Both of them looked at me, and I wondered how much I should say.
“Leave it for the dorm,” Noah murmured. “Yeah?”
I nodded. “Yeah.” I hesitated. “Do you want to know?” I saw his instant nod, but my attention was on Dust. “Dust?”
He toyed with his fork. “I do.” He sighed. “But I also don’t because I like my bubble of ignorance.” He gestured to the empty seats. “I likethisbubble.”
“I know.” I ate my dinner, the table falling silent. It made sense. We were here to play. Not dig deeper into shit that didn’t concern us.
What we had on the field mattered more than whatever shadows lurked off it. If I kept my head down, pushed through, it’d be enough. Just like Coach Hembry told me to.
When I was finished, Dustin had already cleared away his tray and Noah’s. He puffed his cheeks out and let out a breath as he scanned the nearly empty dining hall. “Let’s go.”
“Where?” I asked as I stood.
“You need to ice that shoulder, I need to beat Noah’s ass in a rematch onMadden, and you need to tell us what kept you quiet all through dinner.”
“What about the bubble?” Noah asked, shouldering his bag.
“Every bubble bursts eventually,” Dustin said with a tight smile. “At least I get to see this one coming.”
“I changed my mind,” I told him, gathering my stuff up.
“I don’t give a shit, c’mon QB10, let’s go ride and die together, or whatever.”
Noah sniggered. “I’m getting that as a tattoo. Words to live by right there. Ride and die together, or whatever...”
Dustin laughed, and we headed up to our rooms. Inside, we dumped our stuff, changed clothes, I got an ice pack, Dust and Noah took up their positions on the couch, and they both looked at me expectantly.
“So, what’s happening?” Dust asked.
My mind was racing. Where did I start? With this afternoon, or thewholetruth. I was pulling them into this, and I was still lying to them. Did I tell them what I’d done? What Sav had learned?
Did I deserve to lose their friendship just when I was beginning to rely on them both? Probably. I was about to tell them the program was lying to them, butso was I.
“Alright,” I said, voice flat. “Before we go any further, I need to talk to you both.”
Dustin looked up, dark brows drawn together. Noah didn’t move, but I felt his focus shift onto me like a weight.
I dragged a hand down my face and forced it out. “I’ve not been honest with you, and I’ve been... well, a dick. I did something stupid. I’mdoingsomething stupid.”
“The dean’s daughter?” Dustin tried to joke. “I thought everyone said she was smart.”
“Not Sav,” I growled at him. “I’m... feeding tips.”
Chapter 29
Dante
Dustin straightened. “Feeding tips?” He scratched his jaw. “What kind of tips?”
My eyes flicked to Noah, who sat watching me, saying nothing.
“Things like injuries. Anything someone can make a buck off of if they know before the line changes.” The words came out rough, but I didn’t stop. “Been doing it for a while.”
Silence dropped between us, heavy and suffocating.
Dustin’s controller slipped from his hand onto the couch. “You’re joking.”
