The Endgame Is You

by L A Cotton

  I knew how much it meant to the team, the fans, and the coaches. But most of all, I knew how much it meant to the guy wearing the red and blue number one jersey.

  “If they win this game, the season could be theirs. Only Dartmouth has a shot at taking it from...” She launched into an analysis of the Ivy League, but her words barely registered as I watched Jason command his teammates. They respected him, followed his orders, and paid attention when he talked. It was something to behold.

  We were in a better place since the weekend. There were still some things we needed to work through, but something had shifted.

  “Felicity?” Elodie nudged me.

  “Huh, sorry?”

  “I said are you sure about me coming to the party later? I’ve never been to a football party before.”

  “It’s just like any other college party really, except with more cheerleaders.”

  “Actually,” her cheeks pinked, “I’ve never really been to a college party before.”

  “I’ve probably been to less than you can imagine,” I admitted.

  “What, no way? Your boyfriend is—”

  “I think we’ve established who my boyfriend is.” I gave her an amused smile. “But I haven’t exactly spread my wings since coming to Penn.”

  “Well, we can be out of our comfort zone together.” Elodie shot me a conspiratorial wink.

  “Aren’t you worried about people finding out about your dad?”

  She shrugged. “Honestly, I think I’ve been using him as a reason not to push myself into new social situations.”

  “So tonight, we party?” A trickle of excitement zipped through me. I’d always gone to parties with Jason, stood and watched from the sidelines as he and his friends let loose and enjoyed themselves. Jordan had been around this semester, but last year it had mostly been me. So I couldn’t deny it felt nice to finally have someone in my corner.

  Even if she was infatuated with my boyfriend.

  Jason

  “Congratulations.” Felicity rushed over to me as I found her in the lingering crowd.

  I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. Adrenaline still pumped through my veins, a firestorm showing no signs of letting up. I either needed a strong drink or to be buried deep inside my girl. But there was a party... a party I’d promised the guys I would make an appearance at.

  Fuck.

  “I’m so proud of you.”

  We’d beat Yale 28-17. We were unstoppable, a relentless storm determined to blow right through every team we came up against. And next on the list was Cornell.

  My eyes went over Felicity’s shoulder when I realized we had company. “You must be Elodie,” I said, pulling Felicity into my side. “I’m Jason.”

  The girl’s eyes went wide, her mouth hanging open.

  “El, we talked about this,” Felicity said as if they were old friends. I’d heard all about Elodie Faltham, daughter of Quaker legend Marcus Faltham, star running back in the late eighties. She was Felicity’s new friend. Although I was beginning to think there was something wrong with her with the way she was gawking.

  “H- hi, it’s an honor.” She held out her hand, and I stared at it, frowning. “Oh, right, sorry.” She jammed it into her pocket. “I’m not usually this nervous. It’s just I’m a huge fan.”

  “Guess it runs in the family, huh?”

  “Yeah.” She gulped. “My dad started me young.”

  “I know that feeling,” I grumbled. “Are you ready to party with the team?”

  “I...” She rolled her lips together, but I could see she was almost ready to burst with excitement.

  “She’s a little excited.”

  “The team is going to love having Quaker royalty in the house.”

  “Oh no, you can’t tell them, please?” Her whole demeanor changed.

  “Sure, yeah, okay.” I glanced at Felicity and she gave me an imperceptible shake of her head.

  Just what I needed. A party I didn’t want to go to, a girlfriend who was questioning our relationship at every turn, and a fan who looked like she’d never partied in her life.

  Tonight, was going to be a fucking disaster.

  The party was already in full swing by the time we arrived. Felicity wanted to run by the apartment and change. She’d let Elodie borrow an outfit and the two of them looked dressed to kill. It didn’t worry me where Felicity was concerned—everyone knew she was off limits. But Elodie was fresh meat and so far out of her comfort zone she may as well have worn a neon sign.

  “Oh wow, that’s a lot of people,” she breathed, her eyes wide with wonder as she took in the house.

