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“He will,” Alec promises.
“He won’t go away quietly,” Ryan says, as if he’s noting an opinion he’s long had.
“Neither will we,” Hayes says.
I feel the intensity of all their stares on me. I’m going into senior year more or less how I wanted. The Ballers are with me. I’ve gotten them back. But for the life of me, I can’t find it in me to care. I may have traded my entire career in just for the chance to have one in the first place.
I see red.
They all reach for me. Their hands touching whatever they can grasp onto. In the brush of their fingertips, I feel the inclusion I always wanted. My heart hardens around them, keeping this moment inside me forever. I’m no longer worried they’ll turn their backs on me. They won’t.
“He’ll pay, Tessa.”
I’m not sure which one utters it because the pain meds have finally taken their toll on me. I blink rapidly, trying to stay awake, trying to stay conscious in every moment I have with them, but it’s a losing battle.
“Shh, baby. Go to sleep. We’ll be here when you wake up.”
The End