Page 74 of Forever Defiant
I jogged down the stairs and went back outside. I just wasn’t in the mood today to deal with her.
I was second-guessing every little comment someone made these last few days. Was it just a guy being a dick? Or was it just a guy bragging about being a scumbag? I no longer knew. The hypocrisy of the latter wasn’t lost on me either.
I looked at the seniors, the guys who would have been here when Sterling was. Obviously, the best people to ask would have been the ones Noah and Dante beat up outside the bar, but were there more?
There was just no way to ask that question.
I was judging everyone. PTs, coaches, players — hell, even Big Al, the equipment guy — no one was immune to my suspicions.
She’ddone this. She’d put these doubts in my head.
I resented them.
I resentedher.
My phone pinged. I ignored it.
It pinged again.
“Fuck off,” I grumbled, and headed to the coffee shop.
“Dustin!”
I stopped walking, my head tipping backward as I looked at the evening sky. “You’vegotto be kidding me.”
She was beside me. “You really have a flair for the dramatic,” she snarked.
I pulled out my phone, and sure enough, the two messages weren’t from my friends asking me to come back. They were warning me that she was coming after me.
“What do you want, Peterson?” I shoved my phone back into my hoodie. Spring training was in full swing. Dante had been released early this afternoon to do media. Noah had taken a knock to his shoulder and left early. I’d been stuck on the sidelines, a nonparticipating player today, with nothing to do but notice things I didn’t want to notice.
Normally, I wouldn’t be worried. But I was still sure Merriman had seen me with her, and I was being punished without being openly punished.
“I didn’t want you!” she snapped. “I wanted Savannah.”
I narrowed my eyes as I watched her. “You ambushed her in front of Spence?” I asked her. “That’s... You’re definitely insane.” I started walking again. It didn’t deter her, and I didn’t expect it to. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m not Savvy. So go away.”
She didn’t reply, and she didn’t leave. God, she was a stubborn ass.
“Can you quit following me?” I grunted.
“I live in this direction.”
“What? North America?”
“Melodramatic and funny, no wonder you have a reputation.”
“Which you’re not helping,” I grumbled at her. “First the chasing, now you’re running after me again. Aren’t you bored?”
Hadley rolled her eyes. “Please. You give yourself too much credit.” She looked around. “No one is watching you.” She pulled her hoodie lower. “Mostly no one is watching you,” she mumbled.
There were always people watching. It was spring training, we were national champions, and the media was everywhere. This was not the place for her to be right now.
“I don’t need the extra attention,” I told her, my voice quiet.
“I know.” She shoved her hands in her hoodie pocket. “I just wanted to tell you that I wasn’t pestering you. I mean, I was. But I didn’t want you, well, I mean...” She cleared her throat. “I wanted to talk to Savannah. Not you.”
“You said. If you haven’t noticed, Savvy’s not here. Youlefther to run after me.”
