The QB Bad Boy and Me

by Tayler Marley

  Emily wandered past in a white silk gown that I had to admit looked as perfect and expensive as it was meant to.

  “Oh, Dallas,” she chimed with the fake friendliness that she had down to a fine art, “that gold crown is as tacky as your attempt to have Drayton notice you.”

  “Thanks! Your personality was my inspiration.”

  She scowled and kept walking, her minions trailing along behind her.

  When I looked back down the hallway, Drayton was gone. Disappointment didn’t evade me, but this was what I’d asked for. I didn’t have the right to be surprised. I was, though. I’d half expected, or half hoped, that he’d ignore my wishes and pester me relentlessly, like he had before.

  “Why don’t you just talk to him, Dallas?” The bell rang and Gabby and I wove through the student body toward homeroom. “You obviously miss him?”

  “There’s no point. I’m leaving next year—why start something that’s just going to end?”

  “Okay, so should we stop hanging out because you’re leaving next year?”

  I shoved her arm with a small smile. Her point wasn’t totally irrelevant, but it was different with Drayton. It hadn’t taken very long for the feelings I had for him to develop, and I could see myself falling for him so hard that leaving would be impossible, and that wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want to be stuck in Castle Rock for the rest of my life, reduced to basic diner work or a teaching job, like Nathan.

  “I can’t fall for someone like him, Gabs. He’s the kind of guy you want to climb mountains for. And he’s not the kind of guy who’d meet you halfway.”

  “I think you might be underestimating him a little.” We sat down in homeroom and dropped our bags on the floor. “If it makes you feel any better, Josh said that he’s been in a shit mood since you guys got back from Cali.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel better,” I groaned and dropped my head on the desk. “That just makes me more confused. Do you know how awful it is when you want to tell someone that you care about them but there’s no point because you’re leaving? And he’s probably not interested in anything serious anyway. It all just seems like a waste of time. You consider having some physical fun, but that’ll probably just make the feelings ten times stronger, so you’re stuck with no options at all?”

  “Wouldn’t it be better just to embrace how you feel and enjoy what time you do have? Graduation is months from now.”

  “No.” I frowned. “That’d just make it harder to leave when I do go.”

  “I think you’d be perfect together. But that’s just my opinion. I also know that you’re obsessed with his attention. That’s why your dress is so tight.”

  “Ugh, shut up.”

  When did I become this girl? The girl who pictured herself with the devastatingly gorgeous quarterback and became victim to an onslaught of butterflies? When?! When Drayton Lahey crashed into my damn car, that’s when.

  That night’s pep rally and game were the biggest of the season. It was a huge event and it happened to be even bigger because it was Halloween. Gabby convinced me to go to Maxon’s Halloween slash celebration party after the game, and I knew Drayton would be there.

  My last period of the day was an independent study. I decided to go home before the pep rally and make sure that I was organized for tonight. I laid the costume that I’d chosen on my bed, along with a bag of things I’d need to take to the game.

  My costume made me wince a little. I’d purchased a Dallas Cowboys jersey and had had Gabby’s mom alter it a little so that it was a snug fit on my waist and long enough to wear as a dress. I’d had an 18 put on the back of it, along with my last name. I knew that the Dallas Cowboys were Drayton’s favorite team.

  I wasn’t sure what I was hoping for. I guessed part of me wanted to wave the white flag. I wanted to initiate the first move and step toward reconciliation. As much as I didn’t want to get too close to him, I knew that I couldn’t spend the time until graduation fixating on how much I missed him. It’d be torture. I was in the middle of arranging my hair into a tight ponytail on the top of my head when the door thudded.

  “Gabby,” I mumbled. I figured the door must have been locked because I didn’t think that girl knocked. Ever.

  When I opened the door, the last person I’d ever expected to see was on my doorstep, a bunch of peonies in one hand and a balloon that read “Be my homecoming queen?” in the other.

  “Cooper?!” I felt like my jaw must have been on the floor. He looked incredible. “What are you doing here?”

