Colors of Us

14| Garrett

Of course, Jordan was the same asshole as always, heckling Garrett when he was up to bat or on the pitching mound, but at least he was interacting with Garrett. Gus acted the same way if Jordan was nearby, but once he left, Gus followed the other players' example and ignored him. It dropped Garrett's estimation of Gus while he begrudgingly admired Jordan. The guy was nothing if not consistent.

After practice, Jordan called a quick meeting during dinner to discuss the final details of B-Bash. Standing at the head of a long table that looked like something out of Hogwarts, Jordan went down his list, writing notes as people answered. Garrett was responding to a text from his mom when Jordan said, "DJ. Do we have that squared away?"

Garrett flushed with panic. He'd forgotten about the DJ. He stuttered for a plausible excuse, but Stephan, sitting on the opposite end of the table, piped up. "It's taken care of. It's the same guy who did Cardboard Under the Stars. He'll be there from ten-thirty to two."

"What about the invoice?" Jordan asked.

Marcus chimed in, "We paid him half, and the rest is due the night of."

"Does he know where to go?"

Marcus nodded. "We emailed him the details, and the hotel already has his info."

Jordan's gaze cut to Garrett, waiting for him to speak. His eyes dimmed with disapproval when Garrett dropped his head in shame. "Good job," Jordan said to the two, noticeably cutting Garrett out.

Stephan and Marcus perked up at the praise, and Garrett felt a prick of annoyance. He knew they weren't currently talking, but they sure switched sides fast. They used to complain how awful Jordan was to Garrett. Maybe they enjoyed it now.

Jordan wrapped up the meeting. "And if you don't have your dates yet, be sure to get on it. You don't wanna be the asshole who has to ask a girl last minute."

Afterward, Garrett saddled up to Marcus and Stephan. "Um, thanks for taking care of the DJ for me. It completely slipped my mind." He was still pissed at them, especially for what they said to Arianne that night. He didn't care how drunk they were. They didn't have a right to be rude and condescending. But regardless of his personal feelings, they deserved a "thank you" for covering his ass.

"The DJ thing wasn't just you, ya know," Stephan said around a wad of gum.

"What?"

Stephan's dark eyes flickered with irritation. "It was our responsibility. Ours. Not just yours."

"I..." Garrett blinked in confusion. "I know that."

"Do you?" Marcus asked as Stephan shook his head in frustration and brushed past. "It's no wonder you have an ulcer."

Garrett balked. "What do you mean by that?"

"You cling to responsibility like it's an anchor and then wonder why you're drowning. Finding a DJ didn't fall on your shoulders alone. We were in it together. Something you forget all the time." Marcus leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Look, we know you have a lot going on in your life. And yeah, we probably didn't go about things the best way, but Saint, we're not the enemy. You can rely on us. We're your teammates." Marcus followed Stephan out the door, not giving Garrett a chance to answer.

Well, fuck. He hadn't thought of it like that. In his mind, he was apologizing because he hadn't done a single thing to find a DJ while they had researched and set everything up. He hadn't meant to make them feel irrelevant. However, he didn't know what to make of Marcus' opinion of him. Did he really come off as someone who shouldered the responsibility in every situation?

As Garrett shuffled out of the cafeteria, he pulled out his phone to text Arianne. He wanted her opinion. Ever since he'd gotten her phone number during their night on the bench, he'd been updating her about his situation with the team and his friends. She'd been encouraging him to be more open and honest with them.