Um...hi? Yes, yes, come at me with flames and pitch forks! I know, it's been a while...And I am truly sorry. If only I had the time and space to share my life with you. I promise to try and be better. I have the next two days off, so I'll start the next chapter sometime then! I love you all for staying with me here. With Love,
Kitty!
Standing Together
Wes looked at himself in the mirror, hands sliding down the material of Travis' jersey, smoothing the almost non existent wrinkles out. He couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. The material was different from anything he'd ever worn before, the red fabric able to stretch safely before going right back to it's original form. It made sense, the players wearing their jerseys with and without their protective gear. Still, Wes wished it wasn't so tight to his skin. It left nothing to the imagination, and while Wes and most of the female student body definitely enjoyed seeing Travis, he wasn't sure the same could be said for him. It wasn't like he was out of shape, tennis practice and his runs kept him pretty lean, but he felt as if he'd pale in comparison.
Wes traced the number on the jersey and suddenly felt better. He was wearing Travis' jersey. He was wearing his boyfriend's jersey. Happy butterflies took over his stomach, pushing the discomfort from his mind. He still felt nervous. Soon the entire school would know that they were dating. It was a big step and part of Wes was still unsure if it was the correct thing to do. It could cause Travis the game if the team refused to work with him. It could cause him to lose the possible scholarship if they lost but Travis said this was more important than that.
The rumors had gotten worse over the past week. Wes was right in thinking that their classmate had told everyone he saw them holding hands in the mall. It only seemed to fuel people's beliefs more, but because no one else had seen it, some still didn't believe it. Wes had noticed people watching him more often, especially when he was with Travis. When he was alone, he wanted to tear into someone, show them how he felt on the inside. But with Travis with him, it never seemed so bad. Travis wasn't upset with people knowing. It scared him a little, he had admitted that much, but he said he couldn't hide forever and he didn't want to hide with Wes.
Looking at the time, Wes grabbed his cardigan and started for the door. He paused in the doorway for a moment, knowing the two articles of clothing didn't go together. It would also defeat the purpose of wearing the jersey. He placed it back on his bed and walked out of his room, quickly making his way down the stairs. He was already behind schedule and wouldn't have time to make himself something to eat. He grabbed a granola bar and a bottle of water and headed for the front door.
"Wesley," his father called to him, making him pause in his tracks. "when did you join the football team? I thought we talked about this. Your mother won't be happy...Wesley, is that Travis' name on the back?"
Wes cringed, turning around to face his father. The man stood at the bottom of the stairs, more files in his hands, a shocked look on his face. His father was going to work later and later these days, sometimes leaving just before Wes and sometimes just after. He was getting home later as well. Wes hadn't see his mother much this week. He pushed the thought of his mind and faced the issue at hand. "Marks is Travis' last name." Answer without ever saying yes.
"Why are you wearing his football jersey?"
"Today is the championship game."
"Good for them," his father took his glasses off, "but that doesn't explain why you are wearing his jersey."
Wes took a step back towards the door, unsure of what to say. He wasn't ready to have this conversation with his family, especially his father. His parents still weren't aware that he and Alex had broken up and were certainly unaware of the fact that their only son was dating another boy. Even if they knew, they would never suspect Wes would go for Travis. They already didn't like him despite never meeting him. He could only imagine how this would go over.
"It's to show support for the team, dad," Wes said, trying to play it off as no big deal. "I really got to go. I'm already running late."
His father looked at him with suspicion, but Wes just stared back as if he'd done nothing wrong. He was freaking out on the inside and he prayed his father wouldn't ask anymore questions. He couldn't do this now. God, he wished Travis was there with him. "We'll talk about this later, Wesley."
Wes just said goodbye, turning around and quickly running out the door and to his car. He took a deep breathe before starting to drive, thinking of ways to escape his father until he was at least somewhat ready to tell him. Or at least come up with a believable excuse. He really should have wore his cardigan to school. Pulling into the parking lot at school, he went to his normal parking spot and got out. He stood there for a moment, unsure, feet feeling like lead. His cell phone went off.
Hey baby. you're normally here by now. are you ok?"
Wes grinned, quickly texting Travis back before heading inside. There weren't many people there, it still being early despite Wes being late. A couple people noticed him, some looked shocked and some didn't seem to care all that much. Wes ignored them and continued to his locker. Travis was waiting for him there, his foot pressed up against the locker next to his, his arms crossed over his chest as he lazily leaned back against the black surface.
