Reed's Reckoning

by Ahren Sanders

  Rage flares in her face but she doesn’t argue. She moves aside and motions for me to come in. I step inside and the smell hits me instantly. Her fragrance hangs in the air and my thoughts go back to my apartment all those years ago. Memories flood me and I have to shake my head to clear my mind.

  “I’ll be back in a little bit.” She turns to walk away.

  “Ari.” My voice is firmer than I mean it to be.

  When she looks at me, her eyes are shining with tears and I feel a tinge of guilt.

  “What’s his name?”

  “You know, don’t you?”

  “I need to hear you say it.”

  “Davis Luke Williams.”

  My gut clenches and I hang my head. She shuts the door behind her. When my breathing is under control, I look around the space and see pictures everywhere. One that catches my eye is of Grandma Katy, Luke, and Ari in the hospital. Ari is holding our little boy, and he is dressed in a Florida State University onesie. Pain fills me and I decide to find the kitchen and a well-needed beer.

  When she comes back into the living room thirty minutes later, I’ve had a chance to look at every picture documenting my son’s life so far. He is the spitting image of both of us. It’s been four years since I’ve laid eyes on her in my apartment, but she is still breathtaking. Her long dark hair now has highlights and the green of her eyes still reminds me of bright jade.

  “What are you really doing here, Reed?” She glares at me and pours herself a glass of wine.

  “I told you.”

  “Reed, you can’t just show up like this, maybe we can set up a lunch or something when Davis isn’t right down the hall.”

  “Davis, really Ari? Could you give me any more of a kick to the gut?”

  “This isn’t about you!”

  “Okay, then let’s start with how you could keep him from me!”

  “Keep him from you? I got your message loud and clear. You didn’t want us!”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “It was pretty obvious by the posse you sent to breakup with me.”

  “Stop! What do you mean ‘the posse I sent to breakup with you’? I didn’t breakup with you!”

  “You have some nerve! I don’t care that you are a hotshot football star. You need to get out now!”

  “Nerve? What’s nerve is leaving me a note that you didn’t want to see me anymore and then moving in with Luke!”

  She steps back and the color drains from her face. Gripping the counter for support, she shakes her head violently back and forth. “No, no, no,” she repeats.

  I watch her chant for a few seconds and then walk over to her, confused at her reaction.

  “Ari, talk to me. You’re kinda freaking me out.”

  “I didn’t leave you a note to breakup with you. I left you a note begging you to talk to me.”

  My vision blurs and I remember that day perfectly. My sister, Cara, was visiting because she was thinking about transferring. I had talked to her about meeting my girlfriend. If things went well, maybe Cara would keep Ari company while I got settled in my new city. I had plans to move her in as soon as possible. She wanted to do a summer semester to get closer to graduation.

  “Hey, Munchkin’!” I tease my sister as I walked in the door of my apartment. She hates when I refer to her size. But at barely five feet tall, I’ve always towered over her.

  “Don’t call me that!” She pouts and hugs me.

  “How was your drive over?”

  “It was good; I talked to a few friends to help pass the time.”

  “That’s cool. How’s Mom?”

  “She’s good. Driving me crazy, but good.”

  “She’s just watching out for you, Cara. After the whole Mitch disaster, she gets worried.”

  She gives me a non-committal shrug and changes the subject.

  “I’m so glad that our spring breaks are different and I could spend mine here. I’ve already started the transfer paperwork for summer semester, and I want to know all about campus life before I move.”

  “Whoa! That was fast.”

  “Well, I decided I want to Rush in the fall and so being here this summer will help me meet some people.”

  “You sure you want to go Greek?”

  “Yeah, I think it’ll be fun and good for me. I talked to Alex Moore recently and she’s going to introduce me to her sisters this week while I’m here.”

