“No, you are not.”
I walked with purpose to this mysterious Ivy who had Callum acting out and grinned as she looked at me. “Ivy, right?”
“Hi, yes, that’s me.” She held out her hand, a sly smile on her lips. “Dean Romano, starting quarterback with three school records and expected to go high in the draft if you play well this season.”
“That is me. My favorite color is navy blue too,” I said, winking. “Callum shared you two were close growing up.”
“Interesting.” She pursed her lips, adjusted her thick glasses, and stood straighter as Callum joined my side. “O’Toole.”
“Ivy.” Callum used a tone I hadn’t heard before, almostlike he was angry with her. Callum never got mad. “Your parents must be so proud you’re interning withfootballplayers.”
“They are. It’s a highly competitive field to get into for sports medicine, and this is a solid program. Despite letting you in, they are by the book and treat their athletes well.”
“Sick burn,” I said, holding out a fist. She hit it, but her attention was on Callum. Her cheeks turned redder as he stared at her.
“Well, good for you.”
“Yeah, good for me.” She flicked her hair from one shoulder to the other as she met my gaze again. “It was nice meeting you. Henry is having us visit a few hours before we start full-time with the team. I’ll get a formal introduction later, but it was nice meeting the leader.”
“See you around, Ivy.”
She left us, and as soon as she was out of sight, I nudged Callum. “What happened there?”
“We used to hang out. We kinda grew apart.”
“No kinda about it.”
“Just don’t worry about it, alright?”
“I am because if she messes with your head on the field, then it’s gonna make me worry.”
“She doesn’t have that power anymore.” He hit my shoulder. “I need to burn this adrenaline off. I’m running.”
Chuckling, I made a note to watch this unfold. In all four years, I’d never seen Callum flustered or hostile toward anyone. Mack invited me to go for a swim at her apartment but only if I spoke with Jayden first. It wasn’t that I avoided him, but it was just difficult to accept I wouldn’t be the captain visibly on the field.
The sophomore nodded at me as he left the locker room, ready to meet me since I’d asked him to. “Hey, J.”
“Romano.” He shook my hand, and we did a bro hug. “You look good. Have a fun summer?”
“Yeah, I did.”Two weeks left.“I wanted to talk to you about something important though. It shouldn’t take long.”
“No worries. My summer class doesn’t start for a few hours. What is it?”
“It’s about the captainship.” I led us to a bench, where we sat. I leveled my voice, not wanting to sound nervous or insincere. “Coach asked me to pick the next leader on the team, the next person to be the voice of reason or the motivation when everyone is done. The person who calls you on your shit but lifts you up when you need it. It was an easy choice for me, Jayden. You have all the right things to be exceptional on the field, and I want the team in your hands when I leave. This starts now.”
“Dude.” His eyes widened. “The guys will not like this.”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“I’m a sophomore.”
“So the fuck what? Years have nothing to do with it. You are a leader, and that’s what a captain is. Now, Coach wants to do something official with it. Announce it to the team, but I want you to know if you’re in.”
“I’m in. Fuck yeah, I’m in, but why wouldn’t you be it?”
“Because Coach wants this.” I swallowed. “And I’m a position player. My role has me naturally leading. I’m leaving after this season, and you are an outstanding student leader, athlete, and teammate. You’ve earned this by the choices you make.”
“Damn, Romano.” Jayden held out a fist, and I bumped it. “Thank you. Don’t know how I’m gonna fill your shoes—”
