Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Adam
Present Day
“Does Grace know you’re in love with your best friend?
” My youngest brother Billy loves to push buttons and get a reaction.
He never lets a chance go by to add his two cents, and if there isn’t an opportunity, he creates one.
The guys and I are sitting around together enjoying a beer, razzing Jackson about tomorrow’s playoff game.
I was praising the guy, he is my best friend after all, and the baby of the family has to always throw a wrench into any conversation.
I reply with a flip of the bird and a simple, “Fuck off.”
“When is she coming in?” Jackson asks.
“She got delayed, said she’d drive out first thing in the morning.
I didn’t want her driving at night.” I keep my eyes down, and my voice steady.
The guys don’t care for Grace, so I try to not bring her up in conversation.
Britt really doesn’t like her, so I try to avoid bringing her around altogether.
And honestly, I don’t want her driving back here at all but I’m too nice to say that. I mean, she does live here in town. I can’t exactly tell her to stay away.
However, avoidance is my go-to when having to deal with a sticky relationship situation.
And when that fails, work is my go-to.
I watch my sister step through the back door and enter the backyard.
She greets us all with ‘Hey, boys’ but only has eyes for Jackson.
She passes right by me and falls into my best friends’ lap.
Yeah, that was a hard pill to swallow. My ultimatums made them dance around each other for years until their pull towards each other was too strong.
When my sister moved back from the city, Chess and Gage couldn’t stay away from one another. They hid their relationship in plain sight, acting like boyfriend and girlfriend, though proclaiming it was fake, to help his reputation as the former bad boy NFL quarterback.
Yes, that Gage. Jackson Gage, #5, former starting quarterback for the Carolina Warriors. Also, my best friend since we were eight years old.
So, when I found out they were dating, I was none too happy. I mean, what about bro-code, right?
But as I’ve slowly been learning, I don’t get to make decisions for other people, no matter how much I think I’m in control, or how many times they’ve put me in control.
I can hardly make decisions for my own personal life.
I had to let it go, and even though I cringe when I see Jackson's hands on her, he makes her happy. And she makes him happy. I’m talking over the top, won the Superbowl happy.
I know that feeling.
I’ve had that feeling.
I just didn’t know how to keep it.
I’m brought back to reality with cheers about one of Jackson’s star players signing with his college team and more cheers for tomorrow's high school playoff game. If they win, it’s a good chance my best friend will win Coach of the Year. I’m praying it happens, he deserves it.