17. Cameron

Cameron

C olorado may not have much humidity, but the sun is wicked at this altitude, and now that it's late in the third quarter of our home opener, I'm feeling its effects.

I'm dripping sweat under my pads, sticky and uncomfortable in the oppressive mid-afternoon heat. And while heat and sweat are part of the game, the sad truth is, our game jerseys don't breathe as well as our practice gear, and while we look good, I'm sure the rest of my teammates are just as anxious to get out of their gear as I am.

Days like this make me glad football is a fall sport. Too bad we've got several weeks until fall officially hits, so chances are we'll have more than a few of these hot, exhausting games. The only silver lining is that we're kicking ass.

Jagger just caught a pass for a first down, putting us about thirty-five yards from the end zone. It was a beautiful play, with him outrunning the defender along the sideline and stretching out to grab the ball like he was going for a casual stroll, not shooting downfield like a bolt of lightning. If we score here, this will probably be our last drive, and Coach will put the second and third string in to get some playing time .

Nate calls us all back to the huddle and gives us the play coach wants to see. It's another pass, this time with Bennet as his first look, so rather than barreling forward off the line to open a hole for a runner I'll need to stand my ground and hold the pocket to give Nate time to make the throw. I actually prefer run blocking, it's easier to push people back than hold them steady, so I'm less prone to get a holding call, but Coach wants to step up our passing game this season.

We step up to the line and get in position, and Nate runs through the signals prior to the snap. When the center hikes the ball I pop up and do my best to act as a wall, pushing the linemen back as they try to get around me. Bennet shoots downfield, making his way toward the end zone, with the other team's corner hot on his heels.

I have to give it to that guy, Damien, though. He's been a thorn in Bennet's side all game, positioning himself just right to disrupt all but one pass we've sent Bennet's way. It's uncanny the way he seems to anticipate my teammate, and while he's made Jagger work for his catches as well, it's almost like the guy knows Bennet better than our man knows himself. Maybe it's because they played against each other as kids.

Damien is the strongest player on an otherwise average team, and if it weren't for him, we'd probably be up even more. Part of me wants to feel bad that he's not part of a stronger program, but the other part of me wants Bennet to get the best of him since it's his childhood rival.

Nate launches the ball as Bennet nears the end of his route, faking like he's going to go left then hooking back and to the right to meet it. He jumps up to make the catch, and Damien does too, but without even turning his head to look for the ball Damien stretches a hand up and gets a finger on it, changing its trajectory so it doesn't meet Bennet's hand. All without ever coming into contact with Bennet .

Normally, when the defender doesn't look for the ball it'd be considered pass interference, but since Damien didn't touch Bennet at all and only knocked the ball off course, it's considered a clean play.

Bennet is furious as he jogs back to the huddle, grumbling about how Damien is always underfoot, always in position, you name it. It sucks when another player seems to have your number, but hopefully he'll channel that into figuring out a way to outplay the guy instead of venting to us.

Coach has us do a running play next, probably to give the receivers a breather, and we're able to get eight yards so we're looking at third and two. Nate tosses Cruz a little shovel pass over the middle, picking up five yards total, and then it's back to another pass.

Damien matches up to Bennet again—no surprise—leaving Jagger marked by one of their other corners. It's not an even pairing, Jagger is way faster, and he breaks away as he nears the end zone. Nate launches the ball to the back corner just to give Jagger some practice snatching it on the verge of the out-of-bounds marker, and we add another six points to our total.

The offense slaps a bunch of high-fives with us as we jog off the field, and I have to tug on Bennet's jersey to get him moving toward our sideline after he catches Damien blowing him a smug air kiss. I take a seat on the bench between him and Jagger, dousing my head with cold water as soon as my helmet comes off.

"Fuck I needed that," I groan. "It's just cruel to make us play games in August."

"Screw that." Jagger swishes water around his mouth and spits it on the ground. "I'd much rather play in this heat when I can still feel my fingers than in the freezing cold where they might snap off if the ball hits them the wrong way. Am I right?" he asks Bennet .

"Mmm," our teammate grunts, eyes cast toward the other team's line.

"I'm right, he's just too grouchy to say it," Jagger assures me before leaning around me to talk to Bennet. "Hey, we got the win. That's the final word."

"Easy for you to say when he wasn't shutting you down all game," Bennet says.

"If he had been, then you'd have been open." Jagger shrugs like it makes no difference who makes the play, only for him it's not lip service, he actually believes it. "When one of us is under coverage the other should be open. Today you had the coverage. Another game it'll be me."

"That fucker is always on me, though. No one else can come close to covering me like he does, and it's pissing me off."

"How does he do it?" I ask Bennet.

"No fucking clue." Bennet shakes his head. "God, I hate that dude."

