Freight Train

by Sapphire Knight

  Everything happened so fast; I was shocked at first and then confused. People were around me at his party at the ranch, men included and it didn’t seem to bother him. It was the same way with his party at their house that they all share. A bunch of guys were teasing us and everything, yet he didn’t get angry.

  The other day at his practice, it was something else. He was so furious it was scary, and I’d once believed that he wouldn’t harm anyone in any way—not maliciously anyway. The way he’d stormed over to his teammate, throwing his helmet to the side and ripping the other guy apart was baffling. His fists flew at him so quickly I couldn’t believe it, and when they were torn apart, his teammate had blood running all over his face. I don’t know how badly he was hurt, but Ty must’ve gotten him a few good times.

  I’ve cried to Brianne, but she has nothing. Kash doesn’t share a thing with her about what’s going on. He just tells her to keep her nose out of it. Whatever it is.

  I want to call him to make sure he’s okay and to get some sort of an explanation, but I’m doing what his two best friends suggested I do and giving him some space. It’s killing me inside, though. Tyler and I have been growing so close, and I felt like we’d become even closer over the past weekend.

  Part of me wants to call his brothers. I can’t help but wonder if they know what happened? Would they tell me to reach out to him or know how to handle the situation at all? Would they even care? After my talk with Clyde, I know they would. I’m sure he must be beside himself with this.

  What if Tyler gets kicked off the team? That’s what normally happens when someone’s in multiple fights, and they play sports. The school could even expel him completely and possibly fine him for fighting on school property. It’s one giant clusterfuck, and I’m hanging on by a thread over here, dying to know what’s going on.

  I almost want to call my father. Coach Stratton would confide in him in a heartbeat and maybe if it came down to it, I could ask my dad to help out. He hates being involved in this type of stuff, but I care for Ty. Hell, I’m falling in love with him, and I only want him to succeed in whatever he wants in life.

  Spinning around in our office chair we have crammed in our dorm room; I face Brianne. “Do you think I should call my father?”

  “Your dad? Why?”

  “It’s been two days since I’ve spoken to Ty and I’m worried.”

  “I don’t know what you should do, honestly. Kash says to wait, but you know Ty in a completely different way than the guys do.”

  “If it were you and Kash in this situation, what would you do?”

  “Well, for starters you know I don’t listen to anyone’s opinion unless I really want to. That being said, I would’ve already called him.”

  “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

  “Because, Kay, you’re not me, babe.”

  I’m calling him. Forget this waiting around crap; it’s for the birds. I held back from him for long enough before giving in to be his girlfriend. I know inside that he’s trying to give me some space, I was pretty freaked out after all and it makes me happy inside to know he’s giving me what he thinks I need from him.

  But what I could really use is him, not time apart. I don’t want a rift to grow between us, and I don’t want him to be dealing with whatever’s going on alone. He’s made it loud and clear that he’ll protect me and he’s done nothing but try to make sure I’m comfortable all the time. I need to make sure he’s okay and show him that I’ll be there even when he’s dealing with his own lows.

  Success isn’t owned, it’s leased.

  And rent is due every day.

  - J.J. Watt

  Nervously rapping my knuckles against Tyler’s front door at the football house, I wait for one of the guys to answer. I was going to call but thought it might be better to have this conversation in person. It’s time I tell him about my father and find out what his issue was on the field the other day.

  We can’t go one like this, separated and not communicating. I miss him already, and it’ll only get worse with the more time I waste waiting around for him to pick up the phone. I don’t want us to let our chance of being together slip away.

  “Kadence?” Niner gazes down at me confused. His brown hair’s rumpled like he’s been running his hands through it a million times. “Owens didn’t say you were coming by or I would’ve kept the PlayStation volume turned down. I never would’ve heard you knock if I wasn’t fixing a snack real quick.”

  “It’s okay; I wasn’t out here long. Ty’s playing video games?”

  “No,” Niner steps back, out of my way so I can come inside. Noticing his wrinkled shirt and basketball shorts he has on, it looks like he’s in full on bum mode. “He’s in his room. Want me to let him know you’re here?”

  “No, that’s okay. I can just go to his room myself; it’s no biggie.”

  “’Kay, cool, I was waiting for my new game to load so they should be waiting for me by now.”

  “Are the other guys here playing too?”

  “Nope, it’s just Owens and me right now. I play online with my little brothers. They’re twelve-year-old twins, and I don’t get to see them much with me being away at school. Plus, it keeps them busy and gives my mom a few minutes of downtime.”

  “Oh wow, that’s a good idea, and nice of you. I didn’t know you had brothers.” Which means most of the other guys we hang out with, probably do as well. I need to find out more about these people now that I have actual friendships with them. Sometimes I think I’m a selfish asshole for growing up as an only child, but I don’t do it on purpose.

  “It’s weird being away from them, but what can you do?” He shrugs, grabbing his sandwich from the counter as we walk through the kitchen. He veers off to their designated game room, and I continue down the hallway to the third door on the right. It’s Ty’s.

