Our team makes a huddle which surprises me until I see how it blocks the cameramen.
“Did you get knocked out?” I can barely make out Chris’ words as he stares at our dazed receiver.
“No sir. I just couldn’t breathe for a moment. Someone sucker-punched my kidney.” He spits blood out onto the dirt.
Standing, he uses his hands as a megaphone and belts out. “Pay back! Umph!”
Shouting girls in short skirts take up the chant along with the crowd who stomp their feet on the bleachers.
Gorgeous dark eyes glance up at me as our team practically buzzes with energy. There’s nothing like a little revenge to stir up the Pitbulls.
CJ admonishes the defensive linemen as they trot onto the field. “You want revenge? Win!”
Our team is at the fifty yard line which makes it easier for me to see. I stand with all the rest, cheering our guys on. My voice is hoarse and a couple of young men sitting next to me hand me a lozenge. Ryan shoots, the ball flies into the air, and is caught way down the field.
The band plays, the crowd goes wild and the cheerleaders do back flips.
At the end of the quarter. CJ calls a timeout. Sweating and yet still calm, he warns the players of how the defense may react. Chris’ jaw muscles clench but other than that, he tries to emulate his boss. The rest of the staff pace, shout words of encouragement, and wait for the ball to go back in play.
Finally, our offensive team takes the field, Ryan makes the call, and the ball snaps into his hands. He backs up as if to throw, finds no one, then takes a flying leap forward. Holy shit, he jumps over the other team and lands in the end zone.
We win.
As the crowd empties out of the stadium, newscasters clamor to the field. My handsome grad-ass answers a few questions, grins, and his face fills the monitor at the end of the field. CJ doesn’t say much but waves and thanks his staff for the well-played game. Hands are shaken in the middle of the field.
I hear one Pitbull mumble, “That ought to teach those bastards.”
Otherwise, the two teams seem amicable enough. Someday, a few may be NFL teammates.
I head back to the hotel with the band and take a shower and relax. It’s past six by the time Chris arrives, dark circles under his eyes.
I feel guilty for keeping him up all night and better understand why the men don’t take women with them on the away games. Their days are grueling and long and they don’t need distractions.
He sniffs his pits and grimaces when I take a step forward to kiss him. “I’m ripe. Let me shower then we can head down to dinner. After, I have another meeting, sorry.”
“No worries.” Despite his protests, I slip my arms around his still sweaty body, loving the feel of him and happy he’d shared his world with me, if only for a day.
“I understand why CJ gave me the ticket.” I call out into the shower.
“Yeah? Why’s that?”
“Maybe to help me see all the work you do.” I drop my clothes and hop into the shower behind him.
“Need help?”
Grinning he hands me the bar of soap. Needless to say, he’s late for dinner.
Chapter 25
Chris
“How the hell am I supposed to coach, administrate, change their fucking diapers, and still pass my classes?” I glance up from my Kindle where I’ve downloaded my statistics book.
Danni, lying next to me on our bed, stretches. “I’m not sure but it’s almost Thanksgiving. You can catch up then.”
I tug her close to my body. “Aren’t you glad I moved in? Tell me I was right.”
She turns, eyes bright. “It was an economically sound decision.”
I tickle her neck. “It had nothing to do with our fucking?”
“Nope. The sex was a fortunate byproduct.”
“Bullshit.” I straddle her, hold both wrists with one hand over her head, and count her ribs with the other while she squirms.
“Uncle. Shit. Stop.” She kicks and I lock her legs together with my knees.
“Tell me the truth.” I nip her nose, then begin to count her ribs. “One, two…”
“Stop, hee-hee, stop. Okay. I give. It was your hot, sexy, cock.”
I pull off her t-shirt. “Only that?”
She presses one knee up. “Maybe I like having you around… a little.”
“Why is it I can’t get enough of you?” I pull down her panties and drop my boxers. “I thought when we moved in together, my desire would lessen but I only want you more.”
“Same goes for me.” She wraps her legs around me, digs her fingertips into my back, and nibbles on my chest piercing.
Blood rushes south and all thoughts of studying with it. I’ll catch up on the plane home. “Come here, I’m going to make you scream out my name when we come together.”
She giggles. “Quiet sex has been hard.”
“You think?”
“Are you sorry you moved in, having Karen around?” Her face drops for a moment and I kiss the worry away.
“Never. I love it here. I love being part of your family and I would never be sorry even if we had to make love in a hotel.”
“Whoa. That would get expensive.”
I chuckle. “Maybe we’d have to cut down on our sex.”
“Nope. Not happening,” She arches her pelvis, presses into my bulging want and I put a finger to her clit, surprised how wet she is.
“Been thinking of me?”
“Nope. Not a bit.” She grins and makes more space for my hand.
I oblige her and make little circles over her nub. Strange how I know her body as well as my own. Her liquids flow and I reach for a condom but she stops me and whispers in my ear.
“There’s really no need. I’ve been tested.”
“Fuck, girl. I’m clean. My God, what you do to me.” I quicken my pace, nip her breasts, and bring her to her high.
