Page 46 of Free Fall

The team hikes Reid up on their shoulders, and I laugh as they try to keep him up there. He’s a big dude, but the players holding him up are big dudes, too, so it’s probably a piece of cake for them. He whips his helmet off while he’s up there and holds it in the air with a cry of triumph. Eventually, he’s let down, and I see a bright purple bow approach him from the top of Sasha’s head. Someone jumps in the way of my prying eyes, so I don’t see everything that happens, but I do see the rest of the players envelop Cade, Lex, and Reid, leaving poor little Sasha behind.

I turn toward Jules, needing to look away for a moment. “Reid invited us to go to his birthday celebration. Are you in?”

Her face pales. “Shoot,” she says. “I forgot it was Reid’s birthday. I’ll have to send him a text.” She lowers her voice for this next part. “Are you sure he invited me, too? Or just you?”

She winks, and I roll my eyes. “He invited you, but even if he didn’t, I am and that’s all that matters.”

She smiles, but instantly rubs her face. “I don’t think I’m up to it, but I want you to go and have fun. You can tell me all about it afterward.”

“You sure?” I’m torn. I wish she would go with me, but I also don’t want to force her either.

She nods. “A hundred percent.”

She stands, and her parents follow her lead. I give her a hug and tell her I’ll text her for sure. I say goodbye to her parents and then wait a few minutes, watching the celebration before following the crowd out the front gate. With the new plaque in hand, I head toward the flag staff. There, just outside the field is a little stone memorial with garden accents. The circular brick outline is filled with mulch but could easily look really nice with some planted flowers. I’ll have to talk to the principal to see what Jules and I can do about that. We can make it our little project, changing out the flowers for each season.

“Thought we might find you here,” a voice says.

I jump because I really wasn’t expecting anyone to come over this way. Once the voice registers, though, I know exactly who it is. Cade Farmer.

I turn toward the sound of his voice and see all three approaching me with their football jerseys still on. “You guys did great,” I say. “Congratulations on the win.”

They shrug like it’s no big deal, even though I can tell from their flushed faces that they’re on cloud nine right now.

“Are you coming with us tonight?” Reid asks.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” I tell him. “Jules went home though.”

They nod knowingly, and then we all look down at the stone marker with Brady’s name on it. Instead of making me want to cry, I smile, feeling pride seep into me that I’m this guy’s sister. This guy who was special enough to warrant a dedication near the school’s football field.

“I think I’m lucky,” I tell them. Or maybe I’m not even telling them. I’m just voicing my thoughts aloud. “To have had Brady as my brother, I mean.”

Lex puts his arm around my shoulders and squeezes me to him. It’s a little uncomfortable with his huge pads, but it’s normal, so I don’t balk at it. “We were all lucky, Briar.”

We stay there for a little while longer until we turn as a unit and head toward the locker room entrance. When we walk in, I look up briefly only to groan and cover my eyes again. “So many penises. Why? Every freaking time.”

Cade chuckles low. “That’s what you get for going into the boys’ locker room, Shortie. As many dicks as you—”

“If you say want, I’ll throat punch your ass,” Reid says.

Cade laughs once again as Lex releases my shoulder. “I would never say that to my best friend’s little sister. You’re the ones who want to fuck her.”

And just like that, the locker room miraculously quiets as if the universe is determined to make me want to get swallowed up and die.

I hear a voice I don’t recognize and can’t tell who it came from because my eyes are still shielded by my hand. “Can anyone put their hats into the ring?”

The room goes eerily silent. I look through a space between my fingers and see a glimpse of the look Reid is giving the guy. No wonder why no one laughed at that. They’re probably really worried about pissing Reid the fuck off. “In case it isn’t clear,” Reid says. “Briar’s off limits.”

Someone else chuckles. “I wonder what Sasha will think of that.”

A low growl comes from the back of Reid’s throat. The sound of it sends a mix of perverse pleasure through me, like I can feel it right in my core. I feel ridiculous just standing there with my hands over my eyes, so I say, “Is someone going to walk me to a place to sit or do you really want me to stare at all the dick while you guys change?”

This elicits a round of laughter from the other players, but a firm grip grabs me by the forearm and navigates me away from the other guys. This is starting to feel normal now, hanging out with these guys, having them make comments about me. It never would’ve flown if Brady were alive. No way in hell I would be in this locker room right now if he were still on the football team. He’d be furious, but I guess this is just one of the ways life is changing without him. I actually quite like being in the locker room, knowing what’s just beyond the row of purple lockers in front of me.

When I blink my eyes open after someone maneuvers me to a sitting position, I see Cade walking away backwards. He winks and mouths, “Call me”. I roll my eyes at him and smile.

“Don’t take too long,” I quip back.

“Ooh, mouthy. I like it.”

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