Page 27 of Facing the Line

Hadley sinks back into the chair and thanks the doctor. Then she turns to me.

“Thanks for being here for me right now, Jonas. I’m really glad we’re friends.”

Friends. Yep, me too. Great. That’s just great.

Do I want more? Absolutely. But that’s impossible, so I should be happy to have this. A sliver of Hadley as my friend is better than nothing. I can’t stay away from her, no matter how many times I tell myself to let her go.

“Friends,” I echo, wishing I meant it.

Chapter

Eleven

December 2022

HADLEY

Devon: See you at Starbucks soon

Hadley: Sounds good

“Here ya go, babe.” Devon sets the green matcha tea in front of me, and I try not to wince at the nickname. I like it when Kendall calls me babe, but with Devon, it grates on my nerves. Everything with him has been getting on my nerves lately.

We talked after the disastrous night I met his bandmates, and he apologized for Bex. At the time, I said things were fine. But I knew in my heart we were done. I’ve been meaning to havethis conversation since, but our schedules haven’t lined up. And then Hunter got hurt…

When I needed him, Jonas had been there for me unconditionally. He gave me a ride to the hospital, he sat with me in the waiting room, he listened to my anxious ramblings. He provided a literal shoulder to lean on. He chose me over the team event.

Devon was the last person I wanted with me that night. But between the holidays, finals, and his gigs, I haven’t seen much of him lately. I could have ghosted him or broken it off through a text, but I’m better than that.

So I invited him to the Starbucks in the Union—private enough for a chat but public enough I’m safe from a potential scene.

I thank him for the drink though it’s not what I’m in the mood for, and he launches into a description of the band’s set list last night. He details the audience response, and the changes they made to the bridge… I try to nod in the right places, but I’m mentally reviewing vocab words for my Intro to Ed final.

After a while, he trails off, staring at me with his brows raised. Uh-oh, I must have drifted away.

“Um, sorry, can you repeat that?” I ask, twirling a strand of hair around my finger.

He huffs. “I said, how’s your brother?”

“He’s okay. His leg is healing, but he’s probably out for the season.”

The news devastated Hunter. The medical staff is optimistic that he’ll be able to play again, but his future is unsure. He’s always planned on playing in the NHL after college, and without that, he’s floundering. I wish I could do more to help. I stop by to cheer him up periodically, and I’ve gotten closer to him and his girlfriend Natalie through it all. An unexpected silver lining, I suppose.

“Well, I’m sure the team will survive without him and continue to get tons of funding and attention.” Devon’s tone is flippant. “Jocks, am I right?”

I bristle. Maybe it doesn’t make sense, but just because I don’t want to date a guy who’s an athlete doesn’t make them all awful people. In fact, Hunter is great, and the rest of the hockey team has become like surrogate brothers to me. Cooper, Evan, Jonas—they’ve all stepped up, and there’s nothing they wouldn’t do if I needed it.

“I mean, they kind of deserve it,” I say in a hesitant voice. “They won a National Championship, after all. That’s a huge deal. And they work hard?—”

“Oh please.” Devon sneers. “I spend hours a day practicing, too. I don’t see the university building me a new state-of-the-art auditorium. Though I’m as worthy as those hockey meatheads.”

“They are not meatheads.” I press my lips together and inhale through my nose. I force myself to keep a leash on my temper, but I can’t let him get away with that. “They are actually really smart—balancing classes and a demanding schedule, like everyone else.”

Indignation rolls through me. Jonas is a freaking nursing major, one of the toughest courses of study on campus. How could anyone ever think he’s a meathead?

“Yeah, okay.” Devon rolls his eyes, and I want to poke them with a fork.

Instead, I change the subject. “Um, I need to talk to you about something.”

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