by Shealy James
“Yes you did. I think you drooled on me,” I jokingly told her and laughed. She elbowed me in the side, and I pretended to be wounded. “Careful. I bruise easily.”
“Liar.” My jaw dropped in mock offense and then tugged on her ponytail knowing that would mess up her hair. “Come on now!” She took her hair down and had her eyes closed while she brushed her fingers through her long brown hair. I felt my dick respond, and I had to look away while she pulled it back up into her usual messy knot.
We all piled out of the cars and walked the girls back to their dorms. Max turned to Maggie, “Run then study or study then run?”
“Run then study, and call our parents. You left that last one off of the list,” Maggie replied.
“Yeah. We’ll call home tomorrow. I talked to my mom Thursday, but I guess I should call my dad.” Max rubbed his forehead while he made a face. He must love talking to his dad as much as I do.
“You can call my mother, and I’ll call your dad,” Maggie offered with a smirk.
“Ha. No thanks. My mom already told me that I need a haircut. I don’t need to hear Queen Karen’s thoughts on my hair as well.” Becca smiled up at him like he was chocolate cake with cherries on top. Apparently she didn’t think Max needed a haircut. Interesting… Max then turned to me. “Parker, you running with us tomorrow?”
“Yeah, but I need to do a long run. You up for it?”
Max groaned and Maggie slapped his arm. She could be vicious with her slapping. “Yeah. We’re up for it. Prepare for Max to quit after mile three though.”
“I’m not on the soccer team. I don’t need to run this much,” Max argued.
Maggie rolled her eyes, “Whatever. Good night guys.”
Max hugged Becca and gave her a kiss on the top of her head and a promise to call her, and we waved good-bye to the girls. Tonight had been a very good night, but I was starting to wonder if spending so much time with Maggie was a good idea. She made me feel, and that wasn’t something I could afford to do. Being numb was how I was surviving, and Maggie had a way of breaking through my detachment. Again I reminded myself that no girl was worth the trouble.
Chapter 5
Maggie
The baseball game ended up being one of my favorite games ever thanks to a certain dark-haired, dark-eyed soccer slash guitar player. After Parker moved down and sat next to me, we talked comfortably for the rest of the game. I learned a lot about him and his family, and it broke my heart to hear about his mom. As much as my mother drives me crazy, I wouldn’t wish losing a parent at such a young age on anyone, not even my worst enemy. We need our parents even when they constantly remind you of your imperfections.
What really surprised me about the whole night is that Sarah went home with Wade. She didn’t come home until the next morning either. It was weird sleeping alone in that room. I kept thinking she would bust through the door at any moment, but it never happened. When she came in the next morning just as I was getting dressed to go run, she threw on her pajamas and plopped down on her bed.
“Good night?” I asked playfully.
“Yes,” she swooned. “Wade is great. I’m beat. He got up to go to the gym with some of his soccer friends, so he brought me home and promised to call. We’ll see.” She said it with a shrug. She was so nonchalant about the whole thing. I would have been giddy or a wreck if I had spent the night with a boy, but then I realized it might not have been her first time to do such a thing.
Trying to play it cool even though I wanted to ask a million questions, I said, “Well, I’m glad you had fun. I’m going to run. See you later.”
She gave a half wave and rolled over. I ran out the door and down the stairs right as Max and Parker came up to meet me at the stairs of my dorm. We ran six miles, and as predicted, Max dropped out at mile three and headed over to the café where we met him later.
“How was the long run?” Max asked.
“Long,” I said.
“Hot,” Parker said at the same time.
We grabbed waters and bagels, and sat at the table outside with Max. We were sweaty, but Parker looked…delicious. Is that weird? His muscles looked even better under the glistening sweat. His cheeks were a little red, his hair was wet, and he smelled good, especially for a guy who just ran six miles. I felt my cheeks heat from my wayward thoughts, so I snapped out of it and focused my attention on Max for the rest of breakfast.
