Unbreakable(54)

God, I f*cking miss her.



*

“Just stay the f*ck out of my way, Maverick.” Sully pushes open the door to our hotel room and stomps inside.

Coach caught on to Sully’s little games and reamed him out. So when Sul asked for a new roommate assignment a few days ago, it didn’t go over well.

Coach ended up taking us both aside and warned us to “work out our f*cking differences, whatever the f*ck they are” or “we would have to answer to him for it later.”

So here we are.

“How am I supposed to stay out of your way in a f*cking hotel room?” I snap, following him inside. Christ, I’m so over this shit. He’s like a dog with a bone, and I’m weary. If things don’t start to improve between us soon, it’s going to be a long f*cking season.

He tosses his suitcase on the floor. “Whatever. Just leave me the hell alone. Don’t talk to me.”

“Like you’d even f*cking answer,” I mutter.

I grab my pajama pants and toothbrush from my suitcase and go into the bathroom. It’s late, and I just want to go to sleep and be done with this day.

When I come back out into the room, Sully’s already in the other double bed with the light off.

I climb into my bed and set the alarm on my phone, wishing Coach would have at least considered Sully’s roommate change request. Even sharing a hotel room with the team’s overbearing, talkative eighteen-year-old rookie would be better than this. It’s either insults or silence with Sully. Right now, I’m not handling either one very well.

I roll over onto my side and close my eyes, thoughts of Emmy drifting through my head.

The pain I’ve felt since that night hasn’t eased up one bit. In fact, the longer we go without contact, the worse it gets. Add this shit with Sully into the mix, and it’s totally f*cking horrible.

I thought if I cut off all contact with her, it would be a little easier for me to move on. Out of sight, out of mind, so to speak. But it’s not working out that way at all. Not even close.

Instead, I’m stuck in neutral. I’m not able to go back, but I can’t seem to move forward, either. It’s a shitty—and lonely—place to be.





Chapter Twenty-Three





EMMY




My phone vibrates across my desk, and I jolt awake, wondering how long I’ve been asleep. Long enough for the fashion magazine I was browsing to get stuck to my face, apparently. I’ve been editing a new makeup tutorial for my ZeeTube channel and must have dozed off during my snack break.

Grabbing the phone, I peel the page off of my cheek to see a text notification from Sully. I shove the phone away and lay my head back down on the desk. I’m way too tired to deal with him right now.

Ever since I confronted my dad (with the help of his new girlfriend) about quitting school and abandoning my plans to be a lawyer, I’ve thrown myself 110% into my ZeeTube channel and blog. To say my dad wasn’t happy at all in the beginning is the understatement of the year. But he agreed to let me try, and that’s all I really wanted.

To show him that I’m serious, I enrolled at a professional makeup school for the January semester. And next fall, I’ll be working on getting my business degree online. It’s a solid plan and one that I’m excited about because I’m finally living my life—not a life that someone else designed for me.

Plus, if I show him a profit by the end of the spring semester, he agreed to pick up the bill for my business degree, as long as I let him choose the university.

The good news is that I’ve already made a profit, albeit a small one, from advertising revenue on my channel. It’s all coming together, slowly but surely.

Staying super busy helps keep my mind off of Will, at least for most of the day. The second my hands are idle, though, I’m back to missing him like crazy or dreaming about his kisses. I’m also angry and hurt over the way he left things between us. I try and tell myself that it wasn’t him that last night at the cottage. It was just the situation and how traumatic it all was. Regardless, it’s left me pretty rattled.

Throwing myself into my work has been the only way to cope with his exit from my life.

My phone buzzes for the second time, and I struggle to sit up. Sully’s name pops up on my screen again. It’s one a.m.—what the hell does he want at this hour? I ignore the phone and boot up my laptop.

We haven’t talked since that awful night. Every time he makes an attempt to reach out, I shut him down. I’m still so angry with him. Angrier than I thought I could ever be at my own twin. Will didn’t want me to take sides against Sully, but if it weren’t for my brother, none of this would even be happening.

Apparently, Sully can’t take a hint, because the phone rings a few minutes later.

I grab it and press the answer button. “What the hell do you want?” I mutter, exhausted. “It’s late, and I’m working.”

“Hey, Em. I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”

“How do you think I’m doing?” I ask bitterly. “Next question.”

“How’s your work going?”

I get up and close my bedroom curtains. “Fine. Anything else?”

“C’mon, Emmy. Don’t I get a little credit for making an effort?”