Page 109 of Faking the Goal

I let my forehead fall against the cool metal inside my locker and groan.

"I was an asshole to Taylor."

"What kind of asshole are we talking?"

"The impressive kind."

"Jesus." He drags over the stool beside mine and sits. "What'd you do?"

I tell him everything.

I tell him about going to the club already pissed off, seeing Taylor at the bar with Xavier Manning, how comfortable they looked together, how much worse my mood got the longer I watched them flirting with each other.

And then me opening my mouth and basically calling her a cheap slut in front of him without ever actually using the words.

By the time I finish, Zach lets out a long hiss through his teeth.

"Dude."

"I know."

"No, I don't think you do. That's fucking bad."

"I fucking know."

He goes quiet for a second. "Why'd you say it?"

"I don't know." I rub a hand over my face. "I was already furious when I got there, and then I saw her with Manning and somehow it made everything worse. They were practically on top of each other, he couldn't keep his fucking hands off her. Then I heard him inviting her back to his hotel room and she was just standing there smiling at him, touching his face, flirting right back like—"

I stop myself.

Like what?

Zach watches me. "Like what?"

I clench my jaw.

"Like she might actually go with him."

"Okay." He pauses. "And?"

I frown at him. "And what?"

"Why did that piss you off?"

"It just did."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I fucking have." I grab the hem of my sweat-soaked shirt and drag it over my head, tossing it onto the bench beside the rest of my gear. "Every time Manning touched her, I wanted him to get his fucking hands off her. And all I could think was that I wanted her to tell him no. Just fucking shut him down and walk away."

Zach stares at me for a second.

"But she didn't."

"No." I yank open my locker harder than necessary and reach for my towel. "She gave him some bullshit maybe answer, and suddenly I was so fucking angry I could barely sit there. At him. At her. At the whole goddamn situation. Which makes no fucking sense because what Taylor does or who she goes home with is none of my business."

"Exactly. So, why'd you do it?"