Page 70 of Last Slice of Pie

Picking up his glass, I refill it with ice water then place it on the end table next to him.

“Are you hungry?” I ask.

“No. I seemed to have lost my appetite.” Again with the tone.

Out of all the guys on the team, Jack has always been the most carefree and lighthearted. He can make even the worst of situations seem not so bad, and seeing him like this is almost too much for me.

“Well, when you are, Lexi made you food. Eat it. She’s a good cook.”

“I know she’s a good cook. Did you bring me pie too?” He looks hopeful.

I chuckle. “Nope, but I’m sure it’s coming. Any requests?”

“Nah, man. They’re all good. If she wants to make me something, beggars can’t be choosers.”

“I’ll tell her.”

I take a seat in the chair perpendicular to him, and we eye each other warily. He knows I want to know, but he won’t tell me until I ask. It’s like, if I don’t know exactly what’s wrong, this isn’t really happening. Once he tells me, the reality of it will crash down. “So, what did they say?”

“Ruptured patella tendon and ACL tear.”

I have no words, so we just stare at each other, thinking but trying desperately to not think about what’s most likely inevitable. Recovering from an ACL tear is hard enough, but with both of those things combined . . . well, the outcome is still to be determined. In a way, this is almost worse. As elite athletes, we want to know. No gray areas. No false hope.

“They repaired both?”

“Yep. I’m going to have a nice scar down the front of my knee.”

My gaze skips to his wrapped-up leg and then back to his face. “What happens next?”

“Ice and elevation for the next week.” He leans forward, grabs the ice pack, and tosses it to me. I get up to put it back in the freezer while grabbing him another one.

“This is my fault,” I blurt out as I hand him the frozen one.

His brows draw down as he watches me sit. “Man, it’s not your fault.” He shakes his head.

“How can you say that? I made the call. I knew they knew what play we were running. I saw the guy, you didn’t. I knew he was coming for you from behind. I should have thrown it away.”

“What makes you think I didn’t know that guy was there? I knew. I saw him on the sprint out before I made the turn. I didn’t know who was going to hit first, but I knew they were both coming for me. I should have adjusted differently for the hit. This isn’t your fault.”

Guilt is an unfortunate thing. So often things happen that are out of our control, but something deep down in our conscience tells us we’ve done something wrong. Guilt, remorse—they create a helplessness that leaves us feeling out of control, and being in control is something I work very hard at.

“We’ll just have to agree to disagree.” I lean back in the chair and prop my right ankle over my left knee.

“You have to free yourself, Bryan. I know you. I can’t have you carrying this around as yours. We play a sport where, at any point in time, something can happen, something as simple as landing at the wrong angle while running or falling off balance on an arm. This isn’t on you. Don’t punish yourself—I can’t have that and this at the same time.” He points to his leg.

“I don’t know how,” I tell him honestly, running my hand over my face and through my hair.

“Well, you have to. That’s football, and that’s just the way it goes. Sometimes we make the big plays, and sometimes we don’t, but we all live for them. We’re all willing to take risks. I wanted it as bad as you did. Don’t forget that.”

I know he’s right, but it’s also going to take time. Jack is one of my best friends, and losing him as a teammate just doesn’t feel right.

“So, Meg?” I ask, smirking and changing the subject.

“Nah, it’s not like that.” He glances away from me and over at Zeus, who’s curled up on the couch next to him, running his hand through his fur. “I met her at Zach’s place last summer—you remember, at the wrap party—and we’ve kind of kept in touch through social media.”

Interesting. Jack and one of the three legs of the tripod that is Lexi, Shelby, and Meg. I didn’t see it before, after hearing stories about her from Lexi and Zach, but maybe now I do.

“Well, I’m glad she was with you.”