Page 178 of Colliding with Ten

You can’t kill him. He catches your touchdowns.

Lennox

I need new friends.

Ayla

Lennox

You’re not my friend

Ayla

Ohh, then who am I?

Lennox

My cheerleader

Ayla

Not when we meet each other. You’re going down, Monroe.

A few days before the conference championship, I was home alone after finishing game film. Ayla once caught me at the facility near midnight, threatening to call Jace to drag me out. After that, I started leaving at a reasonable hour. I was on the couch when my phone rang.

“Hey, you okay?”

“I’m good. I just . . .” Ayla trailed off. “I wanted to hear your voice. I know that’s dumb, and it’s a dumb thing to say.”

“It’s not dumb.”

“It’s a little dumb. I’m a grown woman. I can go without hearing your voice.”

She was trying to convince herself of something I was struggling with too. I couldn’t go very long without hearing her voice. I was addicted as well.

“You’ve been hearing my voice a lot in the last six weeks.”

“I know. You’re a habit now. Like coffee or stretching.”

“I’m honored to be in the same category as stretching.”

I loved being part of even the boring parts of her day.

She sighed.

“What?” I asked.

“I’m scared about the championship game. I don’t know what people are going to say about me, about us.”

I hated hearing the fear in her voice. People would talk. I couldn’t promise they wouldn’t, but she wouldn’t face it alone. “We can handle it.”

“It’s not just that. I’m going to be on that sideline in a Hawks uniform, cheering for my brother’s team, and you’ll be on the other side trying to end his season. And I want you both to win, and my chest hurts when I think about it.”

There was no compromise. Whatever happened, she wouldn’t be completely happy.

“I know there’s no answer. I just needed to say it out loud.”

“You can say anything to me, you know that.”