While she’s still pulsing, I slide in, real slow, enjoying each and every contraction. Danni holds her breath and quivers under me with a little whimper.
I hit her core, back out with a little pop, then enter again. My eyes roll back, my cock swells, and my balls coil. On the sharp edge of heaven, I plunge in for the goal. My juices spurt as my high takes me to an out-of-body experience.
When I fall onto her chest, she groans, and I roll until she’s on top.
We sleep and sometime in the night, I wake and spoon her close. Damn, I could live on just her sweetness.
In the morning, I climb out of bed and shower first while Karen makes breakfast. I kiss her on the cheek. “How’s my favorite little sister?”
She smiles and does a little happy dance. “Good. I got a bank account.”
“Your sister told me. That’s awesome.”
“Someday, I’m going to have an apartment and a boyfriend and a dog.” She places a plate of toast, bacon, and eggs in front of me. In the bathroom, water stops and Danni comes out in a robe, towel drying her hair.
“A dog is lot of responsibility.”
“I take care of a lot of dogs at work. I know what I’m doing. I can even foster care for puppies needing a home.” She looks to Danni for approval and I can guess what she’s thinking.
Pets need food, vets, and generally cost money which we don’t have, not yet. I need to graduate and make a better salary. So does Danni.
“Soon, kiddo.” I tousle her hair.
Danni smiles at my answer and while she dresses calls out from the bedroom. “I meant to tell you. The Mexican American club is staging another demonstration.”
“You’re not thinking of going, are you?” I recall the last nightmare and my heart pounds.
“Yeah. I’m their advisor and there are still incarcerated kids.”
“I thought they were removed.”
“Only temporarily. We’re only going to be gone for a couple days. You’ll be out of town. I’ll be back before you can say Bob’s your uncle.” She smiles, all sunshine and peaches, as if discussing going to the
county fair.
“Absolutely not. I fucking forbid it.” She was kidnapped and God knows what might’ve happened if me and Pops hadn’t shown up.
“You don’t need to worry. We’ve upped our security and taken much better precautions. No one will be going into the compounds and we have lawyers standing by.”
“Do you hear yourself? Lawyers? You expect to be arrested?” I stand and stare at her wondering what happened to my logical-headed girlfriend.
She touches my arm. “Honey. Children are in cages. Someone needs to do something about it.”
“Not you.” My teeth clench in the back and my fingers roll into a tight ball.
She looks down and fear flashes across her face which just pisses me off more. Sure, I’m mad, but I have never hit anyone in anger.
“I’m out of here.” If she thinks so little of me, we got no future.
At practice, I may be a little out of sorts but the guys I’m working with need to learn how to work harder if they’re going to make it into the NFL.
“Again.” I shout at Jackson.
He has it in him to break the record held in the forty yard dash if we just pay attention. His head is always somewhere else.
He comes back to the starting line. “What the fuck is your problem?”
“You! You’ve got a real chance at fame and you’re pissing it down the drain.” I glare at him with my fists clenched again, reminding me of my fight with Danni.
“I am not you.”
“What the fuck did you say?” I lean into his face.
“You heard me.” He squats, ready to do his weird martial arts thing on me.
Mrs. Griswold sounds in my head. Take a deep breath, maybe two, and think before you act.
“Hit the showers. We’re done for today.”
“Asshole.”
“You have no idea. Come back when you want to work.”
CJ hears the last of our interaction and stomps across the field as I put away my stopwatch.
“What was that all about?”
“He’s got an attitude problem.” I glare at my so-called protégé who kicks at the locker room door before entering.
“When I paired you two, I expected one to be an adult.” He glares at me but I don’t lower my eyes. Where I grew up, it’s a sign of weakness, and could get you killed.
Finally, he sighs. “Keep it up and you can’t stay. Understand?”
Fuck. “Yeah, I got you, Coach. Won’t happen again.”
After classes, we have another practice. The moment Jackson hits the field, I call him over. “Listen. I want to apologize. I was out of line.”
He toes the ground. “Yeah, me too.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, I may not be here much longer.”
His brows go up. “But I need you.”
I snort out my nose. “You don’t need anyone. You already run faster than anyone to hit the draft in years.”
“It’s not about that. You understand me. You don’t let me get away with shit.”
I shrug. I’ve fucked up, probably for good. Danni is pissed, even though I was right and coach thinks I’m an ass. Maybe I am.
I was supposed to be an NFL star, not a grad-ass. I suck at real life.
“Let’s go back to work.” I blow the whistle, adjust his stance, and shave about a half second off his time.
CJ keeps one of the other assistant coaches within earshot. No doubt he wants to make sure I got my anger under control which sucks because I do. Everyone just expects me to blow up because I used to. No one wants to see how I’ve changed.
Maybe, once the semester is over, I’ll just pick up my stakes, and move on.
I figure I’ve blown it with my woman so sleep on the couch in the infirmary. She shouldn’t’ve thought I would hurt her. That just blows.
Chapter 26
Danni
I toss and turn all night, this morning’s fight replaying in my mind’s eye over and over again. Chris clenched his fists. That means he was going to hit someone. I’m not wrong, am I?
