Page 52 of Away Game

I continued to sit in my car as I watched player after player arrive and head inside. When Oz pulled up, he didn’t even notice me. His blond hair was in disarray, and he had bags under his eyes as he slowly walked inside. He hadn’t mentioned what was going on with Danica when he left or in any of his text messages. I knew if it was something serious, he would have told me what was going on. Maybe he didn’t want to worry me since he knew I was likely getting bad news from my doctor.

It didn’t matter; I was going to talk to him tonight. I wanted to know what was going on and fuck, what was I going to do if Oz wanted nothing to do with me? We’d been best friends since elementary school. Maybe if he knew I only found West attractive, he’d be okay with it. Hell, I was grasping at straws, and I hadn’t even talked to him yet.

I sent him a quick text.

Fin: Is everything okay with Dani?

Three bubbles popped up immediately.

Oz: She’s good.

Fin: Let’s hang out tonight.

I’ve got something I need to tell you.

Oz: Everything okay?

Fin: Let’s talk tonight.

Oz: Alright. Are you coming to the game to cheer us on?

Fin: Yes, asshole.

I’ll be on the sideline to make

sure you don’t fuck up too bad.

Oz: I’ll see you out there.

My gut churnedas I thought about how Oz might react. I didn’t like this side of myself, but I did like the way I felt hanging out with West last night and the way he touched me. His touch was better than any girl’s I’d ever received. It was like he could read my body and knew exactly what to do to drive me wild.

After another few minutes where I replayed last night over again, I made myself go inside, hoping the team would be on the field warming up. I sat down in front of my locker, put my AirPods in, and listened to music until the team came inside. A few of the guys clapped me on my good shoulder as they passed by. Oz was guzzling down a water bottle like he’d been stuck in the Sahara Desert for a week as he sat down next to me. Ford and Ridley gave me chin nods as they sat across from me. West spotted me and hesitated for a moment as he took me in. He probably had no idea where he stood or what the right move was. I didn’t either. It wasn’t like I was going to ask him to sit by me and hold my hand or anything. That was never going to happen.

West decided for me when he sat down on the other side of Oz. I watched as Oz nodded to him and saw when West noticed how tired our friend looked.

“How was LA?” West asked quietly.

“I got done what I needed to.”

Coach Kyle came in then, and I zoned everything out. I didn’t need to be pumped or inspired. It would only make me hate that I wasn’t playing all the more.

I trailed behind the team and all the coaches as we made our way onto the field. The crowd roared with excitement, making my mood sink further. Damn, I was the worst team member ever. I couldn’t even look at Conley the several times he’d tried to make eye contact with me since he’d stepped inside the locker room.

What the hell had Coach told him? I was going to help as little as I could but still make it seem like I was helping. I didn’t need the dickhead taking my spot.

“You look like you want to kill someone,” Oz said from behind me with a chuckle as we made our way onto the field.

Looking over my shoulder at him, I narrowed my eyes. “You see how much you like not being able to play.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry, dude. I know it’s got to suck. We’ll talk later, though, right?”

With a chin nod in the affirmative, I sat down on the bench. My first time being a bench warmer. I looked down the line at the teammates who joined me. They were a bunch of losers. Most of the players would never play, but for some reason, they were on the team. I never understood that part of the game.

Being on the sidelines wasn’t something I was used to, and knowing this was where I’d be for the remainder of the season sucked hard. For one brief moment, I thought about talking to the guy next to me, number fifty-six, and then thought better of it. I wasn’t here to make friends.

“Huntington, get up here,” Coach yelled from the sideline, not even looking back at me. I hopped up, dying to get away from the loser bench, and joined Coach on his left. “I want you to watch Conley and give me your insight. If you can’t play, we need your expertise to try and beat SDU.”

Way to make me feel like shit. My shoulder throbbed as the guilt coursed through me.

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