I hold the door open for Camryn and patiently wait as she hesitates briefly before entering the bar. Beside me, the bouncer barely glances at both of our ID's before opening and holding the second set of doors for us. Camryn freezes again as soon as she crosses the threshold. I watch as her body becomes stiff and rigid, the only motion is when she begins rocking back and forth on her feet. Her eyes survey the crowd from where she stands, but I can't tell if she's just assessing the situation, or reconsidering our agreement altogether.

I expected this type of delay at least once from her. She wouldn't be Camryn if her first reaction wasn't to maneuver a way to take control of the situation. It's the whole reason I was a little surprised that she agreed to it in the first place, and as quickly as she did. I may or may not have been shitting myself in her dorm, but I needed her to say yes. I used everything I could to sell it, and was fully prepared to take it even further with actual pictures and lists. I was willing to do anything to make the deal sound like she was getting the most out of it. I knew she would want to know what's in it for me, but honestly I just needed to do something to not just be the piece of shit taking her brother's money, not after learning the real motives behind Cal's offer. So if the least I have to do is not drink when I'm around her, I'll be the best damn sober student this university has ever seen.

It was one thing to see her drunk at my house and to find out it was all because of her mom. That her depression was just a precipitating factor of the loss causing her to feel singled out in her feelings of grief when her family didn't confirm them. I could completely see her side of it. If I was in her shoes I would react the same way, hell I would probably be worse. But without Cal's money, I could be there a year from now, two years from now. I push back the feelings of what that means for my mom, for me.

I could never have imagined the position Camryn is in now though, that those feelings of loss and isolation have led her to where she is now. I had no idea she was feeling stuck in place, and without options. Instead of celebrating her accomplishments, her milestones, she's biding her time until her dad will finally release the hold he has. Even if he hasn't noticed the strides she's made yet, I will make sure he does. I know the way Coach works, on and off the field. I know that the only way to help Camryn is to mold her into what her father wants. I have no plans of changing her, but I need to help accentuate the positive details her father attributes with success.

If I don't accomplish anything else through this plan, it's still a way to see more of the Camryn I now know. Not the one who uses hurtful words and aggression as a defense, but uses her honesty and humor to make others feel important, to feel noticed. It's only a few more months and then she will be free. I only have to fake it for a few more months.

"You have to make it past the door, Capt." I nudge her in the back with a finger. Aside from making her wiggle, it has little effect in moving her further into the room.

"I already feel so out of place. How did I let you drag me here without at least a promise of something tangible? Concert tickets, your vintage jean jacket," She says, holding her hands out as if she's pretending to feel the weight of her imaginary reward in them.

"I knew you liked that jacket," I say, shooting her a wink. I can tell she's nervous. Rambling to avoid an uncomfortable situation is something we have in common. "You will be fine Camryn, besides I'm the one who has to make it through this sober." I'm now resting my hand on her lower back, applying just enough pressure to nudge her forward. I can feel some of her tension melt away with the light touch. I swallow back the same tension that has somehow been transferred into me. Camryn grunts and rolls her eyes, but just as I was hoping, she allows me to guide her.

We make our way over to the usual table that houses my usual crowd. Cal, Tanner, Kaleb, Dom and some other freshmen from the team I only know as their number or nicknames. Each guy has a woman either in their lap or close by. Another usual for our nights at The Union. The only girls I recognize are Kaitlyn and Stella, also Tanner and Kaleb's usuals for karaoke night.

I greet them all quickly before leading Camryn to the last two empty chairs. I have to bite back my laughter as Camryn gives the other girls a once over. She's obviously questioning how she fits into our group, and with these girls. I was at least able to convince her to change into a tight fitting shirt that shows off her curves perfectly, but she insisted on her baggy jeans and chucks. I wasn't in a position to argue with her when she declined wearing a cropped top, and any glimpses of her bare skin might make my dick take over my thoughts, ultimately ruining my plans.

"Who's the girl?" Tanner, asks. Before I can answer, Cal does it for me, "This would be my sister." He narrows his eyes between us, the disapproval of me with my hand on her is written all over his face. I can see him questioning my rationale for bringing his sister here. And I'll explain myself as soon as I can convince Camryn to take the stage. I move the conversation by introducing her formally to the group.

"Whatcha doing here little sis? I knew you had a thing for embarrassing yourself in public, but even this seems a little much." The words come out hot in Camryn's direction. I clench my jaw to remain neutral. It's not my battle to fight.

"I was told it was Drag night. I was promised your alter ego Gaydonna was gonna come out. I couldn't pass up a chance to finally see you perform Like A Prayer. You've only been practicing since we were seven." Camryn turns towards the crowd of our friends as she speaks. The chance to roast her brother suddenly gives her even more confidence to share. "You know I still have pictures of him with blue eyeshadow and our moms heels if anyone wants an autograph," she adds.

Cal huffs but brushes her off with a middle finger before grabbing the pitcher from the table and heading for a refill. Camryn is deep in conversation with the guys about Cal's Madonna impression so I take my chance to leave her alone. I follow Cal to the bar, needing to get this over with before it becomes a bigger deal than it needs to be.

