Carter curses under his breath, standing straighter, but before he can say anything, I hear a sharp intake of breath.
Lyla.
She’s already moving before I can get a word out, shoving past me, heading straight for the door.
"Lyla—" Carter calls, but she doesn’t stop.
She just shakes her head, muttering, "She shouldn’t be alone right now."
Then, she’s gone too.
I let out a long breath, running a hand down my face before turning back to Carter.
He watches me for a second, his expression unreadable. "You good?"
I don’t answer because I don’t know.
Instead, I push past him, heading straight for the kitchen, ignoring the buzz of conversation around me, the laughter, the people who have no idea my entire fucking world just walked away.
I grab a beer from the counter, cracking it open as Carter watches me, his brows furrowing again.
I don’t drink, haven’t once in my life.
After Madison’s dad crashed his while drunk off his ass, I promised myself I’d never put her in that position again. I never wanted to hurt her, to be in a position where I couldn’t get to her if she needed me, never wanted to risk it.
Right now?
I don’t know what else to do.
So, I tip my head back and take my first sip, letting the bitterness burn my throat.
39
JAXON
Istare at the ceiling, the early morning light shining through the hotel curtains, casting shadows across the walls. My body is stiff, my mind wrecked, exhaustion clinging to me since I haven’t slept more than a couple of hours.
I should be thinking about the game. The championship. The biggest moment of my life up until today, my last college football game.
But all I can think about is her.
It’s been two weeks, fourteen days of radio silence. No texts, no calls, no accidental run-ins. Nothing.
Madison is just…gone.
The only time I do see her is from a distance—passing on campus, lost in the crowd, too far away to reach. Even then, she doesn’t even look at me.
Worst part is, I can’t really blame her.
I should have told her about the voicemail, about the real reason I transferred here. Theonlyreason. Maybe not right away, but eventually. In hindsight, I guess I should’ve been clearer on the other thing too. I didn’t think it was that shocking. I never had girlfriends growing up, never even entertained any who showed interest. It’s always been Madison.
Maybe I should have expected that. Maybe I should’ve known she’d shut down, shut me out before I even had a chance to fight for her.
Even if I had expected this outcome, it wouldn’t have made it any easier. I exhale slowly, forcing myself to move, pushing the blankets off my body like they’re weighing me down.
I need to get my head straight. I have to.
I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, pressing my palms into my thighs before pushing myself up. My body is tight, sore, the last few weeks of training catching up to me, but I force my muscles to loosen as I make my way to the hotel bathroom.
