Page 118 of Redemption
Hayes and Langston exchange bro nods with the other two guys. Then Langston goes around our circle, introducing each of us. When we are all acquainted, Aiden swims to the bank and grabs the football.
The rules are laid out, and we start to play. As the game goes on, the bad feeling that’s been in my stomach all day begins to subside. Langston, for once, looks happy with a football in his hands. I once wondered if the sport would’ve been different for him had our dad not pushed it on him. I think this is my answer.
Time passes, and before we know it, the sun starts to set. Aiden and I are winning, but I think that’s because Langston and Hayes are letting us.
The ball is in my hands, and I throw it to Aiden, who is wide open. It’s a perfect spiral. You don’t grow up with a big brother who plays football and his best friend without learning to throw a ball.
Aiden catches it, and I swim over to where he is to give him a high five, but he grabs my arm and holds me to him, kissing my lips.
I push him away the best I can in the water, but soon, he’s jerked away from me. My brother has his hand on Aiden’s shoulder, a look of rage on his face.
“Apologize,” he says, his voice deadly quiet.
“Hey, man. It was all in good fun.” Aiden throws his hands up innocently. “Besides, she’s been looking at me like she wanted to kiss me since she first saw me.”
It was the wrong thing to say.
I scoff, but Langston pays me no mind. He jerks his arm, swinging it forward and connecting his fist with Aiden’s jaw. Aiden’s head jerks back, and he lifts his arm, ready to take a swing at my brother. But then Hayes is there hauling Langston back towards the bank and away from Aiden and his friends.
I follow, keeping quiet as Langston fights against Hayes.
“Get off of me,” Langston says, pulling his arm out of Hayes’s grasp, but Hayes shoves him forward, not letting him go back.
A myriad of emotions flickers through me as I take in the scene. For once, my brother protected me instead of being the other way around. But Hayes watched another guy kiss me, and the only thing he thought of was protecting Langston. I know we haven’t told anyone about our relationship, but that stings.
I make the mistake of glancing over my shoulder at Aiden and his friends, and he is staring at me with a smirk.
Rage burns through my body.
I hate everything unfair in this world—a guy thinking he has a right to kiss a girl without her permission, a brother who is slipping further and further into his demons, and a relationship that seems doomed to fail from the start.
We make it to the bank, and Hayes picks up a towel and throws it at Langston. “Go to the truck. MJ and I will get the stuff and meet you there.”
“You’re not the boss of me,” Langston says, balling his fist and trying to take a swing at Hayes.
Hayes steps out of his reach, his own hands in fists at his side. “If you want to do that right now, Langston, we will, but you better realize that you won’t be the one coming out on top here. Get your life together, man.”
The wind dies out of Langston’s sails, and his shoulders deflate. He doesn’t look at Hayes or me when he takes the towel, wraps it around his shoulder, and walks away.
We both watch as he goes.
When he disappears into the trees, Hayes turns back to me. “Are you okay?”
Fire burns hot in my veins. “Good of you to ask that now, Hayes.”
Shock flicks across Hayes’s face, his mouth hanging open. “Are you seriously mad at me right now?”
Snatching up my shorts, I shove them onto my legs. “Are you seriously asking me that right now?”
He does the same with his shirt, pulling it over his head so roughly I’m surprised it didn’t hurt. “And what is it I’ve done, MJ? Watch out for your brother like you asked me to. Is that my sin today?”
“No, Hayes, it’s not.” Grabbing our bag, I sling it onto my shoulder and stomp toward the trail, but Hayes grabs my hand, stopping me.
“We aren’t done here. Tell me what it is I’ve done.”
I can’t look him in the eye. Otherwise, he’ll see the tears brimming on my eyelashes. “I don’t know, Hayes. In all the time of taking care of my brother, did you ever stop to think about taking care of your girlfriend, too? Another guy kissed me, and you didn’t even react to that.”
He lets go of my hand, shoving it through his hair. “Your brother pretty well had that taken care of. I had to de-escalate the situation before we got thrown into jail and kicked off the team.”
