Everything with you

Part 49

Justin

I sat on my couch, surrounded by the quiet chaos of my house. The TV flickered with old soccer highlights, but I wasn't really watching. A half-eaten pizza sat on the coffee table next to an untouched can of soda, the air stale with the scent of old takeout. My phone buzzed occasionally—messages left unread, calls ignored. I had no interest in talking, no interest in anything, really. Not since losing the captaincy. Not since therapy started chipping away at everything I thought I knew about myself.

A loud knock broke through the silence. I ignored it. Then came another, harder this time, followed by the unmistakable sound of a key turning in the lock.

Nate and Ash stepped in like they had done it a hundred times before—because they had. Nate, always the ringleader, carried a six-pack, while Ash leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. They exchanged a glance before zeroing in on him.

"This is getting pathetic, man," Nate said, dropping onto the couch and kicking his feet up on the table.

"Really pathetic," Ash agreed, scanning the room like he was mentally listing all the ways I had let myself go.

I groaned, sinking deeper into the cushions. "Didn't ask for visitors."

"And yet, here we are," Nate shot back. "Get up. We're going to Jake's party."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Not happening."

"Not an option," Ash countered, stepping forward. "You need to get out of here. You've been doing the whole brooding-in-the-dark thing for weeks. It's weird."

I rubbed a hand over my face. "I'm not brooding."

Nate scoffed. "Dude, you are literally sitting in the dark, watching soccer highlights of yourself."

Ash folded his arms. "And you smell like regret and pepperoni."

I rolled my eyes, but the weight in my chest didn't lift. "I just don't see the point. Not in the mood to party."

Nate sighed. "We're not asking you to throw confetti and dance on tables. Just come. One night, one hour. Be around people. Remember that you're still Justin, not just some guy who lost his captaincy."

Ash nodded. "You keep going to therapy, which is great, but that's not the only thing that'll help. You need to live, man. You need to do something other than this." He gestured to the mess around them.

I stared at them, jaw tight. They meant well, but they didn't get it. They hadn't been the ones to fall from something they loved, losing everything at once.

But then again... Maybe they weren't entirely wrong, either.

With a long, reluctant sigh, I muttered, "One hour."

Nate grinned, victorious. "That's all we need."

Ash smirked. "Good. Now, seriously—go shower."

I rolled my eyes, but for the first time in weeks, a ghost of a smirk pulled at the corner of my lips.

The party was already in full swing by the time we arrived. Music thumped through the walls, neon lights casting shifting colors over the crowd. The house was packed, bodies moving, drinks spilling, laughter echoing. I stuck close to Nate and Ash at first, exchanging half-hearted greetings with people I hadn't seen in weeks. Some teammates patted me on the back and asked where I'd been. I gave vague answers, forcing a smile, nodding at their jokes, but the weight in my chest never fully lifted. It was easier to pretend, though, to let myself get lost in the noise, at least for a little while.

Then Tyler, one of their old teammates, nudged Nate's arm, nodding toward the middle of the room. "Isn't that Hayley?"

My stomach twisted before my brain even caught up. Hayley. Emma's best friend. The name alone was enough to send a pulse of something sharp through his ribs. I hadn't let myself think about her, not really. It was easier that way, convincing myself she was better off without me, that I was doing the right thing by staying away. But now, as my eyes found Hayley in the crowd, a crack splintered through that carefully built distance.Because if Hayley was here, then Emma couldn't be far.