  “Don’t worry,” Felicity squeezed her hand, “we’ll get a couple of drinks inside you and you’ll be fine.”

  “I’m sure Griffin or one of the guys will be more than happy to help—”

  “Jason.”

  “What?” I balked. If Felicity thought I was going to spend the night playing babysitter, she was sorely mistaken. I wanted to show my face, have a couple of beers, and then get the hell out of there.

  “We can’t just let the guys loose on her.”

  “Relax, I’m joking.” Mostly. But Elodie was already gone, walking into the house as if she was entering a magical wonderland or some shit.

  I hooked an arm around Felicity and dragged her into my side. She pressed a hand against my chest, gazing up at me. “Are you okay being here?”

  “I am.” She nodded. “Who knows, maybe I’ll even have some fun?” Her eyes flicked to Elodie.

  My brows knitted together. “Are you saying you don’t have fun with me?”

  “You know what I mean.” She leaned up to kiss me, scraping her nails lightly over my jaw. Blood flowed straight to my dick and I groaned under my breath when she grabbed my hand and yanked me into the house.

  “Yo, Ford, get over here.”

  Music pumped out of a speaker somewhere, bodies already grinding and rubbing on each other. Griffin and Gio made a beeline for me, pulling me into a guy hug. I tried to keep hold of Felicity’s hand, but she let me go, mouthing, “I’m going to find Elodie,” who had already disappeared into the sea of people.

  “Behave,” I yelled, because although we were in a house full of teammates, Felicity was still my girl.

  And I really didn’t want to spend the night fighting off the vultures.

  Felicity

  “I think I’m drunk,” Elodie giggled, burying her face in Griffin’s shoulder.

  “How many did she have?” he asked me, and I shrugged.

  “About four.” As opposed to my eight, but even after double the amount of drinks, I still wasn’t as drunk as my new friend.

  “Four? Holy shit, she’s—”

  “Happy.” Her head snapped up. “I’m sooo happy. Let’s do more of those funky smelling shots.” She started to reach for the rest beside her six-foot two leaning post, but Griffin wrapped her into a bear hug. “Oh no you don’t, new girl.”

  “I’ll have one,” I piped up.

  “I think you’ve had enough,” Jason ground out.

  “Oh, don’t be such a spoilsport.” I tapped his cheek. “We’re having fun.”

  “Fun.” Elodie punched the air, almost falling backward but Griffin steadied her. He seemed smitten, a glint in his eye.

  “You need to watch Griff,” I whispered to Jason, swaying gently. “He’s looking at El the way you look at me.”

  “Oh yeah?” He dipped his head to mine, electricity crackling between us. “And how do I look at you?”

  “Like you want to devour me.”

  Jason smirked, stealing a chaste kiss. “You’re fun when you’re drunk.”

  “Then I should probably drink more.” I shot him a saucy wink before diving for the tray of shooters.

  I don’t know what came over me, but for the first time in a long time, I felt like my old self. Fun and free and not tied down by the weight of expectation and responsibility. It was ironic really, but it seemed that the quiet, shy girl
from my class had unleashed something inside me.

  I downed the murky looking drink and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, enjoying the burn as it slid down my throat.

  “Your girl is on form tonight, Ford.” Griffin said, his arm still wrapped around Elodie.

  “Fee is the best,” she slurred. “I think I have a girl crush.”

  “Okay, drunk girl.” I wrangled her off Griffin. “We are going to dance.”

  “Dance?” She shrieked. “But I don’t dance.”

  “Well,” I grinned, “you do now.”

  The room was spinning. Sweat coated my skin, little beads of moisture trailing down my back and chest as we moved to the beat. I’d lost track of time, dancing and laughing. No one bothered us, not with Jase and Griffin standing watch like two sentries put on the Earth with the sole purpose of protecting us.

  “I think Griff likes you,” I said to my new friend. She’d switched to water earlier, protesting when Griffin had insisted she drink it. But I knew she’d thank him tomorrow morning when she woke. Although I had a sneaky suspicion she wouldn’t be waking up in her own bed.