I Google fist clenching and moan. Okay, Chris was having a natural reaction to his anger but still, it doesn’t excuse how he tried to order me around.
If I want to protest with the club, I will, dammit. This time, I’m taking proper precautions. He should understand better than anyone, how things need to change. But everyone is not evil at the border. There are a lot of good people doing a fine job.
The task of holding back the sea of immigrants is daunting. It’s like bailing out a sinking boat with a teaspoon. We need Washington to reverse their policies. What this country is doing is not working. And a wall? That’s just ridiculous and, the cost could topple our economy.
I picture the vast area of Texas. Even if they got a wall tall enough, people would just dig under or find a ladder. It would be better to have electronic surveillance of some sort. At least then, there would be a high tech solution and a better record of who entered the country illegally.
I may not be smart enough to solve the whole problem but jailing children is morally wrong and I will do everything in my power to stop it.
I book my flight, ask Mrs. Griswold to check in on Karen, and go to work.
Every hour I check my phone but Chris doesn’t ping me. He’s a proud man, maybe I should say I’m sorry but I didn’t do anything wrong.
I recall his look when I shrunk away from his fist. Am I afraid of my boyfriend?
I wasn’t, not until he saved me. Maybe I’m not ready for a man with his background even though I thought I was.
Tears well as I grade a folder full of homework assignments. He’s only been gone one night and it feels like weeks. After another day comes and goes without even an emoji, I wonder if that’s it.
Me: Are we done?
He doesn’t answer until almost bed time.
Chris: What do you want?
The risk of rejection is so great, I almost tell him to come remove his things. Isn’t this exactly why I said we shouldn’t move in together? I can’t very well kick him out and make him homeless. Even if I could, I don’t want him gone.
Me: I <3 U
Chris: Fuck. I Luv U, too. Can I come home?
Me: Of course. I never asked U to go
Chris: U flinched. U thought I was going to hit U?
Me: U can be scary
Chris: Would never hurt U
Me: I know.
Chris: Still don’t want U to go to AZ
Me: I know
Chris: Sorry I insisted
Me: I know. I miss U.
Chris: Miss U 2
Later, he opens the door to our apartment, my heart leaps, and I wrap my arms around him.
“Let’s agree not to leave anymore, okay? Whatever fights we have, we’ll need to work them out because I don’t want to live without you.”
His eyes shine bright when he cups my cheeks and kisses me. “I thought I’d lost you.”
What if I hadn’t texted him first? I shudder in his arms, realizing how close we came to breaking up.
“I am so sorry.”
“Me too.”
I want to take my apology into the bedroom but a sleepy Karen opens her door. “Can you guys keep it down? I have to wake up early.”
“Sorry, little sis. It’s my fault.” Chris waves at her.
“Are you two done fighting?”
“Yeah. See?” He squeezes my shoulder and kisses the top of my head.
“Good. Don’t make Danni cry anymore. It’s sad.” She turns on her heel and closes her bedroom door.
Chris hugs me into his warm chest and whispers, “Promise me you’ll ping me every hour on the hour from Arizona.”
I take his hand and lead him into our shared space. “I will.”
Chapter 27
Danni
This demonstration, better planned, is peaceful which unfortunately, brings less media coverage. I’m both pleased and disappointed because unlike last time, no good comes from it. When I arrive h
ome, the weeks fly by without issue and soon, it’s Thanksgiving. Wednesday afternoon, I kiss Karen goodbye. Her dad is flying her home for the holidays.
Later, I return to the airport for my flight with Chris.
He paces in front of my chair at the gate, happier than I’ve seen him in weeks. “We’re going to win the championship. I just know it. And Jackson? He’s going to wow them at the Combine.”
“Combine?”
He chuckles. “It’s a kind of televised contest for the NFL wannabees. Those chosen are the most likely candidates to make a team. The cream of the crop, if you will.”
“And you’re going why?” I move my suitcase and motion for him to sit. I’m getting dizzy watching him.
“Coach wants me to keep an eye on Jackson. He’s had a few problems with his agent.”
“I thought you said CJ was going to fire him.”
“We found out he’s a pretty scary dude, high up in some kind of sports organized crime ring. I didn’t know but coach is still pretty pissed at me. I may not have a job, even if I manage to earn my degree.”
My heart stops. All of our plans were based on us staying in Freedham. “What will you do, instead?”
“If Jackson wins the forty, I could train for almost any team. He’s like money in the bank. We’ll be plenty well off. I could take care of you and your sister.”
Wow. He still doesn’t get me. How can he not understand I want to be independent and Karen to be, too.
His eager face tells me how much he loves me and I won’t hurt his ego. When things quiet down, we’ll talk and I’ll try to explain how hard it’s been to earn my master’s. As much as he needs success, I do, too. I’ve worked diligently and intend to find a good job.
“What’s wrong?” Perhaps he has an inkling I’m not thrilled to death at his proposal.
“Nothing. It’s fine.” How many times did I say that to my ex? The thought sends a chill down my spine. Am I falling into old habits again?
I take a deep breath. “No, it’s not fine, Chris. I don’t want to leave Freedham.”
“So if I find a job with an NFL team, you won’t come with me?”
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