The Game You Play (Rixon Raiders 2)

“You know what they say about bad habits, right?” I said. “They’re hard to break.” My stomach sank.

“Don’t give up on our guy yet. I don’t know what happened today but something’s eating at him.” I gave him a pointed look and he added, “More than usual.”

“You really want me to do this?” The words flew out of my mouth. “Me and Jason?”

Asher sucked in a harsh breath, his eyes shuttering. But when they opened again, he was looking at me with nothing but understanding. “Did I wish for a second that things could be different? That maybe I’d caught your eye first? Hell yeah, I do.” He swallowed thickly. “But you can’t help who you fall for and I always knew it was you and him.”

“I’m not sure there’s a me and him, Asher.”

“That’s because Jason doesn’t know how to let people in. He doesn’t know how to trust anyone. But you’re changing him, Fee, baby. Which is why you can’t give up on him yet. He might not realize it yet, but he needs you. And something tells me, you need him too.”

“I...” The words died on my lips. “You’re a good friend, Asher Bennet. He’s lucky to have you.”

“You’ve got me too.” He grinned. “No matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you.”

“That means a lot. You’re going to make some girl very happy one day.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” He chuckled, but it came out strangled. “Here we go.”

I followed Asher’s line of sight to where Coach Hasson was standing next to the lectern. Jason had finally moved to an empty seat at the table. Of course it had to be right opposite me. His hard gaze burned into the side of my face as I tried to concentrate on Coach Hasson.

“Okay, okay, settle down.” He waited for silence to fall over the yard. “Tonight we celebrate our seniors. Their commitment and dedication, their leadership and talent. But it isn’t only a celebration of the past, it’s a celebration of the future. Of the young men you’re becoming and the doors that await you. I have a whole other speech somewhere,” he pretended to check his pockets, “But for now, I’m going to hand it over to a man who knows all about what it takes to be the best. Kent Ford.”

Hailee stiffened beside me and I leaned in. “Did you know about this?”

“He never said a word,” she whispered.

“Maybe that’s why he was off his game.” It would make sense. Everyone knew there was no love lost between Jason and his father, despite the united front Mr. Ford liked to present to everyone.

Jason’s dad moved to the lectern, brushing down the lapels of his dinner jacket. He looked good, much like an older Jason. Same unruly brown hair, same dark intense eyes. But age had mellowed him, or maybe that was Hailee’s mom. Either way, he looked happy. He looked like a man content with life. A man in love.

I found Hailee’s mom in the outer row of seats. She beamed at her husband, radiating happiness. “Look at your mom,” I said quietly.

“I’d rather not,” Hailee groaned.

“Hey.” I took her hand under the table. “She’s happy. They’re happy. I know she hurt you, but you can’t help who you fall in love with.” God, I sounded like Mya and Asher. I knew Hailee carried a lot of resentment toward her mom and the lies she’d told. But if I’d learned anything over the last few weeks, it was that sometimes your head and heart went to war and it wasn’t always your head that came out the winner.

It was so easy to judge, but it wasn’t until you were in that situation, trying to do the right thing, that you realized just how powerful the heart was. I mean, here I was, completely aware that Jason didn’t want me, not the way I wanted him, but I was willing to put myself on the line one more time to try to reach him. To try to show him that sometimes you had to take a risk.

“Hey,” Hailee nudged my shoulder, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I flashed her a weak smile. “I’m fine.” The lie was so regular now, it rolled off my tongue with ease. Even if every time the two little words spilled from my lips, it killed another little piece of my heart.

Jason

I wanted to run. The urge to get up and walk away from my old man, from Coach, my teammates, and best friends, Hailee, even Felicity, coursed through me. Like deadly poison, it burned, eating away at my soul.

The last thing I wanted to do was sit here and listen to Kent Ford spout shit about hard work and sacrifice and family. Because he was a liar. Sure he’d loved the game, and he was a damn good player back in the day, one of the best, but he didn’t know what it meant to make sacrifices. He was a have-your-cake-and-eat-it kind of guy, and like so many players before him, I suspected he loved what the game could do for him more than the game itself.

But still, I didn’t move.

People thought I was cold, that I didn’t care. Sometimes I wondered if I cared too damn much. I just didn’t let people see it.

“Welcome to Seniors Night,” his strong voice carried across the Hasson’s yard, “The final home game of any season always holds a special place in my heart, but tonight was something el

se. Tonight, I watched my son continue the Ford legacy in Raider history. It’s just a shame his game was off, but what player doesn’t have his ups and downs.” He gave the crowd an easy smile, even earned a laugh or two. But I wasn’t laughing. I wasn’t even smiling. Because I knew it wasn’t a joke.

He and Coach were pissed we didn’t get the win and they weren’t the only ones, My old man was telling me in front of everyone I hadn’t been good enough tonight and it fucking burned. So much so, part of me wished I’d have gotten up at his wedding and talked about his failure as a father and husband just to see how he fucking liked it.