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Nix
“Nix, remember Darrah O’Keefe?”
I dragged my sweaty palm down my thigh and held it out. “Hello, sir. It’s nice to see you again.”
“You looked impressive out there tonight, Nix. Exactly the kind of talent we’re looking to bring into our program.”
“I… t-thanks.” I stuttered over the giant fucking lump in my throat and Coach glared at me as if to say, ‘Don’t fuck this up.’
“Coach Farringdon seems to think you’ve had a change of heart regarding your future.” Darrah regarded me, his heavy gaze making me wish the ground would open and swallow me up.
“I… uh, yeah. I think so.”
“Think so? This isn’t high school football, Phoenix. Albany U is a Division 1 school with a program a lot of guys would chew my arm off for a shot at.”
“I know, I’m sorry, sir. I just… I didn’t ever expect to have this kind of opportunity.” I ran a hand through my hair and down the back of my neck, wishing like hell that Harleigh was here.
But she’d come. She came and she met me halfway. It was more than I could have ever hoped for.
She came.
I let the lingering feel of her touch ground me. The way she’d clung to me as if I was her life raft as much as she was mine.
Harleigh was always with me, even when she wasn’t.
Inhaling a deep breath, I collected my thoughts and cleared my throat. “Sorry, sir. What I meant to say was…”
I could do this.
I’d earned this.
My old man. Jessa. My shitty childhood. Michael Rowe. The world’s opinion of a guy like me. It didn’t mean anything. Not unless I let it.
“You’re good enough, Nix.” Her eyes drilled into mine, the flecks of dark green hypnotic. “And you’re worthy. You deserve this. You deserve a shot at something good, something better.”
Harleigh’s words echoed inside me as I said, “What I meant to say was I’m honored you’re thinking of me, sir.”
Coach Farringdon nodded his approval, clapping Darrah on the shoulder. “You saw his skill on the field, but what you don’t get to see is the fact that this kid always shows up. No matter what is going on in his life, he leaves all the bullshit at the door and gets the job done.”
“Glad to hear it.” Darrah smiled. “We’ll be in touch, Nix. Arrange for you to come up to Albany real soon and meet the team.”
“Wow, that would be… wow.”
Holy shit. Was this really happening?
Coach had always told me it was a possibility; that Albany had made inquiries about me before now, but I hadn’t wanted to believe it. Hadn’t dared let myself believe it.
But this was real. It was real and I had a shot, an honest-to-God shot, and I didn’t know what the fuck to do with that.
“Don’t look so shocked, son,” Coach said, a glint of pride in his eyes. “You deserve this, Nix.”
You deserve it.
Three little words I’d always had a real hard time believing. But maybe it was time I started.
Albany U was my ticket out of here. It was my ticket to a better life for me and Harleigh.
Fuck.
