Chapter 16

The game was heldon neutral turf, giving neither Haverport nor Westford the home-field advantage. The temperatures were now low enough that Rory had to reach deep into her closet for her down jacket that morning. She wrapped her navy-and-white scarf around her face, the green bandana tied tightly to her head. Her stomach was knotted all morning, thinking about how Tyler was doing. There was so much riding on this game for their town, and she wondered if scouts would be there to watch him play. She was thankful that Blake and Zach didn't say much when she picked them up, the three of them remaining in comfortable silence as they drove the thirty minutes to the stadium.

The parking lot was packed, but Rory was able to squeeze into a spot close to the exit. The nervous energy was palpable as they walked toward the stands, the north side already covered in a sea of navy and white, while the south side donned black and yellow.

They paused for a moment at the bottom of the stands. Blake shivered, causing Zach to reach an arm around him and tuck Blake into his jacket, his hand playing with Blake's red curls. Rory rolled her eyes at the dramatics.

"This could be you, you know," Blake teased. "But you didn't force him to come."

"He had a thing," Rory replied. She ignored his gaze and turned to find Melanie.

They eventually found her and Calvin, and the five of them squeezed onto a bench. Rory gave Melanie a hug, her eyes darting to Calvin's face. To her surprise, he smiled at her, his features soft and relaxed. She pulled away from her friend's grasp, too stunned to smile back.

Does he know?she wondered.

The crowd roared as the Haverport team jogged onto the field, the cheerleaders at their heels, jumping up and down with new sparkly pom-poms glistening under the bright autumn sun. Zoe was at the front of the helm, her hair curled and tied into that signature cheerleader ponytail, a small corsage tied around her wrist. Another Haverport tradition for the senior cheerleaders—wearing flowers with the team colors on their wrists for the last game of the year.

Rory scanned the jerseys, finding number 17. Instead of jumping up and down and hyping his team up like he always did, Tyler was pacing back and forth, his gait taut and nervous. Rory glanced around the stands to see if she could find the Chapmans, but before she could eye them, the whistle was blown, the captains shook hands, and the boys lined up for kickoff.

She watched as Tyler clicked on his helmet as he walked by the cheerleaders. Zoe held out a fist to him and he bumped it like they were pals, which seemed strange. But she instantly forgot it as she watched him scan the stands, his gaze landing in her direction. She was too far to actually see his features, but he'd definitely found her green bandana. His chest visibly expanded, and then he was jogging up the field, ready for the game to begin.

* * *

The teams wereneck-and-neck by halftime. Even though Tyler was able to escape their grasp and score a touchdown, Westford's defense was strong as steel. Walker and Tyler worked together seamlessly, keeping up team spirits and executing each play flawlessly. But it couldn't stop the clever strategy of their competing team, the score at a stubborn seven to seven when the halftime buzzer went off.

Rory snuck away from the group to use the bathroom. Her nerves were running rampant, every facet of her body tense as she wondered how Tyler was doing right now, how he and his team were feeling in the locker room during their pep talk.

She stood in a line that snaked out of the bathroom building when she saw Tyler's father walk by with a man she'd never seen before. Mr. Chapman didn't notice Rory as he got on the line for the snack stand, the two men talking just loud enough for her to hear.

"Well, we appreciate you coming out to watch our boy," Mr. Chapman said.

"He's a solid player," the man responded. "I'm surprised no one has snatched him up yet."

Her spine zipped up when she realized what was going on. A scout. This had to be the reason why Tyler was nervous for today's game, despite it being the state championship and all.

"I can't guarantee anything, but I will advocate hard for him," the man continued. "And maybe we'll see you in the stadium next year."

Mr. Chapman grinned. "Thank you. He's wanted this for a long time. Although it will be weird to have him so far away if all goes to plan."

So…far away?

Rory felt like someone was wringing her insides dry. Her vision blurred as she sucked in small, short breaths, realizing what Mr. Chapman was saying.

Tyler would leave her. He would go off to college to play football, and he wouldn't need Rory or Scoops or any of them anymore.

She stepped out of the line and walked around the bathrooms so no one would see her spiral.

He would have no need for her after graduation. Tyler would leave, and they would probably grow distant, the days of playing football and soccer in their backyards slowly fading into lost, forgotten memories. Maybe that's why he didn't want to be with her, why he wouldn't break it off with Zoe. The pain of leaving would be too great, so why go through it at all?

Rory's panic switched to anger. Anger that he was going to leave her behind. Anger that he didn't want to take a chance on her despite their history. Anger that he didn't even tell her about this, about the scout and what was happening at this game and his next steps toward college. He was pulling away from her, and he hadn't even left yet.

She tore off the green handkerchief tied to her head and walked out the gates, chucking it in the trash without looking back.

* * *

Rory was veeringoff the highway, taking the exit toward Haverport, when Melanie called her. She answered, turning on the speakerphone. "Yes?"

"Rory, where are you?"

"I had to leave," she grumbled. "Hard to explain."

"Okay, well, uh…" Melanie stuttered. "S-something happened."

She tightened the grip on her steering wheel. "What happened?"

"I-I don't—" Melanie couldn't get the words out. Was she crying?

There were muffled sounds, words exchanged in whispers that Rory couldn't make out, before the phone was given to someone else.

"He's injured," Calvin said, his voice calm.

She felt her heart stop. Her vision went blurry and, in an instant, she was pulling off the road, throwing her car into park. "Wh-what happened?"

"One of Westford's defensemen tackled him from behind after he made a catch. They think it's something to do with his leg or knee. He's still on the ground, not moving."

Panic rose in her chest. On the ground. Not moving.

"They're rushing onto the field with a stretcher," she heard Melanie say distantly.

