Victor Shaw sat at the head of the table like a king who had personally invented oxygen. Coach stood near the window. Marcus was there too, relaxing against the wall with his arms folded, warm brown eyes meeting mine with concern that would have comforted me a month ago.
Now, it made my skin crawl.
Jaxon was not there.
The relief I felt was profound. So was the disappointment and it scared the hell out of me. Why the hell was I feeling disappointed?
I hated myself for both feelings.
“Callahan,” Coach said.
“Coach.”
Marcus pushed off the wall. “Rory, hey. You okay?”
I looked at him.
For two years, Marcus Hale had been the closest thing I had to a friend on that team. He had brought me water after brutal drills. Sat beside me when no one else would. Made jokes in the locker room w
