Page 123 of The Alternate Captain
He takes his cap and jacket off, tossing them on the end of my bed before he settles down onto the mattress, his back against the headboard.
“Come here,” he says, pulling me onto his thighs. “I’m feeling really fucking overwhelmed. I don’t even know where to begin.”
“What’s on your mind?” I ask.
“Distract me,” he says. “Give me something else to think about for a moment.”
“Okay,” I say, racking my brain for something. “Do you want me to tell you the reason I ghosted you?”
Johnny’s brow furrows. “Go on...”
“I thought someone was catfishing me. Using your photos and pretending to be you.”
He laughs, and it makes him sound soJohn-like again, that I give him the whole story. From the game, to seeing his poster, to checking his socials.
He takes a deep breath and kisses me.
“Well, shit.”
“Yeah, I know.”
I wait for a moment, wondering if it’s enough.
Then he comes out withit.
“Sarah wants money. She’s pregnant. And her fiancé, or whatever he is, thinks it’s mine. And now she wants money to go back home, on the promise that she’ll never bother me again.”
My mouth hangs open.
“You can’t be serious,” I say.
“I am. And I won’t lie, it’s crossed my mind to just give it to her.”
“Johnny—”
“And I paid my sister’s rent.”
“What?”
“Yeah. I paid for it. This morning. I got the details of her landlord after a bit of digging, but I got it and paid off three grand of her upcoming rent.”
“I, uh—”
“I borrowed the money off Liam.”
“Oh.”
“Basically, my dad pays Vicky an allowance. Well, he did. Until she opted not to receive it anymore. And I get one, too, except I can manage okay without it, so I just put whatever he gives me into a trust fund for a kid I don’t even have yet. I don’t want his money, but I figure it may come in handy. But it’s money I can’t easily get to. It’s money that Sarah knows I have.”
I put my arms around him and hug, not having a single word I can say to help.
“How am I going to manage when you’re away?” he asks.
And I feel really fucking sad. Because there’s a lot going on for Johnny right now, and I’m leaving.
“I’m only going to be on the other end of the phone. And I can give you my schedule. You can see if you can visit or something. Maybe come and watch a show? My parents haven’t watched me for years. And Mike would never, so it would be good to see a friendly face.”
“Are you serious?”