We spend the rest of the game rehashing what went well, what we need to work on, and cheering the rest of our boys as they grow our lead by another score. Afterward, Jagger has to do a call with some of his NIL sponsors, and Cruz and Liam are meeting his parents for dinner, so Bennet and I shower and head into town to pick up some takeout to bring back to the house.

"What do you feel like?" I ask Bennet as we stroll down the pedestrian walkway known as The Block, which has a bunch of restaurants, clothing boutiques, and other little mom and pop storefronts. It's the place to be on game day if you aren't at the game since they put out an inflatable screen and people can mingle while they watch.

"I know I should say chicken, but I'd really love a burger. "

"What about a steak burrito?" I suggest, spotting a little Mexican cantina that doesn't have a line stretching out the door. "You get your red meat and I get green chili. Plus, I can't make a killer burrito but I'm decent at grilling burgers."

"Deal."

We head to the cantina and get in the carryout line, the smell of warm tortilla chips making my mouth water. I don't know what it is about those little triangles that's so appealing. There's literally nothing fancy about them, but I could make a meal out of them. I make a note to get an extra order along with some refried beans and queso, cause damn. That combo can't be beat.

As we wait for our turn at the counter, we chat with the people around us about the game when they recognize Bennet. It's his third year, second as a starter, and one of the top receivers on the roster, so he's got quite the following. Everyone makes an effort to say nice game when they realize I play too, although I'm fairly certain they couldn't recall anything specific I did since the line is often thought of as one player instead of several.

That's cool with me since I actually don't want people I've never met to start talking to me like we're old friends just cause they saw me on the field.

Early in the season, people are always stoked about our prospects. And luckily, no one has anything critical to say since we just had a big win. Over a mediocre team, but still. It's amazing how many people have tips when they've never played the game or don't understand what it's like to play on the field, though that doesn't seem to be the case today. They all think we looked good in our debut game, and merely want to share how pumped they are for the rest of the season.

All of campus is in good spirits, and even though they'd party anyway since they're back after summer break, they're using our win as an excuse to go even bigger. I don't know why I didn't connect the dots earlier—too focused on the game, I guess—but a win on the first weekend back means there's no way we'll be able to stay in tonight and relax like I'm in the mood to do.

At least we'll get dinner in peace once we get this food back to the house.

"I thought Jagger had a phone call." Bennet bumps my shoulder with his.

"He does."

"Did you tell him to meet us here?" He squints his eyes as he looks toward the front door.

"No." I regard my roommate like he's got another head since he's not making any sense. Then I follow his eyes and see what he sees, standing on the sidewalk outside the front of the shop.

Ever hear that expression your blood runs cold? Yeah, that's me right about now, because suddenly that weird feeling I've had when I thought a scout was watching us makes sense.

"That's not Jagger," I say, forcing my voice to work despite my throat wanting to close off.

"It's not?" Bennet glances at him again. "Sibling, then? I thought he was an only child." Bennet scratches the bridge of his nose as he stares at the ghost from my past.

"He is."

It was him all along. What the hell is he doing here?

"Damn," Bennet chuckles, eyes still on the last person I ever expected to see again. "That's some doppelganger bullshit. We should take a picture to show Jagger." He reaches for his phone.

"No!" Bennet's head whips around when I blurt that a little too loud. "No," I repeat, putting my hand on his arm to stop him. "We can't take a picture. We shouldn't say anything at all. "

Bennet looks me up and down with increasing concern. "What the fuck is wrong with you? You're all pale and shit and… Jesus are you shaking?"

"I uh… I." I reach for my phone, fumbling to pull up my dad's number from my contact list.

"Cam, what's going on? Who is that?"

"Next," the woman at the counter calls.

For reasons I can't explain, that mundane command snaps me out of the panic that was starting to engulf me, and it's suddenly clear what I need to do. Stepping forward, I give her mine and Jagger's order, but before Bennet can add his I lean forward and whisper, "See that guy out front? The one in the leather jacket?"

She peeks around my shoulder and nods.

"He's kind of obsessed with my roommate here. Number twenty-three's biggest fan, as he likes to tell us all the time." I jerk my thumb at Bennet, hoping she'll recognize him, and when her eyes grow briefly wide, I'm assuming she does. "We'd love to get out of here without having to go past him, have you got a back exit?"

She nods again.

"Excellent. We'll just wait over there." I point to a spot next to a sign that says Employees Only and move aside so Bennet can give his order.

When she rings up the total, I give her several bills and tell her to keep the change, then pull Bennet to the side as I hold my phone to my ear, ignoring the fact he's looking at me like I've lost my mind.

"Dad." I lean against the wall when he answers, allowing it to hold me up since my initial adrenaline is starting to wane. "He's here. Jagger's dad is here."

