In a Rush (Friendship, Rhode Island #2)

by Kate Canterbary

“Because I actually like soccer.” “Mmm. That would help.” “What? No, I told you so?” Another obstinate head shake. “Nope.” But then, because she’d never been able to walk away from this topic without getting the last word in, she added, “But it’s good you’re excited about life after football.” “I am,” I said, willing her to meet my eyes. She didn’t. “It’s good you’re finally doing something because it’s what you want,” she said. “I finally can.” She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. I felt her soft sigh on my forehead. “You can tell me you had to go to Arizona and you had to enter the draft all you want but I know what’s true and what you’ve let everyone else believe is true.” I closed my eyes as her knuckles pressed the hinge of my jaw. “That’s not fair, Em. I had to take care of my family.” “What’s not fair is how every game you’ve ever played has been about your dad first and you a distant second,” she said. “The only reason you played in college is because everyone told you how proud he would’ve been, how all he’d ever wanted was to see you make it to that level, how much it would mean to him. Not a single person stopped to ask if you wanted that. They just told you how much your dad would’ve loved cheering for a Big 12 team.”