Lasting Fate

by Charisse Spiers

  I have told Fisher bits and pieces of what happened over the last month. It kind of comes with the territory when the starting quarterback notices at practice you're better than second string and wants to know why you're a walk on redshirt instead of getting a full ride somewhere.

  "Nah," he says. "I had a girlfriend back home, but we weren't that serious. Just having fun really. Where I'm from if you have any aspirations in life you don't seriously date anyone. I'm from a small town, the kind where the locals know everything about everyone. Becoming serious in high school for most people traps them there. Both of us wanted out, so we had a mutual goal in mind. That kept either of us from getting hearts in our eyes if that makes sense. She went out west after graduation, one of those girls chasing an acting dream. It's almost laughable, because her chances are so slim in making it, but she was cool and it was a mutual breakup, so whatever makes her happy. I just do me."

  I like Fisher. He's really laid back and unlike a lot of the guys here, he isn't an ass kisser. He's genuine and he's here because he loves the game, willing to play whether he gets drafted or calls it quits after he graduates. He isn't just chasing big dollar signs. He enjoys life along the way.

  "You haven't had a string of girls following you around since you're the starting quarterback? Isn't that the benefit for quarterbacks," I ask jokingly.

  "Well, I must admit I've had some pretty nice offers, but none that really interested me." He laughs as I raise my brow.

  "I guess you want the long explanation based on that facial expression, huh?"

  "You know it," I say.

  He's looking straight ahead, tapping his cleat against the concrete floor. "Shit, I don't know, man. I love sex, don't get me wrong, but I kind of like to be into the girl first. I don't really know how to explain it. When I say I'm from a small town, I mean like really small. There weren’t that many girls to choose from really, and most of the guys didn't want to just pass them around between each other. Besides, there wasn't much to do. Most people threw parties in fields for fun. The next town over was a drive so you only did it to shop or go to games, etc."

  He looks at me and laughs. "It sounds stupid, doesn't it? I guess I was just kind of shocked when I came here and girls started throwing themselves at me. I kind of liked having to work for it to be honest. It made getting the goods that much better. I'm not pleading my case, am I?"

  I grin. "Actually, I get it. I found one of those girls once."

  "Really? What happened to her?"

  "I asked her to marry me," I say proudly. "I was a wild one once, and then I discovered the girls you have to work for are usually the ones to bring you to your knees."

  "No shit. I feel you there."

  Coach walks in the locker room, his voice echoing throughout the room. "Let's go guys. It's game time. Get your asses in gear." He starts clapping his hands together with the clipboard under his arm.

  Everyone starts slamming lockers and walking in some version of a line towards the tunnel. "I guess it's go time," Fisher says as he stands and slaps me on the back. "Don't be nervous. You never know; if we get enough points on the board Coach may put you in to give first string a rest. I got your back. I'll try to get you some playtime. If so, you got this. I've seen you in practice. A bench is not your place. The field is where you should be, and I obviously need some help on the field. What we’re doing isn’t working. We need some wins. You just need a chance to redeem yourself from the shit you were pushed in at the worst possible time when it comes to football."

  "Thanks, Fisher."

  I can hear a whistle bounce off the walls, increasing the volume. "Abercrombie. Austin. Tunnel, now, or both of you will be on the bench."

  Fisher starts jogging toward the tunnel with his helmet in his hand. I stand and do the same. "Coming, Coach," I say as I pick up my helmet.

  I run through the locker room toward the tunnel to catch up with the rest of the team, putting on my helmet along the way. Everyone is waiting to run out. It's still kind of surreal being here now. In high school it was a sure thing in my mind, but now second string makes me as happy as first, because I could have lost the opportunity for it all.

  I follow the rest of the team as they make the sprint across the field to the sidelines. The size of college stadiums makes high school look tiny.

