Page 126 of Bad Prince
“I have been lately.”
Silence.
Wind brushes across the field.
“I need to focus on school and sports,” I continue. “I need to do me.”
He studies me carefully.
“I’m not the kind of girl who hangs Prada on a boyfriend’s arm and calls it success,” I say. “I’m not trying to land a trophy and ride his draft stock.”
A small smile tugs at his mouth.
“I know you’re not.”
“I want my own glory,” I say, voice firmer now. “My own wins. My own name. I don’t want to hang on to some man’s.”
I look at him then.
“Is that selfish?”
He doesn’t hesitate.
“No.”
“That’s what makes you a champion.”
My throat tightens.
“I wish…” he exhales softly. “I wish it would’ve worked out between us.”
That hurts more than anger would have.
“Maybe someday,” he adds quietly. “When it’s not complicated.”
I shake my head slightly.
“You deserve someone who can give you everything,” I say.
“And you deserve someone who doesn’t make you choose between love and your dream.”
We sit there in the quiet for another second.
Then he stands and pulls me up with him.
Sweaty. Breathless. Morning-chilled.
He wraps his arms around me.
It’s not possessive.
Not urgent.
Just steady.
Safe.
I press my forehead briefly against his shoulder.
