I raised a finger to silence her as I dug it out of my back pocket and checked it. I half-expected to see a call from Dad or Evelyn, or even the modeling company, but the words on the screen shocked me.
Call from James Carter.
What’s he calling for? I wondered. The last time I had talked to my old coach at South State, he’d been pissed at me for causing so much trouble by beating up my teammate. He got even more pissed when I was subsequently forced from the school because of my actions, leaving the lacrosse team without their All-Star player.
“Coach Carter?” I answered.
“Stefan, my boy!” Carter greeted enthusiastically. “How good to hear your voice again. How have you been doing?”
I glanced at Bella, who was staring at me with an inquisitive expression. “I’m doing well.”
“Good, good. How’s things going at North State?”
I paused. “Uh . . . I’m no longer enrolled there, actually.”
“Well that’s just wonderful news!”
What the hell?
I reared back and looked at the cell with surprise, as if I was looking him in the face, before bringing it back to my ear.
“Listen, Stefan. I talked to Jared Stroing’s parents and cleared everything up. They are fine with you returning to South State as long as you and Jared promise to get along. I have secured a sports scholarship for you so you can attend the next semester free of charge. All you have to do is show back up.”
I sat there in dumbstruck silence, unable to believe what I was hearing.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for you, Stefan. I’m talking about something that could lead to a professional career.” Coach Carter continued. “You were one of the best athletes I have ever seen, and I never stopped believing in you.”
I swallowed deeply. Coach Carter had just re-ignited my dream of being an All-Star athlete. Besides Bella, it had always been one of the driving forces in my life. Heck, since I’d been back at home, I found that I missed playing sports immensely.
“Um, that’s wonderful, Coach Carter,” I said dumbly.
“Wonderful?” Carter asked incredulously. “It’s fucking fantastic!” He chuckled. “So what do you say, huh? Come back and lead these kids to greatness.”
I wanted so badly to accept Coach Carter’s offer, but I had a baby on the way and Bella to think about. There was no way I could return to school and sports and take care of Bella at the same time, at least not right now.
“Uh, I'm going to have to get back to you on that, Coach,” I said.
There was a short pause over the line. “All right, Stefan.” He sounded slightly disappointed. “But I want to remind you that an offer like this isn’t going to last long. I’ll be expecting an answer back from you soon.”
“Who was that?” Bella asked as soon as I was off the phone.
The expression on her face caused a heavy feeling in my chest and I fucking hated it. “It was my old coach back at South State, Coach Carter.”
“What did he want?”
I let out a sigh, knowing I should probably keep my mouth shut on the offer, but I knew that Bella wouldn’t stop until she knew what was said. “He was offering me a scholarship to return to South State to resume my position as captain of the lacrosse team.”
I saw the fear flash in Bella’s eyes immediately. “Oh that’s great, Stefan,” she said without any emotion. She eyed me closely. “What are you going to tell him?”
I laughed nervously. “Is that a joke or what? Of course I’m going to tell him no.”
Silence filled the room as Bella studied me.
Her scrutiny made me feel uncomfortable, and I kept talking to fill the void. “I have you and the baby to worry about. I can't accept the offer, not right now.”
“You should do it,” Bella said suddenly.
I stared at her. ‘Huh?”
She looked away from me. “You should do it,” she said, her voice sounding weak. “Don’t worry about me and the baby. I’ll find a way on my own.”
“What are you talking about, Bella? I can’t just leave you alone to fend for yourself.”
Bella turned back to me and I could see tears streaming down her cheeks. “But this is your life-long dream we’re talking about here.”
“My life-long dream was to be with you.”
I thought my words would bring her solace, but Bella turned back away. I reached out to grab her, but she pushed my hands aside and wiped at her tears.
“I ruined you,” she said quietly.
I felt like I’d just been punched in my stomach. “What?”
“I ruined your life when I got pregnant. This was my nightmare, Stefan. In my dream, you were there right at the end, and you said that I ruined you and your future. It broke my heart. Now, it's all coming true.”