"I would kill you if you were doing that to my locker."
"That is why I'm doing it to this person's locker." Travis teased leaning forward to grab Wes' hand. He looked him up and down and ran his fingers down Wes' stomach, much like the blonde had done earlier but for a very different reason. He ran his hands up and down Wes' arms, for once completely uncovered.
"Travis," Wes said softly, blushing, looking around to see if anyone was watching them. Travis had touched him like that before but never in a public area like the school hallway. Over the last few weeks, their kisses grew more intense, their touches a little more bold and sure. Travis would always back up when he thought things were getting too heated for Wes but the blond never felt like Travis was pushing him too far.
It wasn't that Wes didn't want to take things to the next level. He was a full fledge teenage boy after all and there was a time where he had wanted to take it that far with Alex. Alex hadn't been ready then, and soon Travis had come into the picture. Part of Wes thought it was too early for something like that to happen. They had only been dating a month and his rational part of his brain was telling him he couldn't trust Travis after that amount of time, especially with something so valuable as his first time. It didn't help that Travis has lost his virginity years ago to someone he couldn't remember the name to. There was a part of Wes, however, that told him it was okay. He didn't just love Travis, he was sure he was in love with him and that part of him wanted to give it to Travis, even if Travis couldn't return it. He just didn't know how to tell Travis that, or even if he could without sounding like a complete girl.
"I'm sorry," Travis apologized, giving him a wolfish grin, "you just look so...sexy."
"You don't look so bad yourself," Wes teased as he took a step forward. They were alone in the hallway but the thought that they could get caught any second made the hair on Wes' neck stand on end. "You're gonna kick ass today."
"With you there, you know it." Travis leaned forward and captured his lips with his own, pulling him closer and wrapping his arms around the blonde. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"
"I wouldn't be wearing your jersey if I wasn't," Wes said, pulling back to get the stuff he needed from his locker. "Are you?"
"I can handle whatever the team gives me," the other told him, "besides, Peter and Clyde got my back. Peter even called me last night."
"Dakota's doing?"
"I don't think so...I'm pretty sure he called all on his own. You know he can be a little..."
"Like Peter," Wes finished for him, both unable to think of anything else to accurately describe their friend. Travis only nodded in response, smiling. Their friends were great and even Clyde was coming around and being more open towards Wes.
"What took you so long to get here this morning? You always beat me."
"My dad caught me going out of the house this morning."
"...you didn't wear your cardigan out of the house?"
"Thought about it," Wes said. shrugging. "It's no big deal."
"It probably is to him..." Travis told him, unable to stop himself from seeing both sides. He understood that Wes' father was a bit of a jerk, always too busy for his son. But not knowing your son was interested in boys, and then seeing him dressed in another boy's jersey would probably give anyone shellshock. He wasn't standing up for him by any means and he prayed that Wes knew that.
The blonde had really only shrugged at the comment. He wasn't stupid, he knew that. Honestly, he was happy with the response he got. At least his father noticed him.
"So..." Travis said suddenly, "do you want to go to class now or...wait?"
Wes wasn't dumb enough not to know what Travis was really asking. If they went they went to class now, fewer people would see them but more would if they waited around in the hallway. Before Wes could answer, Dakota texted him and told him she and Rozelle were there as well. Wes showed Travis his phone and together the two made their way towards the girls' lockers.
Travis picked an empty spot close enough to the crowds but far enough away that Wes would feel comfortable. The blonde rested his back against the wall, using the surface to remind him the walls weren't closing in. Travis held his hand for a second, squeezing slightly before letting go. Dakota hugged Wes the moment she saw him and even Rozelle had asked him how he felt.
Wes had only smiled before Peter and Clyde showed up. Clyde was hyped up, ready to play the game and kick the other team's ass. Peter was practically bouncing off the walls and for twenty minutes the six just joked around and laughed.
More than half the school had noticed Wes and quite a few made a couple comments. "I knew it!" a voice that sounded exactly like Amy's rang throughout the hall, followed by a laugh that sounded like Kate. Some people whistled and others had laughed a little but neither Wes or Travis paid much attention to it.