  Ugh! Alex Moore is a thorn in my fucking side. She and my sister went to high school together, and I’ve had to be polite because of their friendship. Her family is wealthy and she’s determined to get her M.R.S. degree and hitch herself to someone that will take care of her for life. She’s tried several times to invite me to date functions with her sorority, but I’ve always been able to decline.

  I haven’t seen her in at least six months and the last time I did, she was on her knees in the men’s room at a bar sucking one of my teammates dick.

  “I’m not sure you should focus on Alex and her group of friends.”

  “Reed! She’s a nice girl and she’ll be my only friend here once you get drafted.”

  “Well, maybe not. I can’t wait for you to meet my girlfriend. She’s a cool girl and the type of person you should hang out with.”

  My phone rings and I see my best friend Jack is calling.

  “Yo! What’s up?” I answer.

  “Not much, man, you wanna hit the party scene tonight?”

  “Not sure, Cara’s in town and I want to introduce her to Ari.”

  “Okay, call if y’all wanna meet up. If not, see you tomorrow morning at the gym.”

  “Sounds good.” I hang up and watch my sister fidget with her sweater.

  “Cara, I’ll take a quick shower and then we’ll make plans for tonight. You in the mood for Italian?”

  “Actually, we’re invited to a party tonight. I was hoping you would take me.”

  I really don’t want to go to this fucking party, Ari hates Greek gigs.

  “Let me check with Ari and see what she thinks, and then we’ll decide.”

  Cara nods her head and goes to her bag on the floor and starts pulling out clothes. I head to the shower to wash the grime away from my afternoon workout. I stand under the hot spray trying to relax my aching muscles. When the water turns cold, I get out and dress in track pants until I know what my plans are for the night.

  The radio’s playing loudly in the living room and I hear laughing. Cara’s singing to the top of her lungs off key and I wince at how she butchers the song. When I walk in, I freeze. Liquor bottles are strewn across my countertops and four girls are dancing around my living room. One of those girls is Alex Fucking Moore.

  When she sees me, she stops and smiles seductively. I roll my eyes at her and turn down the radio. Cara stops singing and looks at me.

  “What the fuck? I was in the shower for half an hour?”

  “I’d already asked Alex and her friends to come over. They got here right after you went into the bathroom.”

  “What’s the deal with all the booze?”

  “Oh, Reed, It’s just a pre-party.”

  “I don’t want a fucking pre-party. I’m not even sure I’m going to a real party!” I scream and each girl stares at me. “Cara, my room now!”

  I turn and wait for her to follow me. When she comes in, I slam the door and run my hands through my hair.

  “What the fuck are you thinking? Inviting a bunch of girls to my apartment to get drunk?”

  She starts crying. “How dare you? You just embarrassed the shit out of me! These girls are in the best sorority on campus and Alex basically guaranteed me a spot on the pledge list.”

  “Do you know what will happen if anyone finds out a bunch of girls got drunk at my apartment before a Greek party? Are all of them even legal? I just busted my ass at Combine in front of scouts for the fucking NFL draft. My name needs to stay squeaky fucking clean! Not dredged through the mud around campus as a drunk playboy. Not to me
ntion I have A. Fucking. Girlfriend!”

  “I-I-I didn’t think about that, I’m so sorry. I wanted to fit in and they said you are like the coolest guy on campus. I thought it would help my reputation.”

  My temper simmers a little thinking about my softhearted little sister and her will to always fit in. That’s what led her to Mitch, who broke her heart. I wrap my arms around her and let her cry into my chest until she starts to hiccup.

  “Care Bear, you need to be careful of people like her. She’s selfish, controlling, and manipulated you before you even drove into town today. I’m nowhere close to the coolest guy on campus. I’m just a football player and student. I work out, go to class, and hang out. Lately, I’ve been hanging with just Ari. I don’t party, I don’t drink that much, and I definitely don’t let four sorority girls come to my place to get drunk.”

  “Please don’t be mad at me. I want to start off on the right foot. I’ll ask them to leave and tell them we’ll meet them later okay? Maybe Ari can introduce me to some of her friends this week too.”

