Page 137 of The Backup Plan

Avery’s Sophomore Year

Cameron’s Junior Year

College football eligibility:

Year 2 of 4

FORTY-ONE

Fight Club

CAMERON

Cameron dug his teeth into his lip as he paced the hospital waiting room, sick laughter buzzing in his ears, as poisonous as any bee.

One down. Nice work, boys.

Rage pulsed in his veins as he fought back the replay. His body ached not from sacks, but from stiff-arming his own teammates away from a brawl. Maybe he should have let them do it. The opponent’s team might have been happy to join them and converge on their own quarterback for his treason.

Nice work, like they were in on it. Their faces said otherwise. One down, like it was a game or a goal. Cam should have just taken his place in line to land a hit on Justin’s behalf. And Ethan’s, and Cory’s, and everyone who heard It was a joke over the last year—about girls, drugs, reputations, leadership—one too many times to turn their heads any longer about the kind of person Hayden Hamilton was.

Curled sideways on a couch across the room, Avery tossed and turned, trying to sleep off her shock. He paused in front of her and touched a fingertip to her chilled arm, then pulled off his sweatshirt. Her jacket might have been left in the ambulance. The strain of the last three hours gathered under her eyes in dark circles, and her lashes fluttered as he tucked the sweatshirt around her.

He kissed her forehead. Thumbs shaking, he opened the app.

Cameron

Paging @group-active, either Hammy’s out of this group, or I am.

Hayden

I vote to stay. God, you’re a sore winner. AGAIN.

Cory

What happened? Cam, is your guy okay? Luke and Eli Fields told me it was gruesome and Isaac’s freaking out. I couldn’t even watch the replay.

Cameron

Justin will be okay, no thanks to this sorry shitbag.

Dale

Hold up. We don’t talk head-to-head in here, remember?

Cameron

Did you see what happened to my linebacker?

Dale

Yeah, man, it looked awful, but Hammy didn’t do it.

Hayden

I didn’t even get my handshake on the fifty. Who’s crying this year? You ran after the whistle.

Cameron