Going Long (Waiting on the Sidelines #2)(16)

Oh my god. This is the second time my body went into shock in less than two weeks. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to battle the images of Reed and some girl he met at the bar last night rolling around with one another. It was impossible, though, since in the nanoseconds after he uttered that single sentence I had already visualized his hands touching someone else’s face, his lips biting at some stranger’s shoulder and his bare chest pressed up against hers, whoever she was—hoping she wasn’t Dylan. Unable to speak, I let my mouth fall open and somehow squeaked out a pained “Oh.”

“Shit, no,” Reed yelled into the phone, almost angry and frustrated. “God, Nolan, no! Not that…shit. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything that you’re thinking. I swear…I would never. Ever!”

I was still frozen. I was having a hard time bringing my mind back from the dark place it was. I was able to muster an “Okay,” just so he could continue.

“Noles, it’s the draft. I made a verbal commitment to work with Dylan and her dad,” he waited a minute, letting me take this much in.

“Can you even do that, Reed?” I was new to a lot of this draft business, but I was pretty sure committing to an agent took away Reed’s amateur status.

He just let out another huge sigh. “Noles, I f*cked up. Thankfully the Nichols are family friends, and they are keeping a tight lid on everything.”

“How did you get to this?” I asked, a little taken aback from his instant decision and the fact that he did something he knew better than to do.

“I was f*cking drunk, Nolan,” he exasperated. “I was so pissed after I dropped you off. I know, I know. But I haven’t done anything like that in a really long time, so spare me the lecture, okay?”

He sounded pissed, and I was still trying to sort through everything in my mind, so I just kept an even tone. “I’m not lecturing, Reed. Just trying to understand what this all means,” I said.

“I know, I’m sorry,” he continued. “I was drinking with Trig and got worked up about not being able to make a decision, not understanding our fight and then everything just got all crossed and messed up. I called Brent, and Dylan answered the line. She put me on speaker, and then the next thing I know I was making a verbal commitment to work with them. They told me some shit about me missing out on important opportunities, tying their hands when every other quarterback looking at the market was already working with someone. It was all a little fuzzy, but Dylan brought over a file with paperwork tonight, which made it all way too real. She saw the panic in my eyes and talked me down. She said she and her dad work with a lot of people under the radar and that they will be very discrete and will work with me on a press conference as soon as our last game is finished.”

The phone went silent after that, and Reed and I sat there listening to one another breathe—for minutes. Actual minutes.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he finally said. I could sense the fear in his voice.

I waited a little longer before finally answering. “I guess, I’m thinking I’m really glad you didn’t sleep with someone,” I said, laughing nervously, but also masking the gut-twisting hurt I was experiencing from this new turn in things.

“Oh my god, Nolan, I’m so happy to hear you say that. I mean… I’m not happy you thought for that second that I did that. I love you so f*cking much. I would never do that to you. Not in a million years,” Reed sounded so full of hope. I couldn’t dash it. Not again.

“We’ll figure it out. The draft, huh?” I said, letting the new facts of my life align with the other ones.

“Yeah, the draft,” he sounded happy for the first time since before I came face-to-face with Dylan Nichols. “And I want you to be involved. In everything.”

I just nodded to myself, resolving myself to tell him the other surprising news that was going to hammer away at his life. “Okay,” I said, gathering up the courage to start when Reed cut me off.

“Hey, my other line’s buzzing. It’s Jason. That’s really weird for him to call this late. I’ve gotta get this. We’ll talk tomorrow, though, okay? I love you. So much.”

He was gone before I was able to get out, “Me, too.”





Chapter 5


Nolan



I used to love Fridays. I spent most of my time in lab working on my projects, tutoring students and finishing up homework. The rest of the day and weekend was reserved for Reed and me—not a care in the world, like we were both locked in our own little time capsule. But I was dreading this Friday.

My appointment at the health center was just a few days away, and I had finally come to terms with the fact that Reed needed to know what was happening. My moods had been unmanageable, and I feared that holding in the secret was starting to chip away at my insides. Sleep was sporadic, and my grades were starting to suffer from my lack of concentration. Thankfully, I was able to draft a bit off Gavin in our psych class, though I was careful not to get too close with him after our last study session.

It was Reed’s bye week, so he was spending some extra time in Coolidge. He had several practices, but there were at least two almost full days where we would be able to get away. Reed wanted to camp again so he wouldn’t be too far from school or home. Buck had broken a leg while attempting to water ski in Mexico. Jason was staying at the house, running things while Buck was out of commission, but Reed’s brother wasn’t the most caring man in the world, and he made it very clear that he wouldn’t be playing nurse while his dad was laid up with his leg.