26. Zander
CHAPTER 26
ZANDER
My body acts like concrete as I get off the floor and stiffly walk toward the door. I slip my shoes on in the awkward silence, avoiding her sad gaze.
How did we go from teasing each other and tussling to me getting kicked out?
I hate leaving her like this.
Shit, should I even be going?
All she’s asking for is a little commitment.
A little? She’s asking for a lifelong promise.
Can I honestly give that to her?
My future is up in the air as I wait to find out if the pros want me. Coach Jones says I’ve got a shot, but there are no guarantees.
What if it doesn’t come through? I don’t even know what I’m going to do with myself.
But what if it does come through?
Can I expect Sienna to drag Zoey around after me? I don’t exactly have a say on where I play .
The door clicks shut behind me, and I don’t bother looking back.
I clomp down her front path, the cold night air biting at me. I forgot my jacket.
Fuck it. I’ll get it another time.
Because I will see her again.
It’s just a matter of how.
As a friend?
As Zoey’s father?
“Fuck!” I fist the back of my hair, kicking the tire of my SUV and slumping against the driver’s door.
She’s asking a lot, you know? Considering we’ve only just reconnected!
Anger fires strong and fierce.
She was the one who left me in the end. She ghosted me! What if I do something to piss her off and she does it again, taking Zoey with her and leaving me high and dry?
Or what if I do something to hurt her?
I can’t break her heart again.
Fuck it, she deserves better than that. Better than me.
Beeping the lock, I jump into my SUV and squeeze the steering wheel until my fingers hurt.
“Ahhh!” I yell, slapping the wheel and cursing up a storm before suddenly going still.
Huffing like a rhino, I stare out at the dimly lit street, indecision riding through me like a hurricane.
I have a game tomorrow.
I need to focus on that.
But there’s a girl in that house behind me who owns my heart, and am I seriously about to drive away from her?
The game .
The girl.
That’s always been my battle, right?
How the fuck am I supposed to handle both?
And which is more important to me?
This is your life we’re talking about.
Your future.
Snapping my eyes shut, I clench the wheel and mutter, “Fuck this!”