Me:
Sounds great. 8 okay?
I hit send, before I can talk myself out of it.
Her reply is a thumbs up.
I drop the phone back on the bed, but before I can even get dressed, it buzzes again. Glancing at it, I expect another message from Cassie.
Instead, it’s an incoming call from my Dad.
I stare at it for a second, debating. The last time we talked was… hell, I don’t even know. A few weeks ago? Maybe longer. It’s not like we have a schedule. He calls when he remembers, and I answer when I feel like it.
My thumb hovers over the screen before I sigh and swipe to accept.
“Hi, dad.”
“Ryan.” His voice is crisp, clipped. The same as always. “How’s school?”
I shift on the edge of my bed, bracing my elbow on my knee. “It’s fine.”
“Your grades?”
“They’re alright.”
A short pause passes, and I picture him nodding silently, checking his watch. “Good.” He pauses again for a second. “I caught your last game.”
I rub a hand over my face. “Yeah?” I say, already bracing for whatever’s coming.
“You let three shots in.”
My jaw tightens, and I exhale through my nose. “I know.”
“It wasn’t your best performance.”
“I know that too,” I mutter, the irritation bubbling up, but I swallow it down.
He sighs, drumming his fingers against his desk. His version of a disappointed sigh. I’ve been hearing that sound for as long as I can remember.
“You were out of position on that second goal.”
I frown, mentally replaying the game. “I was screened.”
“You should’ve read the play faster.”
My grip tightens on the phone. “I’ll do better next time,” I force out, my tone tight.
“Connor never?—”
He stops short. But I already know where that sentence was headed.
I squeeze my eyes shut for a second, breathing in slow to keep my cool. “I’mnotConnor.”
Silence.
It stretches on so long I wonder if he hung up. But then his voice breaks through. “No,” he says, almost like he’s stating a fact. “I suppose you’re not.”
The words land like a punch, even though I saw it coming. It’s not even cruel, not outright. It’s just matter-of-fact, like a truth neither of us can change.
