Distraction

by McPherson, Angela

  "Will that be all?" I looked up and the waitress blushed.

  I winked. "I think that's all we need for now."

  "O-okay," she said.

  "Yeah, you can leave," Ginger said, clearly irritated. Our cute waitress took off in a hurry.

  "Was that necessary?" Ginger looked confused. I nodded toward the waitress. "For you to be a bitch to her. She was doing her job."

  Ginger glared. "She was totally checking you out." She leaned forward, her cleavage pressing together, and smiled. "Tonight, you're mine."

  I didn't necessarily like being a dick, but she seemed to bring the best out of me. I leaned forward, smiled and said, "Don't confuse this," I spread my arms out wide, "for something it isn't."

  "We'll see."

  She moved back as the waitress set our food on the table. I only half listened to the conversation during dinner. As much as I tried, I just couldn't stop thinking about Elle and her date. What happened between them after I left? I'd just finished my last taco when I heard Ginger huff. I looked up.

  "Hello? Earth to Tristan." Ginger scowled.

  "Yeah?"

  "I asked if you were ready to go. God, where were you just then?"

  "Oh, sorry. Just thinking about my next game."

  Ginger tossed her hair over her shoulder and leaned closer to me. Her eyes blazed with intent. "Let's get out of here," she said, low and husky.

  I cleared my throat. "Sure," I said, leaving a nice tip on the table. The poor waitress had earned the extra amount after dealing with Ginger.

  Outside a cold wind blew and I hurried back to my car. I opened the door for Ginger and then grit my teeth when she raked her finger down my stomach.

  "Thanks," she said. Thankfully, she got in without further groping.

  I took long, deep breaths before opening my door. Once inside, I made sure to keep my hands on the wheel and nowhere near the willing redhead next to me.

  At the party, I thought I was home free. No such luck. A few girls asked me to dance, but Ginger wrapped her arm around my waist. After that, Ginger's hands roamed my body. I'd need a shower to get her too-sweet perfume off me.

  I spotted Jarred in the next room. He raised his drink in the air when he caught Ginger running her fingers through my hair. I forced her hands away, but she didn't get the hint. I scanned the room, looking for someone to dump her off on. Anthony Butts, a guy from the team, sat alone in the next room. I waved him over, but was disappointed when a freshman walked up and wrapped her arms around him.

  "Tristan, would you get me a drink?" Ginger leaned so close I could smell her scented lip gloss, reminding me of Kellie. My stomach rolled.

  "Be right back."

  "I'll be right here waiting for you," she said, batting her lashes.

  I shuddered as soon as I was out of sight. In the kitchen, I poured myself a double shot of Patron, downing the clear liquid in one gulp.

  "Dude, how's the date?" Bret slammed his hand on my back. I coughed, choking on the burn from the shot. I quickly drank the beer I'd gotten for Ginger to help me breathe.

  "Asshole," I said when I could talk again.

  "I guess you're not being subtle enough. She's still waiting for you." Bret winked. I peeked around his big-ass head and sure enough, Ginger stood right where I'd left her.

  "Great. I thought you said she'd get tired of me." I didn't know what to do by that point. If taking her to a kid place wouldn't get her to leave, then bringing her here wasn't going to do any better.

  "Don't know, man. She's your problem now."

  "Thanks," I said, grabbing another beer.

  "Anytime."

  When I walked out, I almost turned back around. Ginger looked at me as though she’d been starved, which she probably was. She'd only eaten half her salad.

  "Thanks," she purred. I looked around the room hoping to find something to distract her.

  "Hey, let's dance," she said, pulling me with her.

  "I don't dance." I thought that would work. Nope.

  Ginger was grinding on me hard. I tried to ignore the effect of her rubbing against me, but I was a guy. I shifted away.

  "I'm gonna sit for a while."

  I started toward the living room, ready to check out as soon as I could, but she grabbed my arm, and spun me around.

  "Don't you think I'm pretty?"

  See, shit like that got to me. Ginger knew she was pretty, in fact she was pretty hot, but got off on guys telling her she was attractive anyway.

  "I guess," I said, backing up, but hit a wall. I was stuck.

  "You guess?" She pouted and fluttered her lashes at me.

  "Yeah, I guess. I'm kinda tired, you ready to go?"

  Ginger moved back a little, her eyes narrowing into slits. "What's wrong with you, Tristan? I've been flirting with you all night."

  "Listen. There's nothing between us and never will be." I caught a glimpse of someone standing off to the side, but I didn't look over to see who it was. "We should end the date now. I'm not into you." That pissed her off. I should've just told her that to begin with.

  "Is there someone else?" She crossed her arms, and I couldn't help but notice the way it made her tits almost fall out of her tight shirt.

  "That's none of your business."