Bennet's eyes bug out, then narrow as he tries to puzzle it out in his mind. Jagger hasn't told them about his family drama and it's not exactly my place to say anything, but special circumstances… Fortunately, Bennet stays put, waiting for me to finish my call.

"Has he found you guys yet?" my dad asks over the phone.

"I don't know. I'm pretty sure he's been watching us for a few weeks now, but he hasn't approached us."

"That doesn't sound good. The only reason he'd have for not making contact right away is because he hasn't worked out his angle yet."

"You don't think he's working up the courage to say something? It's been over ten years, maybe he feels embarrassed or guilty or something?" I don't believe that myself, but Jagger will want to see it that way, so I have to ask.

"I wish that was the case, for Jagger's sake, but Jeremy has never felt guilty about anything a day in his life. I don't think he cares about making amends. All he's ever done is use the people around him to get what he wants. And from what I've heard, the people around him aren't the kind you want to be involved with. I want you two to stay away from him."

"How?"

"For starters, try to make sure Jagger isn't alone. Jeremy will be less likely to make his presence known in front of others. And I'll call your coach to explain the situation and see if he can do anything to keep him away from campus."

"Dad, you don't think he'd hurt him, do you?"

"Jeremy was never violent, but that doesn't mean his friends aren't. Or that he's not capable of hurting Jagger emotionally. That's why I want you to keep your distance."

"Alright. Thanks Dad. I've gotta get back home. Talk later?" We both say bye and hang up, and Bennet collects the bag of food before we duck out the back exit .

"Okay, James Bond. What the fuck is going on here?" he asks when we reach the next block.

I stop walking and face him, swallowing a few times while I collect my thoughts. I don't take what I'm about to share lightly, and I wouldn't if Bennet hadn't found himself in the middle of it. "Jagger's dad bolted when we were ten. As far as he knows, his dad was just a deadbeat, and when we were ten that's all it was. His dad couldn't hold a job, slept around on his mom, shit like that."

Closing my eyes, I hold my breath for a beat before I admit what not even Jagger knows. "I'm pretty sure he graduated from being a deadbeat to being a petty criminal. My dad has been keeping tabs on him, and while I don't know the details, I've been warned to stay away from him if he ever showed up."

"You don't think he's here looking to reconnect with his son?" Bennet asks.

"I think it's more likely he wants something from Jagger. Money most likely, since he never had any of his own, and if he's trying to get to Jagger after ten years of silence I'm thinking he must be pretty desperate."

"So the dude asks for some cash and Jagger says no." Bennet lifts a shoulder and starts walking toward our house.

"It's not that easy." I fall into step beside him. "All Jagger ever wanted was his dad's approval, and Jeremy doesn't give that without strings. He'll never say he's proud of Jagger for playing a good game, he'll say it'd have been a better game if and then add some obnoxious condition. One time it was scoring another touchdown so that other kid's dad couldn't gloat about their team being better. Another, it was catching three passes instead of two so the team could get free tacos after the game from the local taco shop."

"Tacos? That's so criminal."

"I told you my dad says he's a criminal now , not then. Besides, we were nine. What kind of dad says two catches isn't good enough because he didn't get free tacos out of it? Jagger went from being ecstatic to deflated in half a second. It crushed him."

"Every boy wants his dad's approval," Bennet says.

"True, but not every boy has a dad that skipped town without saying goodbye, leaving you to think you weren't worthy of being his kid."

"Yeah, okay. That does suck, but it still doesn't explain the spy shit you pulled back there. It's probably just a guy trying to make up for being a bad dad."

"If that were true, my dad wouldn't have warned us to stay away from him. He always told me if Jagger started making a name for himself that his dad might come out of the woodwork. Now, he's here. I don't want Jagger getting false hope about who his dad is, so don't say anything about seeing him."

"Okay, let's say you're right and Jagger's dad is bad news. You think you'll be able to keep his dad from making contact with him?" Bennet scoffs.

"I don't know. No. I just…" I scuff the sidewalk with my shoe as we make our way home. "Jagger's dad has this charisma about him. He uses it to manipulate people into getting what he wants, and he's really fucking good at it. Considering Jagger wants to please him, I just… Don't fall for whatever the guy is selling, okay? And if he does make contact, keep an eye on Jagger to make sure he doesn't get caught up in the fantasy, alright?"

"Fine," Bennet huffs with an epic eye roll. "But I'm only agreeing to not bring it up. If it comes up, I'm not lying about it."

"Fair enough," I sigh as we walk the path to our front door, but I know that's only a temporary reprieve. At some point, Jagger's gonna come face-to-face with his dad, and I'll have to figure out how to appear happy for him without letting my guard down.