  Once I get to my spot I immediately start looking for Kinzleigh in the section I got her tickets for. I find my parents almost immediately, but she isn't there. She knows the game is about to start, so where is she? She could have just been running late and got held up in traffic, but knowing Kinzleigh's ability to get herself into trouble my first thought is to worry.

  I need to brush it off. She probably has a reason for being late. It was probably something with Bryce and I'm just being paranoid. I turn back around to pay attention to what is going on the field. Our team wins the toss up and we choose to kick off. I'm watching as special teams take their places on the field, ready to start.

  "Hey, Breyson. Looking sexy, baby!"

  Chills run down my spine as I hear the shout coming from behind me. I would know that accent and voice anywhere. I've heard it in the most intimate of ways. This has to be some kind of fucked up dream.

  "Breyson!"

  That voice again. Do I turn around or pretend I didn't hear it? "Ah, dude, is that your woman? You were holding back man. Damn, you didn't say she was exotic."

  I look at Fisher beside me, waiting for the ball to change hands. Special teams are already off the field and defensive line is on. I close my eyes. This shit cannot be happening. Please tell me someone is screwing with my head.

  At the risk of being crazy I turn around to confirm my worse nightmare coming to life. As sure as I am that the sky is blue, Angelique Madden, the queen of seduction, is standing in the first row of the stadium.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck!

  "Are you going to go say hey? She is still standing there yelling your name. Don't leave your girl hanging."

  I lace my fingers together, resting my hands on the top of my helmet. My heart is racing at what feels like ninety miles per hour.

  Still glancing at Angelique in shock, I notice Kinzleigh walk up and stop behind her, but far enough to the side I can see her. She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, and that's not just because she's mine. She really is gorgeous, especially the way she looks tonight.

  I watch her eye Angelique. The look on her face is killing me. I want to walk over to her, to kiss her, and to give her some kind of explanation as to who that girl staring at me is, but from the look on her face I think she already knows.

  My eyes are connected with Kinzleigh's. I want her to read my lips. I want her to know that there is nothing this woman could do to pull me away from her. I want her to know that she is my past, present, and my future. Angelique was just a bad dream that I wish I could erase. Without looking at Fisher I say, "That's not my girl. The blonde behind her is. The one in front was a mistake..."

  "Damn, man, you need to fix that shit. Offense is going out. That's my cue."

  I never break contact with Kinzleigh as Fisher runs out on the field. I can't. Why is Angelique still standing there? Damn, what is she even doing here? How the hell did she even know where I would be? I made it clear we were nothing. Even before I could remember...

  "Good luck, baby. I'll be waiting for you...like old times," she purrs and winks, turning to find her seat in the stadium. She couldn’t have gotten seats this close to the players. The only reason I can get them is because I’m a player. She eyes Kinzleigh with a smirk on her face as she struts by her.

  Kinzleigh crosses her arms across her chest as if she's uncomfortable. Her eyes are starting to reflect under the stadium lights as if they're filling with tears. She's trying not to cry. I can tell from her stance that she's intimidated, even at this distance. Dammit, she shouldn't be. Kinzleigh will always exceed every other girl in my eyes.

  She tries to smile, but it's fake. I hate seeing her upset. She tur
ns and begins walking up the steps that lead higher into the stadium. "Kinzleigh," I call out.

  She stops and looks at me mid step. "I love you. Always. Don't forget, okay?" I'm waiting for a response, something to tell me we're okay. The crowd starts screaming, but I don't care. She's what I care about.

  "Matthew Huff looks like he is going to run it all the way down the field. Could this be a touchdown? He seems to be wide open," says the sports announcer over the speakers.

  I'm still looking at Kinzleigh, but the crowd starts to become quiet. "I know," she mouths.

  The announcer begins speaking again. "Player is down. It looks like he took a shoulder directly into the knee before he went down at the five yard line."

  I turn around to see what is going on. Matt is lying on the field holding his hands around his knee as the trainers run out on the field with the coaches.

