Free Rival Dreams (Rival Love #3) by Natalie Decker

parking garage. Popping the door open, I finally break down. It’s ugly, if I do say so myself. A grown man crying is never pretty. My chest heaves and a flood of tears breaks free. I drop to the ground and smack my head against the door. Yeah, there will probably be a dent, but I honestly don’t give a fuck.
    My phone falls out of my coat pocket and onto the paved ground. Through blurred eyes I snatch it up and call the one person who can stop me from doing something stupid, like running to Skylar’s dorm and begging her for forgiveness. I need to be strong and stand my ground, even if it kills me. For her. That’s what this all comes down to: her happiness in the end.
    Derrick answers after two rings. Yeah, I know. I’m calling the one person I haven’t really spoken to since last year. In all fairness, he’s the only one who can distract me from my mess.
    “Yo yo. Derrick here.”
    “What up, man?” I say, trying to hold back the ache in my voice.
    “Caleb! Holy shit balls. What’s up, man? I haven’t talked to you in forever. How’re Sky and you? Don’t tell me you’re fucking getting married.”
    Okay maybe Derrick wasn’t the best choice after all. The very mention of her name sends me into another spiral. I slide into my car and laugh bitterly, “Nah, man, we, uh … I … uh … broke up with her today.”
    I hear some noises in the background that sound like the makings of a party. A couple of doors shut and then Derrick says, “What do you mean you broke up with her today? On Valentine’s Day, are you out of your fucking mind? That’s so completely messed the hell up, bro. Where the hell is Lance? I’m going to kick his pansy ass for letting you do something so stupid.”
    “Derrick, calm down! Jesus, man. I had to do it. I just …” I start to sniffle as I recall the look on Skylar’s face. The pain I put there. Her hand colliding with the side of my face so hard you would have thought she punched me. My jaw still hurts and I deserve it. “I love her so much, but I know she won’t follow me. She fought tooth and nail to get into Duke and she’s not going to leave it when I go into the draft.”
    “Dude, congrats. I was wondering if you were … but Caleb, don’t take this the wrong way, you’re a goddamn moron. Did you even ask her if she’d go?”
    “You don’t get it. I can’t ask her. She belongs here. And who knows where I’ll be.”
    “Okay. I just think maybe you should have asked her and let her draw her own conclusion. You two have fought this long to be with each other, I just can’t understand why you wouldn’t ask her.”
    I sigh. “I was scared she’d follow me and regret it for the rest of her life. I can’t let that happen. Sky needs to finish what she started here. Without me.”
    Derrick clears his throat. “I don’t know. You’re right, I guess. But how are you going to handle it? Think about it. Some other dude is going to ask her out. Might be her study partner. Might be some douchebag on her team. Fuck, it might be some dumb punk-ass bitch in one of her classes. Point is, someone’s going to ask her out. And eventually she’s going to say yes. Then what? Are you going to come charging back and stake your claim all over again?”
    “No. I think it’s pretty clear I am never going to get another chance with her again.” The reality of this statement is like a knife to my heart. Tears prick my eyes and I actually let them fall. She’s the best damn thing that ever happened to me, and I just let her go. “All I can do is hope they make her happy and treat her right.”
    “Jesus, man, you really did ruin it for good. I’m sorry. Look, I got break coming up in a month, maybe I’ll come hang out with your sorry ass. We’ll celebrate your going pro and just shoot the shit. Until then, man up. Quit crying like a girl. I can hear you sobbing. And tell Lance to fucking call me. Pronto.”
    “Gotcha. Thanks, bro.”
    “Any time. I gotta get back to