  My stomach’s full of flutters as I knock on his closed door. Two days is the longest we’ve been apart for nearly three weeks; maybe I should’ve thought about it a little more before just showing up here uninvited. What if he’s not ready to see me? I hope he’s missed me as much as I have with him. I haven’t stopped thinking of him.

  “Just a sec,” he yells, and it sounds like he’s hopping around. After a few moments, he opens the door, peeking out while shirtless.

  “Kadence?” He squints, his voice raspy and hair in every direction.

  “Are you sick?” It’s the first thing that comes to mind. He looks exhausted.

  “No, I was just taking a nap. Come in.” He steps to the side and lets me into his dark room, his covers halfway on the floor as if he jumped out of bed in a rush and was tangled in them.

  “But it’s the afternoon.”

  “Yeah, I know. But yesterday and today’s practice have been sorta rough.” He limps over to relax on his bed while I take his desk chair.

  “I can imagine.”

  “Please don’t sit so far away from me.”

  “Okay.” I give in and move beside him, sitting on the comfy mattress. “So why are you limping?”

  “Again, rough practice,” he answers, and I nod.

  “They didn’t hurt you did they?” Instantly growing concerned for his well-being and ready to visit my dad’s friend, good old Coach Stratton, if needed in Tyler’s defense.

  “Not anything more than what I deserve. You run up and down the stands enough and your calves eventually seize up. I’ve been soaking them in ice water, but they’re still cramped really bad.”

  Nodding like a bobble head again, I stay quiet. This is a piece of the game I understand well, after watching my dad practice for many years and seeing the other players get reprimanded for screwing up. Physical punishment is readily accepted in the form where they usually burn out your body in some way. In Ty’s case, his legs will probably hurt for a week to two weeks if they keep making him run up and down the stairs like that for God knows how long each day. One thing’s for sure, though; he won’t forget about it.

>   “Can I get you anything?”

  “No. Thanks, though. Why are you being nice to me? You looked horrified the other day.”

  “We’re going to get straight to it, huh?”

  “I want to get it out of the way. I hate feeling like this around you,” he mutters while staring at the carpet. He hasn’t tried to grab my hand yet, and it makes me sad to know our relationship could already be reaching its first hurdle.

  “Good idea. Okay, truthfully you did freak me out. I thought you were going to murder your teammate. You were so out of it; they had to lift you off the ground and carry you away. That’s not at all the way I’m used to seeing you act. But then I started thinking about the other fight before, and it made me wonder if it’s the type of person you really are and if I know you at all.”

  “You do know the real me, Kadence. I promise.” Running his hand over his face, he continues, “There’s so much more to that guy than you know about. I hadn’t told you because I didn’t want you to worry about him. I see now that it was a mistake keeping it from you. I should’ve spoken to you about everything going on out at the ranch.”

  “Well, you can tell me now.”

  He nods. “That guy’s name is Briggs. You remember when we first met and you told me that you knew about the rumors floating around?”

  “Yeah, I remember.”

  “Well, he’s the cause of them—all of them. Then JJ and Chandler busted him at the party the other night trying to slip something into a chick’s drink.”

  “No way!”

  “Yep, they took care of it with Nate’s help, but it still infuriated me. And then when I saw him that close to you at practice the other day...I completely lost it. I couldn’t stop thinking about him hurting you, and I wasn’t going to let that happen.”

  That explains so much, and I almost feel like an idiot for getting as scared as I did. I should’ve known he’d have a good reason for his actions.

  “And the fight that happened before?”

  “He was talking trash about my mother. I can usually block it out, but he was able to break through.”

  Another answer that I can understand. I would probably freak out, too, if I had a set of amazing parents and they were taken from me, and people thought it was okay to blast it everywhere. This is why it was so important for me to come over, to see with my own eyes that he’s telling me the truth. Not that I’ve doubted his honesty before, it’s just growing up with a celebrity as your father; you tend to be quick to mistrust. Tyler doesn’t deserve that from me, though, and the next time that there’s an issue I have, I’m going to trust he has a valid reason behind it.

  “I’m sorry,” I admit softly.

  “It’s not your fault.” He reaches for my hand—finally.

  “I mean for questioning you about it. I should’ve trusted that there was a serious reason behind it. You’ve never given me any reason to think of you as anything other than a good guy.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way. I have something that I want to discuss with you also.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me who your father is?”

  “Who told you?”

  “Coach. He said I better get my shit together if I wanted to keep seeing you.”

  Shaking my head, I apologize again. “I’m sorry for keeping it from you. I was planning on telling you today actually. My dad’s not the same person as he used to be. He wasn’t that outgoing when he played football, but now he’s pretty much gone in the opposite direction. Some people want to get closer to me thinking it’ll get them near my dad, so I have to hold back for a while to see if the person is really into me or just wanting to use me.”

  “Of course, I want you for you. Are you crazy? I’m gone over you.”

  “I love hearing you say that and knowing you feel the same way I do.”

  “Why is your dad different now?”

