by M L Sparrow
“What are friends for?” he smirked, opening his locker and pulling out his uniform.
Coach obviously knew that half his team were hideously hung-over because he worked them especially hard that morning. Parker got tackled by one of the newbies and ended up limping off the field at the end of practice, holding his bruised ribs.
“Go get that checked out,” Coach hollered after him before turning on the newbie, pointing one thick, stubby finger angrily at the blushing freshman. “You’re a lineman, not a fuckin’ steamroller! Who bloody taught you to play like that on the practice field? You could have taken out our star quarterback, then what would we do when game time rolls around?”
Wincing in sympathy for the other guy, because he’d been on the receiving end of Coach’s rage more than once, Parker headed back towards the locker room. Inside, he awkwardly pulled his skirt off and looked down.
“Nasty,” someone commented and he nodded in agreement. A bruise was already forming, a bright red smudge against his skin, but it didn’t feel like anything was broken. He shifted experimentally and felt a twinge of pain, but it wasn’t crippling.
Head hung low, his assailant slouched into the locker room and someone shouted, “Get a little excited, did ya Coleson?”
Shooting the other guy a glare, Trent Coleson came over to stand in front of him. “Parker, I’m really sorry,” he apologized sincerely, shamefaced, “I didn’t realize how hard I was hitting.”
“It’s okay, Trent,” Parker waved his words away, “it’s football, people get hurt, and no matter what Coach says, you’re supposed to practice hard otherwise we won’t be ready.”
“Yeah, but…”
“Seriously, don’t worry about it. I’ve had worse.” They shook hands and Parker grinned at him, “It’s good to know you’ll have my back when the season starts.”
A hot shower eased his aches and pains. Standing under the spray, he blinked soap out of his eyes and stared at the fogged up glass, replaying the previous night in his head. Remembering the heat of Chloe’s curvy body pressed against his as they danced, he groaned and switched the shower to cold.
When he finally finished and went into the room, with only a towel wrapped around his waist, it was to find Terri sprawled on Jet’s bed, aimlessly flicking through a book.
“Jeez, can’t you get some clothes on?” she grumbled.
“You’re in my room,” he stressed, dropping the towel and walking bare-assed naked over to his wardrobe. Unfortunately, she didn’t react; Terri wasn’t the kind of girl who blushed easily. She was practically one of the guys.
Pulling out a pair of sweats, but foregoing a shirt, he asked, “Where’s Jet?”
“Gone to get coffee,” she answered, putting the books back on top of the pile of novels crowding her best friends’ bedside table.
“Hope he’s gettin’ me one,” Parker grumbled, laying down on his bed, careful of his ribs.
“Probably, he’s nice like that. What happened to you? You look like you got run over by a bus.”
“Thanks,” he huffed.
“My pleasure. So come on, clue me in. Did someone beat you up for sleeping with their girlfriend?”
“I’m not a total dick, you know? I do have standards,” he defended himself, pushing up on one elbow to glare at her.
She shrugged, “Not that I’ve seen.”
His glower deepened, but when she did nothing but stare impassively back at him, he sighed and lowered himself back down onto the bed, muttering, “Got tackled at practice.”
“It looks sore, you should put some ice on it.”
“Can’t be bothered to get up.”
This time it was her turn to sigh in exasperation. “I’ll text Jet to get some on his way back.”
“Thanks.”
He must have dozed off for a couple of minutes, because the next thing he knew something cold landed on his stomach, startling him out of sleep as he jerked upwards, fumbling to get the bag of ice off his bare skin.
Jet snickered and Parker whipped his head around to snarl, “Asshole.”
“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” he grinned, totally unrepentant. Holding up a cup of coffee from the campus café, he asked, “Forgiven?”
“Give that here,” Parker grumbled, taking the cup and glowering at the pair smirking at him from across the room.
“Riley’s coming over in a minute,” Terri informed him, “so you better get a shirt on, otherwise she’ll be drooling all over you.”
