Over the Line: A Bad Boy Sports Romance

by Elliot, Nicole

  “Noa, I know it was wrong of me but I can't do this right now. We've got to get out of here. Just drive please.”

  She knew she shouldn't have driven, she knew that she should make me stay there and deal with the consequences of my actions, but she also knew it was girl code. Noa threw the car into reverse and ripped out of parking lot as fast as possible. We were on the highway going sixty within minutes. “This isn't over you know.”

  I hung my head, “I know. Can you just take me home?”

  She just nodded and we sat in silence until we reached my father's house.

  She put the car in park in the driveway. “Wild night.”

  I took a deep breath. “You have no idea.”

  She shook her head. “What did Eli say?”

  I shrugged. “Not a lot, I guess. But he kissed me. And then I slapped him.”

  She looked at me astonished. “Two things about this are disturbing. One, that Eli Jackson kissed you. Two, that you actually had the balls to slap him across the face. I don't think any woman has ever put her hands on Eli. Serves him right though, for what he did to you. And I can't even imagine what Levi feels like, you were his girlfriend, but I mean that's his brother.”

  “Yeah I guess. Levi and I broke up right after I moved. He tried calling all the time, wanted to keep the relationship alive. But I couldn't lie to him. It wasn’t fair and ending it seemed like the right thing to do.”

  So we looked at me inquisitively, “Do you love him now?”

  I shook my head. “I don't know. I love the idea of him. Not constantly being alone, he was really a great boyfriend. But there can never be anything there again. Not after what I did to him. He’ll never forgive me.”

  “Can you blame him?”

  I sighed. “No.” Noa’s phone went off. A dinging sound letting us know that she had received two text messages. She grabbed her phone and quickly checked it. “Clara needs me to come get her, there was a fight at the bar. The cops are shutting it down for the night.”

  I chewed on my lower lip. “A fight?”

  “Two guesses as to who those two idiots were.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course I start a fight. Of course they get the bar shut down. That's so them. And that's exactly the reason that I need to stay as far away from them as possible. I need to end this once and for all.”

  Noa had a smug look on her face. “Good luck trying sweetheart. You and I both know, there's no escaping the Jackson brothers.”

  I barely made it up the stairs and flopped on my bed when my phone started ringing.

  “Accept a call from Fayette County prison?” An operator said at the other end of the line.

  “The County prison?” Who the hell would be calling me from there? I'd only been back in town a day, it wasn’t like it was possible for me to have some crazy stalker already.

  “Hold, please.”

  Super, the computer operated machine wasn’t even going to tell me what was going on. But as soon as I heard the male voice at the other end of the line I knew.

  “Lila, are you enjoying your evening?” Eli sounded as slick as always and probably a little smug.

  “Eli? What the hell are you doing in jail?”

  He laughed lightly, “Well funny story. See Levi didn't take too well to finding out that you and I screwed at the beach so he tried to beat me up. And of course what actually happened is I broke his nose and possibly a rib. But by the time the cops came they didn't really want to listen to any of that and just threw both of us in jail. So you’re our one phone call, which pretty much means get your ass over here and pick us up.”

  “Me? You want me to come pick you up? It has nothing to do with me that you got some brawl at a bar and got caught!” A big part of me knew it was because of me that they were there but I was also reveling in the fact that Slate finally got caught being an idiot.

  “Actually you and I both know that this is completely your fault and we need $250 in bail money, each. So you're going to come bail us out or we’re going to tell everyone what really happened that night.”

  Awesome. So now the Jackson brothers were going to blackmail me, tarnish my good reputation and my family name. As if the divorce wasn't enough to set me apart from everyone else around here.

  “Fine,” I sighed. “But it's going to take me a little bit to get over there. I don't have a car.”

  He paused for a moment clearly thinking, “Well get over here as fast as you can. I don't really want my little brother to become some guy’s bitch in the slammer.”

  I shook my head. “You’re such an ass.”

  He laughed, “You used to like that about me. Don’t you now?” I heard a guard yell at him. “Gotta go, see you soon, babe.” He slammed the phone down on the receiver. It sent chills down my spine. I sat on the bed staring at my phone trying to figure out how to proceed. What was I going to say to Charity or to my father?

  Hi, I’ve been back in town for all of twenty-four hours and the sordid crew that I hang out with, yeah they were thrown in jail tonight. So I need $500 to bail them out, and I'm going to need your car to drive them back to their house. Is that cool?

  Yeah, that was going to go over like a ton of bricks with the future step monster. But I didn't really have any other option. I had to go pick them up from jail, it was the right thing to do.

  I walked down the stairs quietly, pretty much everyone was asleep anyway. When Noa dropped me off I could hear music coming from Mackenzie’s room but I was pretty sure she was out. Charity had left her keys on the side table in the entryway. Maybe she wouldn't know if I just borrowed the car for the evening? I mean it was one o'clock in the morning. She really wouldn't want to be woken up from her beauty sleep. I grabbed the keys and quickly ran out the door.

