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I took a deep breath. “And…you got back into it?”
“Oh, yeah. Ryan and I dominated our junior and senior year. We ran that fucking team.” Adam chuckled, rubbing his knee. “The thing is, my parents work for their alma mater’s recruitment program. And I was always supposed to go there.”
But…he’s at Marrs?
Adam saw the confusion on my face and he grinned a real grin. “If I would’ve signed on with them, my parents stood to make close to half a million.”
“What?” slipped out of me before I could collect it. “Are you serious?”
“Most college athletes come from nothing, but my parents were legacy and worked with the college. Lots of underhand deals that a lot of high school kids don’t get.” Adam shrugged. “And then Marrs came around and Ryan pushed me to consider. Getting the royalties for my name? That’s insane for college football.”
It was silent for a moment and I pressed my lips together, thinking it over. “But it would’ve cut your parents out of the deal.”
“Yeah.”
Oh no.
Adam’s voice was slower, more methodical. I could tell he was carefully choosing each word. “My parents told me if I declared for Marrs, I wouldn’t be their kid anymore.”
Oh my god.
It was the hardest thing to act like none of it affected me. I couldn’t ever picture my parents doing something like that. Ever. We picked up our home and moved every couple of years for work, but I saw my parents turn down better opportunities because it would’ve split our household apart.
My heart hurt so much for Adam, it was difficult to keep my breathing steady.
“Now it’s been…three years?” Adam frowned, thinking it over. “Yeah, something like three years since I last talked to them. When we went to the tutoring hall—” A chuckle burst out of him. “When you told me my headphones were a piece of shit, Ryan called me in. He let go of his trainer and my coach—my dad—dropped him a line to see if the job was available.”
I had to unclench my jaw as my nails dug into my palm for a very different reason. Adam’s dad was avoiding his kid but called his best friend?
How horrible could they be? How could they do that to Adam?
“With my scholarship, I lived out of hotels for my last semester at high school,” Adam admitted. “It was pretty cool for the first two weeks, but I’d never been on my own before. And it feels…pretty good not to be alone anymore.”
There was a long silence and my hands twisted in my lap. “You have a great friend group.”
“Sure. Them, too.”
Slowly, my eyes flickered to his.
He can’t be talking about me?
A bright blush colored my cheeks and my heart thumped in my chest. The truth was, that’s what Adam was for me too. When I transferred from KYU, I was so scared I wouldn’t fit in on campus and now I knew that didn’t matter. Because I was comfortable with the boy who stood out.
“That’s it,” Adam said softly. “That’s all of it. There’s not really anything else.”
“Is your…?” I struggled with my question. “Does your dad still coach?”
“He lost his coaching job after Ryan’s parents complained.” He shrugged. “Last I heard, both of mine are in investment. But I don't know. I try not to look them up.”
Gone was the careful Adam, the solemn Adam, and here he was again, with half a smile on his face, leaning back against the wall of the ledge. The realization hurt too. He was trying to make me feel better. Adam wanted to lighten the mood for me.
He dug into the box of cookies and took a bite. "Fuck." He grinned. "Fucking great cookies. Nice job, ice princess."
"I won’t tell anybody," I blurted out.
For a moment, he was silent and he chewed thoughtfully. "You’re the first person I’ve told in a long time. I didn’t even tell Kassie, I just Ryan to do it."
My heart squeezed painfully in my chest.
