“Honestly, dude, I think she’s giving you an out with this trip,” he said. “Even if you go, you’re going to hate her family so bad that there’s no way you two can make it work when you’re home. You know nothing about this girl or her family other than her uncle who lives down the block. But meeting the parents? This is a big step.”
“And it’s a step I want to take,” I said with a shrug, lacing up my turf sneaker. I got to my feet, grabbed my mitt, and slapped Dalton on the shoulder. “Just support me, yeah?”
“You know I do, brother,” Dalton said. “You know I do. I guess Macey is a pretty okay gal.”
“I think so, too.”
“Ready to kick ass at the game in two weeks?” Dalton asked as I pulled him to his feet. We made our way out of the locker room just as coach arrived at the field with an enormous thermos of coffee balanced in one hand.
“I want to see some blood, sweat, and tears out there this morning,” he shouted over us, his usual pre-practice pep talk on point as usual. “If we don’t win that game against SSU, I will forever be shamed as the coach from this school who let his team lose the first game of the season.”
“We won’t let you down, Coach,” Kurt said from behind me, and the rest of us nodded.
“We’re in it to win it, Coach.”
“Good.” He looked around at us, nodding in approval, even though the smile on his face fluttered between proudness and annoyance. “Get your asses out there and show me how we’re going to play!”
Chapter 30
Macey
Just like I promisedJayce, I stopped in the ER the next morning to get blood tests done before my first class of the day. The waiting room was bustling with people, so I took a seat in one of the chairs and picked up a magazine, hoping this wouldn’t take too long.
“Hey, Macey,” a voice said behind me, and I turned to see Rowan Bates, ER nurse, come through the front doors for her shift.
“Hey, Rowan.”
“Can I ask what you’re doing sitting out here in triage?” Rowan asked, running a hand through her frizzy red hair.
“I need to get some blood work done, but the lab seems super busy. I think I’ll just come back.”
“Don’t be silly.” Rowan took the magazine from me and tossed it back onto the coffee table, then offered her hand to me to help me to my feet. “You’re family here. Come with me and I’ll see if I can find someone to do a quick draw, yeah?”
“Thanks, Row.”
Following my friend through the ER doors and into the back, she escorted me to the nursing station, holding my arm with her hand like one might hold an unruly child.