"Sexy boys!" Alex had screamed as she past. Travis had laughed while Wes blushed. She was on the phone, which was unusual for her. Neither had to guess who she was talking to.
The warning bell rang and Wes found he didn't miss sitting in class reading his book at all. Travis wrapped his arm stood his shoulders and led him towards class while the others scattered for their own. Travis realized halfway down the hall that it was all too normal to do that, even before they were dating. So Travis slid his arm down and grabbed Wes' hand. Part of him thought Wes would pull away but was happy he didn't.
When they got to Dr. Ryan's, she looked up from her desk as soon as they walked in. There was only her and two other people in the room so far. She looked surprised to see them together at first but then smiled happily at them.
"Wes, Travis," she greeted them. "You both look quite dashing today."
"Thank you," Wes said, smiling shyly at her. Travis struck a pose, causing Wes to punch him in the arm. He rolled his eyes and walked to his seat, getting his stuff ready as he would any other day. Travis sat next to him and slowly students piled into the classroom.
"Hey, Wes!" one of the girls he never talked to called to him. She was blonde and very pretty. She was the type of girl Travis would go for and that settled uncomfortably in the stomach. She stood from her seat and struck a pose, pointing at the football uniform she was wearing. "See you at the game later!"
Wes nodded his head, the feeling easing in his stomach a little.
"Are you two dating?" One of the boys from the back asked, eyeing them both.
"Yeah," Wes said, and he felt good for saying it. "We are."
"You've gotta be shitting me," another said, a player on the football team Travis did his best to avoid. "Never knew you swung that way, man. I mean, come on Trav, I got naked in front of you."
"Dude," Travis said, obviously annoyed, "you're not even attractive. Get over it."
Half the class started laughing, including Dr. Ryan who tried her best to hide it. The football player laughed sarcastically, his teeth grinding.
"Now, now class," Dr. Ryan said, using her hands to signal for the class to calm down. "Let's get to the lesson today."
The class went by without any problems and soon the bell was ringing, signaling for the end of class. Wes waited for Travis as the other students ran out. "Are you sure you'll be okay in second hour?"
Wes shrugged, unsure. "It's too late to change my mind now and besides, I don't want to. I'll see you in gym."
"Wes, wait!" Wes turned around, being caught by surprise as Travis captured his lips in a short innocent kiss. "I'll see you in an hour."
Wes received little ridicule in second hour. The teacher shut anyone who even tried to mention it. Wes got the feeling Mr. Scrub wasn't all that comfortable with it. The teacher had once been a football player if he remembered correctly. Still, he didn't mention it either so Wes didn't care. As he was leaving second hour, one of the football players hugged him a little too close to the wall. Wes actually wanted to hit him, knowing he did it on purpose but Clyde showed up out of nowhere, setting his hand on Wes' shoulder to calm him down. The blonde actually felt embarrassed but Clyde only shrugged and together they walked to gym class.
Peter and Clyde put on a show for the locker room, their excitement too much for them to contain. Travis wanted to join them but instead snuck away to the tennis aisle where Wes was getting changed. He had seen Wes partially naked and felt almost everywhere without any layer of clothing but Travis still had his breath taken away every time he saw him.
"You can't sneak up on me."
"I wasn't trying to scare you," Travis whispered in his ear, getting close. He pressed himself up against Wes' back, his arms coming around to wrap around his naketorso.
"Not here," Wes said, scared, but still leaned back into Travis' touch. Travis nipped his ear before letting him go, sitting on the bench while the blond finished getting ready. "When you win, we should celebrate."
"Where?"
"I was thinking...more like...how."
Travis was silent for a second. "We never talk about it."
"We can."
Again, Travis was silent for a second before nodding his head. "Right after we win."
...
The rest of the day passed by quickly. Gym class was spent mostly fooling around, the teacher not wanting to do his usual routine because of the football game. The players continued to fool around, the others sitting on the bleachers and minding their own business.
Wes sat down towards the three point line on the gym floor, trying to ignore how dirty it probably was. Travis was alternating between talking to him and making noises Wes would normally find annoying but now found kinda cute.
When Peter and Clyde had officially worn themselves out, they practically collapsed on top of each other next to Wes. Peter's head was almost on the blonde's knee. For a moment, Wes thought to move. He wasn't sure if it was really appropriate, but Peter started talking to Travis almost immediately and the taller player didn't seem anymore concerned with the position than Peter so Wes just settled back on his hands and listened to them talk, he and Clyde making comments whenever appropriate.
