all the time. The memory of that night resurfaces, sneaking into my head and throwing images at me. Us dancing…my body pressed against hers…and then the words I pushed out of me with force, words that saved me from falling into a deep hole with her.
She opens the door and walks out.
End of. Done. We are over. I don’t want to be near her again.
So why does my chest…
I’m still looking at the door when Candi, Dani’s sorority sister and lookalike, joins us. I feel like I’m being squeezed by two beach balls as the girls latch onto my arms and pull me back to our table.
4
At the table, Dillon is recounting to everyone the only big play he was part of during the game where we ran a fake kick in the first quarter and he threw me a touchdown pass. “…and then out of nowhere Blaze rises up and catches the ball with one hand. He cradled it like a little baby and landed on his back. I thought my pass was intercepted for sure, but he bailed me out!” He raises his glass. “To Blaze! A Wildcat legend!”
Yeah, right—but what’s next? A tingle of dread goes down my spine. If the NFL doesn’t work, I’ll probably just end up selling cars like I do in the summer to earn extra money.
“Lighten up, man!” Dillon says as he claps me on the back. “Lose that frown and let’s celebrate.”
Right, right.
“Maybe he just knows deep down that he didn’t have anything to do with our big win,” adds Archer with his Cajun drawl. “Defense won that game. Then you pretty boys get all the glory. Please.”
I swivel my head and take him in. Tall and lean with a sleeve of tattoos up his arm and short Billy Idol bleached hair, he thinks he’s the best thing on our team. Pompous dickhead.
I just grin because he hates it. “Poor Archer. Your feelings hurt by all the attention the offense gets?”
His lips curl. “Fuck you, Townsend. You may have made some big plays, but who really cares? NFL scouts don’t.”
“No arguing tonight,” Dillon says subtly as he slides between us and squeezes my shoulder.
“Later, assholes.” Archer laughs and heads off to another table of defensive players and a few jersey chasers.
I shake off the comment, determined to not let Archer ruin the win for me by bringing up my lack of media coverage. We haven’t gotten along since last year when he was a little too aggressive with Ryker, our first-string quarterback and one of my roommates. Sure, that all turned out fine, but there’s a thick line drawn between us. We may play on the same team, but both of us are fighting to get into the NFL now. So far, he’s winning.
Later, after we’ve played several games of beer pong, the crowd has thinned and the party breaks apart. Margo and Connor leave, and Dillon heads out with a brunette tucked up next to him. He drove me here, but I don’t want to block his game. I can always find a way home.
I stand to leave and weave on my feet just a tiny bit. Truth is, it’s mostly exhaustion fueled by a few beers. I’m not trashed. I don’t get trashed, not when there’s so much at stake with football.
“I’ll give you a ride home,” Dani says. Her eyes are sweet and imploring, and I wince. I like her, I really do, but…
“I’ll call an Uber.”
“We’ll both get you home and safely in bed,” adds Candi with a crafty smile as she and Dani exchange knowing glances.
A couple of the guys overhear and again raise their glasses.
“BLAZE! A Waylon legend in more ways than one.”
“Whatever.” I say it with a wide grin, but inside, something else is pricking at me—and I know exactly what it is. My head is still on Charisma’s face when she walked out the door, that bruised expression…
I was fine, totally fucking fine, until I saw her.
Outside, the cold wind slaps my face. Dani leads me to her little BMW, and I get in the passenger seat while Candi gets in the back. The car ride is quick, the girls giggling about how excited they are for a new semester and all the plans they have.
I keep quiet and stare out the window. I don’t know what my plans are. My life is on hold until April when the NFL draft happens, and if that doesn’t work out—shit, I don’t want to even