The week was busier with soccer practice picking up, but I fell into an easy routine from that point on. Our group had grown with the addition of Becca and Wade and sometimes Rachel and Adam. We were all busy and had different things going on, but we still found time to go out on the weekends for fun. We went to Parker’s bar several times when he knew the band was there, and he usually played a couple of songs with them. Every time he played, I think I found him more irresistible, but nothing was happening between us. We were only friends, and I had a minor crush, no matter how many good luck coins he gave me or what Sarah thought.
I loved having Sarah for a roommate even if she wasn’t as insightful as she thought she was. While she was usually with Wade, she always made time for “girl’s night.” She said that she and Wade were just “fuck buddies,” but she obviously liked him since they would hang out almost everyday. When she was around, she made me do personality tests or other psychology questionnaires for her Intro class, and I always made her fix my hair or help me pick out clothes for our Friday and Saturday night escapades. We talked easily with each other, and for the first time ever, I felt like a regular girl with regular friends.
The first week of September, we had our first soccer games. The boys played on a Wednesday, and my team went to support them. We were all dressed alike in our warm-ups, and it felt nice to be part of the group for once. I had a good time laughing and talking with all the girls. They did most of the talking, primarily about the guys on the team, but I tried to be less of a wallflower than I had been in high school.
Parker was good, and if I thought he was irresistible before, it was nothing compared to how I felt after seeing him play his first soccer game. He was fast and played with an ease that could have only come from a natural ability. On one corner kick, he was able to jump above another player and head the ball out to his midfielder who was able to get it down the field to the striker who put it in the back of the net for their first goal. It was a perfect play. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t practically drooling over him through the whole game. The other players were good as well, but my attention was primarily focused on Parker, like so many of the other girls on my team. It was hard to look at anyone else, when he played like he played and looked like he looked.
My first game was the following day. It went well. I scored one of our three goals, and we won three to one. Max, Parker and his team, Sarah, Becca, and even Rachel came to the game, so I felt like I had my own little cheering section. Daddy and my mother even came up to see it and took my new group out for a celebration.
At dinner Daddy asked Parker, “You haven’t been messin’ around with my little girl, have you?”
I immediately turned a bright shade of crimson and snapped, “Daddy!”
Parker laughed and said, “No sir. I got your message the first time. We’re just friends.”
“Daddy. Parker and I are the same major, and he plays on the boys’ team, so we have similar schedules. We hang out as friends. That’s all.”
“I know, Kid. You have told me all of that before. I wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth.” Now I was even more embarrassed if that was possibly. Daddy basically told Parker that I had been talking about him. Of course I had been, but Parker didn’t need to know that.
Thankfully, Mother and Daddy went home after that since Daddy played golf on Fridays. We went to The Ale House and had a beer, but then we headed back to the dorms early. The band wasn’t playing, and I was worn out from my game and all of the excitement.
Mother and Daddy came up for most games and always took a group of
us out for a free meal. I think Daddy liked living vicariously through us. My mother was always so much nicer to me when the others were around, so I certainly didn’t mind limiting my time with them to group outings. Not once did I hear her critique my ponytail or lack of makeup after a game. I even wore my warm-ups to dinner one night, and other than a raised eyebrow, there was no reaction from her. She never even mentioned the lack of male suitors, so I took all of these as victories and mentally patted myself on the back.
As the semester progressed I did see less of Max and almost never saw him without either Parker or Becca there, which I didn’t really mind. I knew when we went home, it would be the two of us like always, but sometimes I still missed my best friend. Most of the time we went out, Wade and Sarah were together, Max and Becca were together, and Rachel and Adam were arguing over something that no one else cared about. That usually left me and Parker as the odd people out. Parker and I got along really well, and well, it was Parker, so I didn’t mind for the most part. We had a lot to talk about since we had so much in common, but everyone else was pretty much holding hands, kissing, and touching each other. Parker and I kept our hands to ourselves because we were just friends. Sometimes he would put his hand on my back or arm around my shoulders, and I would get butterflies in my stomach, but it wasn’t like we were a couple.
