Chapter 34 #3
“You okay?” my brother asked from the other side. “Just wanted to check in on you before going to bed.”
I cleared my throat to remove the tension tightening my vocal cords. “Yeah.”
“Okay.” He seemed to hesitate for a moment. “If you wanna talk about it, you know where to find me.”
I swallowed and blinked to erase the sadness from my face even though he couldn’t see me. “Thanks. Night.”
His footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor as he walked away, and I relaxed a little. Turning the bedside lamp off, I lay on my back, my arms under my head, staring at the ceiling in the dark, my mind racing a thousand miles a minute.
In between excerpts of Melinda’s letter, my night out with my brother replayed in my head, keeping me awake.
Sometimes, I believed he was born first because he was wiser and could teach me a thing or two.
Since I had no intention of being miserable and ruining the rest of my last year of high school, I had to come up with a plan.
Something to keep me going and not lose hope.
Melinda cared. She did. We were not over.
I turned the night light on and sat on my bed with a notepad in hand.
I was a damn good football player, but also a born leader.
If I used my skills on the field in my personal life, perhaps, in the end, everything would work out.
I had nothing to risk, nothing to lose. When an opponent tackled you on the field, you took the hit, stood back up, dusted yourself off, and came up with a new playbook.
I decided to use the same strategy in my personal life.
If Jayden Clarke was who Melinda needed right now, then so be it.
Perhaps the guy could help her see what we had all failed to make her see—that she needed help.
Who knew, right? I wouldn’t fight him over her.
That would just alienate her further if I did.
Maybe he was just a dick on the field, but not so much off it and really cared about her wellbeing.
As Mom had said, if now wasn’t our time, it didn’t mean later wouldn’t be.
We would be spending four years together at Crestwood University.
A new chapter for both of us. Once Melinda was healed, I would sweep her off her feet like my brother had suggested earlier and show her we were still it.
She just needed time to realize that I wasn’t about to forfeit the match because she had pushed me away for my supposedly own good.
Perhaps if she missed me enough and realized she didn’t share the same chemistry with other guys as she did with me, she would come to her senses and realize I was the one. Eventually.
I had no intention of following her advice and moving on. Not unless I had the certainty we were over—for good and forever. Who knew what the next few months had in store, right?
For now, my only option was to set her free like she’d asked.
I wrote it all down on the blank page. Even though it tore my heart to shreds to think she was with somebody else, I locked down the uneasiness seeping through every part of me.
This new plan sounded like the smartest thing I could come up with.
I would stay out of her way and see how it all played out. What other choice did I have, anyway?
Step one: set her free + wait
Once in college, I would revise my strategy because Mason Pierce 2.
0 would show Melinda Shepard what she was missing.
Yeah, that sounded like a solid plan. I could do that.
Prove to her I was the real deal. That she could trust me and lean on me when dealing with her shit became too much for her to handle alone.
I rubbed my palms together, newfound energy coursing through me.
It felt like I was about to enter the field to play an important game.
Step two: See how things evolve between us when in CWU
(Note: check if still dating Clarke first)
The sadness infiltrating my heart faded a little as my plan took form.
Step three: to be revised once step two is underway
Step four: get the girl
I watched the trophy I had set on my nightstand for a long moment. She cared. It was all that mattered.
After I put down my notepad, I turned off the lamp and lay back on my bed.
Shifting to my side, I chased sleep. I needed my brain to go on a break or else I would turn my strategy over in my head all night, and I really needed to evade reality for a few hours.
My mind wandered, and I pictured myself on the football field at Crestwood U, aiming the perfect kickoff.
Soon it wasn’t the ball I saw, but Melinda standing in front of me, her smile blinding.
Maybe I could aim that perfect kickoff both on and off the field.
It would prove to her I wasn’t bluffing all along and that I was the only choice. Yes, I would steal her heart. Forever.
I just hoped everything went according to plan.
My eyelids weighed heavier. My heartbeat decreased its rhythm.
I was Mason Pierce, and losing wasn’t part of my vocabulary.
No, I always played for keeps.
Sleep claimed me, and hope replaced my tears.