My phone buzzes, probably Oliver telling me they’re ready.
“So, I’m supposed to get dinner with Oliver and Coach Knight—”
“You should go,” she interrupts, stepping back just enough that my hands fall away. “I’m sure it will be nice to spend some time with them.”
I don’t move. “You sure?”
Her eyes meet mine again, steadier this time. “Yes,” she insists. “Of course.”
I nod and then take a step back. Then another. This isn’t a trap, and I know it, but god damn… she’s hard to leave.
When I grab my bag, slinging it over my shoulder, she calls, “Good game, Maxwell.” Her words are playful and light.
I shake my head, a quiet laugh slipping out of me as I take another step. But then I stop. I don’t want to leave it like this. So I go back, closing the distance again, until my fingers are tipping her chin and her eyes are locked on mine.
Slowly, I kiss her. Trying to tell her all the things I’ll get to eventually.
Her fingers curl into my shirt like she’s anchoring herself; for a second, it’s just her and me. When I pull back, her eyes are softer. Less guarded.
“Go,” she insists quietly. “I’ll see you later.”
I nod. But I only make it a few steps when I hear my name.
“Lane,” Coach calls, leaning against the wall a few feet down the hallway.
I walk over, already bracing.
He glances past me toward where Cora’s already off somewhere else, then back to me.
“This,” he says, keeping his voice low, pointing between me and where Cora was just standing, “is the first and last time I see the two of you together likethatduring the season.”
I nod once. “Understood.”
“I mean it.” His mouth twitches, just barely.
“I believe you.”
His hands rest on his hips when he continues. “You treat her the way she deserves. And then some.”
My jaw tightens. “I will.”
He studies me for a second longer, like he’s deciding whether to believe that, but his eyes soften when they land on me and I know he does. Or he’s trying to, at least.
“I’m glad you’re on this team, Lane. And for the people you have in your corner who didn’t give up on you. Even if I almost did.”
I didn’t expect an apology from Coach Banks. He didn’t have all the information and did what he thought was best. Him getting this close to saying sorry means more than he’ll ever know.
“Thanks, Coach.”
He claps his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “I’m on your side. Don’t forget that, ok?”
“I won’t.”
And it’s the truth.
Chapter 70
CORA