  “You said you weren’t going to homecoming this year.” He smiled and handed me the balloon. “I know it’s a little underwhelming, but it was the best that I could do at the last minute.”

  I had to focus on the grip I had on the balloon’s string so that it didn’t float away as I stared at it in awe and disbelief. “Cooper, this is—this is amazing. You didn’t have to come all the way here to take me to homecoming.”

  “I wanted to.” He shrugged his shoulders and handed over the peonies. They weren’t my favorite flower, lilies were, but the peonies were beautiful and I was seriously floored at the gesture. “You can’t miss your last homecoming dance.”

  “I-I don’t even have a dress …”

  “Do you have time to get one tomorrow?”

  I mulled it over in the cesspool of thoughts crammed violently in my head. I glanced at the small bag of luggage behind him.

  “Oh, uh—” He followed my gaze, twisting his body toward the bag on the doorstep. “Sorry, the cab just dropped me off. I don’t expect to stay here. I can find a hotel.”

  “Don’t be silly.” The enthusiasm with which I declined his suggestion probably came off as forced as it felt, but his expression remained sweet and polite. “You can definitely stay here. Come in. How’d you find out where I live anyway?”

  He quickly picked up the bag and followed me inside. I headed into the kitchen to find a vase, stopping to tie the balloon to a barstool on my way. I felt a little flustered that Cooper had shown up unannounced and was now following me around my house.

  “Don’t think this is weird, but you told me where you work, so I phoned and told some guy, Stephen or something, that I had a gift to send, so could I have an address. He didn’t make it easy. I had to answer a few questions, but I passed.” He laughed. “I wanted to surprise you when I found out that you wouldn’t be going to homecoming. It didn’t seem right.”

  Cooper stood beside me, one hand on the countertop, the other in his pocket. He was attractive. He was sweet and we had common interests, but I hoped that he wasn’t here with the intent of taking our friendship further.

  “Your vase …” Cooper pointed at the sink, snapping me out of my own head and turning my attention to the overflowing water.

  “Oh shoot.” I spun the tap around and emptied some of the water before I put the flowers into the vase and placed them on the windowsill.

  “I’ve got a pep rally and a game tonight,” I explained, gesturing for Cooper to follow me to my bedroom. “Then there’s a Halloween party if you—”

  “Hello, hello,” Nathan sang out as he opened the front door, his smile faltering when he realized that I wasn’t alone. He regained his composure quickly and adopted his polite I’m-the-big-brother-so-I-don’t-like-you-but-I’ll-be-respectful-of-my-little-sister smile. He stretched out his hand and stepped forward. Cooper did the same.

  “This is Cooper.” I cut the tension and gestured at the unexpected guest. “Cooper, this is my big brother, Nathan.”

  “Of course.” Cooper smiled, dropping their handshake. “I’ve heard a lot of good things. Nice to meet you.”

  This further confused Nathan. He looked at me and I could tell that he was curious as to whether I was actually seeing someone on a more regular basis.

  “We met when I went to California—” I said.

  “When you ran off without telling me after being suspended from school for running off,” Nathan added.

&nbs
p; “Thank you for that explanation,” I drawled. “Yes, that’s when we met. Cooper came to surprise me for homecoming. Nice, right?”

  Nathan flinched. It was quiet and the awkwardness returned. After an insufferable few moments, Nathan pointed at Cooper’s duffel bag beside the breakfast bar.

  “That yours?”

  “Yeah.” Cooper kept smiling no matter how uncomfortable the situation had become.

  Nathan pointed at the corridor. “Why don’t you drop it in Dallas’s room and get comfortable?”

  “It’s the first room on the right, just down there …” I added.

  As soon as we heard the door shut, Nathan wrapped his hand around my arm and dragged me into the kitchen.

  “Natha—”

  “Dude, little weird?”

  “What’s weird?”

  “That Cooper dude, coming from California with no warning, to take you to a homecoming dance. Have you ever watched the crime channel?”

