Right Before The End | BOOK #4 IN THE PSU SERIES

Sixty-Nine

I sucked in a deep breath as I rounded the corner, entering thenoise-filledd room. I cleared my throat, as I stared– finding no one. However, as I walked around the counter, my heart fell to my knees as I saw Slater curled up in the fetal position against the floor.

Shit.

I quickly walked toward him and noticed a beerbottled tucked in between his hands, his body shook as he cried. "Shhhh, Slater," I muttered his name as I sat on the ground next to him. His head didn't even pick up when I spoke. In fact, it was like he didn't even care if someone was here next to him.

I rubbed his shoulder. He choked out another sob. "Leave me alone." He said.

My brows furrowed. "No, what happened? What's wrong? Tell me, if you can't tell anyone then tell me. I don't care enough about you to rat you out to your parents, just fucking spit it out already!" I tried to be quiet because Sage was upstairs sleeping.

He sat up, back against the island wall that was attached to the floor. He pulled his knees up to his chest. He stared at the ground, stared at me, then back down at the ground again. His eyes were wet, his hair was messed up and he looked like he had been in a few bar fights tonight, but in all reality, it was football doing it to him.

"It was me. I'm sorry that I didn't fess up soon enough but it was me and I was jealous and I should have never done it or put anyone up to doing it– I am so so so fucking sorry Blaise. I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything I did to you, to Sage– to your parents. I am sorry."

My jaw clenched, as he drunkenly tried to get his words across. His head dug into his arms that were resting against his knees. My heart raced, my brows drew together, I reached for his head, pulling it back up so he could stare me in the eyes.

"What? What did you do that's so wrong Slater?" I asked.

He sighed after drawing in a long breath.

"I was the one who got you jumped."

A shallow breath left my chest that felt hollow. More hollow than it had before. I reeled back from him. My mind went racing as the rest of me went numb. Flashbacks from that night appeared before my eyes. Then flashbacks of me confronting him– him denying it– me deciding that since he wasn't the one that jumped me that I would leave, for him, for everyone.

I rubbed my chin with my fingers before running both of my hands over my face. I shook my head, staring him in the eyes which were for a small moment because he couldn't stare me in the eyes long enough.

"Slater..." I lead off.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm not okay, and I haven't been okay. I'm trying to be better for everyone. My parents, my grandpa, my sister, you, Rory, my–" He couldn't finish his sentence as he placed his head in his hands as he tried to gasp for air, but he couldn't because he was suffocating himself with his hands. A sign of defeat. A sign of guilt.

Fuck.

"Why would you... I mean... How could you? And then to lie to me?" He was tipsy, he wasn't shitfaced– but I knew after admitting this to me, he would flake unless I confronted him about everything now.

He swallowed hard. "I overheard my dad, Reese, and my grandpa. They all wanted you– not me. And although I've always had everything I wanted, the only thing I've ever had to show for myself was football and somehow, I can't even do that right. Nothing else feels right but football. I overheard them saying how they were going to move me, give you my position and that's when I decided..."

My head dropped, my shoulders low at his next words.

"It wasn't supposed to be this bad, Blaise. You were just supposed to quit the team, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I never intended for anything to go this way. Watching my sister go through what I inevitably did to her– seeing you become more successful than me, the pressure, the weight, and then you come back so nice to me." His hand reached for the comfort of the beer bottle but before he could grab it, I yanked it back.