  When I arrived at the jail, I sat outside for a while just considering my fate. I was going to have to charge their bail money on a credit card, and be hopeful that one day they would pay me back. But I needed to say something to them too, I couldn't just let them continue to run my life. I couldn't let Eli pick up the phone again and make me come to his aid. I wasn't going to be that girl; I would break their hold on me.

  I walked dutifully into the police station and told the officer behind the counter why I was there. “I'm here to pick up Eli and Levi Jackson. I have the bail money.”

  He nodded and gave me a receipt after swiping my card. “You can pick them up around back. They’ll be given their belongings.”

  I nodded and walked back out to the front of the building, and climbed in my stolen Jaguar. When I pulled around back the boys were standing about ten feet apart with their arms crossed. I shut the car off and exited the vehicle. The night was dark, like the clouds were trying to assist in hiding us, to keep yet another secret between the three of us.

  “Looks like you two need a ride.”

  Eli just smiled at me but Levi wouldn’t make eye contact. “I'm really sorry about how things went down at the bar but did you all really need to get picked up by the cops?”

  Eli started to laugh. Levi shrugged his shoulders and turned away from us. “You have no idea how hard my little brother can hit now. He's been lifting a lot more since you’ve been away. Getting ready for his games and all that.”

  “Shut up, Eli.” Levi said sternly. I could tell he was in no mood for jokes. But that was fine, because I had something important to say.

  I put my hands on my hips to feel more confident than I actually was, “Listen, guys, we need to talk. I'm not going to be some girl for you to throw around or the conversation piece for why the two of you are angry with each other. That was a long time ago and I'm done. I'm done with both of you. I'm not back in town to start up some little tryst between the three of us, I'm here for my dad's wedding.” Eli looked like he wanted to speak but I put my hand up to stop him. “I want nothing to do with the two of you. After I drop you off tonight, do not call me again. I don't want to see your faces between now and the time I leave Fayette. And if you have
a problem with that, well deal, because I'm so over this.” I turned and faced Levi, who still wasn't looking at me, “And Levi, I'm really sorry about what happened with Eli and me. I should've told you a long time ago, but I didn't and that's my fault. That is been hanging over me for years, and it probably always will.”

  Levi turned to me, his face red with anger, “Hanging over you? Do you realize what you and Eli did? You are completely horrible people. You slept with my brother! What the hell were the two of you thinking?”

  I had never seen Levi so angry in all the time I had known him. It was a shock to my system to be yelled at like that.

  “I don't know. I mean, we weren’t thinking.”

  Eli reached out to him but he pulled away, “Just take me home. Then don't worry about me bothering you. I don't want anything to do with you either.” He stomped over to the car and slammed the door after he got in. I looked at Eli with pleading eyes like maybe he could get through to him but instead he looked just as angry as his brother. “This isn't over.”

  I shook my head, “Yes, Eli, it is.”

  The drive back to Eli's apartment was silent. They both sat in the back not looking at each other or me. And when I went to drop Eli off Levi got out too. “I'll just walk from here.”

  I knew it was a long walk, but I didn't object. I just wanted to get back to my dad’s house, crawl into bed, and pretend this night never happened.

  Eleven

  The next day I visited the library to get some new books, but I texted Noa for some suggestions. I had just grabbed a stack of three and was sitting on a bench underneath the tree in the park when Levi walked over to me. “Reading anything good?”

  I pulled down the book just enough so that my eyes could creep over it to take in Levi Jackson. “I thought we weren't speaking.”

  He sat down next to me. “Yeah, I'm kind of over that. It was a really long time ago, we’re all adults now, silly to hold the past over you.”

  I was shocked by his maturity. “Really?”

  He laughed. “Not really. I still want to punch Eli in the fucking face, but I know I can't. Can't really go back to jail this year, can I?”

  I nodded. “Well, good. Because I certainly can't afford to pay for your bail again.” I paused. “How’s your nose?”

  “Not broken. Eli hit me hard but he overestimates his ability. It only bled for a few minutes.”

  “Nice. The black eye looks good on you though, very badass.”

  He smiled at me, his blue eyes shimmering in the sunlight. Levi was dreamy, there was no denying that. Dreamy and sexy as hell. Ugh, why did I have to fuck that one up so bad? “So what are you reading anyway?” he asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you pick up a book for pleasure.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I used to complain about reading in school because it was textbooks. I've always read for pleasure. I have a library card and everything.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry to offend you. A library card? Now you sound like a really serious reader.”

  I smiled back at him flirtatiously. “Yeah, well, this book was suggested to me by a friend.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And who is the friend?”

  “Who do you think?”

  We both responded with Noa’s name at the same time. He laughed, a familiar sparkle returning to his eyes.

  “Falling right back into your old ways, I see. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

  I set down my book. “Now that's not fair. What happened with you and Eli…”

  He interrupted me. “I'm just kidding, Lila. You’ve got your panties all up in a bunch, don't you?”

  I sighed. “I guess that's the saying. I just hate how this all went down, okay?”

  He shrugged. “Not for me to judge your choices, Lila. I only get to judge the ones from the past. I'm not really in your present. Yet.”

  I noticed how he added yet to the end of his phrase. What did that mean?

  “That’s my fault, I guess.”