  “I don’t feel so good,” I reached out for her, a wave of nausea crashing over me.

  “Shit, Felicity—”

  Strong arms caught me. “I’m taking you home.”

  “But I’m still dancing.” I stared up at my savior.

  “Babe, you can barely stand.” Jason pulled me into his side and said something to Elodie and Griffin. Over the music and the blood pounding between my ears, I could barely make out a single word.

  Then we were moving. Cool air rushing over my skin and dousing the heat coursing through my veins. “Wait.” I sagged against Jason’s body. “I don’t feel so good.”

  “I got you, babe,” he said, sounding far too sober. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen him with a drink for hours.

  “Why aren’t you drunk?” The words came out a garbled mess as he propped me against the wall so I could catch my breath.

  “I had two beers then switched to soda.”

  “But why? It’s a celebration... everyone came to celebrate you.” All night I’d watched people gravitate to Jason. He was the sun and they wanted to be in his orbit.

  Or was it gravity?

  Huh.

  “I wanted you to enjoy yourself.”

  “But you could have relaxed too.”

  “I think you underestimate the level I will go to protect you.” He kissed the end of my nose. “How are you feeling now?”

  “Okay, I think. Your swoony words sobered me a little.” A smile tugged at my lips.

  “One-hundred percent truth, babe.”

  “God, I love you. I love you so much I wish this didn’t ever have to end.” A rush of love swelled inside me, like rising waters threatening to pull me under.

  “Good thing it doesn’t ever have to end then. Come on.” He started to pull me along with him.

  “It will though. One day you’ll be super famous, and I’ll be a college dropout. I’ll still love you then, you know... even when you’re a hotshot in the NFL and I have to get my glimpses of you on ESPN.”

  “You’re drunk, babe.”

  “That may be so, but I’m also a realist... and this... us... it isn’t endgame. It’s—” My ankle rolled, and the world began to fall away.

  “Shit, Felicity.”

  “I’m flyiiiiing.” I chuckled, throwing my arms out to the side and bracing myself for impact.

  But it never came.

  “You caught me,” I said, staring up at intense dark eyes I didn’t think I would ever forget. Because those eyes were my world. Everything I ever wanted.

  “I will always catch you, Giles.”

  God, how I wanted to believe him.

  Jason

  “This is it, ladies. Win tonight and the title is ours.” Coach leveled us with a hard look.

  Our win against Cornell last week meant we could be crowned league winners tonight, instead of our last game. And the best fucking part? Cam and Asher were in the crowd, thanks to their teams having bye weeks.

  “I couldn’t have asked for more from you this season,” he went on. “Losing Lincoln was a blow, but, Jason, son, you rose to the challenge and got the job done.”

  Everyone cheered, the stamp of their cleats against the floor and the shrill of their hollers rattling inside my chest.

  “It’s so close we can almost taste it. Penn hasn’t had a season like this in almost a decade. Go out there and do what you were born to do. Now everyone get in here.”

  We rose like an army answering a battle cry and wedged around Coach in a circle. “Quakers on three.” He gave me the nod and my voice pierced the air.

  “One... two... three... Quakers.”

  Gio clapped me on the back, his eyes dancing with anticipation. “Yo, Griff, is your girl gonna be out there?”

  “Fuck off, she’s not my girl.”

  “Not what I heard,” I added around a smirk.

  Since the party, Felicity and Elodie had hung out a lot. She’d even talked me into going on a couple of double dates with Griff and her new friend. He didn’t want to put a label on it, but the two of them seemed close. I’d seen the protective glint in his eye that night. He barely let her out of his sight. Elodie was a strange one. At times, she was desperately quiet and introverted, and then other times she was vibrant and talked at a mile a minute. But Felicity liked her. And there wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for that girl.