  “No. We can’t afford cable.”

  He sighed and pinched the front of his grey T-shirt. He fanned it in and out, clearly getting worked up over the situation. “It’s stalker behavior. It starts out with surprise dates, and then it turns into standing outside your bedroom window and the next thing you know, he’s stabbing you to death in a parking lot because you won’t accept his calls.”

  “Look, we’re friends. I swear, if he even so much as calls me twice in a span of five minutes, I’ll let you know.” I gave his shoulder a pat and stepped around him.

  “Be careful, Dallas. I swear, I don’t like him.”

  “He’s a nice person, Nathan, I promise. I trust him. So please relax. And be nice.”

  Cooper was sitting on my bed when I opened the door. He wasn’t looking through my things or taking photos of my underwear. Obviously. I trusted Cooper. We were friends and the boy didn’t have a bad bone in him. He looked up from his phone. “I guess Nathan had to give the big brother talk? Be careful and all of that?”

  “You weren’t listening, right?”

  “No,” he assured me. “I just figured as much. No stress. I understand.”

  It was a strange sight to see him here, in my room. It almost didn’t feel quite right. But I shook it off and continued getting ready for the evening, as I had been doing when he arrived.

  “So, there’s the game tonight and then a Halloween party afterward—”

  “I remember you telling me about it,” he interrupted me. He unzipped the bag at his feet and pulled out a pirate hat. “I’m going as Jack Sparrow.”

  “Captain Jack Sparrow.” I grinned, standing in front of the closet mirror so that I could do my mascara.

  “Is this your costume?” He picked up the football jersey, his fingers caressing the fabric. “Football—jersey—dress thing.”

  “Mhmm.” I nodded.

  The thought seemed a bit morbid now. Dressing up to attract the attention of a different boy when Cooper had come here from California to be my date. “It’s a Dallas Cowboys jersey. You know, since my name’s Dallas.”

  “Oh. You didn’t want to go as an angel or Catwoman?”

  “I love football.” Cooper didn’t need to know that I might be a little in love with the inspiration behind the outfit, not that I’d be declaring that I was in love. It was a simple white-flag gesture. I wanted Drayton back in my life.

  “Are you a football fan?” I reached for the blue ribbon hanging from the hook inside of my closet. “If you’re not, this might be a long night for you.”

  “I’ve never paid all that much attention, to be honest,” he said.

  I knew that when it came to things that didn’t hold my interest, I could be a little bit of a snob, but I was fairly open minded. I loved dance but I also loved football. How could he have made it through high school and not paid attention to the most popular sport in the country? It was a minor thing, but it gave me an inkling that we just weren’t compatible as more than friends.

  The last game of the season was a nail biter. My heart was in my throat as I watched, knees hugged to my chest. It was 26-28, and the Porter Valley Pumas would not go down without a fight. The last few seconds on the clock ticked down as Drayton caught a snap and threw the ball to Derek. Three more hand offs were made. Each time the Pumas closed in on the Wolves, my heart leaped into my throat. But each time, the ball landed in our hands and tension crackled through the crowd. Uttered gasps and cheers built as we progressed toward the end zone. And then, without expectation, an impressive lateral was performed by Austin as the Pumas closed in. The ball spiraled backward, landing in Drayton’s arms. He rushed the remaining yards, weaving, dodging interceptions, side stepping with speed and grace. I watched, enchanted, heart pounding. This determined the game. He scored a touchdown.

  It brought the entire crowd to its feet.

  Drayton and I might not be on speaking terms right now, but I could admit that he knew how to lead his team. His plays were cunning. His throws were prodigious. His sportsmanship was sublime.

  “Good job tonight, everyone!” Emily waved her pom-poms as the field cleared. “Even you, Dallas.”

  Ever since Drayton and I had stopped speaking, Emily had extended a gracious attitude toward me. It was strategic and existed when we wore our uniforms only. Otherwise, she was her usual bitchy self.