Instantly, he perked up at the snippet of information. “Is Chloe comin’ too?”
Sipping her own coffee, she shrugged. “Dunno, maybe.”
“Well ask,” he waved his hand impatiently.
Crossing her arms, Terri scowled at him, her cell remaining on the bed next to her. “I’m not going to let you mess her around.”
“I’m not goin’ to,” he snapped, “just ask if she’s comin’.”
“Parker…”
“For fuck sake,” he snarled, reaching over to snatch her phone. He swiped his thumb across the screen, realized there was a passcode, faltered, then handed it back to her, reduced to begging, “Come on Terri, what harm’ll it do if we’re all hangin’ together?”
Sitting beside her, Jet was watching him closely. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you chasing a girl,” he said speculatively.
Surprised, Terri glanced from Jet to Parker and back again. Her nose screwed up in thought. “You really like her, don’t you?”
Uncomfortably, Parker shifted around, lifting a hand to scratch his head as they both stared at him, waiting for an answer. “We’re friends,” he replied pathetically after a minute.
A wicked smile spread across Jet’s face and he nudged Terri with his elbow. “Go on, put him out of his misery.”
“Fine,” she grumped, clearly not happy about it. Unlocking her phone, her thumbs tapped out the message and a few seconds later it dinged to announce a response. She looked up at him, “Riley said she’ll ask her.” Another wait that seemed to last forever, before it dinged again. Parker waited with baited breath as Terri read. “Yep,” she said after an agonizingly long second, “she’s coming.”
A broad, cheesy smile pulled at his lips. “I think I’ll keep my shirt off a bit longer. It’s a bit hot in here.”
Terri was still glaring daggers at him over his last comment, when the girls knocked on the door. “It’s open,” Jet called.
A second later, Riley waltzed in; a total knockout in a tiny denim skirt and tight tank top. The girl wanted to be noticed and she’s have no problem getting the attention she craved. He guaranteed that by the end of the first week of classes, she’d have most of the heterosexual guys on campus sniffing around her. Risking a quick glance at Terri, who was scowling, he prayed that none of his teammates decided to pursue her, though he knew it was hopeless. Terri would be like a dog with a bone if one of his guys fucked with her sister.
Vaguely, he wondered what the deal was with those two; Terri didn’t seem particularly happy to have her twin here, however, his attention was immediately snatched away as Chloe walked into the room.
Damn, she was fucking hot.
Wearing a strappy, white summer dress, she closed the door behind her and then looked around for a place to sit. His desk chair was piled high with clothes, Riley occupied Jet’s chair and so, unless she wanted to cozy up with Jet and Terri on the bed, the only other option was to sit beside him. Smirking inwardly, he patted the mattress, shifting over slightly so that she’d have room.
Without a word, she sat down, folding her hands in her lap, all prim and proper – it made his inner smirk widen until his jaw ached from containing it, because he remembered how she’d dirty danced with him last night. It made his cock twitch just thinking about it. Across the room, Riley crossed her legs. Jet’s eyes followed the movement and judging by the look on Terri’s face he’d better stop before he got his eyes gouged out.
“So,” Riley chirped, “what’re we doing t
oday?”
“Well, we can’t go out,” Chloe sniffed, flicking her gaze over his chest and then towards the dirty clothes around the room, “Parker clearly doesn’t have anything to wear.”
The others snickered and he was smart enough to feel a little ashamed of how he’d let his half of the room get so messy in such a short period of time, but that feeling quickly passed.
“They’re clean, actually. I just couldn’t be bothered to hang them up.”
“So, you’re messy and lazy.”
Putting an arm around her shoulders, he leant in close. “I guess I need a woman to whip me into shape.”
Shrugging off his arm, she put some space between them. “Keep looking.”
