Page 50 of The Rookie

Griffin.

It’s wellpast midnight when I hear the soft creak of the balcony door. I should be asleep, but my mind’s been running laps since dinner—since she sat across from me at breakfast, really. Avery Sinclair, driving me insane without even trying.

For a moment, I think I imagined it, but then I hear the faint rustling of fabric. Avery’s silhouette shifts against the faint glow outside.

What’s she doing out there?

With a sigh, I get up, running a hand through my hair before quietly slipping out of bed. I grab a couple bottles of water and step out onto the balcony, where Avery’s curled up on a plastic chair, staring at the stars.

She glances over at me but doesn’t look surprised. “Can’t sleep again? This is turning into a regular thing out here.”

“Nah,” I say, handing her a bottle. “Thought I’d check on you. You looked like you were contemplating life’s biggest mysteries out here.”

She smiles faintly, taking the water. “Maybe I was.”

I settle into the chair next to her, resting my elbows on my knees as we both look out at the darkened courtyard below.Crickets hum in the distance, and the air is cooler now, the heat of the day finally letting up.

“Everything okay?” I ask, my voice softer than I intend.

Avery’s quiet for a long moment before she shrugs. “Yeah. I think I just like coming out here.”

“To think about Gavin?” I add, because I can’t help myself.

She shoots me a look. “No. Gavin’s old news, remember?”

“Right.” I nod, leaning back. “So what then?”

She exhales, looking down at the water bottle in her hands. “I don’t know. I think I’m just…trying to figure out what comes next. For me. Like if I’d really do the whole ‘Fulbright in Spain’ thing.”

“Did you apply?”

“I started the application. And I talked with Dr. Peterson. She said she’d be happy to write a letter of recommendation.”

I glance over, waiting, and after a moment, she continues.

“But I had this plan, you know? Graduate, get a job abroad, make something of myself. But now it’s like I don’t know where I’m going. I’m notlostexactly, but…”

“But you feel stuck,” I finish for her.

She looks at me, surprised, and I shrug. “I get it. Football’s always been my plan, but if I’m being honest, I don’t know what I’d do if it didn’t work out.”

“You’ve got the whole city of Dallas cheering for you, though,” she says softly.

“Yeah. And that’s part of the problem.” I smile wryly. “Feels like I can’t screw up without letting a million people down.”

Avery watches me for a beat, like she’s seeing something in me she didn’t expect. “That’s a lot of pressure.”

“Yeah,” I admit. “But it’s the deal, right? Take the spotlight, take the heat.”

The silence stretches again, softer this time. When Avery finally speaks, her voice is quiet. “You’re not what I expected, you know.”

I glance at her. “Oh yeah? What’d you expect?”

She grins faintly. “A cocky, hot-shot jock with no thoughts in his head except football and girls.”

“Ouch.” I put a hand over my heart in mock offense.

“You’re still cocky,” she adds quickly, smirking. “But you’re more complicated than you let on.”

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