  They are all hovered over him, making it difficult to see anything. They pull Matt up and the crowd starts clapping as he hobbles off the field with the trainers, not bearing any weight on the injured leg. "Breyson!"

  I turn at the sound of Coach's voice. He waves me over. I run in front of the line to where he stands. "Yeah, Coach."

  "Matt is out for the remainder of the game. He may have torn his ACL, but they will have to get him checked out. Here's your chance. Put some points on the board."

  He gives me the play and pats me on the butt. I'm having a hard time processing everything, because it's all happening so fast. I hate that he's hurt, but I can't believe I'm actually going to get to play for a game.

  I look up at Kinzleigh and she must have figured out what is going on, because that smile that has been absent is right back on her face as she looks back at me. That's the one that could motivate me to run marathons.

  I place my fingertips to my mouth and point to her, sending a kiss. She places a fist to her heart and begins walking to her seat next to our parents. I take off running onto the field, ready to give it all I've got. The game is calling me. This is my chance to prove I'm made to do this, and that I belong on this field. I'm supposed to play football. It's time to go big or go home.

  Chapter 13

  Breyson

  I'm sweating. The other team is good, but I keep treading right along with them. Their offense is steadily putting points on the board, but so are we.

  The score is tied with one minute in the final quarter. We have the ball, which gives us a slight advantage. We have the option to kick a field goal, but I want to run the ball. This may be my only night to play. I've always played by taking the risky option and it's gotten me pretty far, so there is no reason to stop now.

  The line takes position, ready to run the play. I take in the position of the defense, looking for any holes. Fisher acts like he's about to throw in the opening, but I run up beside him and he passes it off to me. I cradle the ball and take off running. I can see the end zone. I just need to get the ball across that line.

  A player comes at me and I spin around as he jumps, dodging him, but barely. I keep going, shoving into another player with my shoulder knocking him out of the way. Five-yard line and a player twice my size grabs me by the waist trying to get me down.

  Fuck, he's heavy. I won't go down without a fight. I lock my legs and dig my cleats into the grass, exerting all of my weight into my center core, trying to keep balance. He pulls harder, but I continue to push forward, dragging him with me.

  The crowd is going wild. I'm getting weak: three yards, two yards, one...

  A surge of adrenaline sparks and a growl escapes, causing me to bend forward and drive that last yard as the buzzer of the timer sounds. "Touchdown Eagles!"

  I drop in the end zone, expended of all my energy. I look up at Fisher holding out his hand for me and I take it. I stand to the rest of the team now gathered around, all patting me on the back and chest bumping me.

  The one thing that could make this moment perfect is Kinzleigh. "I'll be back!" I holler out and take off in a sprint across the field.

  I pass the coach headed for the field exit, removing my helmet. "Breyson, where you going?"

  "I'll be right back, Coach. There's something I need to do real quick."

  "Hurry up and get in the locker room," he yells.

  "Sure thing, Coach."

  Fans are exiting the stadium, making it crowded. I run, weaving in and out of bodies, looking for her. As I read each section label on the cement walls, someone grabs my jersey, pulling me from the side. I look over and Angelique is walking alongside me. She's really starting to piss me off. She has no reason to be here.

  "What do you want, Angelique?"

  "I thought that was obvious..."

  "I'm with someone. You need to go back to Spain. There is nothing here for you, at least not if you're here for me."

  "You're making a mistake. I'm better for you than her. We could go far together," she says, still trying to pull me to her. We are at a standstill on the concrete, the flow of bodies detouring around us.

  She places her hands around my waist, trying to brush her breasts on me. I grab her wrists, prying them from my body. "That's where you're wrong, Angelique. No one is better for me than her. Meeting you was during a period of my life that should have never happened. Don't you get that? I'm finally getting my life back. I won't lose it again, especially over someone that means nothing to me."

  She narrows her eyes slightly. "So you're saying those times you took me to bed and fucked me for hours on end meant nothing to you? I don't believe you..."