  “Yeah, that’d be good. I have a few calls to make and I want to eat too. I have to be at the gym early tomorrow.” I hug her lightly and reach for my bag to find my phone.

  I’m surprised to find my phone off and an envelope on top of my clothes. The writing looks like Ari’s, and a feeling of dread washes over me. With shaky fingers, I open the letter and fall back on my bed.

  Reed,

  I want you to know the last few months have been a blast. I’ve really enjoyed our time together, but reality is here. You want me to follow you around the country to wherever the NFL takes you, but I’ve decided that isn’t what I want. Your dreams and mine aren’t the same anymore. Being the wife of a famous football player is against all I have worked for in my life. I don’t expect you to understand and at the same time, I can’t ask you to change.

  I don’t want to see you anymore. I think it’s best for a clean break. We both have a lot to concentrate on these last few weeks and need no distractions. It’s best if we just leave this as what it was, a fling.

  Good luck to you and thank you again for an awesome few months.

  Sincerely,

  Arianna

  I remember that fucking note like it’s tattooed into my skin. After I called her phone and it was disconnected, I went to find her. Her roommate looked at me like I was crazy and told me she was staying with Luke for a while. Then I saw them on campus the next week hugging and her nuzzling into his neck. He helped her up from the ground and held her close.

  “Reed, are you listening?” Ari’s voice brings me back to her kitchen where she is no longer leaning on the counter but looking at me.

  “What?” I ask not recognizing my own voice.

  “I said are you okay, you look pale.” Her face if full of concern and her greens eyes staring into me.

  “The note said we were over, our dreams weren’t the same, you changed your mind about following me to wherever I was drafted.”

  Her cry fills the room, and it’s my turn to be worried about her. The look on her face tells me she is shocked. And horrified.

  “I would never do that. I loved you! You were my world. You, Sophie, Luke, and my grandma were the only people I had. Why didn’t you come to me?”

  “Ari, I did come to you. I called and your number was disconnected. I went to your campus housing trying to find you.”

  Tears stream down her face and she starts shaking her head again.

  “I had to change my number. Your girlfriend threatened me, she threatened Luke, she tried to pull my scholarship!”

  My mind races to figure out the fucking shit she just said. My girlfriend?

  “What the fuck?” I hiss. Then something hits me in my gut…had a blast…

  “Ari, have you ever used the word ‘blast’?”

  She looks at me like I’m crazy but answers slowly. “Sure, when referring to a demolition site or a toy train explosion.”

  “You didn’t write the note?” I say as more of a question than a statement.

  “I already told you I didn’t write a note!”

  “Fuck!”

  “Reed! Lower your voice! I have a baby boy sleeping twenty feet away.”

  I pace her small kitchen trying to reel in my anger. My head fills with her words and the feelings brewing inside.

  “We—do you understand—we have a baby boy twenty feet away. He’s mine too. And for some ungodly reason, I’ve been kept away from him!”

  Her face softens. She grabs me another beer out of the fridge and pours more wine. “I think we need to have a talk.”

  Fucking understatement of the fucking year. Hell yeah, we’re having a talk. I want to know what the fuck took me away from the only woman I have loved and the beautiful child in the next room.

  We sit down on the couch with her facing me. Even with all the anger cursing through my system, her presence calms me. The green eyes, the pouty lips, her dimples all stun me. Her body is fuller, but she was always too skinny to me in college—she ran like a maniac. I tried to run with her one time, but she was a long distance runner with huge endurance. I got tired at mile five.

  “Ari, I need you to tell me what happened.”

  She sighs and tears fall down her cheeks as she starts her story.

  Chapter 4

  Ari

  He looks at me sincerely and I know I need to tell him. I swore I would never repeat this story for the rest of my life. But now, I want him to hear the pain and anguish.

