Page 60 of Break Point

“Awesome,” I mutter to myself.

I call back but am sent directly to Jaden’s voicemail, which isn’t even her voice but instead the generic robot one from her wireless provider. I try four more times over the next ten minutes, each time getting the same result. I try calling my mom next, mostly to test the phone line and make sure that my service is down and it isn’t just Jaden blocking me. I get the same result and sink back in my seat with relief.

I lean out into the aisle and glance at my teammates sitting closest to me. Most of them are still going strong with the entertainment, but Luke, our kicker, catches my gaze and pulls his headphones away.

“Yo, you got a signal?” I tap the screen of my phone. He pulls his out of his pocket and shrugs.

“Nah, just my downloads. We’re in the mountains.”

I nod, and he slips his headphones back on. I hate the mountains right now. The only good thing about them is that I know this route well enough to approximate that it’s forty minutes until we come out the other side and roll onto campus. And I spend that entire time refreshing my phone. After two full reboots and traversing through the final mountain pass, I get a signal. I tap Jaden’s contact again and stare at the image I set for her, the one from our first fake date together, when I dunked her in the fountain. When it goes right to voicemail again, though, my heart sinks. This time it’s intentional.

The bus winds through the tree-lined main drive, stopping just outside the stadium entrance closest to our locker rooms. Despite sitting up front, I let most of my team exit the bus first. I like to pound everyone’s fist and thank them for playing one hell of a game again, one-on-one. It’s those little things that stick with people, and when it’s a group of guys charged with keeping my neck intact, I think going the extra mile is even more important.

I follow Coach off the bus and drag my feet along the pavement toward the luggage compartment, where my gear bag is the last one remaining. I sling it over my shoulder and push my messy hair back before slipping my Cordon beanie on. I’m well into my personal funk bubble when Ashton slings an arm around me and presses something into my hand. “Your girl told me to give you these.”

Nestled in my palm is a packet of purple Pop Rocks.

“She’s over there,” he says, nodding across the entry lawn where the most beautiful redhead put on earth is sitting on a retainer wall, legs dangling and body stuffed into what I’m pretty sure is my hoodie—when did she steal that? She holds up a hand, and I hold the Pop Rocks up in return.

“Thanks, man. I’ll see you at home,” I mutter, all my attention now centered on one person. My person.

I barely hear Ashton’s uh-huh, sure as I close the distance between Jaden and me. She kicks off the wall and trudges across the wet grass toward me, leaving footprints in her wake. I take stock of the way my heart is bouncing around my insides. It stops completely the second Jaden’s toes touch mine and her brown eyes flutter as she looks up from the ground.

“Can Pop Rocks cure being a bitch to your boyfriend too?” She shrugs one shoulder, and I let out a much heavier laugh than I anticipate. Jaden flinches a bit, in fact, but I’m just so fucking relieved that I’m a bit hysterical with joy. I rip open the candy and pour half into my mouth, then stuff the rest into the front pocket of my sweatpants.

“You called me your boyfriend,” I say, pressing my thumb on the center of her lower lip.

“I did,” she says, swallowing hard and blinking slowly as she holds my gaze.

I cup her cheek with my other hand and stroke her face with my thumb, coaxing her to tilt just enough to kiss her. I lean in, and she slips her hand between us, holding her fingertips over my parted lips.

“You’re literally crackling with that shit right now,” she says.

I nod, my grin inching up.

“Yep.” I hold her gaze, practically daring her, until she finally rolls her eyes and sighs out, “Okay, fine,” just before lifting on her toes and kissing me. She endures the grit and snap of the candy until it’s all gone, slinging her arms around my neck as I lift her up and hold her body to mine. We get a few whistles from the guys as they head in and out of the stadium, but it doesn’t stop us from literally kissing each other’s worries and pain away. And it hits me dead center of the chest that I would take it all for her if I could and leave her with nothing but bliss.

Chapter 22

Jaden

Maybe there’s something to Pop Rocks after all. I have been nothing but calm all week leading up to this week’s challenge matches. It’s as if my body has had a hard reset of sorts, and I’m back to being the competitor with zero doubts.

I tear the tape with my teeth and flatten the end piece against my wrist. I’ve been going hard at practice, and my body is paying the price. It’s a good soreness, though. I thought I had plateaued in my workout routines, that there wasn’t a way to lift heavier or run faster. But this week, I’ve found new gears.

Fucking Pop Rocks.

Taryn’s hands close around my shoulders, and she digs in with her fingertips, rolling her palms around my joints while I let my head fall back.

“You’re a saint, you know that?” I blink my eyes open and look up at her, upside down.

“You’ve been so focused. I just want you to know that no matter what, I’m proud of you.” She gives my shoulders a final squeeze, then lets her hands slip away before I spin around to face her.

“Thanks,” I say in a hushed voice. “I feel ready. I feel . . . even, actually. Like, I’m not charged up the way I was last time, but I feel confident. My body knows what to do.” I bend forward and adjust the laces on my right shoe. I’m calm now, but when I tied it, I think I was a little full of adrenaline. It’s awfully snug, and my toes feel numb.

“Bryson seems good for you,” Taryn says, and I lift my head to meet her eyes. She’s wearing that teasing smirk she usually does when we talk about Bryson. But I don’t mind it so much this time.

“I think he is,” I agree as I sit up tall and stretch my arms across my body one at a time.