Page 122 of End Game

“You’ve been quiet all weekend,” he says. “You can talk to me. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

My dad has always been there for me. He’s quiet and strong and capable. So what if we’ve never talked about this kind of stuff before? So what if this is unchartered territory for us? We’ve been able to talk about everything else in my life; we should be able to talk about this, too.

“Barrett has feelings for me,” I blurt.

My dad barks out a laugh. “Finally.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We’ve all known it for years. It’s about time he’s finally told you.”

“Wait. You knew?” My whole world starts to spin.

He shakes his head. “He really isn’t good at being subtle, baby girl. We all know. It’s as clear as day.”

I swallow. “I had no idea.”

“He didn’t want you to know, not until you were both ready.”

I don’t know if I’m ready now.

“Well, have you given it much thought?” Dad asks, after I’ve had a few moments to sit with this latest revelation.

I give him a mulish look. “It’s practically all I’ve been thinking about since he told me.”

“And…?”

“And… I don’t know.”

Dad rolls his eyes. “What is there to debate? He’s a great guy. He loves you.”

“I know. He’s my best friend.”

“So? What’s the problem?”

“I don’t want to lose him.” My throat feels tight and itchy. “If he were to walk out of my life… I don’t know that I could take it.”

“Why would he walk out of your life?”

“What if we break up?” I swallow thickly. “What if it doesn’t work out?”

“I have faith that the two of you could find a way to stay friends,” Dad says. “You’ve made it through all these years. You can make it through a break up, too.” He pauses. “Not that I think you would break up any time soon. I think you could make it work.”

“I’ve never been in a relationship before. I’ve dated, yeah, but not… not like this.” That’s the closest I can come to talking to my father about my romantic life. “And I don’t think he has, either.”

“So you’ll learn together. There’s no need to hurry this along. Take it slowly. Don’t rush into anything you’re not comfortable with.”

This is Barrett we’re talking about: my best friend, the guy who makes my whole world make sense. He would never do anything to purposefully hurt me. He likes me. He loves me. He wants what’s best for me.

“Thanks, Daddy.”

He smiles fondly at me. “Any time, baby girl.”

He turns the volume back up on the TV as the halftime comes to close and the game resumes. The boys are down a score… and then it gets worse. The quarterback throws an interception on third down, giving the other team another chance deep in the zone.

The defensive core is trying their hardest. They want to win, I can see it written on their faces, but sometimes wanting it isn’t enough. Sometimes nothing we do is enough.

“Hey, Diana,” Dad says as the game turns from third to fourth quarter.