Page 112 of Play Maker

Everyone laughed and Ethan leaned forward. “You two geezers have to stick together, right?”

Oh shit.

Coach pointed at Ethan. “Since you’re so young and full of energy, Walker, you can enjoy an extra hour of drills this week.”

Everyone chuckled as Ethan smacked his forehead and groaned.

“I was kidding, Coach, I swear,” Ethan insisted. “Unlike Moss, Icanmake a joke.”

Silas gave Ethan his middle finger but pulled it back when he caught Coach’s scowl.

“Save your shenanigans for the bus ride home,” Coach warned as he paid the bill. “Speaking of which, we leave in ten.”

We filed out of the dining room five minutes later and I headed for the bus. Axel was already seated, and I plunked down beside him.

“Hey.” I tried to act casual but failed.

He reached for my hand and pulled it onto his thigh. That wasn’t casual at all.

“That call was from Preston’s father.”

“And?”

“He was arrested for assault,” Axel admitted. “There’s also a restraining order against him.”

“Oh my God.”

I sounded surprised but I wasn’t.

“Yeah,” Axel whispered. “Apparently the charges were filed by a guy Preston was seeing. A fellow acting student.”

My stomach churned hard, and I pulled my hand back, slapping it over my mouth. My breakfast was about to make its way back up.

“Shit, are you okay?” Axel asked as I sat there, trembling.

I thought I’d dealt with Preston and the past, but apparently, I still had some unresolved trauma.

“I don’t…I don’t know.”

I bent forward and cupped my hands over my mouth, taking several deep breaths.

In and out, in and out.

Axel rubbed my back in soothing circles and suddenly, Dane appeared in the aisle next to us.

“Bud, are you okay?” Dane asked.

“We just found out that Preston was arrested for assault,” Axel explained as he continued to hold onto me.

“Fuck,” Dane muttered.

“Yeah.”

Then it wasn’t just Dane, but Coach who walked up to us.

“What’s going on?” Banning asked. “Jace, are you alright?”

“Not really. Someone that both Jace and I know got arrested,” Axel replied since I was still too numb to speak.

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