The first time I felt awkward was right before finals when we were all preparing to go home for a month for Christmas break. A group of us went to the Georgia Aquarium one Saturday for a change of pace. Wade and Sarah always had their arms on each other hugging and touching. Max and Becca kept wandering off alone, so that left Parker and me alone for most of the time. He was nice and always put his hand on my back when we would walk through a crowded area like in front of the Beluga whales or the coral reef, but it felt awkward. I liked Parker. I wanted him to touch me, to hold my hand, to put his arms around me when we were standing in front of the tank looking at the sharks, but that wasn’t our reality. In fact I doubted we would be so close if we hadn’t been the odd two out. The whole situation somehow made me feel lonelier than before because now it seemed like I didn’t even have Max.
After that day I was actually looking forward to going home for Christmas break just to get my head back on straight. I had become too wrapped up in my crush to enjoy being friends with Parker, and that was as bad as not having any friends to enjoy, maybe even worse. Three weeks at home would help cure that though.
Chapter 6
Parker
Three weeks off for Christmas is way too long, especially when the dorms were closed. I stayed busy, but being home with just Pops and Preston sucked. I don’t remember being that annoying when I was Preston’s age, but he is Pop’s prized son, so I think his ego makes him all the more obnoxious. Pops was pleased with my 4.0 GPA that I earned for my first semester, but I found it insulting that he would think I would get anything else since I had never made a B in my life. Just because he was pleased didn’t mean he let up on the lectures about hanging out with the band though.
I did sit down at the piano to play once. I lifted the cover on the keys and rested my fingers on them. My mom’s music and voice filled my head. I immediately slammed the cover down then went for a run. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t play.
That was the day I met Brandi at The Ale House. She was a new waitress there. Brandi was short and skinny, but damn, was she flexible. After the day with the piano, I started seeing her every day, even Christmas afternoon. I made it clear that we weren’t going anywhere, but she was as into the sex as I was. It was fast and easy, and then I could go about my business. She didn’t seem to mind. If anything, I would say she was using me too.
I came back to campus as soon as the doors opened up. Max was on his way up too, but he didn’t say anything about Maggie. I was secretly hoping she would come up early as well, but Max didn’t mention her in any of his text messages, and I didn’t ask.
I was in the dorm playing my guitar when the door flew open and Max greeted me with a jovial, “Hey Man!”
“Hey,” I nodded not bothering to move the guitar from my lap. “How was the drive?”
“Long,” he groaned. “I drove alone, so I didn’t have DJ Maggie to entertain me with her songs and her awesome dancing.”
“Oh? That’s too bad.” Thanks for the opening. “Did she not ride back with you?”
“No. She followed me, but my dad let me bring my car since I made a 4.0, so we drove separately. Her sisters rode with her, and she had to take them to the airport, but she should be here soon.” He fumbled around for a while unpacking and turning on his computers, and then asked, “You want to go grab dinner in a bit? I’m starving. Maggie is driving over here since her car was parked out front.”
“Sure. Tavern?”
“Sounds good.”
When Max’s phone buzzed with Maggie’s arrival, I placed my guitar on my bed and grabbed my coat. It was a really cold winter in Atlanta this year, so we wouldn’t be doing much walking or outdoor running anytime soon. People raised in the south rarely braved the cold. Southerners practically hibernate, and if it snows, forget about it. The whole city shuts down.
“Hey Mags. How was your break?” I asked Maggie when I climbed in the front seat. Her smile lit up her whole face when she saw me, and I felt the same pang I felt before the break. I almost missed her answering my question because I was reminding myself to turn those feelings off.
“Fine. Daddy worked the whole time, so it was just me, my mother, and my sisters for the majority of the trip. Needless to say, I’m glad to be back. How about you?”
