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Just then, I hear our mom’s voice calling her name in the background.

“I have to go,” she says, her expression dimming. “But you’ll call me again soon?”

“Every chance I get,” I promise.

“And Damon? Will he call me, too?”

My stomach clenches. Katie always loved Damon. Part of me thinks she harbored a little crush of her own. When she found out I broke up with him, she was crushed.

“If I can get him to give me another chance. Maybe next time, you can help me figure out how to win back the love of my life.”

“I’m eleven,” she says with a crooked grin, “not a m-m-miracle worker. But I’ll try.”

I laugh, a real one this time. “Deal. Bye, Lady Katie.”

“Bye, Sissy.”

The screen goes dark, but her face lingers in my mind like sunlight through clouds.

I might have come back for Damon.

I just hope Katie doesn’t pay the price.

Chapter 3

DAMON

ME:

SOS. Meet me at my place before practice.

JACE:

Dammit. I was supposed to have lunch with Brynn.

I scoff, staring at my phone in disbelief. Is he really that whipped?

What the hell am I saying? Of course he is. Jace Taggart might be our best wide receiver, but he’s as fluffy as a marshmallow when it comes to his girlfriend, Brynn.

Jace, Chris, Brandon, and my roommate, West, have become some of my closest friends on the team. Hell, they’re my closest friends on campus. But ever since Jace and Chris, our numberone running back, got coupled up, they’ve become about as reliable as a screen door in a hurricane—always flaking for date nights, coffee runs, or whatever other nonsense their girls have planned. I remember those days, just like I remember all they lead to is heartbreak.

I inhale, reminding myself that just because I think love is one giant ruse doesn’t mean everyone needs to feel the same.

ME:

Seriously, dude. Are you really going to leave me hanging because you want a quickie before practice?

JACE:

Who said anything about it being quick?

CHRIS:

I can vouch for his stamina.

BRANDON:

I have to chime in here with a giant WTF?