by Abbi Glines
“You ready?” Nash asked me.
I was. I had been all the first half. Now it was finally time for the offense to take the field for the first time in the second half, and my adrenaline was pumping in my veins. I’d stayed focused. The few times I’d allowed Aurora to creep into my thoughts, I’d fought the urge to look back into the stands for her. I knew she was here. That’s all that mattered. I had to win this game. Then I’d celebrate with her beside me.
“Yes,” I said as I slipped my helmet on.
“Give ’em hell,” he called out as I ran onto the field. The smell of the grass, the sounds of the bands and yells coming from the stands, the intensity of everyone around me. I loved this feeling. Having to watch it and not participate had been hard. It reminded me how Nash must feel, and I knew I was out here for him, too.
My eyes locked with Maclay’s, and he gave me a look I knew. This was me. I had to get open. I blinked at him twice to let him know I was ready, then took my place on the line.
It all went like a fucking dance. One we had memorized. The team had been working with McNair and Judson all night. I knew they’d studied me in previous games, just as we had their key players, but being on the field with the sudden change was still enough to mess with their heads.
I was down right field, and the ball was in my hands before they knew what was happening. Then there was my speed. Something else McNair lacked. He could catch the ball, but he couldn’t outrun the defense.
I could and I did.
The roar that erupted as my foot hit the grass just over the end zone was familiar and only made the fire in us all burn brighter.
I was engulfed by the guys closest to me. “Fuck yeah!” “That’s Lawton ball!” and other things were being yelled as they celebrated, and we headed to the sidelines, where the rest of the team was jumping and cheering.
Nash was there to greet me, and he put both his hands on my shoulders. “That’s how a Lee does it,” he said, grinning.
I winked at him, and he laughed. Then I turned to see Maclay watching us. He gave me a nod. I nodded back. We’d tied the game, and we both knew we could win this.
When the moment of the last few seconds on the clock finally came, the crowd behind us began chanting “Lawton” over and over. We had scored two more times, and North Bank had only scored once. Our defense was strong enough to fight back, and no matter how good Richards was, he didn’t have anyone fast enough to outrun us.
The seconds ticked down as Richards sent a beautiful pass to his receiver, and when he caught it, there was silence for only a moment. Because a Lion took down the receiver before he even got to take one step. Game over. Lawton won.
I didn’t join the others yelling. I turned then and looked up into the crowd of blue. Shakers and cowbells were everywhere, as was the excitement. We’d be going to State. I scanned them all, thinking it was going to be impossible to find her in all this, and just as I started to give up, I saw her step out onto the path of stairs to the far right. The red hair was hard to miss. She paused, as if she realized I was looking for her, and then she waved.
I held up my hand and waved back.
Neither of us thinking about who was watching. Not caring at the moment. All I could think about was I’d get to celebrate with her tonight at the field. It would be late, but even if we got home at midnight, everyone would head to the field. It was tradition. I wanted to run out of this fence and up there to meet her. Grab her and kiss her right here in front of them all. Smell her and feel her against me. But I couldn’t. She wouldn’t be able to run out on the field to congratulate me either. Her dad was out here. He would see it. I had no reason to stand out here and wait for someone. There was no one else I wanted to see.
“You did it, Son,” my dad’s voice said, interrupting my thoughts. I turned to see him beside me. His gaze went to where mine had been. “Even with the new distraction in your life. You stayed focused. You’ll have to be ready to make your decision on where you want to play. Because after that performance, you’ll get more than one offer.”
“Thanks” was all I said, not liking the way he had called Aurora my new distraction, but also not wanting to argue with him after that game. I wanted to ride the high of the moment. I noticed Maclay wasn’t celebrating as hard as the others either. He was smiling as big as I’d ever seen him, but he was calmer. Still focused. His dad was beside him, and he seemed more than pleased, but he was talking to Hunter. As if going over the game with him. That shit had to be annoying.
Hunter’s dad’s head turned at that moment, and his eyes locked with mine. He held that, and I didn’t look away. He was sizing me up. Trying to figure something out, and I knew exactly what that something was. My interest in his daughter. I nodded respectfully, then headed for the field house to get showered and changed for the ride back on the bus.
“He still doesn’t know,” my dad said as he walked beside me.
I didn’t have to ask him what or who he was talking about. “No.”
Dad didn’t respond right away. Then he said, “I think he has an idea.”
“Me too,” I agreed.
“You got your uncle’s speed!” Nash’s father said as he stepped in front of us. Then he hugged me hard and slapped my back. “Your daddy was too damn slow,” he added with a smirk in his brother’s direction.
Dad rolled his eyes. “Fuck that,” he said, and my uncle laughed loudly.
“No one has ever been able to stop a Lee,” my uncle added. “Even your slow-ass father.”
Both my dad and uncle had played college ball. Neither had made it to the NFL, for different reasons. Ones they didn’t talk about, even if we already knew the truth. This town was small. Hard to keep secrets. It was my uncle’s reason that scared my dad about me. Because if he hadn’t fallen in love with my aunt his senior year, my uncle wouldn’t have kept coming back to Lawton and, in the end, chosen this life over the one he could have lived.
