“Hello?”
“Mia, girl, you flaking out on me already?” Wade asked me, and I could hear the mix of concern and frustration.
“Eh no, I’m sorry, something came up, and I forgot my phone to call you.”
“Something more important than practice?” he asked skeptically.
“Yes, I, um . . .” I looked around the room. “I got the key for my apartment back.”
“Oh, you were moving things?”
“Yeah, sorry, time slipped away from me.” I leaned my forehead against the doorframe as I lied.
“Nah, that’s okay, you being back where you belong is cool. Tomorrow?” I heard the hopefulness, and I was nodding before I realized he couldn’t see me.
“Of course, I really am sorry about tonight.”
“No worries, Mia, see you tomorrow!” He was a lot happier sounding when he hung up.
“No worries,” I murmured as I moved away from the doorway and stood in the center of my bedroom, looking around. “Back where I belong.”
Then why did it feel like I was a stranger in my own home?
Chapter 32: Ash
In the team’s locker room, I was putting my cleats on when I felt someone sit beside me.
“You okay?” Gray asked me casually as he fixed his pads and his jersey.
“Never better,” I told him with an easiness that I was not feeling.
It was a huge game today; Thanksgiving weekend was always big. We’d gone home on Wednesday night, but Ava had refused to come with us — she wasn’t leaving Red alone on Thanksgiving. Ava’s mom had wanted them home for the holiday, but Coach wanted us at practice for Friday afternoon, and even though the four of us had gone home to have the day with our families, we had all come back to Cardinal on Friday morning. Because we were coming back Friday, Ava didn’t want to be away for the Thanksgiving weekend home game, so her mom came to campus.
I knew from Jett that Ava’s mom bought the story about the apartment having a leak and they’d benefited from getting a remodel. The three of them had enjoyed a meal in their apartment and then had gone to Cardinal so Red could show Jill the bar she was going to be singing at. Was it weird that I appreciated Ava’s mom parenting Red? Checking on her, making sure she was okay? From Jett’s account, the three of them had a relaxed family day. Jill left mid-afternoon on Friday, and Ava returned to the football house.
Red hadn’t.
When I asked Ava on Friday night how Red was, she had told me Red was saying nothing about it. When I asked if that was a good thing, Ava suggested I call her. I hadn’t. I wasn’t sure if we were there. I mean, had we been dating? Was the “family” fight, our fight? Of course it was; she pretty much made demands ofus, but then, when I thought about it, hadn’t we made a demand of her? More than one when you thought about it. I didn’t know what to do. Did I make the first move, was there a move to be made?
The whole situation fucking sucked.
“You speak to her yet?” Gray asked me.
“No.” I didn’t make eye contact with him as I fixed my own pads.
“Yeah, she disappointed me too,” he said with sympathy. Fuck sympathy.
“She has a right to know,” I grumbled as I sat back. “She just had a shit way of asking.”
“Nerves do that to people.”
I grunted, and then I realized my cousin was putting his jersey on. “What are you getting kitted up for?” I looked at his hand with the strapping on it. “You can’t play.”
“Says who?” Gray gave me the smile that usually made Jett or me start paying attention and doing damage control.
“Coach? I hope.” I looked for his brother and saw Jett talking to Jamie Woods.
“I’m not playing,” Gray said. “Unless you need me to save your asses, and then I’m playing.”