I looked straight ahead as she drove because I couldn’t look at her. “I’m glad to be back too. Hanging out with Pops and my brother was not my idea of fun either. I did play with the band a lot, so that was pretty cool.” I didn’t mention Brandi. It wasn’t like we were dating anyway, and after seeing Maggie again, I almost regretted every second with Brandi. That girl has nothing on Maggie. Shut it down, Parker! “Max, when does Becca get back?”
“She gets back tomorrow. I saw her for New Year’s though. I went up to her hometown and met her parents.”
“Wow. So I guess you two are serious?” Max nodded and gave me a shit-eating grin. I knew that look. Serious in the bedroom.
“How was New Year’s, Maggie?” Max asked. “You didn’t tell me the rest of the story.”
Maggie groaned, so I asked, “What did you do for New Year’s?”
“We go to the club every year. Daddy insists. It is formal, and everyone wears ridiculous dresses and ends up drinking too much. I sit at the table the whole time and wait for it to be over or dance with the old men whose wives are too busy gossiping. Usually I have someone to complain with, but he left me to fend for myself.” She jutted her thumb towards Max and rolled her eyes jokingly.
“Sounds fun.”
“Oh, it’s a blast,” she said sarcastically.
“Hey, Wallace Mitchell asked you to dance three times. I mean you had to have fun hanging out with that douchebag.”
“Who is Wallace Mitchell?” I asked suddenly irritated that some guy was able to spend time with Maggie when I couldn’t.
Max explained, “He is this pompous guy that is her sisters’ age. He goes to law school at Yale or Harvard or something like that and thinks he’s God’s gift to the women of Savannah, especially Maggie.”
“Stop it, Max,” Maggie tried to sound angry, but her giggle ruined it. “He’s a nice guy but not my type. He is more into the lifestyle than living life.”
I was glad to hear that Maggie wasn’t interested in the guy, but I couldn’t tap down the jealous feeling I had that he could so easily ask her out and spend time with her. Thankfully the conversation changed to our schedules for the semester. Maggie and I had a few classes together because we were the same major and had similar soccer schedules. Max was in one with both of us, and we found that we would still be able to do lunch every day together. I had grown to really enjoy our lunch
es.
When we were heading back to the dorm, I invited Maggie to go with me to the movies later when Max was meeting up with Becca. There was a remake of a musical that came out over Christmas that I had wanted to see. I used to go to movies like this with my mom, and I wouldn’t go with anyone from the band or Pops or take any of the girls that I had hung out with recently, so Maggie seemed like a good choice. She wouldn’t make fun of me for wanting to see a girly movie, and if I was honest with myself, I would admit I was looking forward to hanging out alone with her. Not worth the trouble. Not worth the trouble.
Maggie
The first time Parker and I really hung out alone without studying, we went to see a movie he wanted to see. The movie was great, but hanging out with Parker was the best part of the day. We went to lunch at my favorite Greek restaurant and talked about how we felt guilty every time we were out on a Sunday with people who were obviously dressed for church, and we hadn’t gone. We laughed about nothing and talked about everything. It was what I imagine a first date (a great first date) would feel like. I was kind of hoping that’s what it was, but it seemed we were solidly in the friend zone.
It was early evening by the time we made it back from the movies. I stopped by the boys’ dorm to see if Max was there, but he was still out with Becca.
“You can wait on him if you want,” Parker said as he sat down on his bed with his guitar.
I pointed my head at his guitar “Are you going to entertain me?”
“Only if you sing.”
I was reluctant to agree, but I didn’t want our day to end. “Um…ok, but you have to sing along. I don’t think my voice is really worth listening to.”
He played almost any eighties song I named. His voice was beautiful, rough and soulful. Parker could be a blues singer and I would totally buy his album, and not just because he was Parker either. I did make him play a Frank Sinatra song. He grinned teasingly at me knowing that I was trying to stump him, but he ended up playing it almost as easy as anything else.