I didn’t think his life was a bad one, and my dad wanting me to have something he thought was more didn’t seem fair. What if I didn’t want to live the life he wished he’d had? What if it wasn’t my dream? What if I messed it all up, and when the hell did life decisions get so hard?
He’s So Different with You
CHAPTER 32
AURORA
I watched him until he disappeared into the field house. Tallulah and I made our way to the field just as Nash was coming toward her. He had a slight limp, but it was not very noticeable unless he was moving fast. Like he was now. She smiled and hugged him tightly, then he kissed her firmly on the mouth. I looked away to give them privacy, although they were in a crowd of people. I found my dad walking back this way from the field house. His gaze landed on me, and he headed in my direction.
The excitement on every face around me was fun to watch. I had never been nervous watching a football game until tonight. When Ryker stepped out onto the field, I’d been anxious. Wanting him to do good, and he’d done more than that. He and Hunter had played together perfectly. I had no idea Ryker was so fast, either, until I’d seen him leave the others so far behind they had no hope of catching up. Tallulah had signed to me after his touchdown that he was known for his speed.
I could understand why.
Now, the game was won, and I could face telling my dad about Ryker. After the way Ryker and Hunter had been so unstoppable together, I didn’t think he’d be negative about it. I wanted to have the freedom to rush onto the field and kiss Ryker.
When Dad reached me, he stopped and smiled at Tallulah and Nash. “Hello, great game.”
Both of them agreed, and then he turned back to me. “Does Tallulah want you to ride home with her, or is Nash going to ride back with her?” Dad asked me in sign as well as speaking.
I glanced at her and realized I hadn’t thought of this. I hoped I didn’t have to ride home with Dad, but then it wouldn’t be fair to be a bother to Tallulah.
“We are going to the field to celebrate with eve
ryone and would love for Aurora to go with us,” Tallulah replied, also signing as she spoke.
Dad frowned, and I waited. Hunter would be going to the field. There was no question about that. His pause in my going had to do with Ryker. It wasn’t fair that he was reacting this way.
“Okay, but you need to ride home from the field with Hunter. It’s too late for a field party, but I will allow you both to go for an hour once we get back to Lawton.” He signed this and again said the words for the others.
I nodded, relieved that I was getting to go without a fight. “Yes, sir,” I signed in response. He started to leave, then paused and looked at me one more time. As if he could read my mind if he looked closely enough. I met his gaze and held it. It almost felt as if I were challenging him. Asking him to say something. Tell me I couldn’t see Ryker when he didn’t know that I was.
Finally he turned and walked back toward where the buses had pulled up and players were slowly coming from the field house with their bags and loading up. Turning to Tallulah, I wondered if she’d picked up on any of that. Or worse, if Nash had. I signed thank you to her and then looked at Nash and smiled. He seemed concerned, but he returned the smile. He had definitely figured out some of it.
I wanted to explain it, but I didn’t understand it either. How could I explain something that made no sense to me? Several people stopped to say something to Nash about the game. He was genuinely happy for the team, even though he no longer was able to play. Tallulah’s hand was holding on to his, and I knew it was a silent form of support. Their body language said a lot about them. They’d both graduate this May, and they could go to the same college. I envied them what they had.
“There’s Ryker,” Tallulah said, and pointed behind me. That was enough to make me forget everything else. Spinning around, I found him instantly, and the way his eyes lit up when they met mine made it all okay. No matter what happened with my dad, it was going to be okay. I was sure of it.
I began making my way toward him, and we met in the middle of the crowd still celebrating on the field. His hair was freshly washed, and he was wearing a Lawton Lions Football hoodie with a pair of sweats that matched. He smelled good. I stared up at him in awe at how he could play a game that intense and be so beautiful minutes afterward. He didn’t even appear exhausted.
“Are you riding back with Tallulah?” he asked, his eye locked on mine as he kept a bit of a distance. Not touching me. Just close enough to hear me if I spoke, and so I could see his lips.
“Yes,” I told him.
“Good, then I am too,” he said with a soft grin that seemed a touch wicked. Like he was doing something wrong and going to get away with it.
I hadn’t thought about him riding back with us. Never crossed my mind. The excitement of riding with him in the backseat of Tallulah’s car, however, was immediate. “Okay.” I said the word, wondering if my voice sounded as giddy as I felt.
He glanced back over his shoulder, scanning the crowd, and I wondered who he was looking for, but then his eyes came back to me. “Where’s your dad?”
“He left.”
“Thank God” was his response, and I laughed, which only made his grin bigger.
He lifted his gaze then to look over my shoulder. He was listening to someone, but I didn’t turn to see who. I watched his mouth instead. Finally he said, “It’s fine. I’ll make sure no one sees me get in the back. I’m not riding back on the damn bus when she’s in the car with y’all.” I wanted to kiss him. Seeing his scowl as he spoke to who I could guess was Nash, because he’d never look at Tallulah like he was annoyed. “I got this,” he said again to Nash; then his gaze dropped back to mine. I wanted him with me too, but I didn’t want him to be in any more trouble with the coach.
