Page 44 of Game Changer (Hidden Attractions #2)

Ethan

“All right, I gave you seven days, man, but now it’s getting pathetic.” Leo rips the covers from my head, ruining the perfect nest I’d made for myself. “Jesus, you reek. When’s the last time you showered?”

“Go away.” I groan, but with no covers left, I’m forced to stare up at Leo towering over me with a pinched expression. “I’m perfectly fine here.”

“Do your professors feel the same?”

“I emailed them,” I angrily retort. “So again, leave me alone.”

“Can’t do that,” Leo replies. “Someone’s here to see you.”

My head snaps at the prospect of her showing up unannounced, but Mark’s bulky figure steps into my vision instead. I should have known it wouldn’t be her. Why would it be when I said I needed space? She’s respecting my wishes, so why am I disappointed?

Mark is shoulder to shoulder with Leo now, and when he crosses his arms over his chest, it’s a lot more intimidating than when Leo with his slender frame does it. It’s like comparing a rhino to a field mouse.

Mark’s voice leaves no room for bullshit when he says, “Get up.”

My body stiffens, but I make no effort to move.

Truthfully, I’ve succumbed to the depression that overtook me on that gravel pathway of Maya’s house.

That whole situation was a bone-chilling reminder that I wouldn’t amount to anything.

I’m a nobody and still undecided about what I want to do with my future.

The minute I thought I did know, Maya’s father threw it back in my face like a joke.

As if it wasn’t a career to be proud of.

And I shouldn’t care what Maya or her parents think, but I do.

I care what everyone thinks about me. It’s what drove me to have anxiety attacks when I was playing football.

It’s why I felt overwhelmed by the pressure to amount to something great, like those around me.

Cameron, the star football player. Maddie studying to become a freaking doctor .

I’ll never measure up to half their success, and after hearing Maya’s father say it out loud, I’ve accepted it. I’ve become it.

Mark scoffs. “If you think I won’t drag your ass out of this bed and throw you in the shower myself, you’re sorely mistaken. Now get the hell up. Leo’s been coddling you for the past week, so now I’m here for the tough love.”

“Hey, I didn’t coddle him,” Leo retorts. “He did that by wrapping himself up in that fucking comforter like he was preparing for metamorphosis.”

I roll my eyes. “I didn’t ask for help or for you guys to get me out of bed. I want to be left alone .”

“Well, that’s not going to happen.” Mark puts his hands around my ankles and arches a brow. “What’ll it be, Davis? Are you going to hold on to a fraction of your manhood, or am I going to carry you to the showers like a child?”

“Has anyone ever told you both that you’re goddamn insufferable?

” The thought of Mark carrying me is ridiculous, so I sit up, wincing at the soreness of my muscles.

It’s ironic since I haven’t done shit after leaving Maya’s house.

I was supposed to change my major on Monday.

I was supposed to attend a game for the boys this past Sunday. Neither of those things happened.

“It’s normal to lick your wounds for a day or two after a breakup,” Mark explains.

“We didn’t break up. We . . .” Well, did we? I asked for space and haven’t contacted her in seven days. Maybe she considers it a breakup, but regardless, we have to speak at some point to get everything out in the open and officially declare it.

“Took space,” Mark finishes for me. “Leo filled me in. How much space are you planning to take? Girls don’t wait around forever.”

“Maybe I don’t want her to.” My fears slip out like word vomit.

“Who am I kidding? I was living in a fantasy world, thinking we could actually be together. I was waiting for the shoe to drop, knowing it was too good to be true, and learning her parents disapproved of me made everything make a whole lot of sense. She’s better off without me, or maybe I’m better off without her.

I don’t know. She kept this from me, knowing that once I found out, I’d be heartbroken again. That’s not easy to forgive.”

“Didn’t say it had to be easy to forgive, but at some point, you’ve gotta pick yourself back up.” Mark’s hand lands on my shoulder. “Any girl who doesn’t want you is missing out, Ethan. She was lucky to have you .”

“Ditto.” Leo hums in agreement.

“Please. Have you seen her? She’s way out of my league.”

Mark shakes his head. “Looks aren’t everything, dude.”

