"You may be his world, but you're the only thing that ever felt like home to me."
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Some people never get second chances. Lilah never thought she'd get one with her brother's best friend.
She's quiet...
What's our thoughts on if I included songs with each chapter? They may not fit the exact chapter itself, but I've definitely been conjuring a playlist so to speak of sponges that fit Lilah and Jackson and this story perfectly. Do you guys like listening to music while reading or no?
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The locker room is loud—voices bouncing off the walls, laughter spilling from different corners as the team celebrates the win. The air is thick with sweat, victory and cheap body spray. Helmets are clanking against the floor, music is blasting from someone's speaker, guys are stripping off their gear, voices are overlapping in celebration.
I should be enjoying the ride of the high with them.
But I'm restless.
Something about tonight's game left me unsatisfied—maybe it's just exhaustion or the weight of a million things I haven't dealt with. My mom had reached out to me on Wednesday, so that helped with some of my stress. For once, my mom isn't my main concern. Instead, the moment Lilah has come back into my life, I feel like all of my worry is going towards her.
The exact opposite of what I want.
Either way, I keep my head down, peeling off my pads, trying to shake the tension in my muscles.
Coach walks over in my direction, but fortunately I'm not his target to chew out this time.
"Hey, Kayce, come out in the hall with me. I just want to talk over some of the plays we messed up." His naturally loud voice holds a tone of authority that none of us even think of disrespecting. Kayce is standing beside me, and he quickly gives me a 'wish me luck' look before putting his helmet in the locker and following behind Coach. I already know Coach is going to go on about some bullshit play we messed up in the second quarter.
I hear my name mumbled in the conversation as they exit the locker room, but I'm not paying attention.
Because the second the door shuts, across the room, I hear Lilah's name instead.
And everything inside me goes dangerously still.
"Yo, you know Kayce's little sister goes here?" One of the guys mumble, clearly trying to not be too loud. It's casual at first, tossed between a couple of guys near the showers. I don't need to see him to recognize the voice.
The guy is in his junior year, but he knows Kayce and I are more advanced at playing football than he is. That's why we're in every game. And he's sitting on the bench half the time, watching us.
A few guys snicker.
"Yeah, Lilah or something, right?"
Multiple voices speak up in agreement, confirming her name. The sound of her name leaving their mouths makes anger swell in my chest. I freeze, my jaw clenching as I glance over in their direction.