“Are you supposed to ride back on the bus?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “No, they let us ride back with family or friends. We just have to text Coach to let him know we left with someone else and who.”
I felt better. If Nash was just worried about my dad, then that was not an issue. He was gone. He’d never know.
“I’m going to go ahead and get my bag in the back of Tallulah’s car, and I’ll meet y’all there,” he told me, then winked before walking away with Nash beside him. I watched him go for a few seconds, wondering what this feeling was that had grown so incredibly strong so fast. Then I turned back to Tallulah. She raised her eyebrows at me with an amused gleam in her eyes. “He’s so different with you,” she signed, looking a bit amazed. “I’ve never seen him like this, and I’ve known him since we were kids. He never knew I existed until this year, but I saw him. Mostly because I was always watching Nash, and they were together.”
That was odd. Why hadn’t Ryker known she existed until this year? “How did he not know you? The school isn’t that big.”
She looked as if she didn’t want to say more. Or there was something she wasn’t sure I should know. That made me want to know everything, of course.
“I was overweight until this summer. I lost weight. It was because . . .” She stopped a moment, and I wondered if she was struggling to finish or wasn’t sure of the sign for the next thing she needed to say. Then she continued, “Someone said something that hurt me. I lost weight for the wrong reasons. But losing weight made others notice me.”
She didn’t say more. She dropped her hands and shrugged as if that was it. I knew there was more, but I let it go. I didn’t want to push her. She motioned her head in the direction of the parking lot. “Let’s go.” She said the words.
I gave a quick nod, and we walked in the direction the guys had gone. I couldn’t help but try and picture Tallulah overweight. It was impossible. She seemed confident and carried herself in a way that said she had never worried about her appearance or anything else. The kindness in her that I had noticed the very first day I met her made sense now. The idea of someone saying something hurtful to her made me angry. It was silly of course, since she’d made her peace with it and moved on, but it still bothered me. I knew more than anyone it was what was inside that counted. I’d seen evil in the eyes of those who were gorgeous on the outside. Like the girl my brother was currently dating.
The parking lot was full of people getting in their cars, and the only light came from the headlights as they pulled away. It felt safe in the darkness, and when we reached Tallulah’s car, there were no lights on inside or out. She went to the front passenger seat, and I stopped at the door beside her. We looked at each other, then both pulled open our doors and climbed inside. It was dark, but I could see Ryker waiting on me in the backseat. The warmth from his body felt good after the coldness outside. I shivered, but I wasn’t sure if it was the excitement of being back here with him or the sudden warmth reminding me of the low temperature outside.
He reached over and pulled me against his side. Once he had me in the middle of the backseat, he began to buckle the middle lap belt over me. It was too dark for us to speak, but I liked the darkness and being close to him. I inhaled and enjoyed the clean smell of his soap and the hint of cologne I had smelled earlier. My heart was beating faster than normal, but when he put his arm behind me, I eased back and laid my head on his chest.
I didn’t have to worry about reading lips or following conversation. I could feel if he spoke by the vibration in his chest. He wasn’t talking to Nash and Tallulah. I had no idea if they were talking, but I didn’t care. It was like we were alone back here in our own little world. I wanted to stay this way forever.
Ryker began to play with my hair, and I sighed with pleasure. It felt amazing. His left hand found mine, and instead of linking my hand with his, I began to softly caress it. I felt his body tremble slightly when I began, and I loved that he couldn’t see my face as I smiled. Pleased that I had affected him this way.
There was a slight vibration in his chest. He’d said something. It sounded like one word. I knew it wasn’t to me, so I didn’t lift my head to be nosy. Nash was probably talking to him. It was severa
l minutes; then he said something else. Not much. A couple of words at best. His hand that had been playing with my hair found my ear and began softly running a fingertip to trace it. I closed my eyes again and slowly relaxed.
Then All Hell Broke Loose
CHAPTER 33
RYKER
I could tell the moment her breathing slowed and her hand, which had been caressing mine, went still. She was asleep. I didn’t stop touching her, though. Feeling her hair run through my fingers and having her curled up asleep on me was heaven. Hell, I didn’t think heaven could get this good.
“Her dad knows something. I could tell by the way he was acting tonight,” Nash said.
I was ready to deal with her dad and get it over with. “I’m going to handle that this week,” I said.
“She can feel the vibration on your chest and knows you’re talking. It’s rude to talk about things concerning her with her right here in the car,” Tallulah scolded us both.
“She’s asleep,” I said, agreeing with Tallulah. If she had been awake, I’d have made sure she knew what we were saying.
Earlier Nash had said something about me being quiet after a big win, and I’d just grunted in response. Then he’d said if he didn’t know better, he’d think I was in love. I had replied, “Yeah.”
That had silenced him. It had been a vague answer. Because if I was going to say that I loved Aurora, then it would be to her. Not to Nash. She hadn’t lifted her head to see what I was saying, and I was glad.
