Chapter 26

Drew

So, this is it?

I always knew Bella Summers would be my downfall; I just never expected it to go down like this. Holding my phone with my electronic ticket, I wait in line at the airport. Wearing my new Southern Collegiate hat, I feel like a fraud. My dad would hate that I’m leaving St. Michael’s, but I have no option but to leave Hope, Indiana, behind.

People smile at me, and I smile back nervously, worried that they recognize me from the video. Coach Summers assured me that the video didn’t go past the campus messaging system, and they even got some whiz kid to stick a virus on it so they could track who was sending it around. That was supposed to make me feel better, but it didn’t. It doesn’t change the fact that I let the team down over a girl that couldn’t admit she liked me.

As the flight attendant checks the tickets in front of me, I can’t help but think about the last time I was here. It was when the whole thing with Bella started. Before that, she was just a wishful dream, but like that painfully romantic movie Love, Actually, this place brought us together, and we collided in what might be described as in the best and worst ways possible. We fought, we kissed, we fucked, and I loved every minute until I realized we would be each other’s demise. Then I knew I had to be the one to save us.

Having her in the cabin I rented solidified it for me. She wanted me to stay. It was the first time she’s really shown how important I was to her, and all she did was hold my hand and listen to me talk. She was even willing to tell her dad and take the blame.

Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. Everything had already gotten out, and my reputation was already ruined. There’s no point ruining hers too.

My phone buzzes, and I hate that the only person I want it to be is Bella. I know it’s not her. I’ve been over this countless times in my head. We’re done, and it’s time I accept that.

Brianna: Have a safe flight. Call me when you get there, so I know you’re safe.

Brianna, Brianna, Brianna.

How many times did I need to tell her that we weren’t a couple before she’d get it? I probably didn’t help that situation when I poured my heart out to her the day before speaking to Bella. With Brianna, it was more incidental than anything. I don’t know who invited her in, but she was in my room after my initial conversation with Coach. I’d just sent out the message on my socials telling everyone I was leaving out of spite and wanted to tell Brianna to leave, but I couldn’t do that when I was pretty much holding back tears. Yeah, I was nearly at breaking point over football and Bella. It wasn’t something I was proud of or was willing to admit, but having a warm, caring body in the room like Brianna’s helped for a few minutes. Brianna took my moment of vulnerability the wrong way. She thought I was finally confirming my feelings for her and kissed me. It took me two seconds to push her away, but within those two seconds, Bella had walked in, seen us, and also had taken it the wrong way.

It was then I knew I’d made the right decision to leave St. Michael’s. Not just for my football career, but for Bella and Brianna. I was stringing girls on –something I’d never normally do, and I wasn’t proud of myself. I knew my dad wouldn’t be proud of me, either.

‘This is the final boarding call for Flight 214 to LAX.’

As the announcement rings through the airport, my heart sinks a little. This is it. The end of an era for me and St. Michael’s. I will never come to this airport to go to school again. I won’t be attending any college reunions. I’ll be lucky if I’m even remembered for the three seasons I played here since half the time I was riding the bench. The only legacy left for me here is sex on a private gym workbench.

I swallow, holding my phone up as I reach the front of the line.

Therefore, I’m moving. A fresh start, a new school, and a new team. I have the opportunity to make a new legacy, and I will not waste it this time.

The flight attendant smiles, opening the barrier for me to walk into the tunnel. Taking one final look at the airport, I take a deep breath and smile. This is the right thing for me; I can feel it in my bones.

Grabbing my bag, I walk past the attendant and into the tunnel. I’m ready for this change. It’s time for a new chapter and a fresh start for me.

One without the Summers family in it.