“That’s rich coming from the guy with two different hair gels,” I drawl.

Leo cuts Mark with a glare. “You use two different hair gels?”

“They’re used to create different textures,” Marks says, in an attempt to defend himself.

“Do you mean curly or straight? Or, like, hairstyles?”

“Different—” Mark sighs deeply. “We’re getting off topic.

The point I’m trying to make is you’ve got a heart of gold, Ethan.

It’s why we’re your friends. It’s why the kids love you.

” The scowl he makes next makes the pit in my stomach grow larger.

“It’s why they were so disappointed you didn’t make it to their game, and it’s why I’m here to get you out of whatever funk you’ve found yourself in. ”

“They wouldn’t have wanted me at their game,” I mutter. “They’ve idolized me and turned me into someone I’m not. Those kids have their whole future ahead of them, and the last thing they need is a failure who’s barely keeping his head above water telling them what to do with it.”

“You’re wrong.” Mark clears his throat, forcing me to meet his stare. “Is that why Jake made his first sack last game? Are you going to look me in my eye and tell me you had no part in that after staying after practice repeatedly with him to help with his form?”

My heart races, and then a surge of regret washes through me that I missed it. It’s something he worked so hard to do, and it probably devastated him that I wasn’t there to witness it.

But it’s hard to shake the self-loathing when I heard a grown man ranting about how horrible I am.

It would make anyone feel insecure, at least a little bit.

Especially when that man helped create the woman I’m head over heels for.

He has a shit ton of influence with her.

Both of her parents do, so this silence between us speaks volumes.

I don’t want to knock on her door only for her to tell me she’s siding with them, and I don’t want to make up only for her to go back on her word and change her mind.

She may think she doesn’t need her parents, but she does.

They’re everything to her. I refuse to be the reason a rift forms between them.

If I’m being honest with myself, I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing when it comes to her. To us . Which is probably why I haven’t moved from this bed. I know that, regardless of what her response is, our happily ever after will more than likely come to an end.

“Look.” Mark pins me with an expression that makes me swallow thickly.

“Continue to sulk if you want, but your actions affect more than just you. I know you were reluctant about being a coach to these kids, but it’s already happened, and their last game before winter break is this weekend.

It’d be a shame for you to give up on them now. ”

I open my mouth, but he holds a hand up to stop me.

“The way I see it? You’re left with two options. You can be the guy Maya’s father is claiming you are, or you can continue to create a new image of yourself that you’re proud of. The choice is yours.”

With that, he turns to the door, but not before glancing over his shoulder to say, “Make sure he gets in the damn shower, Leo.”

I roll my eyes when Leo sends him a salute. “Aye, aye, Captain.” The door shuts, leaving us alone, and just when I’m expecting Leo to provide me with the humor deflection I’m seeking, he comes out of left field and does something even more annoying.

He’s mature .

“I know you probably want to return to sulking in that little pity cocoon of yours, but we’re just looking out for you, man. It’s tough seeing you like this. Even Cameron texted to ask—”

“Cameron?” How the fuck—oh, right. I forgot the gossip train runs between him and Maddie now that they’re together.

Maya must have confided in Maddie, who in turn relayed it to Cameron.

I didn’t know whether or not Maya wanted them to know, so I kept my mouth shut and hid away in my room rather than talk to the one person who has the ability to get me out of this downward spiral I’ve found myself in.

But talking to Cameron would pull out all the insecurities I’ve tried to hide for so long, and opening up that can of worms doesn’t sound inviting.

There’s enough on my plate at the moment.

“Tell him I’m fine,” I grumble.

“Really? Because you still smell like a piece of fish that’s been basking in the garbage all day. Could have fooled me.”

“For fuck’s sake.” Rising from the bed, I snatch my toiletry bag off the hook next to the closet. “I’m going to shower. There . Happy?”

He snaps a photo with a wide grin. “Ecstatic, actually. The group chat will be thrilled you’re coming out of hibernation.”

“ Group chat? Since when do we have a group chat?”

When a notification ping s on my phone, he throws his head back and laughs. “Since now. Enjoy your shower.”