  “I’ll see you all at Maxon’s Halloween party.” She waved and skipped away as if she was the most innocent little creature to grace the planet. Gross.

  I walked toward the locker rooms as I needed to collect my things. I’d go home to shower and get ready for the Halloween party. Cooper had to get dressed as well. He’d been sitting in the stands with Nathan, watching the game—I’d meet them both at home. I felt nauseated thinking about the fact that he’d be with me all weekend. Once again, I hoped that he wasn’t too forward with his intentions—if he had any. I’d decided to have a chat with him and make sure that he knew this was a platonic situation.

  “Dallas!”

  The masculine voice that had the ability to make me weak at the knees stopped me dead in my tracks, and the telltale sign of Drayton’s presence got stronger as I heard footsteps approaching beside the girl’s locker rooms in the foyer. Turning around, I noticed how well the maroon on his legs went with the olive of his torso. He had already stripped out of his jersey and pads, and was shirtless, and I tried not to stare. People were moving in and out of the gym foyer. The locker room doors swung open and shut. Girls giggled and guys shouted, but it was all a blur of the background. How could it hold my attention when I hadn’t been this close to Drayton in over a month?

  “Sorry.” He glanced down at his torso after noticing my confused, likely heated, expression. “It’s so hot and I was literally on my way to a shower.”

  “Is everything all right? Congratulations, by the way.”

  “Thanks. Look, I know we haven’t talked in a while, but are you going to Maxon’s tonight?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “I need to talk to you. Can you find me when you get there?”

  “Sure, but—”

  “Just find me, okay?” He reached out and gently squeezed my shoulder. “I want to ask you something.”

  Without another word he turned and strode back toward the boy’s locker room. I felt light headed. My mind raced over the conversation, and my heart sped up at the warmth he’d regarded me with. No smirking. No dirty jokes or smug grins. Just sincerity behind his mysterious request. Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming sense of impending self-destruction. I had a horrible feeling that this night was not going to go down as I had planned.

  The jersey hugged me in the right places and it was the perfect length. Nathan and I might have been Broncos supporters, but I did love the Cowboys’ colors. Plus, I did root for the Cowboys from time to time. I stepped back into my bedroom after changing and found Cooper perched on the edge of the bed.

  “Wow.” His smile became bright as he admired the outfit. “You look great.”

&n
bsp; I accepted the compliment without giggling at his thick eyeliner. I’d let him borrow a black eye pencil so that he could complete his Captain Jack Sparrow outfit. His hat, equipped with faux dreadlocks, sat atop his head, and his pirate clothing wasn’t half bad considering he’d picked out his outfit at the last minute.

  “You do too.”

  I peeped in the mirror and assessed my look once more. My hair was still up in its ponytail, and I’d dotted a little bit of blue shimmer into the corners of my eyes. A pair of white sneakers completed the look.

  Just before we left, Nathan called from the kitchen, “Where are you going looking like that?”

  I was curious as to whether he was talking about the fact that I was dressed in a Cowboys’ outfit or the fact that I was wearing a rather short jersey as a dress.

  “More importantly,” I frowned, “where are you going, looking like that?”

  He was wearing a pink wig, green overalls, an orange long sleeve, and his eyelids were white. The red clown nose was the least concerning part of his entire outfit.

  “I’m a clown.” He shrugged.

  “That’s obvious,” I scoffed. “The point in Halloween is to dress up as a character that you aren’t in real life.”

  “Funny.” He gave me a sarcastic smile. “Go and put some pants on.”

  “No thanks, Dad.” I waved then grabbed Cooper’s hand and dragged him toward the front door. “Have fun not getting laid tonight. You look like a nightmare!”

  I slammed the door, muffling whatever comeback Nathan had been shouting and the two of us strolled toward the waiting Uber at the side of the road. I was quick to drop Cooper’s hand, as I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. I needed to find the best time to casually make sure that we were on the same page. Then again, perhaps it wasn’t needed. He wasn’t exactly coming on to me.