  As we grabbed our helmets and filed out of the locker room, my mind went to that night again. Felicity had been ass over elbow drunk, spewing all kinds of shit about us, about me. Things I didn’t ever want to hear. But when she’d woken up the next morning, hungover and dehydrated, I hadn’t had the heart to bring it up with her. So we’d danced around it. If she remembered, she never said anything, and I tried every day to reassure her that I loved her.

  To reassure her that her fears were never going to manifest into reality.

  Things were better... but they weren’t perfect. She was still hanging around with tutor boy and I was still with the team more often than not.

  Hopefully though, after tonight that would all change.

  “You ready for this?” Gio shoulder-checked me as we spilled onto the field. It was a blessing to have our penultimate game at home. If we won tonight, the atmosphere in Franklin Field would be explosive, and the hunger for it burned in my veins.

  “Born ready,” I muttered, letting the crowd’s cheers wash over me. Felicity was the girl for me. I felt it in my soul as sure as I knew the sky was blue and the grass beneath my feet was green. One day, I would put a ring on her finger and my kid in her stomach. She was my heart. But football? Football was my calling.

  I just had to find a way to make the two symbiotic.

  A big hand landed on my shoulder and I looked up to find Griff staring at me. “I finally get it,” he mumbled.

  “Yeah, and what’s that?” I teased.

  “I like her, man. I really fucking like her.”

  My lips curved. “Well hold that thought, because we have a game to win.” I clapped him on the back and started jogging toward the rest of our team.

  “How’d you do it?” he called.

  I spun around, jogging backward. “Do what?”

  “Focus on football and a girl?”

  “You just gotta show her what she means to you.”

  The words were like a punch to the stomach. My step faltered as every memory Felicity and I shared slammed into me one after another.

  Everything was so clear... I didn’t know how I hadn’t seen it before.

  I knew what I had to do.

  I knew how to fix us.

  Felicity

  Tears streamed down my face as I watched Jason and his teammates celebrate. The thirteen-thousand strong crowd was on their feet, clapping and cheering, celebrating right along with them.

  I watched with nothing but pride and love as Coach Faulkner found
Jason and pulled him into a hug before holding his shoulders and saying something to him. Jason nodded, his eyes wide with understanding.

  “Your boy did good.” Hailee nestled into my side, her own pride and excitement swirling around us. This moment didn’t only mean a lot to me, it meant a lot to all of us. Cam, Asher, Hailee, even Mya. We knew what football meant to Jason, what this moment would mean for him.

  I dabbed my eyes, trying to get a hold of my emotions. Being here to witness this, seeing the guy I loved more than anything make his dreams come true... well, it was easy to forget all the strain and distance between us over the last few weeks. My heart swelled for him. The boy from Rixon with a dream of making it. A boy who had stolen my heart and refused to let it go.

  He wanted football and me.

  If only it were that simple.

  “Flick, you should go down there,” Asher said, nudging me from behind.

  “What? I can’t just—”

  “He’s looking for you.”

  Sure enough, Jason was searching the crowd for me. We hadn’t been able to sit in the VIP section since there was six of us, so I’d given Elodie my ticket and she and Jordan were down there, while I sat in the bleachers with my friends.

  The second Jason’s eyes found mine, everything melted away. On shaky legs, I hurried down the steps to the barrier. Jason jogged toward me, his smile radiant and eyes filled with sweet relief.

  “You did it,” I breathed, pressing my palms against his shoulders. His hair was damp and messy, his Quaker jersey streaked with mud and grass stains as his helmet hung at his side.

  “I can’t...” He swallowed roughly. “This is... I can’t believe it.”

  “Believe it, Jason.” One of my hands slid to his cheek. No matter what happened between us, wherever our road led, I would always want this for him. Even if it became the thing that ultimately destroyed us, Jason deserved this.

  He deserved his dreams to come true.

  “I am so proud of you.” I leaned down to kiss him, and a chorus of cheers broke out behind us. My cheeks pinked and I tried to pull away, but Jason slid one of his hands around the back of my neck, anchoring me in place. “Babe, I couldn’t have done it without you,” he whispered against my lips. “I need you, Felicity Charlotte Giles. I will always need you.”