Complete Nothing (True Love #2)(57)

I yanked on my jeans and pulled a blue Rams T-shirt over my head. It stuck to my skin on the wet patches left over from my shower, and my hair was dripping on my shoulders, but I didn’t care. I jammed my feet into my sneakers and headed for the back door, hoping I could still catch her. Hoping that maybe she’d even be waiting back there for me.

“Marrott! Wait up!”

I stopped, my heart sinking. It was Coach. Anyone else I would have ignored right then, but I couldn’t ignore Coach Morschauser.

“What’s up?”

When I turned, I almost dropped my bag. Coach was standing inside his small office off the locker room, and with him was a man with tan skin wearing a blue polo and visor. The visor had the New Jersey Lions logo on it. The scout from TCNJ.

“Peter Marrott, I want you to meet Justin Crouch, the scout from the College of New Jersey,” Coach Morschauser said as I stepped into his office. He put one hand on each of our shoulders as if it was draft day and he was the commissioner, posing for the camera.

“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I said, shaking Mr. Crouch’s hand.

Outside the office windows, lockers slammed, my friends shouted to one another, something crashed, but it was like I was existing in a different space. One where college was possible. Not just possible, but standing right in front of me. It was not just a far-off thing I would one day have to deal with. It was here. And it was smiling.

“Pleasure’s mine,” Mr. Crouch replied. “You showed some skills out there today, son.”

“Thank you!” I said, my pulse racing. I felt so hot, suddenly, it was as if I’d never showered.

“Have you gotten your application in to admissions?” he asked.

I gulped, glancing at Coach. “Um, no. Not yet. I’ve got it on my desk, though.”

Coach Morschauser picked up on my panic and clapped Crouch’s shoulder. “I’m sure he’s just putting the finishing touches on it, right, Peter?”

“Right. Yes. That’s it. Trying to get it perfect.”

“Good. That’s good,” Mr. Crouch said. And I sighed in relief. “There are some people in our athletic department who might be interested in meeting you.”

“Wow, really? Um, thank you,” I stammered, my palms starting to sweat. “Yes, definitely.”

Coach Morschauser and Mr. Crouch chuckled. I felt like the butt of my own joke.

“I’m not making any sense, am I?” I asked, running my hand over my wet hair. “Sorry, I’m just . . . thanks, yes. I’m definitely considering TCNJ.”

“Well, we’d love to move to the top of your list,” Mr. Crouch said. “Why don’t you come down for a tour of the school and give me a call while you’re there? I’ll set up a meeting with some of the players, and they can tell you what it’s like to be a Lion.”

Coach Morschauser beamed. Mr. Crouch handed me a card, and my hand shook as I took it. TCNJ. Me at the College of New Jersey. It was a great school with an up-and-coming team. And they wanted me.

This was really happening. I felt nauseous and excited at the same time, like I’d just gotten strapped into a roller coaster I wasn’t totally sure I wanted to ride. I needed to talk to Claudia.

“Thank you, sir. I’ll definitely do that.”

“Good. It was great meeting you, son,” he said, reaching for my hand again. “Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you. I will. Have a good day,” I said, sounding like some random guy behind the counter at McDonald’s. I turned around and walked slowly out of the office toward the back door. I felt like my insides were vibrating, and I thought for sure I was gonna throw up, but when I shoved open the door and stepped into the sunlight and the fresh air filled my lungs, a huge smile spread across my face.

College. They wanted me. And TCNJ wasn’t that far from Princeton. Maybe next year wasn’t going to be so bad. For the first time this year I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. I felt like the old me. I’d been so worried about not getting into school, about being separated from Claudia and my family, and now, suddenly, none of it had to happen. If I went to TCNJ, I’d be able to drive home to see them whenever I wanted. I’d be able to drive to Princeton in less than an hour.

Suddenly I felt better about everything. Every. Last. Thing. It was going to be okay. I was going to have a future. Now I just needed to figure out how to fix things with Claudia and make her a part of it.

There were a few groups of people hanging out behind the gym. I didn’t see Claudia right away, but I did see her friend Lauren with True and a couple of guys, standing a few yards off. Lauren looked kind of sick when she saw me, and then her eyes darted to the right.

Automatically, I turned in that direction, and suddenly everything that scout had said, the excitement I’d wanted just seconds ago to shout to everyone in sight, faded to nothing.

Claudia was standing ten feet away with Keegan Traylor, and it looked like she was trying to swallow his face.

Suddenly it became totally clear that everyone around me was staring at me. Pitying me. Or waiting to see if I would pound the guy to a pulp. And I was angry. I was. But even more I was disgusted. Sad and disappointed and confused. I’d thought Claudia loved me. This time last week we’d still been together, and now there she was, humiliating me with the opposing quarterback outside my gym.