  She gave a supercilious laugh. "Who is it?" Her eyes widened. “Oh, my God. You're into Elle, aren't you?" Her face turned red, and her eyes darkened. "What's so special about her? She's plain and way inexperienced, but me..." She moved right up on me, rubbing her hands on my chest. "I'm–"

  "Ginger." I grabbed her hands, holding them together. "Not gonna happen." I dropped her hands, and she backed away, crossing her arms over her chest again.

  "Maybe I should tell Eric about your feelings for Elle. Or–"

  "Well, well, if it isn't the slut of Tech." Alyssa sauntered up to us, toying with the charm on her necklace chain.

  "This is none of your business. Go away." Ginger glared.

  I couldn't have been happier to see Amazon.

  "If you want to keep that pretty little face of yours, I'd suggest you back the fuck off." Alyssa moved in Ginger's face.

  Had it been any other chick, I would've been all for a fight, turned on by it even, but it was Alyssa and I just couldn't.

  "Tristan is a good guy so back the hell away."

  Okay, I never thought I'd hear those words come out of Alyssa's mouth, but that had done the trick. Ginger pushed past her and into the crowd.

  I leaned against the wall and smiled. "So you think I'm a good guy, huh?" I lifted my brow.

  "If you tell anyone, I'll deny it."

  I reached out and wrapped one arm around her head, using the other to give her a good noogie.

  "Geez, Tristan, don't you know what a shower is? You're pits are terrible, and you better not have messed up my hair."

  I let her go, liking our new truce. We were standing by the door when I heard Elle's voice. I backed up just enough to keep in the shadows. Elle held Green's hand. Her smiling face glowed, crushing my hope of us being together in the process.

  Alyssa turned back and gave me a small smile, sadness pouring from her eyes. She didn't hesitate and walked over, pushing Elle into another room. My stomach knotted, and before any other shit happened, I got the hell out of there.

  Elle

  "Hey, what's going on?" My brows pulled together as Alyssa dragged me into the kitchen while Eric stayed in the other room.

  "We need a shot," Alyssa said. She poured two shots of Patron.

  "You take mine. My stomach isn't over my last drinking binge." I shivered.

  "Fine." Alyssa threw her head back and took the shot like a pro. I looked around for Tristan, but didn't find him.

  "How long have you been here?"

  "Not long." Alyssa downed the other shot.

  I turned to get a better look at the crowd. I found Ginger, but Tristan wasn't with her. Immediately my stomach settled.

  "He's not here," Alyssa said. I turned back to her
.

  "Did they…I mean, do you think they did anything?" I bit my lip.

  "Elle, what does it matter?" Alyssa's perfectly trimmed brow rose.

  "It doesn't...I guess." I looked away.

  "Yeah, that's what I thought."

  I snapped my head up, finding Alyssa grinning at me. I hated her sometimes.

  "Shut it," I said sternly, which made her grin turn into a full blown smile.

  "Come on, let's get back to the party."

  My shoulders dropped. "Okay." I followed Alyssa into the crowd.

  The night was full of surprises. Ginger was nice to me and Alyssa. Something I hadn't expected. Eric and I danced a bit, and then played a game of pool before leaving the party.

  "That was fun," Eric said on the drive back to my house.

  "Yeah, I'm glad we decided to go." The party had been fun and I was able to keep from thinking about Tristan after I'd learned his date with Ginger’s didn't end well. I probably should've felt bad, but I didn't. I may not be with him, but the last thing I wanted was for him and Ginger to end up in bed together. Not that I preferred anyone else, but I really didn't want him to be with her.

  "So, what are you doing tomorrow?"

  "I don't have any plans." I quirked my brow at the peculiar expression he gave.

  "Good."

  "Are you going to tell me what you have in mind?"

  Eric smiled, but didn't reveal his plans.

  "Fine," I said, with a huff.

  When Eric dropped me off, he said he'd pick me up around two and to dress comfy. I agreed and headed inside, ready to pass out.

  The next day when Eric picked me up, I begged him to tell me where we were going, but he refused. We ended up pulling into a driveway in a nice neighborhood. There were pink balloons near the front door and a happy birthday banner nailed above the doorway.

  I turned to Eric. "Is this your house?"

  He smiled at me and nodded.

  "Whose party is it?"

  "My little sister. She asked me to bring you. I hope you don't mind."

  "No, that’s great."

  "Good, because my parents wanted me to bring you with me, too." Eric's news surprised me, but he was out of the car before I could say anything more.

  "Ready?" Eric glanced down at me when we reached his parents doorstep, looking nervous.

  I laughed and nudged his shoulder. "I've already met them. How bad could this be?"

  The door swung open, and Eric's little sister jumped into her brother’s arms.

  "It's about time you got here." She smiled brightly then turned to me. "Hi, Elle. Come eat some cake."

  "Yum," I said, and followed Eric and his sister into their overly pink-decorated house.

  "Hi, Elle," Eric's mom said, pulling her daughter away from Eric.

  "Hi, Mrs. Green. Thank you for inviting me."

  She smiled then turned her attention back to Eric's little sister.