  "Believe what you want. I don't really give a shit, but at least get it right; it was only one night. I'm not trying to be a dick, but if you care about me at all, then leave. There is someone out there for you, but I'm not it. You shouldn't have come here."

  The spark in her eyes should tell me she isn’t going to take a hint that easily. She holds up her hands in surrender and I release her wrists from my hold. She goes for the crotch of my pants. "I just need to remind you. Let me..."

  As soon as she says it she gets pulled backwards by the hair, causing her hands to immediately go for her hair. She falls to the ground in her loss of balance. "Back up off my man, bitch!"

  Kinzleigh is standing just over her normal five-foot height, bent forward, and looking down at Angelique on the ground, pointing her left index finger at her. Her diamond ring is catching beams of light and making it shine. "Listen you little home-wreckin' whore. He told you he didn't want you. You were a meaningless quest to get him off when he didn't even know his own name. Don't be that needy, desperate girl. It's not attractive. Accept that it was a fling and move on. His heart is here or he wouldn't have come back when he got his memories back. We share a child together and we're engaged. I'm going to tell you this one time only, and if I see your pretty little tan face around my fiancé again you will regret it."

  She walks up closer to her from the distance in which she was previously standing. I can do nothing but stand here and hide my arousal with my hands and helmet. There is something extremely hot about your girl willing to fight over you. Kinzleigh doesn’t look done talking. "I may have appeared to be a shy doormat when you came to my house earlier, but every girl is capable of crazy, and I'm not afraid to let mine loose. When it comes to holding onto something like my man that someone else is trying to steal and is important to me, I will let the crazy ride, every time. Do not mistake my tender heart as a weakness, because girl you're messing with my life, and I know now that is worth fighting for."

  Kinzleigh stands straight from the slightly bent position she was in. "Now go on and find you someone else, preferably single if you don't want that pretty face altered by some other pissed off girl."

  Angelique stands and brushes off the back of her jeans. She looks at me as if she's waiting for me to side with her. I'm trying really hard not to laugh. I shrug my shoulders. "What she said..."

  Angelique huffs and walks past us, moving in the same direction of the remaining fans still exiting the game. Kinzl
eigh's back is facing me. She drops her fingers and turns around. "Breyson, I'm sorr-"

  "That was so fucking hot," I blurt out, cutting her off.

  She dips her eyebrows. "What?"

  I walk closer to her, minimizing the distance between us. "Jealousy increases your hotness factor by ten points, and you're already at a ten. Watching you bring the claws out for me has me so turned on I could take you right here in the wide open of this stadium."

  Her cheeks start to tint with a rose shade. "You are?"

  When I'm close enough to her that no one can see me, I remove my helmet from its position in front of my crotch and place my free hand at the small of her back, pulling her against me. "Hell yeah, I am. If I didn't have to be in the locker room like five minutes ago, I'd stay true to my word and take you into the nearest corner, pull those jeans to your thighs, and bend you over while I show you just how much that turned me on."

  She closes her eyes and wraps her arms around my waist. "You better stop talking to me like that or you're going to miss your player meeting in the locker room. I’m actually thinking dirty enough thoughts I would probably let you take me in a corner. You know what it does to me when I see you dressed out in uniform."

  She releases me and opens her eyes, stepping back. Placing her hands on my shoulder pads she motions for me to turn around. Knowing she can't physically turn me around I play along, turning in a one-hundred eighty degree turn. She walks closer to my backside.

  "You know you just broke the teams losing streak, right?"

  "Me, among others," I say.

  "That may be, Mr. Abercrombie, but I believe it was you that scored the winning touchdown."

  "You saw that, huh?" I smile. She is not helping my current state of arousal to decrease before I have to walk in a locker room full of males and probably one pissed off coach because I'm late. Right this second, though, I can't find the will to care.

  "Mmmm hmmm. Do you know what that means for you, Abercrombie?" She calls me by my last name when playing with me.