Hoax in One

| 20 |

I didn't hear Tate's voice at all the next week.

Tate had needed to study. He'd had a group project. He'd been too tired. All of that was pretty normal.

I started to get a pit in my stomach on Thursday, wondering if I had done something wrong. His texts were somehow distant, spaced out, and only a few words. I felt like something was wrong, but I tried to shake it off. It was normal for Tate to want to be alone sometimes, so I shouldn't have expected him to want to hang out with me every free moment he had. He had a tendency to shut himself off every now and then, staying at home holed up in his room. I'd never asked him about it. I knew he needed his space.

But my emotions were never tied so intricately to his like this before. I'd always backed off and let him be in peace until he was ready. Now all I wanted was to burrow deeper.

So Saturday morning when my phone dinged while I was getting ready for the golf tournament, my heart fluttered only to drop when I saw Matt's name.

Hey! Can you please do me a huge favor?

I groaned audibly. I was not about to say yes without knowing what he wanted.

What's up? I replied.

Do you think you could pick up my prescription from the pharmacy for me? All the guys are at walk-through practice, and I can't drive.

How could I say no to that? I wasn't a cold heartless bitch—no matter how much I wanted to ask if there were any other girls who most certainly didn't play football that could help him—and it was on my way to the golf course.

When I knocked on Matt's front door thirty minutes later, I heard him yell, "It's open!"

Matt was lying back on his couch shirtless with his braced leg propped up on the glass coffee table. He had four lemon-lime Gatorade bottles around his foot and the television remote balancing on his other leg. He'd paused what looked like The Wolf of Wall Street. He gave me an unappreciated once-over, so I gawked at him.

"I don't want to see you in your boxers," I complained.

Matt wiggled his eyebrows. "I look good, huh? Our strength coach has me on this new training schedule."

"You are so full of yourself." I bent down and grabbed a blanket from the basket next to the couch. I threw it over him.

"Nothing you haven't seen before, Devin," Matt joked, flexing his pecs with each syllable.

I rolled my eyes, held out the paper bag with his pain medicine rattling inside, and laughed because there was no point in being mad. "Why are you so annoying?"

Instead of taking the bag, he looked up at me seriously. "I'm jealous. Of Tate Thacker." He grimaced like it almost pained him to say Tate's name.

"I'm sorry, Matt," I said, placing the bag in his hand.

He shrugged and changed the subject. "I'm probably going to be able to play next week."

"That's great. I'm really happy you didn't get seriously hurt, and it's awesome you'll be back for the biggest game of the season."

"You're on the schedule for that game, right?"

"Yeah, JP has his sister's wedding."

Matt's face brightened, his lips curving into a smile I used to love to take pictures of. In another lifetime I would have kissed him just then. In this lifetime I felt sorry for him.

"Can't wait," he said. "Thank you for the favor."

"I'm glad I could help."

I turned to leave, but when I reached the door Matt couldn't help himself.