  “I don’t really know. I’m not sure if something happened that made him decide to retire and move nearly across the country or what. It’s like one day he loved nothing besides me and football, then next thing I know, we’re moving to Texas, and he’s becoming a biker.”

  “Biker, as in he likes to ride in the marathons or whatever they’re called?”

  “No, like vroom, vroom—biker gang—equipped with leather jackets and all.”

  “Holy shit, that’s what Stratton meant about Chaos not being afraid to rip through me. Your dad really is a badass.”

  “Yeah, that’s not his football name anymore, but his road name. I trust you; that’s the only reason why I’m telling you all of this. Please keep it to yourself.”

  “Of course, anything you tell me is private. So, that explains why you know more about football than me on some days, huh?”

  “Oh, you caught that?”

  “I’m pretty sure we all did.” He grins, and I smile in return.

  “I didn’t think I was being so obvious. I figured you guys were used to talking about it all the time so you wouldn’t pay attention to me doing it too.”

  “Baby, you’re a beautiful woman discussing the ins and outs of football with a group of guys that breathe football. You have every one of my friends’ respect. I think a few of them even believe that you’re a goddess at this point.”

  That makes me snort and then laugh. “So you’re not mad at me then for keeping it from you?”

  “I was shocked to find out and also surprised that you hadn’t said anything, but it filled in a lot of blanks for me when Coach said something. But no, I’m not mad. We need to be up-front in the future, though, both of us.”

  “I will, I promise you.”

  “Good, I do too.” Pulling me close he presses a few chaste kisses against my lips and then one to my forehead, before sitting back again.

  “Why didn’t you call or text me the past few days, I felt like I’d done something wrong and you didn’t want to talk to me. I know you care for me, but did it not bother you that we didn’t speak?”

  “Of course, it did, are you kidding? I was going crazy inside not talking to you, but I needed to give you some time to yourself. I didn’t want to overwhelm you even more than I did the other day. I knew I had to have scared you and I wanted to give you a little time away from me, so you didn’t think I was smothering you especially after seeing me so pissed. I wish you’d never witnessed any of it. Truthfully, I was ashamed that I let you see that side of me. The jealousy and anger, that’s not the type of person I want you to think of me as.”

  “I make you jealous?”

  “Knowing what I do about you, I know what I have to lose and what others have to gain. So in a way, I guess yes, my jealousy comes out around you. I try to push it down, but parts of me can’t help it, you’re amazing, and I don’t want anyone else ruining that or taking it away from me. I’m so fucking selfish when it comes to you, Kadence.”

  “I’m selfish when it comes to you as well, Tyler,” I admit. Inside it drives me bonkers thinking of all the females constantly after him. He’s mine and just like him, I don’t want anyone to take that away from me either.

  “You are?” His eyebrows rise, hope appearing in his irises, and I giggle.

  “It makes you happy hearing that?”

  “Hell yeah, sweetheart. I like knowing that you feel possessive over me, at least a little bit anyhow. It makes me feel important to you.”

  “You are, Tyler, probably more than you should be already.”

  A grin overtakes his mouth. Clearly, he likes what I’m saying. I find it mildly amusing that he likes my jealous side rearing its ugly head.

  “Now what?” I mumble.

  “Well, I want to make love to you like no other, but my entire body hurts every time I move, so we’ll have to raincheck it.”

  Damn it that would be perfect right now. Not only have I missed him, but so has my body. I’ve tossed and turned at night, thinking about the way he feels against me.

  “Maybe you should take a hot ba
th to help? And we can come back to the making love part.”

  He presses another kiss to my jaw, a low grumble escaping as his lips meet my skin, “God, I want you. How about instead of the bath, you just lay with me?”

  “I think that sounds like a good plan,” I agree, and he brushes a soft kiss on my mouth again and edges his way up to the pillows. I would happily lie here all day long and allow him to kiss me all over. I can never get enough of him and that skillful mouth.

  Following along, I toe off my flip-flops and try not to jostle him too much as I get comfortable, partially lying on him with my head resting against his chest. The side of his bed’s littered with melted ice packs, the poor guy must’ve hurt too bad to take them to the sink. No worries, I’m here now, and I’ll make sure he has everything he needs. I’m not planning on going anywhere. I should’ve been here the whole time, helping him.

  “Want me to turn on the TV?”

  “If you want to watch something, then go for it, but I’m fine either way. I just want to lay here and feel you against me.”

  “You are so much more, Kadence,” he mumbles making my heart melt a bit more with his meaningful words.

  I love him.

  “So are you,” I whisper and eventually fall asleep, happy once again to be by his side.

  “Hey Pumpkin,” my dad rumbles through the phone. He called at the perfect time. I ended up staying with Tyler all night long after our talk and I barely made it to the dorm when my phone started ringing. Ty went to practice and came back to bed, all without waking me up. I must’ve been more tired than I thought, napping the afternoon away on his chest yesterday. We cooked a late dinner together, and then I was out again, oversleeping this morning.

  “Hi, Dad.”

  “So, how’s school going?”

  “Oh you know, just the usual.”

  Brianne overhears me reply and yells, “Tell him about Tyler!”