The game continues and toward the end, Xander gets put in.
When Thea sees him jogging onto the field, she screams so shrilly that several people slap their hands over their ears.
She stands again, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “That’s my husband! That’s my husband! Xander, I love you!”
When Thea sits back down, Rae remarks, “You said husband without flinching. I’m proud of you.”
Thea grins back. “I know. I’ve come so far.”
Now that Xander is on the field, I pay a little more attention to what’s happening. I still don’t understand any of it, but that hardly matters. The time ticks down and we’re tied. I find myself at the edge of my seat, hoping for a miracle. I might not like football, but I do have a team to root for now.
The ball is passed and a player is running, running, running.
“Touchdown!” Thea yells.
As a group, we jump up and down in excitement. Well, all of us except for Jace. He simply stands. He’s not one for jumping.
The game comes to an end and we’re all riding high from the win.
Thea and Xander’s family separate from us and head off somewhere so they can see him.
The rest of us head out of the stadium and grab a taxi back to the hotel.
I end up next to Jace, but he’s surprisingly well behaved.
The four of us end up in the elevator together. Rae and Cade chat excitedly, still on a high from the win, while Jace and I stand on the opposite side saying nothing.
Cade and Rae get off on their floor and I’m left alone with Jace. I sigh heavily, expecting him to start in on me again, but he’s surprisingly quiet.
The doors slide open onto my floor and I step out.
Behind me, he says, “Confession, I never give up.”
Before I can respond, the heavy metal doors have closed and he’s gone.
I shake my head and head down the hall to my room.
My very quiet, very boring room.
I collapse dramatically on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
I wish I could change the way I feel about Jace as easily as I change the color of my hair.
But life isn’t that simple. We can’t snap our fingers and make something happen. The fact is, no matter how hurt and mad I am, it doesn’t change my underlying
feelings for him.
My heart still aches for his touch while my mind warns me away.
It’s a complicated thing, being split into two by what you want and what you think is necessary.
Jace
Our flight home is a quiet one—mostly because everyone’s exhausted. We had to be up at the crack of dawn to get to the airport in time, and it’s a good thing we got there early because the place was packed.
Nova sleeps with her head on my shoulder. I know when she wakes up and discovers this fact she’s going to be pissed, but for now I revel in the small amount of contact.
At least in her sleep she can’t pretend to hate me.