So, I have to wonder…has she moved on at all?
I torture myself with thoughts of Blair for my entire drive to the stadium, but once I arrive for our Saturday practice, I shake off my thoughts, purging all negativity from my mind.
Despite everything that’s been haunting me, I’m still obnoxiously happy when I enter the locker room. I’m not sure why, but it doesn’t feel like that was the last time I’ll see Blair, and that’s enough for me.
Reed’s by the door when I walk in, and even his presence makes me smile. “Any closer to being able to play?” I ask, genuinely curious this time.
He frowns and I instantly regret my question until that frown turns sympathetic. “What’s going on?”And why do I get a feeling that look is for me?
“I’m guessing you haven’t seen the news?”
“What news?” I ask casually as my stomach sinks, and when he winces, I panic. “What news?” I repeat, my mind taking me back to the night of the accident and the days following. The flashing lights. The media surrounding us. The headlines. Dread spreads through me like wildfire, and yet my body chills.
Did something happen to Blair?No, it can’t have. Reed doesn’t know her.
He gestures for me to move away from the door and I follow as he speaks. “There’s a story about—”
“Zane!” D’Angelo cuts in, calling out from across the room, beckoning me over when I turn his way.
“What story?” I ask, ignoring the guy that calls the shots, too anxious to wait.
But of course, Reed doesn’t ignore him. “I’d say D’Angelo’s about to fill you in. You better go.”
Fuck. I throw my bag down and follow him into the hallway, my mood fading fast.
“What did I do this time?” I grate when we reach the end of the corridor, being a dick for no reason, and despite the fact that he could fire me on the spot, I don’t take it back.
Standing tall, I wait for Sal to argue, but he shocks me when he curses under his breath, his voice pained. “You don’t know?”
“No, what the hell is going on?”
“Why don’t you come to my office?”
I still for a beat, shaking my head. “No, fuck that. Tell me now. Have I been dropped? Is that it?”
“Definitely not,” Sal’s quick to reassure me. “You have our support, one hundred percent. But a story has come out… It’s about your past in Jacksonville and—”
“Goddammit. Blair.”
“Who?”
“Just a friend who doesn’t needmypast coming back to haunt her. I thought we were done with this. What are they saying?”
With an agonizingly slow breath, Sal fills me in. “Old reports from a Florida news outlet are resurfacing about you being involved in an accident a few years back. A collision that killed two young women.” His voice trails off as a ringing fills my ears, along with a deafening screech that makes my head ache. My heart pounds to unbearable levels until Sal grabs my arm, his touch snapping me back to the present. “There’s more.” He winces as though he hates breaking this news, but he needn’t worry—it’s not news if I’ve already heard it. “The reporter says that while you weren’t driving, they believeyoucaused the crash.” He pauses, his expression apologetic.
But it’s true.
“Did they name the driver?” I stiffen, my muscles tight.
“No.”
Thank God.The tension leaves my body as I sigh.
My sister was underage at the time of the accident, so her personal details and the specifics surrounding the accident were concealed from the general public. Only those that knew us know. I wasn’t sure if they’d still honor that now, years later. But thankfully they have.
“Is it big?” I ask, wondering if Reed and Sal only heard about it because they have alerts for the team, or if the world knows and I’m the only sucker here playing catch-up.
Sal cringes again and I have my answer. It’s big. Which means if Blair hasn’t heard yet, she soon will.
