina James,” I said before turning on my heels and walking away, leaving him standing there with his mouth gaping open.
And it felt… good.
The days of me being polite were long over.
I was ready to figure out who I was, and there’d be some people who wouldn’t like it.
And I was okay with that.
Chapter Ten
Jett
I stayed after school to meet with Coach Stephens as we had a conference call with Coach Devo from Texas University. We went over the verbal agreement once again, which was everything I’d hoped for. A four-year full ride, but I wouldn’t sign my letter of intent until February per NCAA policy.
“You sure you want to stay in Texas?” Coach Stephens asked as he clapped me on the shoulder on my way out of his office.
“Yeah. I don’t want to be far from Ma and Gram.” They’d both sacrificed everything for me, and I needed to stay close. TU offered everything academically that I wanted, and it got me out of Willow Springs.
“Well, it’s a top-notch education, and a damn strong football program. Coach Stephens has helped a lot of kids continue on to the pros out of his program.”
I nodded. I would be happy to be playing for a Division I football program under one of the best college coaches out there. But I had a long-term goal, and I certainly wasn’t basing it around a pipe dream. Very few college quarterbacks went on to play in the NFL, so I was covering my bases. If it happened, it would be an unexpected surprise. Hell, the fact that football was going to pay for a college education I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford—it had already far exceeded my expectations. But I was going to ride this wave, get my degree, which would allow me to call the shots about where I lived and how I lived my life.
“That sounds good, Coach. Thanks for your help.”
“Players like you come around once in a lifetime for high school coaches like myself, Jett. It’s truly been an honor to watch you grow into the player you are, as well as a fine young man to boot. You were just named one of the top three high school quarterbacks, not just in Texas, but in the country. So, prepare for a battle. Several schools are going to try to sway your decision but stay true to yourself and what you want for your future. I’m here if you need me.”