Say You Swear

Laughing, she leads us down the stadium stairs.

As we get near the final platform, Chase goes out for a route. It’s a quick pass, and Noah bullets it his way, but it slips through his fingers, bouncing off his knee pad and right into a defender’s hands.

The whistle blows the play dead, and Chase tears his gloves off. Rather than jogging back to the line like the others, he walks.

Noah holds a hand out for each guy as they come in, and each one slaps their palm against his in passing. Each guy except Chase.

Instead, Chase bumps him in the shoulder and gets back into position.

Cameron crosses her arms. “What was that?”

I shake my head, watching as, this time, the receivers run downfield, each guarded by a defender. Chase breaks left, but he’s double-teamed, two defenders on his ass, and Noah finds his open teammate on the right, so he fires it off, the ball falling right into his intended target’s hands.

The whistle is blown and they begin their walk back, so Noah turns to speak to the lineman, while waiting for the others to jog back for the next drive, and I pull in a breath when Chase bumps him again, but this time, Noah’s not even looking.

Noah has to jump up to avoid tripping over one of the guys bent down tying his cleat.

Noah whips around, and Chase pushes his chest into his captain’s. Into his quarterback’s chest.

People shout, and Noah puts his hand on Chase’s chest to keep him back, but Chase slaps it away.

Noah tears his helmet off then, jerking forward and pointing his hand down the field, but Chase screams back.

Not even a minute later, Chase shoves him, and then the entire team is on their feet, screaming at Chase as Noah tries to calm them down, but Chase won’t shut up.

Rule number one on the field is never touch the quarterback.

What the hell is he thinking?

“Let’s go.” I frown, turning into the tunnel that leads to the parking lot.

“Ari, really!” Cameron calls behind me, falling in line beside me a moment later. “You don’t want to wait and see what happens?”

“No.”

Without another word, Cameron and I leave the stadium, and it’s not until we’re stepping into the campus coffee shop that she turns to me.

“In case you’re refusing to acknowledge what just happened, I’ll do it for you.” She slips her thumbs through the loops of her backpack. “After last weekend, it would be pretty hard to pretend it wasn’t obvious you and Noah are hooking up.”

“So.”

“So… maybe you and Chase need to have a conversation.”

Shocked, I gape at her, snapping, “What?”

“Don’t what me. You guys never talked about what happened.”

“We did. He said it was a mistake and I absorbed his words like charcoal does gas. There is nothing more to be said. Things almost feel like they’re back to normal again between us, so don’t stand here and try to tell me that the little fit he just threw over a pass that wasn’t sent his way had anything to do with me. Trust me, it didn’t.”

She tries but is unable to hold her thoughts in. “I just think this is, or that it might be, a little hard for him is all.”

“What exactly is hard for him, Cameron?” I step up to the counter, quickly ordering a drink, and she does the same. We pay and step into the little corner to get away from the others waiting.

“The fact that I cried over him for months or the fact that I’m not anymore?”

Her shoulders fall. “Ari, that’s not fair.”

“Not fair is being the one who skipped out on first college experiences with her twin because she knew his best friend would be there sharing those times with him, and she couldn’t stomach the thought of being so close to him. Or how about leaving her own best friend to do those same things, things they talked about doing together for years for the same damn reason?”

Tears brim in her eyes, and I shake my head, gripping her hand. “I’m not upset, Cameron. I made the choice. It was all on me, and I didn’t want to drag you through it with me. I was fucked up for a good minute, and I didn’t know when I’d feel better, but—”

“But now you do.”

My lips curve to one side, and I nod. “Yeah. I do. My brother isn’t mad at me anymore, or at least he’s not acting like it, and Chase and I can be in the same room without a giant ball of tension circling us. Everything feels good. I just want to focus on that.”

Cameron blinks rapidly to hold back her tears, but this time, they’re not sad ones.

She laughs lightly, looking up at the sky as she sticks her tongue out. “Uh, I hate when you’re smart and logical and shit.” She smiles, throwing her arms around me.