Chapter 49
GAbrIEL
The locker room buzzes with energy as we unwind from our morning training session. The familiar scent of sweat and Icy Hot hangs thick in the air, mingling with the sounds of conversation and the clatter of equipment being stowed away.
I lean back against the cool metal of my locker, relishing the sense of accomplishment that comes from a solid morning workout. Closing my eyes, I let out a sigh of contentment, the tension of the morning melting away like ice under the sun.
It’s progress, if you ask me, and the memory of seeing her leave in my shirt brings a satisfied smile to my lips.
“What’s got you grinning like a fool?” Felix’s voice breaks through my reverie, his tone filled with playful curiosity. “I’m dead tired, about to fall over on my feet, and you’re over here looking like you just won the lottery.”
I crack open an eye, glancing at him with amusement. “No reason,” I reply casually, not bothering to hide my grin.
“Our boy got lucky. That’s why he’s walking on cloud nine,” Deacon chimes in, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.
I shoot him a mock glare, brushing off his comment with a wave of my hand. There are some things better left unsaid and Cecilia becoming locker room talk is one of them.
“No shit?” Felix’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
“Dude, how did you not hear them banging like a pair of rabbits last night?” Atticus adds with a smirk, mischief dancing in his eyes. “Your room is right next to his.”
“Bro, I sleep like the dead as soon as my head hits the pillow,” Felix tells him with a shrug. “But—”
“Before you ask, I’m not spilling any tea,” I cut him off, raising a brow.
Cecilia’s rules about discretion are already grating on my nerves, but I’ll honor her wishes. I refuse to treat our relationship like some dirty little secret, but I’ll respect her boundaries by keeping it low-key around the guys.
“Yeah, man. You are. You were with Cecilia, right?” There’s a hint of worry in Felix’s voice. “I mean, if you’re into someone else that’s cool, just—”
“I’m not,” I cut him off firmly. “But it’s also none of your business. Understand?”
“Fine. Whatever,” Felix mutters, clearly disappointed.
Julio’s voice breaks through the chatter, his tone serious. “This is going to end badly,” he says, his words casting a shadow over the lighthearted atmosphere.
I shoot him a warning look, shaking my head slightly. “Don’t,” I say firmly, holding up a hand. “Let me enjoy this.” I’ve been waiting for things to fall into place, and now that they finally are, I refuse to let anyone spoil it.
He grunts in response, wisely choosing to drop the subject.
“You guys about wrapped up?” I ask, eager to change the subject and move on from Julio’s ominous comment.
On top of a great night with Cecilia, Holt didn’t show up to train this morning. Guy must still be pissed about Coach giving me his spot on the field. Sucks to be him.
But as relieved as I am about that, my mind can’t help but drift to the photographs we gave Deacon the other day.
“Did Jameia tell you her plan?” I ask him, my voice pitched low with concern as we collectively head for the door.
He shakes his head, his expression troubled. “No. She was taken off guard by the whole thing and wanted a few days to go over it, I think.” He shrugs. “She was pretty upset when she saw them, though. I can’t see her sitting on the pictures for long.”
A knot forms in my stomach at the thought. “Ok. Good,” I murmur, trying to push aside my uneasy feeling.
If she doesn’t give them to Coach, it’s not the end of the world. We made copies.
But the anticipation of not knowing when the other shoe is going to drop is enough to stress all of us out. Or at least it’s stressful for me.
Deacon claps me on the shoulder, offering a reassuring smile. “Hey, we did what we had to do,” he says. “Whatever happens next, we’ll deal with it. And you, my friend, should enjoy your girl before all this shit hits the fan.”
He’s right—we’ve done what we can, and now it’s time to savor the calm before the storm. “Thanks, man.” I can’t seem to shake the knot of unease in my stomach. When Coach finally finds out what Holt’s been up to with his daughter, things are going to get messy.
So long as Cecilia doesn’t come into the line of fire when it all goes down, we’ll be good. But there’s this nagging feeling I can’t seem to shake that has me worried. What happens if Holt comes after her? If he blames her yet again for something I did?
I don’t like the possibilities my mind throws at me, and worse, I don’t like the fear I feel wondering whether Cecilia will forgive me if she learns I’m fighting her battles again.
It’s too late to change my mind now. What’s done is done.
Now, we wait.
Walking up to the door of my first class, my eyes scan the room, zeroing in on the back of Cecilia already in her seat. I take a step toward her when a hushed call of my name breaks through the quiet hum of the hallway.
