Page 36 of End Game

He laughs. “We all get a vote. This is a democracy, not an oligarchy.”

Wes clears his throat. “Thai?”

Barrett shakes his head. “Diana’s allergic to tree nuts. There’s too much cross contamination for it to be safe for her.”

“Not Thai,” he says with a decisive nod. Those three words are the most I’ve heard Wes say in the three weeks I’ve been here.

“We’ll decide on the walk home,” Amir says. “I’m hungry, but I’m not hungry enough to decide yet.”

Greg laughs. “You never want to decide. I vote Chinese.”

“Pizza,” Tucker says, slipping his phone into his pocket. “Mase will meet us in a little bit. She’s almost done with practice.”

Hand in hand, Miles and Sam lead the procession back to Athlete’s Village. Barrett and I walk slowly behind them, his arm still around my shoulders like he’s afraid to set me loose in case I decide to run away from him. Behind us are the rest of the guys and Mackenzie, who hasn’t said a single word since her initial “Hi” half an hour ago.

“How was your weekend?” he asks, looking over at me.

I shrug. “I’ve had worse.”

He frowns. “Dee…”

“It’s fine. I’m fine,” I tell him. “Just… tiring. I’m looking forward to doing nothing for a few hours.”

“Maybe you need some distance from your teammates,” he suggests quietly. “You’re welcome to crash with us for as long as you’d like. Our couch isn’t comfortable, but it’s yours for the taking.”

“Thanks, B.” I muster up a half-smile. That’s all I can manage right now. “I might have you take you up on that.”

“It’s yours. Always,” he says seriously. “You never have to ask. You need a place to escape to, you know where to come.”

My chest gets tight. “Barrett…”

“You’re my best friend,” he says, his voice serious, but his eyes sad. “If you need anything, you know I’m going to do everything in my power to give it to you.”

Lurching to a stop, I turn to him and wrap my arms around his torso. He’s sweaty and a little smelly from a five-hour bus ride with a hundred other dudes. I don’t care. He folds his arms around me and holds me tight. It’s clear he doesn’t know what prompted this hug, but he’s going with the flow, because this is what I need right now.

This man has done more for me in the last five minutes than my teammates have in the entire time I’ve been on campus. He’s stood by me and supported me through some of the toughest years of my life, things that I look back on now and laugh, because they felt impossible back then but really weren’t all that terrible. My crush deciding to ask out my best female friend. The guy I was casually seeing sleeping with someone else. Failing my geometry class in the ninth grade and nearly getting kicked off the soccer team. My dad’s terminal illness.

Yeah, that one still feels pretty impossible to overcome. I don’t know how to exist in a world without my dad in it. I don’t want that to become my reality.

Still, I know Barrett will be there for me if I need him. He’ll hold my hand during the surgeries, and he’ll be at my side for the inevitable funeral. He’s my rock, my constant supporter and never quitting cheerleader. He’s my best friend.

Not for the first time, I wonder what he sees in me. I don’t know what I can offer him in return. I don’t have money, not like he does. I don’t have power or influence. I don’t have any friends I can hook him up with so he can get laid. I don’t have anything.

All I can offer him is my unending friendship, and I have to hope that remains sufficient currency for him.

Greg clears his throat. “We’ve decided.”

Barrett looks up at him, his brow creased. Slowly, he releases me and takes a step back. I miss the contact already.

“Chinese for dinner,” he announces.

He blows out a breath. “Sounds good. I’ll call in the order when we get back.”

We’re three blocks from the football players’ house. We continue walking in quiet silence as Amir and Greg take turns flirting with Mackenzie, who stammers and blushes. There’s at least a foot of distance between me and Barrett. I don’t know why I’m so cognizant of it. It feels like a gulf between us.

When we get back to the house, the guys all disappear into their rooms. Sam flops onto the couch, and Mack and I take seats in the armchairs.

Now what?