Wes took a moment to look around the gym and took in the groups that had made themselves known. In the corner of the bleachers were the boys who usually were picked last for teams. They weren't very good at sports, but they were a close group and were laughing at something one of them was doing. The two kids Wes used to hang out with during class - whose names Wes still didn't know - were off to the side, talking quietly to themselves while glancing over their shoulders to where Wes and the others were sitting. Wes pretended not to notice and pulled his eyes away. A couple of the other boys were shooting baskets on the other side of the court and a couple others were standing off in the corner, not so discreetly glaring at their small group.
"How you feeling so far, man?"
Somehow, Wes knew Clyde was talking to him. "Good," he said, and almost laughed when he realized he was telling the truth. "This is easier than I thought it would be." The four continued to talk amongst themselves until the end of class. Travis and the other players had a meeting during lunch, so Travis walked Wes to the cafeteria before running to catch up to the others. Just as he was about to go to his normal table - which had somewhere along the way turned into the football player table - he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
He was surprised to find it was the blonde girl from his first hour. "Come on, Wes!" she said excitingly and Wes knew instantly he was missing something. Still, he followed her down the hall, ignoring the looks of fellow classmates as they nearly ran down the almost empty halls together. Down the hall and turning the corner, he could see Dakota and Rozelle walking along with numerous cheerleaders and other girls he knew to be girlfriends of the players.
"I'm Robin, by the way," she told him as they turned the same corner as the others, both slowing down. "It's okay that you don't know. Honestly, I had no idea what your name was until everyone started talking about you and Travis. You're cute together." She smiled at him, and he honestly couldn't help but smile back. They entered the music room together, the cheerleaders and players girlfriends all sitting around the room and eating their lunches while talking about anything that crossed their minds. "See ya," Robin said, giving him a small wave before walking over to the opposite corner he was headed.
For a moment, it felt strange being the only man in the room but Dakota ran forward and gave him a hug, Rozelle hitting him lightly in the shoulder and instantly pulling him into the conversation. Wes realized he wasn't much different from the rest of them. A guy, yes, but they were all there to support the team, whether it be cause that was their sport or for their boyfriends. There were still certain things he would never get used to, like the smell of all the perfume in one place or the makeup they put on each other but Wes couldn't lie. Sitting with them made him feel almost at home, coming only second to when he was with Travis.
"So has anyone given you any trouble?"
Wes shook his head, but darted his eyes back and forth as if looking for someone. "Not yet, but I'm sure they will. Caught a couple of guys, some football players but most glaring at Travis and me. It's probably just a matter of time."
"What are you going to do?"
Wes shrugged. "Don't know. Guess I'll have to wait and see."
"Well no one will bother you when you're with us," Dakota told him, pulling a small black square box out of her purse. "And none of the girls seem to have a problem with you...so the players shouldn't bother you when their girlfriends are around, either." She opened the box, a smirk coming to her face.
"What is that stuff?"
"Paint."
"Why do you have paint in your purse?" Rozelle pulled one out as well.
"We need to do your battlepaint!" It was then he realized both had a smooth streak of red under their left cheek, black under their right. "Stay still!" Before Wes could protest, Alex snuck up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders to keep him still. He laughed and after a moment, the girls went to work applying and fixing the paint whenever his laughter got in the way. He scrunched his face up when they finished, and got smacked in the arm for his trouble. "Wait til it dries!"
Lunch period went by too fast and soon they were all splitting up and heading their separate ways for their classes. Travis caught up to Wes at his locker and walked him to class, chatting aimlessly about the meeting and asking how Wes' lunch had gone. When they got to Law, Ms. Baxter giggled at them as they walked in the door, her eyes bright as they handed in their paper together like the other partners had. It had taken three times as long to finish the paper, both boys having gotten a little distracted from time to time when working on it.
"Let's talk about silly laws," she said. "I'm not talking about getting a ticket for a California roll. I mean honest to Goodness stupid laws. Can you guys think of any?"
"In South Carolina, it is illegal to give or receive oral sex." Travis spoke up immediately, not batting an eyelash.
"...you would know that." Wes murmured under his breath.
"Of course I do," Travis responded, "and you know what that means?"
"What?"
"We're never moving to South Carolina."
