I moved away from Sydney, making sure I was pulled together, and gave him a smile.
“Where did you go?” he said, coming over to me. He searched my face, his eyes narrowing.
“I just needed fresh air.” I hitched my thumb over my shoulder. “I think I’m gonna head home though. I’m tired.”
Jesse paled, and he swallowed. “Is it because that girl touched me? I swear I pushed her off me, June.” He cupped my face, and I wanted to cry. He was such a good person, but as I stood here, a house of football players and fans behind us, me and Syd on the outside, I couldn’t help but see the obvious divide.
“I trust you, Jesse. You know that.” I did. Without fail.
“Has something happened?” His voice was tinged with worry. “Junebug?”
“No, honestly. This,” I said, gesturing to the house, the party, “it’s just not my thing, baby. But you should stay. Enjoy your night, your win.”
“I’m not staying without you,” he said empathically.
“I’m going home to bed,” I said. “We both are.” I pointed to Sydney. “You should stay. Bond with your team. It’s a big day for y’all.”
I could read the conflict on Jesse’s face. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” I kissed him again.
Jesse tried to search my face. He knew I was holding something back, but I would not spoil this for him. “You sure?” he asked, just as Sheridan called his name from the door.
“Don’t drink too much,” I said, and that same wash of fear I tried to keep down deep inside rose to the surface.
“I haven’t touched a drop,” Jesse said, a soft smile on his face. “I just hold the beer and drink water when no one is looking.”
“You’d better go,” I said when I saw Sheridan was still waiting.
Jesse hesitated, then said, “Good night, Junebug.”
I fought back tears, as I said, “Sleep tight.”
Sydney linked her arm in mine and led me back to the dorm.
Jesse and I would get through this; I knew we would. We were meant to be, soulmates. I just had to ignore that fissure of doubt that had appeared in my heart—and the internal scars those girls’ word had caused.
CHAPTER 19
Jesse
Jesse and June’s Happily Ever After
One thing was clear: June was avoiding me.
One week. It had been a week since the party, and I knew something happened that night. I hadn’t been able to find out what, but that was because June was avoiding me. My stomach turned.
The truth was, I was petrified. I no longer knew who I was without her in my life. She was my everything. I was killing it in football. Henderson, the senior QB, was still out, along with most of his backups, and Coach had been giving me more and more playing time in practice. I was playing the kind of football I had always dreamed of, having an unbelievable freshman year.
But that no longer seemed to matter in the way it always had.
June had come to the last game but made an excuse to not hang out afterward. Things seemed strained, and I had no idea why.
I had to leave for an away game tomorrow morning, and I knew June was at her creative writing club tonight. I needed to see her and try to mend this chasm between us.
The only reason I knew she still cared for me was due to the chapter she had published about us—the story of us that had our treatments failing…the one that gutted me.
But even though she was writing us trying to find our way through an impossible situation and the love we shared, hell, it felled me. And those kinds of emotions only came from one place—her heart. Her heart that I knew still wanted us, wanted this.
And if she couldn’t see that, then I had to convince her.