"Fucking my sister wasn't part of our deal," Cal says without looking at me when I approach him.

"Calm the fuck down, I'm not fucking your sister." I make sure to twist my face in a way to assure him that I never will. "I had a new idea," I add.

"We agreed to terms, four two," He says, throwing cash down on the bar in front of him. He may be an asshole but he always tips the bartenders who give us free beer.

"C'mon nine, you'll like this," I say, shoving him with my shoulder. "We agreed to terms, but I thought I'd take it one step further. Give you actual evidence that your sister over there is doing as great as I tell you she is." Cal eyes me wearily, like his sister, gauging what's in it for me. "I bring her around once a week so you can see for yourself. It's just something to add to your report." I don't dare say who he is reporting back to, but he nods in understanding. "And for my extra leg work, you give me an advance. All the money up front," I say, letting go of the real reason I needed to talk to him.

My mom called me yesterday to say that her next bills were ready to be paid, and that the trial drug she's been on has been working. Her latest scan showed the cancer cells have been responding and shrinking, so successfully they want to up the dose. Upping the dose changes the price changes the price though. It makes sense, but it's an extra hundred dollars a week.

She tried to argue that she didn't need it though, saying that her body seems to like the lower dose and "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I could barely hear the words as she said them. Her voice is so weak from the stress her body is under. It took everything in me not to tell her how broken she is. I wanted to tell her that the only reason I'm doing any of this is to fix her, to make sure that her sole focus is on resting. If I can get all of my money up front to pay for treatment in advance, my mom will stop receiving the bills and can focus on getting better, nothing else.

"And why should I do that? How do I know you won't just take the money and ghost her?" Cal asks, throwing his head back in the direction of the table, of his sister.

"Imagine if you didn't have to just take my word for it, you could say you've seen it with your own eyes. Take fucking pictures if you need to. Whatever you need to make your evidence real and compelling. I have a feeling it would pay off in your favor too," I say. It's been an unspoken understanding to this point, that Cal is only paying me a fraction of what his father is actually giving him to play the role of the concerned brother. Cal is dumb, but not dumb enough to give me all of his money or risk his father catching him in a lie.

Cal slides his tongue across his teeth in consideration. It's a look I know well. He gives the same one before calling a play on the field. It's when he's considering the other teams set, carefully looking at each linemans position, assessing if he thinks a rush is coming. It's the same look he gives before deciding if a play call needs to change. Right now he's considering how these new terms play in his favor. How they could lead to extra yards for him, how he might score. Cal is always looking to raise his own value.

"You better not fuck her," He says. "If you do, no deal. And I let Ryn cut your balls off," He adds.

I initiate our handshake as relief floods over me. It's the first time in days I've felt like everything might actually work out.

🏈🏈🏈

We listen to a pair of girls sing a very screechy version of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," followed by the Freshman's version of "I Want It That Way," as an initiation into our little group. I would have chosen for them to sing "Any Man of Mine," by Shania Twain, but I wasn't listening when the decision was made. My attention has been focused on Camryn who hasn't stopped scrolling through social media on her phone. I can tell she's only doing it to avoid the group because she hasn't actually stopped on any image or message long enough to really see it.

I worry that I've pushed her too far too quickly, that I've already ruined this friendship we've started, but by the end of the third song, Camryn seems to be loosening up. I can feel her foot tapping along with the music against mine under the table.

As soon as a majority of the group moves to get another round from the bar I lean in closer to Camryn. "You ready for your set?" I ask as I nudge her with my shoulder. She shoves mine back just as playfully. "Oh yeah, doing my vocal warm ups as we speak.," She says, clearing her throat.

"Good, cause you're next," I say, pulling the side of my mouth up involuntarily. "Well, we're next."

"Good one, very original. I suppose next you're going to tell me that this is my chance to live out any High School Musical fantasy I have with you?" she asks stone-faced.

"Never seen it, but I would be interested to hear about any of your other fantasies that include me," I purr into her ear. This alone is enough to make her spine shoot straight as she flicks me off. "I'm serious though, Quinn. After this Adele wanna be is finished, it's all you. Well, all us," I say, motioning between us. Camryn turns, her whole body facing me now. Her brows are pulled tight and filled with panic.

"You can't be serious, Reed. This isn't what I signed up for!"

"You kind of did, handshake and all." I grab her hand and move through the motions again to refresh her memory.

"I agreed to come, not to participate," she answers.

"You can't expect to make people believe you're actually having fun if you just sit here. Especially with that look on your face," I say, making her scowl in return. I point to her face with an emphasis on that one. "Come on, I picked this song specially for you. It's one of my favorites so I'll take the lead. But if you're too scared—" I pull up one corner of my mouth as I shoot her a wink. She doesn't respond. Instead, she breathes in deeply. On her exhale, she storms right past me, her eyes set straight ahead, heading straight for the stage.