  The café he asked me to meet him at is almost empty when I take my seat at the back table. My tea is in front of me and my head reels from the doctor’s appointment I just left. God, I hope he’s serious. He says he loves me but a baby? This might send him running for the hills. He has so much going for him the next few months, what if he resents me? I started the shot shortly after we started dating and waited two months before having sex. Even then, I made him wear a condom for the first few weeks. He never complained, but the first time I told him we were safe, he jumped at the chance to go without.

  Now here I am about to tell him we’re having a baby. I want him to be happy, but if he’s not, I’ll accept his decision.

  “Well, well, well. Look who it is.” I barely recognize the girl. I think she was in my freshman dorm, but we’ve never really spoken. I don’t know any of the friends with her.

  “Can I help you?” I ask politely taking a sip of my tea.

  “Actually, I’m here to help you.” She looks over her shoulder at a beautiful girl who looks at me with venom in her eyes. “This is Reed’s girlfriend. She’s moving here for the rest of the semester and for the draft. Seeing as you have been spending so much time with him, maybe it’s time y’all met. Bailey and Reed are high school sweethearts.”

  My stomach rolls and my head spins. Did she say girlfriend? I look at this girl again and she is staring through me with an icy glare.

  “It’s time you step back from the fairytale you’re living and leave him alone. We’re all here to root him on and watch his dream of being an NFL player come true. He always wanted to slum for a while, but now it’s time for him to concentrate.”

  “No way, you’re full of bullshit. We’ve been together far too long for me to believe a girlfriend would come conveniently out of the woodwork when he’s so close to the draft.”

  “Believe it, bitch!” Bailey speaks up and her face is so full of hatred, I sit back. “He’s mine. Always has been. We may have taken a few small breaks, but I’m back in his life for good now. You need to back the fuck off.”

  “Small breaks? Is that what we call breaking up nowadays? What makes you so sure he still wants you? Seems to me like what we have is pretty special.”

  “Special? You call screwing a two-bit whore special? What can you offer him? I can tell you—nothing! You’re trash.”

  Her words hurt but she’s just getting started. “You need to stay away from Reed starting today. If you know what’s good for
you, you’ll back off.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “How much do you and your precious friend Luke need your scholarships? What about your housing allowance and stipends? That’s the first to go. We’ve got influence here that you can’t even imagine, Arianna. Our connections combined could have your ass off campus before Spring Break.” Dorm girl practically hisses at me. Her friends look amused.

  All I can think is that this can’t be happening. I shake my head in disbelief.

  “Yeah, bitch, believe it.” She pulls out her phone and her friends do the same.

  My phone starts buzzing on the table and I look to see a barrage of text messages. There are pictures of me with Sophie, Luke, and Reed all at different places at different times.

  “Make a decision now. If you don’t leave Reed alone, he has given us permission to post the pictures on all social media sites claiming you’re a stalker.”

  “What? Reed?”

  “Ding, ding, ding, the idiot finally clues in. Of course he approves. He’s the one who sent us today. When Bailey got to town, he told her everything. Their reconciliation took hours, but we finally got her out from under him. He told us to meet you here.”

  All of them laugh and my eyes well with tears but I refuse to let them get to me.

  “Well, in that case, nothing to talk about. If he sent you to me, then message received. You all can kiss my ass. You can have him.” I say pointedly to Bailey.

  I get up to leave and push through them.

  “Oh and Ari, don’t feel bad if he told you he loved you. He’s a charmer.”

  My breathing hitches but I don’t answer her. I walk to my car and slide in. I grab my phone and dial Reed but his phone goes straight to voicemail. The sound of his voice crushes me.

  I hang up without leaving a message. Everything in my body is screaming to go find him, but I’ve had enough humiliation today. The next call I make is to the only two people who won’t let me down.

  When I finish my story, Reed is staring at me with a mixture of hate, anguish, and sadness on his face. Just reliving the day hurts so much. I twirl my glass in my hand waiting for him to say something.