The class laughed, save for a couple people who may not have been listening or were offended. Ms. Baxter laughed, and so Travis didn't care much about anything else. Wes was blushing, but he didn't look mad so Travis just continued to laugh along.
"It is legal to protest outside Chicago city hall naked as long as you're under seventeen and have a permit." A girl said from the back as soon as it calmed down.
"Damn," Travis said out loud, "I'm too old now! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?!"
The class once again began to laugh. A boy in the front row said once most of the class quieted down, "Did you know it's illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament?"
"What are they going to do if I do," Wes mocked, "put my corpse in jail?"
"They'll definitely have to transfer you by ambulance," the same boy said, "because it is also illegal to transport a corpse by cab there."
Law never really seemed to drag on, not since the project partners had been picked, anyway, and today was no exception to that. The entire class was in an uproar, for once controlled by Ms Baxter as they talked and debated with her about which laws were the silliest and why the class believed they had ever seen the light of day and why no one has ever done anything to change them. It was the first conversation that everyone in class had gotten involved with, and Ms. Baxter seemed happy with that despite no work really being done.
Wes would have been upset for the easy day. He never really understood why the teachers felt it was necessary to practically stop school just because a big game was up later. He especially hated it when they did it for the tennis team. Everyone asked him questions and Wes had to resist the urge to actually stand and walk out of class. However, now, sitting next to Travis, feeling his energy as he smiled and cheered, Wes finally understood. Travis had been nervous about the game and about coming out to his team but the energy of the school and the students seemed to comfort him somehow. It comforted Wes too.
The bell rang, and Wes may have felt sad about it if it hadn't meant being closer to the game. Wes walked Travis to his class before heading to his own, for once completely lost in a world he didn't mind being in. He felt happy. He felt like no one could ruin the mood he was in.
But they sure tried.
There were two football players in next hour. Instead of sitting in their normal seats, they sat on either side of him, poking and throwing things at him whenever the teacher wasn't looking. Ms Gilligan didn't seem to have an issue with it herself, but didn't seem to notice the two players giving Wes a hard time. Wes didn't mind having stuff thrown at him. It was annoying, but Wes wouldn't let it get to him. But with each poke, Wes jumped, his hands clenching on his desk. His jaw was clenched tight and his eyes were brimming with tears. He couldn't stand being touched, and the more he tensed up, the more fun the boys seemed to have.
Wes was close to losing it. He tried as hard as he could to keep himself under control. When he lost control, there was no telling what he would do. He had moments where he would just break down and cry, moments of anger where he would scream, and moments of pure rage where he would punch whoever was pissing him off. Wes was so close to not caring...but he knew he had to remain calm or else he could miss the game. He wasn't all too concerned with getting in trouble. The school knew his condition. He had a couple incidents in his younger years but nothing since high school. The school wouldn't punish him but would certainly send him home.
Just as he felt his control completely slipping through his fingers, Wes caught something out of the corner of his eye fly through the air and hit the football player to his left in the head. "Ouch! Stupid bitch. What was that for?"
"Mr. Pyke! Your language!"
"Robin hit me in the head with her book!"
"Stop being a cunt and I wouldn't have had to!"
Ms Gilligan was about to speak when her eyes settled on Wes in front of her. Looking at him and then the players next to him and finally at Robin in the corner, she sighed. "Class is dismissed early today. Robin and Wes, why don't you two help me file before you go? Everyone else can leave."
Wes was sure they were going to get yelled at, but Ms Gilligan just spoke to them calmly about their days and the game to come. They spent the rest of class filing and when the bell rang, she wished them both a good day and let them leave. By then Wes was feeling better, but completely embarrassed by his behavior. Robin just kept calling the players words Wes had never once used in his life, but was thankful for her presence as he walked in the hallway.
He saw Travis as he turned the corner of the hallway and almost ran straight up to him but stopped when he saw the look in his boyfriend's eyes. He looked angry and after another moment of staring Wes realized Travis wasn't looking at him. Turning slightly to see over his shoulder, Wes could see Pyke and Johnson walking just slightly behind him and Robin, both talking and laughing with each other. Just then, Travis walked past him and he noticed too late to grab on to him.
"I don't care what you think. I don't care what you do to me. But you leave Wes alone. Or I will end you."
