Chapter 28
twenty-eight
Cash
“How about bringing a book?” Maisy says as I maneuver a shopping cart around a runaway soccer ball and the ponytailed little girl chasing after it.
“A book? Damn, you’re a nerd. You ever noticed there’s no book section in the sporting goods store,” I say, gesturing around us. “There’s a reason for that.”
“The reason being?”
“Nobody ever thought, ‘Hey, lemme brush up on some classic literature while I’m getting ready to crush the 40-yard dash in front of television cameras and a live audience.’”
She sighs. “Someday I’ll be reunited with my real twin, and we’ll have a good laugh over the impostors we grew up alongside.”
“Yeah, but two days in, you’ll come crawling back to me bored to tears.”
She lays her head affectionately against my shoulder when I pause in front of a rack of track pants. “Probably true. By the way, you don’t need more sweats for the weekend.”
I hold up a pair of white pants with red stripes down the legs. “Yeah, but check these out. How good would I look?”
“It’s the Combine, not a fashion show.”
I lay the pants in my cart. “You sure you feel okay about driving there yourself? There are other girls you could ride with.”
“It’s just a few hours, I can handle it.”
The Combine is a multiday event for the players, but the interesting part for spectators is the day of the on-field workout, which consists of multiple drills like the vertical jump and the fan-favorite 40-yard dash. My on-field day is Saturday, so Maisy’s planning to drive in Friday night.
“You bringing anyone this weekend?” I ask.
“Like who?”
“Anyone. A friend. A girl you’re into and hoping to impress by having a football star for a brother.”
The look she gives me is ice cold. “I’m not bringing anyone.”
“Fine by me. Be lonely and bored in the stands if you want.” I’m about sick of the mood Maisy’s been in these last few weeks. “You talk to Willow lately?”
“We’re done, Cash. She’s with someone else.” She turns her back and directs her attention to a display of neon sneakers.
I tamp down the anger that wants to surface at seeing my sister heartbroken. “Sorry. You’ll meet someone better.”
“I’m not trying to meet anyone. That’s not going to magically solve the fact that my life is turning to shit.”
Alarm bells blare in my head, and though it’s difficult, I do my best to silence them. Maisy hates when I overreact. “What’s going to shit?” I ask casually.
“I just wanted to enjoy my last semester, but Mom and Dad are constantly on me about the business and expecting me to take on little tasks. It’s getting overwhelming, I can’t concentrate in class, and it takes forever to fall asleep at night. I might as well just be working for them.”
Guilt claws at my throat, and I force a painful swallow. Now that I’ve made my plans clear, it seems my parents are leaning into their reliance on Maisy. That’s not how this was supposed to go. “I’ll talk to them. It shouldn’t be like that. You still seeing the therapist at Campus Health?”
“Yeah, and he’s not helping.”
“Maybe you should check in with Dr. Sayers.” Sayers is Maisy’s psychiatrist back home who helped her find a great inpatient mental health program in high school and was diligent about finding her the right medications to manage her depression and anxiety.
“Can we not talk about this? I didn’t come to you for a mental health evaluation. Come on, let’s get excited about the weekend. You’re going to ride home with me, right? So I can listen to you dissect every millisecond of your performance?”
“Sure, if your ears can handle it. I just need to make sure Georgia can get a ride back home with one of the other girls.”
She pulls back to stare at me. “Georgia’s coming?”
“What do you mean, Georgia’s coming? Why wouldn’t she be?”
“I had no idea you invited her.”
“Again, why wouldn’t I?”
“Because you knew I’d be there!”
“You’re really not giving it up, are you?” I shake my head. “Shit’s gone on long enough, Maisy. What exactly did Georgia do that’s so horrible you cut her out of your life for good?”
“She made me a promise.”
“Did she? She literally promised you she wouldn’t fall for me?”
“No, not literally, but I told her my stance, and she got it. Maybe it was implicit, but it felt like a promise.”
“Man, what a cruel bitch she is. Falling in love with someone who’s head over heels for her even though you had some shitty friends in high school.” I return the impatient look she gives me. “Seriously, make it make sense.”
“Look, I don’t have to justify my friendship decisions to you. Got it?”
“Yeah. Got it.”
This ridiculous feud is the last thing I need.
The excitement of my last-minute decision to make a run at a football career has fully worn off this week as I try to get organized for the Combine, squeeze in meetings with sports agents, and play catch-up with the million little things any NFL-hopeful college senior should have finished by now.
Meanwhile, I’m stepping on land mines every time I mention Georgia to my sister, and my poor girlfriend is still sitting around hoping for forgiveness for something she never should have apologized for in the first place.
Maisy and I get through the checkout line in silence, but on our way to the parking lot, I get stopped for an autograph request by some dad with his little boy, and since Maisy never passes up a chance to tease me about my football-star status and I never pass up a chance to brag, the stalemate has ended by the time I unlock my car.
Back at my place, I head upstairs to put away my new goods, and Maisy, hearing Ruby’s voice from the kitchen, detours to say hi to her.
When she finds me in my room some twenty minutes later, I’m sorting clothes into piles to be packed for the Combine.
“Well, brother, I’m out of here.”
“Thanks for being my shopping buddy. Your fashion sense could use some work, but I appreciate the effort.”
“I’ll work on that.” She hesitates, biting her bottom lip. “So…this weekend.”
“What about it?”
“Georgia?”
“We’re still on this? Really? She’s coming. You don’t want to talk to her, you don’t have to.”
She drops her chin to her chest for a moment, and when she finally meets my eye again, hers shine with tears. Simple as that, all my irritation and anger wash away.
“Hey,” I coo, my stomach dropping in alarm. “What’s all this about? I didn’t know it was that serious.”
She squeezes her eyes shut, and tears roll down her cheeks. “It’s not just Georgia.”
Dropping my clothes, I hurry to her. “Then what is it, girl?”
“Everything. Everything feels so hard right now, Cash, and I know it’s not fair of me to ask this.
I really do. But the idea of running into her at the Combine just feels…
impossible to deal with. Do you know what I mean?
” She looks up at me, pleading for understanding. “I just can’t handle it right now.”
Dread lodges itself inside my chest, hard as a rock. I don’t understand her feelings about Georgia, but I know this feeling. I’ve seen my sister like this before, and it scares me. This is Maisy when things start to fall apart.
“Okay,” I soothe her and pull her into a hug. “Okay. Whatever you need.”
A single sob escapes her, and then she sighs and sags against me. I hold her tight, hoping, at least for a minute, I can take this weight off her. I need to be the strong one—strong enough to carry her burden and strong enough to handle my own, to do what needs to be done.
I just wish it wasn’t Georgia who had to feel the impact.