Turning, I spot Adriana waiting for me, her presence unexpected.
She waves me over, and with a reluctant sigh, I pivot and make my way toward her.
“What’s up?” I ask, stealing a glance at the clock on the wall. Time is ticking, and my class is about to start. She’s going to have to make this quick.
“Here.” Holding her hand out, she offers her phone to me.
I accept it, puzzled. “Why are you giving me this?”
Fidgeting with the straps of her backpack, she shrugs. “Figured you wouldn’t believe me unless I offered you proof.”
With a furrowed brow, I swipe my thumb over the screen, finding an already open text conversation.
Adriana: I don’t really know how to start.
A lot of time has passed but I wanted to apologize for what I did in high school.
It was never my intention to hurt you, and I’m sorry that I did.
I don’t need your forgiveness. I know I don’t deserve it.
But I thought you should know I truly am sorry for my part in everything.
I fucked up, and I hate what I did to you. xx A
My eyes widen at the words, and I glance up at her in disbelief. “You really sent this?”
She purses her lips and nods. “Keep scrolling.”
Returning my attention to the screen, I do exactly that.
Adriana: Also, I heard you were engaged. Congratulations. I’m really happy for you.
Both messages are time-stamped two days ago, with an incoming reply from Allie marked just one day later.
Allie: Thank you. I appreciate that.
Short. Sweet. Leave it to Allie not to give anything away.
Adriana: It’s the least I could do. Wishing the best for you. xx A
There’s another response from Allie, this one from earlier today.
Allie: Can I ask you something?
Adriana: Anything.
Allie: Did you love him? Is that why you went behind my back?
Allie: Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that. Ignore me. None of it matters now, anyway.
Adriana: I didn’t. And you can ask me anything. You deserve whatever answers you need.
Adriana: I wanted to feel loved. It’s not an excuse. I can’t justify what I did and I won’t try to. But I guess I thought if I slept with him, he’d love me the way he loved you. I’m sorry. I fucked up and it was wrong.
Allie: Oh A. I’m so sorry.
Adriana: You don’t have any reason to apologize to me. Don’t be sorry. This is all on me.
Allie: I know what things were like for you …
My mouth dips into a frown as I read, confusion settling in. Was there something going on with Adriana back then that we didn’t know about?
I continue scanning the messages.
Allie: I wish you told me that before. When it all happened. Why didn’t you? I was sorta waiting for you to reach out and when you didn’t *shrugging emoji*
Adriana: Your entire world was on fire. I knew I fucked up. The best thing I could do for you then was leave you alone.
Shit. Adriana’s really laying it all out there. I won’t lie, I didn’t really expect her to follow through. But based on Allie’s reaction, I’m glad she did.
Allie: I’m running late to work. Can we talk later? I’ll call you, maybe. If that’s okay?
Adriana: Okay.
I hand Adriana’s phone back to her after that, and she hastily shoves it in her back pocket.
“Happy now?” she asks, still biting her lip.
“Are you?” I ask, genuinely curious.
Her eyes look everywhere but at me, and her blinks come fast and hard.
“Yeah,” she says, her voice catching slightly.
“I told you she wanted to hear from you,” I tease, a small smirk playing at my lips.
“You always have to be right, don’t you?”
I shrug. “What can I say? When you know, you know.”
Rolling her eyes, she sniffs again before rubbing at her eyes with the backs of her hands. “Whatever. Are we good?”
My smile drops. “Was this just a transaction for you?” I ask, my tone serious. “Are you still going to talk to her after all that?”
Her eyes narrow, and she bristles at my question. “Of course I am. Are you serious right now? Allie is being a freaking saint about this. I’m not going to throw her kindness back in her face by ghosting her like that.”
Good. Satisfied with her response, I nod. “Needed to be sure.”
Adriana scoffs. “Whatever. You don’t trust me. Thanks for the reminder Gabriel, you’ve made your position loud and clear.”
Guilt churns in my stomach, and I rub the back of my neck. “I don’t mean it like that,” I tell her, my voice softer now.
“Yes, you do,” she shoots back. “And it’s fine. I’ve earned that from you. But you promised if I fixed this, you’d clean the slate. This was your proof. I’m fixing it. So the next time we talk, try not to be such a dick.”
With that, she storms away, leaving me feeling like a complete ass.
Fuck.
The bell rings, and I realize I’m officially late.
Great. There goes the epic start to my day.