Page 91 of Forever Cursed

“Rome has to go on a run now.” Chrissy interrupts my thoughts.

“Wait, I was hoping we could talk about football,” Ethan counters.

“You two can talk about football all you want when you come visit in a few weeks.” Chrissy purses her lips and then offers a small smile.

“Okay, fine. Nice to officially meet you, Rome. I look forward to getting to know you better.” Ethan waves before stepping off the screen, leaving Faye behind.

“Be good, you two, and have fun. But not too much fun!”

“Bye, Mom,” Chrissy giggles. “Love you!”

“Talk to you later.” I grin at Faye as the call ends.

With her phone still in hand, Chrissy wraps her arms around my neck and embraces me. “Thank you.”

“For what?” I choke out as she begins to squeeze the air from my lungs.

“For being you.” She places several kisses on my cheek. “I really do love you.”

With a warm and sincere smile, I place a loving kiss on her lips. “And I love you.”

Sweat beads across my forehead, trickling into my eyes as I finish the last lap around the park by my apartment. It’s the middle of July, and I can’t wait for summer to be over. I’m more than ready for the autumn weather. Hoodies, hot chocolate, cool days, and even cooler evenings. My favorite thing about fall is when football starts. The atmosphere is brimming with excitement for the new season.

The stands in the stadium fill to capacity, and the buzz of anticipation always settles in my bones. I can do without the lingering heat during the beginning of the season, but once a few games are under our belts, the temperature will decrease, and that’s when the real fun starts. Don’t even get me started on playing in the snow. Nothing can top that.

When I reach the end of the block, I raise my arms and do some stretches as “Jungle” by X Ambassadors plays in my earphones. My phone vibrates against my arm. Once I finish my stretches, I free it from the strap and see a text from Malik.

Did you tell Coach about the plays?

No, he connected the dots himself.

I don’t want to deal with this today. I was hoping to avoid this for as long as I possibly could.

He took that task away from me. Do you know how crucial that was on my resume? It gave me a leg up, and you took it away!

I didn’t tell him! I don’t know who did!

Willing to bet you do, and you don’t want to snitch. Fucking coward.

I don’t know, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. Call me a coward all you want, but deep down, you know they did the right thing.

I warned you, Carter. You’re nuts if you think I’m passing you the ball. Just wait for our first game at the end of August. You’re fucked.

“Fuck!” I shout, not caring who is around.

If I could afford a new phone, I would slam this one to the pavement to hear the satisfying crack of the screen. I would watch the bits of plastic fly and disappear into the dry summer grass. But I can’t afford a new phone, and if I want to keep my future intact, I have to kiss his ass.

What can I do to fix this?

What are you willing to give me?

Anything.

I want Chrissy Willows.

My eyes practically bug out of my skull. I tighten my grip on my phone. Is he fucking insane?! First of all, Chrissy is her own person. Why does he think he can use her as leverage? Why does he think she’d not only be okay with being used like that but that she wants anything to do with him? He’s a snake and a camouflaged one at that. I wouldn’t touch him with a hundred-foot pole with a cozy sock at the end of it. Yesterday, when he cornered her, I almost lost it. But Chrissy stood up for herself and some. That woman can handle herself, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do everything in my power to protect her.

Not going to happen.

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