There was a blush in her cheeks, but the look she shot him was pure pissed-off female. He grimaced; already he’d broken the implied promise to stop flirting. He knew what she wanted and he knew what he was prepared to give and the simple truth was that it didn’t match up, yet he couldn’t stop pushing for more than friendship.
They ended up going down to the quad, after Parker found a clean shirt to wear, so that they could lounge in the sun. Laying on the grass, listening to the others talk, he almost drifted back to sleep several times. A shadow passed over him and he opened his eyes to peer up at Jet.
“We’re going to get a burger, you coming?”
“Uuuhh,” he grunted, taking the hand the other guy offered him and letting Jet yank him to his feet. His ribs ached and he lumbered up with all the elegance of a bull. “Thanks.”
As they headed towards the diner, Parker fell back to walk alongside Chloe. “You’re looking a bit pink here,” he commented, running a finger over her shoulder.
“Yeah,” she frowned, “I put sun-cream on, but I think I need to buy a stronger one.”
“Probably,” he agreed, “you’ve got really pale skin.”
Lips twisting wryly, she shrugged, “I’m English, we don’t get the sun like you get here.”
When they got to the diner, Jet stole his thunder and held the door open for the girls. A waitress showed them to a booth; since it was so early there were only a few other people there and he edged in front of Riley so that he could slide in next to Chloe. Both girls shot him a look, but he feigned innocence, picking up a menu to study, not that he needed it. For the last two years, he’d ordered the same thing every time he came here – the homemade bacon burger, packed with extra cheese and onions. It reminded him of the burgers they served in the diner back home.
When the waitress came to collect their orders, Jet, Terri and Parker all asked for milkshakes and burgers, while Riley ordered a salad, much to her sister’s disgust.
“And what about you?” the young waitress asks Chloe, cocking a hip.
“I’ll have the chicken burger and chips, please.”
For a moment, the waitress looked vaguely confused, before Jet said, “She means fries.”
“Oh. Anything to drink?”
“Coke, please.”
As they waited for their food, more groups of students began to filter in for lunch and the noise level rocketed, so much so that Parker had to lean towards Chloe slightly to hear her when she spoke. Every time he did so, he caught a whiff of whatever shampoo she used, something faintly fruity.
When there was a lapse in the conversation, he rested his arm along the back of the booth and angled his body closer to hers. “So, whereabouts in England are you from?”
Either not noticing his arm, or deciding to ignore it, she turned slightly to face him, forming their own little cocoon. “You probably won’t have heard of it. Lindfield?” At his blank look, she expanded, “It’s a town in Sussex. At the bottom of the country, near Brighton.” She grinned at him, “I told you that you wouldn’t have heard of it. Where are you from, I’ve been trying to figure out your accent?”
“I’m an Alabama boy, born and raised.”
“Do you like it there?”
He shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable. “It’s nice enough, I guess.”
There was an awkward pause, before she said, “Well, Sussex is beautiful. The country side, the forests. Most the year round it’s full of color and if you stand at the top of the Downs there are fields rolling out for miles and it’s as if you can see across the whole country all the way to Scotland.”
“Why did you leave?”
“I wanted an adventure.” She tried to smile up at him, but it wobbled and she quickly looked away. Reaching for her drink, she closed her fingers around the sweating glass and lifted it to take a long swig. He was just opening his mouth to say something when their food arrived.
A lot of clattering and hubbub later, it didn’t seem like the time to ask what was bothering her. His stomach grumbled and he suddenly realized how hungry he was. His insides felt like they were eating themselves. Grabbing his burger, he squished it down and took a huge bite.
“This is the size of my head!” Chloe exclaimed, holding her own burger up for inspection.
Laughing around his mouthful, Parker garbled, “It’s good for you. It’ll put some meat on your bones.”
“I have enough meat on my bones, thank you very much,” she sniffed at him, even as she picked out the gherkins and loaded her burger with ketchup.
