Page 50 of Game Winner
Everett bumps my knee with his. “You kind of did.”
“Only because he was being a dick about Tyler.” Exhaustion weighs me down like a lead blanket. I hate fighting with Layne, but is it too much to ask for my best friend to be fucking happy for me? “Why would he care if Ty comes? It’s not like Layne will be paying for him. Does he not like Ty? He hasn’t spent enough time with him to decide that.”
Gavin shrugs and sits on the floor next to Everett. “I don’t know. I hope it’s not anything like that. Bands have broken up for that reason.”
“You haven’t been spending as much time together. Maybe he just misses you?” Everett’s quiet observation slices through some of my frustration with Layne, but his little tantrum still pisses me off.
“Then he should act like an adult and tell me.” I don’t know if I’m more hurt by this latest stunt or the months of him shutting me out, but I can’t let whatever’s going on between Layne and me affect the band. “I’ll go to the concert. But I need to make sure Tyler is okay.”
“We understand that. Hell, if Gavin were injured, I wouldn’t leave him.”
“Aww, thanks. Back at you, Ev.” Gavin pulls him against his side.
“Then again, maybe Layne will make good on his threat to replace me.”
Gavin shakes his head. “He won’t. We wouldn’t let him.” He gestures to the ceiling. “Take Tyler home. Let’s skip practice onThursday to give you and Layne more time to cool off, then pick it up again next week. Practice Wednesday, and perform Friday.”
“All right. But I don’t think this is anywhere near over. We need to decide what we want. And if Layne really does have a problem with Ty, well, I don’t know how we’ll get through that because I’m not dealing with his shit anymore.” I grab my phone and trek upstairs.
Tyler pulls the chair’s lever and sits up. Concern lines his face. “What happened? I heard yelling and then Layne stormed out.”
“Did he say anything to you?”
“No. Didn’t even look my way.”
Sighing, I pull on my coat. “Let’s go. Practice is canceled. Layne and I had a fight.”
He holds out his good arm so I can pull him up. “What was the fight about?”
“His booking things and making assumptions without getting everyone’s input.” I drape his coat over his shoulders. “And he thinks my priorities aren’t where they should be.”
Guilt slides over his features. “Is this because you missed practice?”
“No. This is something more.”
Candlelight, pizzas, and the company of my two guys. I needed this.
Sitting back on Soren’s bed, I close my eyes as his arms come around me. “Thanks.”
He kisses the side of my head. “For what?”
“Being here. Holding onto us.” Our legs are tangled together. I tap my foot against Tyler’s. He’s cuddled up on Soren’s other side.
After we left Gavin and Everett’s place, Tyler and I went for a long walk to help me calm down. We showered together when we got home, then took a nap we both desperately needed. When we woke, we were both too drained to do anything other than order pizza.
Soren came home while we were eating, grabbed a slice and told us about his game in Rockford, which they lost. Tyler told him about my argument with Layne, and as much as I wanted to forget about it, I appreciated how Tyler knew Soren would want to know, and I wouldn’t be able to tell him. Even injured, and dealing with so many unknowns, he’s taking care of Soren and me.
Soren hugs me tighter. “I’m sorry you had a rough time with Layne. You mentioned he hasn’t been himself for a while.”
“He was so angry today.” My chest aches at the memory of all the things we said to each other. I still can’t believe it.
Tyler carefully sits up, wincing with the effort, to pick up his bottle. With a sigh, Soren hands it to him. “Ty, we’re sitting right here. If you need something, just ask us.”
“I thought I could do it.” He takes a sip, then passes the bottle to Soren. “Bax, I can’t believe you were going to turn down a show for me. I can go to New York with you. But I’ll be fine here. My injury shouldn’t cause problems between you and Layne. Or affect your band.”
I gave him and Soren a shorter version of what happened, but enough details for them to understand that for Layne and me, this fight is far bigger than a typical argument. “We need to see how you’re feeling.”
“Maybe I’ll be cleared to play then.”
