Page 97 of Third and Ten

“Yeah. She was fine when I left her room,” I admit ruefully. “And you know she’d never ignore you guys on purpose. Her phone must have died or something.”

“Cool story, bro. Can I go back to my room now?”

“Not until you tell me what’s really bothering you.”

He huffs. “I don’t have to tell you shit. You’re not my dad, remember?”

Well, here we go.

He’s flipped the switch now, and I have no choice but to respond accordingly.

“All right, then, big man. Either you tell me what the hell is going on with you, or we take this outside, and you get your disrespectful ass handed to you. So, what’s it gonna be?” I lean back on my heels, crossing my arms over my chest again and eliciting a loud gulp from Ethan.

Okay, so I’m not really going to lay a hand on him. But sometimes coaching requires me to metaphorically knock a kid farther down before I build him back up, and it works, so I figure it’ll have to do for my foster-step-uncle approach, too.

“You wouldn’t actually fight me,” he says with an eye roll.

“You sure about that? I might even let you get in one good lick first, if it’d make you feel better.” I take a step closer and spread my arms out, leaving my chest open.

“No.” He shuffles back.

“But this is what you want, right? What if I made you really mad? You man enough to hit me then?”

“You’re already making me mad,” he says through his teeth.

“I can do better. Do you want me to tell you about my night?” He glares at me and shakes his head. I move closer so that I’m looking down at him, his face even with my chest. “Either you start talking or I do. And you won’t enjoy hearing what I’ve been up to.”

“Just…stop,” Ethan yells, covering his ears. I reach an arm around to pull him in so that he’s stuck to my side in a light embrace. He stands there stiffly for a second before finally leaning in and letting me support his weight, and eventually he brings his fists down from his head and rests them on my shoulder. I place my other hand on his back, and we stand that way for a while, the only sound being Ethan’s ragged breathing.

“I’m sorry, Coach,” he says after a minute, his voice thick.

“I know,” I reply.

He turns away to wipe his face before sitting at the edge of the bed. “I honestly don’t know what my problem is,” he begins as I settle beside him. “Maybe it’s just a little bit of everything.”

“Then start by telling me about just one thing.” I know he needs the space to explain himself this time, that I should encourage him to do most of the talking.

He sighs, taking a second before he finally speaks again. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful for my family, but being a sixteen-year-old orphan still sucks. I never got to meet my mom, and I’m about to lose the only dad I’ve ever known. I mean, it’s not like Pop can help it. I’m just so tired of being abandoned.”

My chest aches for him. I’ve only experienced a touch of what he’s going through, having lost both of my parents as an adult. And although I’d do anything to spare Ethan this much pain, especially at his age, offering to fix things for him isn’t what he needs right now.

“I’m sorry, E. I can’t imagine how hard this is for you,” I say.

“He’s been calling me, you know? He found me.”

I gulp, recalling what he’d let slip at homecoming. “Your biological father?”

He nods. “Yeah. He seems nice, for the most part, but he’s already trying too hard.”

“Has he made you feel uncomfortable? He’s not forcing you to do anything you don’t want to, right?” I ask, my protective instincts flaring.

“No, not really. It’s just…awkward. He says he just wants us to get to know each other, but I’d honestly rather spend my time with Pop while I still can.” He chews on his lip and stares down at the floor. “I shouldn’t have said all that stuff to you a while ago.”

“And I never should have gone to Tenley’s room. I wasn’t setting a good example.”

“No, you both deserve to be happy, and I’m still glad you’re together.” He pauses for a second before he continues. “I think I’m just afraid that if something goes wrong and you break up now that I’ll lose one of you. Like, things would be weird between us, or Aunt Ten might leave again. And you’re kind of all I have left.”

“Ethan…” My heart drops to my feet. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t really considered how you might feel about that. But I hope you know we both want what’s best for you, first and foremost. Even if things don’t work out between Tenley and me, I’ll always have your back.”

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