“You not eatin’ them?” he asked, taking them from her plate when she shook her head and putting them into his own burger. Without a word, Terri handed over hers as well. Was it just a girl thing? Swallowing his mouthful, he glanced over at Riley, who was picking unenthusiastically at her salad, and said, “Bet you’re regrettin’ that now.”
Jet scowled at him, jumping to her defense. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to stay healthy.”
If looks could kill, Terri would be going down for murder. Not for the first time, Parker wondered if there was something going on between the two of them, despite the insistence that they were just friends. When she caught him watching her, Terri dropped her gaze back to her burger, licked ketchup off her wrist, and shoved a handful of fries into her mouth.
Glancing over at Chloe, to see if she’d noticed, he found her staring out of the window, expression solemn. Frowning, he nudged her gently with his shoulder, mouthing “you okay” when she looked at him. She forced a half-hearted smile in response and nodded. Under the table, he reached out and squeezed her knee. There was nothing sexual about it and he drew back quickly, watching the surprise in her expressive brown eyes.
Without another word, they both went back to eating. Once they’d finished and paid the bill, they began walking back towards his and Jet’s room to hangout, but Chloe paused outside the diner.
Fiddling with the strap of her bag, she said, “I’ve actually got a bit of a headache, so I think I’m just going to go back to our room.”
“I’ve got some painkillers,” Riley offered, completely oblivious to the fact that her friend was trying to escape, digging around in her handbag.
“Oh, no, thanks. I…er… think I’m just going to lie down for a bit.” After a pause, she finished lamely, “Sorry.”
“I’ll walk you back,” Parker offered.
“You don’t have to, I remember the way.”
“It’s okay, if you’re not feeling well I’ll make sure you get back all right.”
Biting her lip, Chloe wrapped her arms around her stomach, hugging herself, before nodding without further argument.
Chapter Seven
Having said their goodbyes, they headed towards Willow building. Feeling suddenly nervous in his company, Chloe twisted her fingers together as they walked side by side. Much to her relief, he didn’t ask any questions, in fact, he didn’t even utter a word until they reached her room.
“Mind if I come in?” he asked.
“Well, yeah, actually. I’d like to be alone.”
“Just for a minute.”
Instead of trying to charm her with a smile, his face was solemn and, after a moment, she gave in, stepping aside so that he could enter. Closing the door, she went to sit
on her bed, back pressed against the wall, knees drawn up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. Without asking, he came to sit close beside her. His arm lifted and slid behind her to curl around her shoulders, urging her to lean against him.
It was weird. Weird but nice, comforting. They’d only known each other three days, yet being with him felt so familiar, so easy, as if they’d been together for years and already had history between them.
“Will you tell me?” he asked so quietly that she almost didn’t hear. “Not now, but one day.”
In response, she snuggled closer, turning her head to rest on his shoulder.
The melancholy had come over her all of a sudden – she refused to call it depression – settling upon her shoulders like a lead blanket. Thinking about home had triggered it. She hadn’t been away long enough to become home-sick, but thoughts of the town she’d grown up in inevitably led to thoughts of the brother who’d grown up with her. And those thoughts brought an onslaught of guilt.
A lump formed in her throat, but she forced it back down. She’d thought these episodes were over, but clearly she was wrong…
Parker’s free hand squeezed her knee, briefly like before at the diner, drawing her out of herself, and she forced her head to lift. They shouldn’t be sitting here like this. It’s wasn’t what friends did, especially not friends who knew nothing about one another. Honestly, the only things she really knew about him were that he was a quarterback and he’d been around the block more times than the milkman.
As if reading her mind, he asked, “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” she said, more sharply than she’d intended.
“It’ll be easy then.”
Shifting to put a little more distance between them, she felt a pang as his arm fell away. Combing her fingers through her ponytail, she frowned as she wondered what to tell him – nothing too personal, or that would lead to more questions.
In the end, she went with the safest options. “My favourite colour’s blue.”
