The Endgame Is You (Rixon Raiders 4)

Oh, I would.

I intended on showing her all night long.

Mya

“Hey, Mya,” Sally looked up from her desk. “The boys are running late.”

“Everything okay?” I frowned.

“I think Hugo had a bad day at school. Mariah said some kids have been giving him a hard time.”

“They’re six.”

“I know, right? Kids can be so cruel. But hopefully seeing you will cheer him up.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.”

“Hey, none of that. You’re making a difference, Mya. You just have to trust the process. Be there. Show up. These kids need to learn to trust adults again.”

“You’re right.” I nodded.

“And who knows, maybe today will the day he decides to use his words.”

But it wasn’t.

As soon as Hugo and his brothers arrived at the center, it was apparent that whatever had gone down had made him even less willing to engage.

But I wouldn’t quit. I would be patient. I would wait. And eventually—hopefully—I would help.

Another week passed, and I was no closer to getting Hugo to open up to me.

I knew not to take it personally; it wasn’t about me. It was about the little boy with eyes the color of honey, clinging onto the stuffed Eagle as if it was his life raft.

While he sank further into himself, his brothers flourished in their new foster home and sessions with Pat and Hershel. Jay liked football, basketball, dodgeball; any sport that involved a ball really. Although Mario enjoyed sport, he was also super creative. He and Hershel had started painting a mural on one of the walls inside the main hall. For a fourteen-year-old, the kid oozed talent. When it was finished, I was hoping to invite Hailee down for the unveiling. I knew she’d have something to say to Mario about it.

“Hey, buddy,” I said, sliding onto the bench beside Hugo. “How was your week so far?”

Silence stretched before us as he half-heartedly colored in another printout of Swoop.

“So, remember my boyfriend, Asher? The football player? Well, it’s his first game tomorrow.”

A flicker of interest flashed across Hugo’s face, but he didn’t meet my gaze. “The Owls play at the Lincoln Financial Field too, but I bet you already knew that.”

More silence. I ran a hand down my face, racking my brain for something, anything, that might get Hugo engaging with me. Sally caught my eye across the room and gave me a reassuring smile. A smile that said I was doing the right thing, no matter how useless I felt.

But Hugo didn’t engage. He didn’t smile or gaze up at me, eager for my tidbits about Asher and the team. He just sat there, coloring in and clutching his stuffed toy as if I wasn’t even there.

By the time the session was over, I was emotionally weary. Asher was picking me up and we were going to watch a movie, so once I’d helped clean up, I grabbed my purse out of the locker in the staff room and headed out.

“Bye, guys,” I said to Pat and Hershel. They gave me a quick wave and I made a beeline for the door.

Asher met me halfway. “Hey, how was it?”

I shook my head, noticing Sally waiting with the Garcia kids.

“Is that your boyfriend?” Jay called over.

“Jay,” Sally warned.