Jace’s eyes widen as he turns to me. I tense and close my eyes...I don’t want him to see me like this. I feel vulnerable and I don’t like it. Roman kisses my cheek, and I relax a little.
“It’s the reason we’ve been losing games that we should have won.”
Jace stands up now and looks around the room. “What do you mean, losing games?”
Hunter is struggling, but as Roman tenses beneath me, I know I need to stay here. If he gets up, a fight will likely break out.
“I’m sorry, man, for last Friday night. But if I didn’t fumble…” Hunter can’t say it.
I know how much it hurt him and Roman to lose the last game of the season like that. Jace didn’t take it well at all, especially since he wants that college scholarship, but they needed to lose to protect us.
Jace paces now, gripping his hair and messing it up more than it was before. “Fuck.” He stares at Hunter, then finds Roman’s stare. “Fuck, you’ve been losing games because of these Amato guys, and we finished the season out losing to the Devils. Which should have been an easy win.”
Shit. The team and the game mean the most to Jace. I never wanted this to happen. I feel so guilty, and I can only imagine how Hunter and Roman feel right now. It’s their game too. Their team. They hurt their best friend to protect me…us.They love the game and the team, and they let them all down.
“But Damon’s dead. I don’t get why you still had to lose. Why couldn’t you have told me? We could have figured out something else.”
Roman’s hands tighten around me as Hunter shakes his head.
“If Roman and Hunter don’t lose the easy-winning games, they will come for me.” I sigh. “The Amato family was placing bets on the other team… you lose, and they win the big, easy money. They don’t care that Damon’s dead. He used Roman to pay for his drugs. The debt doesn’t just go away. It’sinherited.” Even dead, Damon is fucking with Roman.
Jace doesn’t say a word as he sits on the edge of the sofa. He watches us all, and I wait as the words sink in. It’s a lot to absorb, and I just hope he understands why we had no choice.
“Fuck… just,fuck, man.” Jace stands and wraps his arms around Hunter and hugs him.Wow. “God, I had no idea, and blamed you for that fumble. I…shit. I wish I’d known. I wouldn’t have said those things. I had such high hopes for this season, and it ended up being the worst season, and blamed you both. Well, and Mila.
“I’m so sorry for being an asshole. I should have known something bigger was going on. I just couldn’t see it. I was angry at the world, but then I was just angry at myself for everything I did, and I couldn’t get past my own damn ego.”
The room grows quiet as we all nod and accept that we’ve all wronged each other.
“That’s all of it, no more lies,” Roman rumbles deeply into my hair.
I let out a deep breath. “If we are all being honest right now, I need to tell you something.” I sit up, but Roman won't let go of me. His eyes, wide, roam my face.
I smile, letting him know it’s okay. “I’m okay, we’re okay,” I reassure him. Although, once I tell him and Hunter about the Asher thing, they might not be okay. “It’s just that, Asher—” Roman grumbles deeply. Hereallydoesn’t like him. I have no idea why, they never talk to one another. Maybe it’s a football thing.
“As I was saying…Asher. Well, he admitted he has feelings for me, and I didn’t tell you.”
I look over at Hunter, and he throws his hands up and lets out a groan. “I already know. The whole Garden of Eden shit. Walker told me…fuck. Asher told me himself that night.”
What night? Hunter knew this whole time?
“That’s why he was a dick that morning of Walker’s party. I have you, you’re my girl, and he was a jealous asshole.”
Oh…that night. I blush at the memory. Hunter winks at me. That was an amazing night, but Asher ruined that morning.
“He said you cockblocked him and Walker from the get-go.” Hunter smiles now. “I didn’t tell you, because…well, it made me happy to know that you had no interest in them. Then everything happened, and to be honest, I kinda forgot.”
I did that to both of them. Walker knows his place. He’s a friend, and that line is very clear, even if we flirt. It’s going nowhere, and I appreciate he knows that.
But Asher. God, Asher. He moved that line when he confessed his feelings, and it would be so simple if we could just keep that line straight. Only, my butterflies are making the line all wavy and messy.
“At the Halloween party, he came to tell me he just wants to be friends.”
Jace snorts, and we all look at him. What’s his problem? This has nothing to do with him; it's between Hunter, Roman, and me. Asher just wants to be friends now, so what does it matter…even if the wordfriendtwists my stomach? That’s what he wants, and it’s what I need. It will make things lessconfusing.
“Mila, if you think he just wants to be friends, you’re crazy. Hell, you probably think I just want to be your friend. I don’t, to clarify, since we are all being honest. Feelings don’t just go away like that. Feelings for you…they only grow stronger.”
I narrow my eyes at Jace. I know feelings don’t just go away, but if I say it enough, they might when it comes to Asher. It’s the forbidden fruit thing; they’re not genuine feelings.
