Page 166 of Make Me Mean It

It slams into the wall with a sharp crack, and I flinch, my eyes squeezing shut.

“What were you fucking thinking?” Marcus snaps.

My fingers twist harder into the jersey, dragging it against my chest as the thought hits somewhere that still feels bruised. My vision blurs, and a tear slips hot down my cheek.

I stare down at the jersey, blinking hard at Theo’s name until the letters smear together.

When I finally force myself to look up, Marcus’s face has changed.

The anger is still there, but something fractures through it when he sees me. Something softer.

I hate it.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he exhales, dragging a hand down his face.

I swipe angrily at my cheek, clearing away the tear like that can undo the fact he saw it.

“It’s already over,” I say.

The words stick somewhere halfway out, scraping at my throat.

“It was never—”

I stop.

My mouth stays open, the rest of the sentence right there.

It was never anything.

That’s what I’m supposed to say.

That’s what I’ve been saying from the beginning. To Theo. To myself.

It was nothing.

Except I can’t say it now.

Not with Theo’s jersey clenched against my chest.

Not after watching him cry because I spent weeks making him feel like he meant nothing to me when he fucking—

My throat closes, and I look away.

Marcus goes very still.

When I glance back, whatever softness had broken through his anger is gone. His expression turns cold in a way I recognise immediately.

Protective.

Furious.

And I know exactly what he’s thinking.

“Marcus.”

He storms toward me.

Before I can react, he grabs Theo’s jersey and rips it out of my hands.

My fingers close, trying to keep hold of it, but the fabric slides through them before I can stop him.

“Marcus, don’t.”

He doesn’t even look at me, turning for the door, every step heavy with anger, and panic punches straight through my chest.

“Marcus.”

I go after him, but he’s already yanking the door open.

“Marcus, wait—”

The door swings wide.

Then he’s gone.

And I’m left standing there with my hands still curled around nothing.