"Damn, Travis, chill...we were just messing with the kid." Pyke said, raising his hands in mock defence. "We didn't mean anything by it. And it's not our fault the little fag couldn't take it. You shoulda seen him, almost crying! You must be the man in the relationship. At least you aren't a complete fag!"
Travis almost hit him, but Wes stepped in the way. The darker teen was shocked, fist mid swing. A crowd started to form, but they didn't pay attention to it. "If you hit him, you won't play."
"He deserves it."
"He isn't worth it."
"You are."
Wes smiled, taking a step forward, "And I thank you for believing that...but please Travis, if I'm really worth it, please listen to me and just let it go. Please." He took Travis' still clenched fist in his hand and gently pulled it down to their sides. "I wanna see you play. I wanna see you win."
Travis glared at Pyke and Johnson but allowed Wes to lead him back down the hall. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."
"I was fine," Wes told him, though he knew deep down he wasn't. "It'll get better as time goes on. It's the first day! And, I'm not alone. We're not alone. Robin had my back today."
"Thanks girl," Travis said, reaching his hand out and bumping fist with the blonde. Wes felt something when he did. He thought he would feel jealous, but it was more of a sense of pride and comfort. Robin punched Wes lightly in the shoulder before taking off, leaving the two alone. "I'm sorry I lost my temper."
Wes looked around a minute before leaning forward and kissing Travis, "I thought it was sweet...but thank you for listening to me."
The final bell rang and both instantly swore. Travis took off for his locker to get his things, Wes followed behind. Wes already had his stuff but didn't want to go without Travis. Ms Percy was going to be a pain to deal with, so Travis hurried as quickly as he could. Class was really just beginning by the time they made it and at first Ms Percy waved them off, but stopped them as they got closer to her desk.
"Wes...what are you wearing?"
"Travis' uniform."
"Why?"
"Cause he's my boyfriend."
The class erupted in giggles and gagging. The teacher looked like she was about to say something, but stopped. "Sit down." The two shared a look before going to their normal seats. Alex threw a look Wes' way as he sat down, silently asking what was up. Wes just shrugged his shoulder, not sure what to say and really unable to say anything at all. The class passed by slowly. Ms Percy decided on a study hour for the next upcoming test would be both easy and effective for the day.
Ms Percy started off with an easy question, but Wes and Alex were among the few who raised their hand. She stared at them for a moment, and, while still looking at them, called on Travis in the back. The darker teen stuttered for a moment, completely caught off guard, before sprouting out a bunch of random words that somewhat covered the answer. Instead of saying anything about it, Ms Percy moved on to the next question. Wes turned to look at Travis, a puzzled expression on his face. She normally left Travis alone, usually too short tempered to deal with him.
"Wes, if you have time to look at Travis, you have time to think about the answer."
The blond just turned and stared at her. He had no idea what the question was and he was already so annoyed that he didn't care to ask her. She stared at him for another minute before averting her attention to Travis.
"This is going to be a long hour..." Alex whispered to Wes, and was immediately punished for her trouble when Ms Percy called on her when Travis admitted he hadn't been listening to her. Alex settled back in her seat with a sigh, taking a random guess to the answer. Then teacher made a noise and moved onto the next question. Whether the answer was even remotely close to being correct was completely up to debate but Ms Percy seemed satisfied in her taunting for the moment and moved on to her next set of victims.
The hour passed by slowly, Ms Percy taking her time to torture each student in her own little way. Fifteen minutes before the final bell, the principal came on over the loudspeaker and dismissed the football and cheerleading team so they could prepare. Travis stood and the class exploded in cheers, despite the teacher's protest.
"I'll see you later," Travis told Wes as he past his desk, knowing everyone was watching.
"Right after we win." Wes told him, smiling.
Travis and the two cheerleaders in the room left together, and Wes felt a strong pain in his chest. He was so nervous. For the game and what would come after. If they won, Travis and him were meant to talk about taking their relationship to the next level. But if they lost...Wes wasn't sure they could. The memory would always be a reminder of their loss. More importantly, Wes knew how important this game was to Travis. He knew what was riding on it for him. And he knew that some of the players were mad at him. Wes settled uncomfortably in his seat, comforted only when Alex reached over and gave his hand a quick squeeze.
Wes gave her a weak smile, too lost in his thoughts to hear anything more than the final bell ringing.
"Game on."