  We sat there for a moment contemplating what I just said. We both knew I was right.

  “I mean, what I did with Eli, I forced you out of our relationship. I refused to take your calls, and I was wrong. I was so messed up at that time.”

  He looked up at me and I prepared for the lecture of a lifetime. About how I was a horrible person, about how I had broken his heart. Everything. And what was worse was that I knew I deserved it all. Every last ounce of guilt. But then he shocked the hell out of me.

  “Who could blame you? Your family was your whole world when we were together. I mean, it was you and me, and your family. I know you never saw it coming.”

  I took a deep breath and closed my book. That wasn’t what I expected him to say. “No, I guess I really didn't. That night was awful, Levi. I just needed a release, some way to escape it all, and Eli was there. It was never directed at you. I don't know if it’ll make you feel better but it could've been anyone. It was never about Eli and me. Though I'm sure it doesn't look that way to you.”

  He nodded. “You're right, it doesn't. But that's just the way Eli is, and I'm used to him and his bullshit. Wasn't the first time he stole one of my girlfriends. But when you left so soon, I knew that there was more going on, more than you could deal with. You never were very good at confrontation. It was one of the reasons I liked you. I never had to worry about getting into any fights.”

  I smiled at him. “I still don't. I still run away when things get rough. It's my coping mechanism.”

  “The best offense is to have a solid defense.”

  I looked at him. “Did you just compare a sports reference to my life?”

  He laughed. “Yeah I guess I did. I live and breathe football, always have. You know that. It doesn't really match you, though, does it? The famous musician, never much of an athlete.”

  I pushed him jokingly. “I run! I’ve always run.”

  He nodded. “Oh, don't think I forgot it. I can remember you challenging me to quite a few races in our day. I always tried to lose so I would be behind that sexy ass of yours. It still looks at good as ever.”

  We were both astonished by his admission. Levi clearly still thought that I was attractive, and I couldn't deny his good looks. We stopped for a moment in awkward silence before he said, “I should go. Let you get back to your reading. Wouldn’t want you to get any ideas about us.”

  “Levi.”

  He just looked at me, but we both knew what I was going to say. I didn't need to say it. “I know, Lila. I know.”

  I walked home, allowing the summer winds to make me feel like I was floating. Maybe they could take my problems away.

  Twelve

  Noa held her coffee in her hands. She was buzzing with excitement still from the night at the bar. “And then I heard that the brothers got sent to jail! But I know they're out because I saw Levi running this morning. I wonder who bailed them out.”

  I just shrugged. I waited at the counter for the barista to finish my drink. It was summer and a little too warm for hot drinks, but Noa was a coffee drinker, and this was where she wanted to come. I hadn't mentioned my use of the car to Charity, so I was mostly relying on Noa to take me around.

  “I just can't believe it all went down like that. You and Eli, I never saw that coming!”

  “I don't think anybody did,” I mumbled. “Including me.”

  “Have you seen him? Since that night?”

  “Well, yeah, I saw Levi at the library…”

  “You went to the library?” she asked in an amused tone.

  “What is up with everyone thinking I can’t read?”

  “I know you can read, I’ve just never known you to go on your own. When you asked me about book suggestions I assumed you were using an ereader or something. Anyway, back to…”

  The woman behind the counter gave me my drink and I handed her my cash, waiting for the drink to cool down before I could take a swig. When I turned to follow Noa to the table to continue our conversation, I walked
straight into the thick body of none other than Levi Jackson. When I smacked him in his hard muscled chest, I stumbled and dropped my drink. He had hot scalding coffee all down his pants. My mouth dropped open. I was so embarrassed that I stood completely frozen until he started to shake his legs, clearly trying to stop them from burning.

  “Oh my God! I am so sorry!”

  I grabbed some napkins from the counter and started to pat his pants, not realizing that probably caused the burning to be even worse.

  “It's okay, it's okay,” he said, putting his hands up in surrender. He shook his head at me. The universe was messing with me, I was sure of it. First the library and now this? I thought I had made a point to not see him again.

  “I’ll buy you new ones, I promise. I am such a klutz.”

  Levi looked up at me, blue eyes sticking out from dark bangs. “You're going to buy me, the newly signed football star, new pants?”

  Suddenly, I realized how stupid that sounded. “I guess so?”

  He swept his bangs out of his eyes. He grabbed a napkin for himself and began to wipe his pants, which were still soaking wet with my drink. “I mean you totally can, I'm just thinking about the logistics of all that. Like we go to the store to get the new pants, or should I just tell you my size so we can meet up another time? Or we can call it even since I’m pretty sure I still owe you bail money.”

  I smiled at him. “Huh, good point. I guess that would be your call, since you're the one receiving the pants.” Maybe hot coffee on the crotch was a good way for us to get over our issues. It was a start, at least.

  “Well, before we talk about my pants anymore, I have this feeling we should discuss some other things.”

  I looked back at Noa, who had mysteriously disappeared. That girl was a ninja, I swear.

  “You wanna sit?”

  I sat gingerly on an oversized armchair. We sat staring at each other for a moment, waiting for the other to speak.

  “I’ve missed you,” he said finally, breaking the silence between us.