"Where are you?" Calvin asked pointedly.

"Not there," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

She could feel the tension through the phone as Calvin remained silent. There were nervous murmurs around him on the phone, a few people yelling in the distance. "Why?" he finally asked.

Rory wasn't sure why she said it, especially to Calvin, but she was tired of fighting the truth. "Because he doesn't need me anymore. He'll leave me, just like everyone else."

She heard Calvin sigh over the phone, like he was calculating the exact words to say next. She waited impatiently for his reply, regretting her words instantly. She felt too exposed.

She heard shuffling on the other end of the phone, the sounds of Calvin descending the stands and stepping away from the crowd so he could say what he needed to in private. For the briefest moment, she felt thankful for him.

"No matter the distance, I don't think he could ever leave you," Calvin replied slowly. "I don't know exactly what's going on between the two of you, but I do know that you will always be his family. Because that's what you've been to him since the moment you first met. And true family never leaves."

Rory was now crying on the side of the road, her face in her hands. "No one sticks around for me, Calvin. I don't know what it's like to have a real family."

"But you do," he countered. "Just because Scoops is closed right now doesn't mean you don't have us. You basically told my girlfriend the same thing when she moved here last summer, and the same goes for you. We will always stick together. No matter how messy life gets. Understand?"

She was openly sobbing now, all her emotions flooding over. Calvin didn't hang up, didn't even say anything until Rory was finished, just being with her on the phone. Staying with her, like a family was supposed to.

"Thanks," she murmured, wiping away tears and snot with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

"Promise me something?"

She let out a shaky breath. "What?"

"Talk to Melanie about Tyler. She's honestly your biggest fan. She would do anything for you."

He must not know then. Melanie didn't tell him a thing. She truly did not deserve her.

Rory wiped her nose with her sweatshirt sleeve. "Calvin—"

"I know she's going through a lot," he interrupted. "But she is a hell of a lot stronger than she looks. She lost her brother, Rory. She doesn't want to lose her sister, too."

She was crying again. "What am I supposed to do right now?"

"Go home. Wait for him. Talk to him and be honest. What do you have to lose?"

Everything, she thought. Because she finally realized that Tyler was everything to her. He always had been.

She grumbled a thank-you to Calvin and hung up the phone, taking a few calming breaths before driving back to Misty Bay. She didn't bother turning on any lights when she walked through the door. She sat down on the couch and watched the Chapman house through the window, waiting for them to get home.

It was sometime past midnight when she drifted off to sleep, both houses still blanketed in darkness.

* * *

"Sweetie?"

Rory felt herself being gently shaken awake, a warm hand steady on her shoulder. She blinked her eyes open, the kitchen light now turned on. She glanced at the clock on the microwave. It was 1:26 in the morning.

She bolted upright, glancing next door. Their car was parked out front. She looked up to Tyler's room, noticing his lamp was on.

"Rory, sweetie, what's going on?" Gabi asked. "Why aren't you in bed?"

She stood up abruptly, heading for the back door. "Tyler, he was hurt at the game. I have to go see if he's okay."

"It's one in the morning," Gabi said, chasing after her daughter. "That's probably not wise—no, Rory—"

Rory didn't obey as she slid the door open, racing down the steps and over to the Chapman house. She found Mrs. Chapman in the kitchen, one arm hugging her stomach, the other clutching her cell phone to her ear.

Rory knocked on the window, and Mrs. Chapman smiled slightly, telling whoever was on the phone to hold on as she slid open the door. "His father is putting him in bed."

"Is he okay?" Rory asked through tears. "Can he walk?"

"Not right now, no," Mrs. Chapman explained. "But the doctors said he didn't break anything. It sounds like some kind of nasty sprain."

"Can I see him?" She knew it was a long shot, but she was desperate. She couldn't fathom the idea of him hurt.

Mrs. Chapman placed her hands on Rory's shoulders, rubbing her thumbs back and forth reassuringly. "It's probably not a good idea right now. He's in really rough shape."

Rory couldn't see Mrs. Chapman through the tears pooling in her eyes. She caught the familiar scent of Gabi's lavender hand lotion as she hooked an arm through Rory's and thanked Mrs. Chapman. Rory didn't fight Gabi as she led her home and guided her up the stairs to her room, tucking her into bed like she used to.

Rory sat up as soon as Gabi closed the door, looking out her window to Tyler's room, and watched as Mr. Chapman flicked off his bedside lamp. She dug for her phone in her sweatshirt pocket and dialed his number.

One ring. Two rings. Three.

Her heart pounded in her chest. Just answer. Please answer.

"Ry?"

His voice was hoarse. He was crying.

"Ty, I'm so sorry," she blubbered. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay. We lost. Everything is ruined. And…and you weren't there."

"Yes, I was," she whispered. "I was, I was."

"But not when I needed you," he stammered. "I was on the grass and I looked up in the stands and I…I couldn't find you."

"I know," she cried, her words thick in her throat. "I'm sorry. I screwed up. I shouldn't have left."

He was now sobbing into the phone, sounding more broken than ever. She wished she could crawl into bed with him and hold him close, tell him how sorry she was, how she knew she'd screwed up, that she wanted to make everything better for him.

"Please, I'm-I'm the worst," she admitted. "I was selfish and hurt. I should have been there for you."

His crying slowed for a moment. "I can't do this right now. I-I need to sleep."

"Okay," she breathed. "Goodn—"

He hung up before she could finish.

She could only sit there staring at her phone screen, feeling like she had so much more she needed to say. To tell him how she truly felt.

Because somehow, softly, like a gentle fall breeze rushing through golden leaves, she'd fallen for her best friend.