...Patton shook his head. “It just seemed easier to stay here until the end of the season. There no reason for me to fly back to LA every week.”

“Really? No family or friends?”

“Nobody who’ll miss me.”

DeShawn leaned back in his chair and looked at Patton thoughtfully. “I’m surprised to hear that, though I guess I shouldn’t be.”

Patton frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You keep your distance from the whole team. And I guess that’s not a big deal, though I’ve never seen anybody hold himself so much apart. Don’t you worry about that?”

“Why should I worry about it?”

“What happens if you have to take over the team? None of the guys even know you.”

“Oz—”

“Is the leader, I know. You’re committed to being a good teammate to him. But you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, you know what I mean? He could get hurt and then you’ve got to step up and—”

“What do you know about it?” Patton snapped.

DeShawn blinked at Patton’s harsh tone. “I just thought—”

“When I want your opinion on how I play, I’ll ask for it.”

“I’m not talking about how you play.”

“You’re implying that I’m not doing what I should.”

“You’re not. Just because you’re the backup doesn’t mean you cede all responsibility. You still have obligations to the team.”

“Why do you think it’s any of your business?”

“Fuck, at this point, I honestly don’t know. I thought you’d be different.”

“I am. I just…” Patton stabbed at his steak. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

“You’re young. You have your whole career ahead of you. I don’t. And I don’t know…I don’t know what’s expected of me anymore.” He bit down on the other half of that thought. I don’t know who I am anymore.

“What happened in LA?”

“I hurt my knee.”

“You can still play. Hell, you still have the best arm in the league. You know how to control a game. So how did you end up playing second string on a team that hasn’t seen the playoffs in five years?”

“My arm isn’t the only thing that matters.”

“Bullshit.”

Patton wasn’t even tempted to tell DeShawn the truth. He doubted he would ever utter those words out loud. Unlike his mother, Patton had never felt like confession was good for the soul. “You don’t have to believe me, but it’s true. I’m slower now, and they would have had to rethink the entire offense to account for that.”

“So they’re lazy.”

“They have a good scheme and they found a quarterback that fit well. It was either take the Phoenix deal or retire.”

“Why didn’t you retire? I don’t think this is what you want. You don’t act like you’re very happy here.”