  Eric bent down to me, and whispered, "They like you."

  "I like them, too," I said, lacing my fingers with his.

  The party turned out to be a lot of fun, especially when Eric's little sister insisted on painting his nails pink. I'd never seen him blush until then. I helped Mrs. Green pick up plates and cups when the party came to an end.

  "Eric said you're having Thanksgiving with us?" Eric's mom said with her back turned to me.

  "Um, he hasn't said anything to me." A knot formed in my throat. I liked Eric, but we weren’t at that place in our relationship. Mrs. Green turned around.

  "Oh, I thought he'd already asked you. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said anything." She gave me an uneasy grin.

  "Don't worry about it. I would love to join y'all." I wasn't sure why I'd said that. I guess I didn't want to make her feel bad, even though I really wanted to suckerpunch Eric in the arm.

  "Are you ready to go?" Eric asked, peeking his head into the kitchen.

  "Yeah," I said then turned back to his mom. "Thank you for inviting me. I had a great time today."

  "Anytime, dear."

  Eric and I said our goodbyes, and as soon as we were in his car, I laid into him.

  "Your mom is under the impression that I'm going to Thanksgiving with you." I crossed my arms over my chest, irritated. He looked over at me, smiling, but didn't look sorry.

  "I was going to ask you after our date Friday, but forgot." When I didn't say anything, he glanced back at me. "Are you mad?"

  Yes, I was, and was ready to tell him but he didn't give me the chance.

  "I like you, Elle, a lot, and when you told me that Tristan had kissed you," Eric paused and my stomach dropped. "Well, I realized how much you meant to me."

  Eric stopped at a red light and turned to me. His words didn't make me feel any better, and the way he was looking at me made my heart hurt. I couldn’t do this anymore.

  "Elle, I think I'm falling in love with you." The light turned green, and Eric tore his hopeful eyes away from mine and focused on the road. The air suddenly felt too thick, suffocating. I cared for Eric, but I didn't love him because…I didn't want to finish that thought.

  "Eric, I like you, but I don’t–"

  "I don't expect you to say anything back." He pulled into my driveway. "Just think about Thanksgiving. We have a couple of weeks until then, but," he turned to me, "I'd really like you to meet the rest of my family."

  My chest felt tight and my head dizzy, but I managed a weak smile in return.

  "I'll think about it, Eric, but don't get your hopes up. I may have to go home." I thought about how much I missed my sister. Maybe she'd be home by then.

  "I understand," Eric said.

  "Okay, I should get in. I have a few papers to finish before classes tomorrow," I lied.

  "Sure." Eric leaned in for a kiss, but I didn't let it linger.

  "Bye," I said quickly, and dashed out of his car and into my house.

  All night long Eric's words ran through my head, Elle, I think I'm in love with you. Great, what was I going to do now?

  Chapter 25

  Tristan

  We had a few more games before Thanksgiving. Coach had us training harder and longer because of it. I didn't mind though. The tiresome practices kept my mind off other things.

  Elle had been even more distant than before the “dollars for dates" night. I'd picked up my phone and punched her number in hundreds of times, but never hit send. Instead, I waited for her to call or text. Mostly she'd text. The few times she did call, I imagined how she looked, smelled, or felt against me. Yeah, I was fucking pathetic and fucking horny. I hadn't had sex in what felt like months. Oh wait, it had been months.

  The nights were even harder. The dreams, all starring Elle, were hot–too hot. Every morning I'd wake up and drown my misery in a cold-ass shower. Fuck, I hated cold showers, but I didn't want anyone other than Elle. So, I knew there were more icy showers in my future.

  Tomorrow’s game was away. I looked forward to being in different scenery. Maybe not being around so many places that reminded me of her would help. Maybe.

  * * *

  "Daniels, kick some ass," Bret shouted as I ran onto the football field. I smiled. Bret had been given the okay to play, but Coach had kept me in. Made me feel bad. Almost.

  "Daniels, break right as soon as I fake the pass off." Jarred stopped, then grinned around his plastic mouthpiece. "Let's kick some cowboy ass."

  “Hell, yeah," we shouted in unison, bringing our hands together in the middle.

  "Break," Jarred said.

  I could hear the fans chanting in the stands, but let the distraction go as I hunched over. My mind channeled, in the zone, and the only sound I heard was my breathing.

  The ball was snapped, and I pushed forward then quickly broke out to my right as planned.

  I turned, knowing the ball was near. I can't explain how, but I always knew. There…the ball flew a little higher than I'd expected but it didn't matter. I leapt in the air, grabbed the ball, and tucked it under my
right arm. Turning forward, I broke out in a hard run.

  Two guys were already on me. I turned left, another orange fucker was there, but I didn't have anywhere else to turn. Butts came to my defense and blocked me so I could take off. Only two yards to go. I sprinted faster.

  One.

  Score.

  "It's a Texas Tech touchdown!"

  I threw the ball to the ref and got ready for the extra point. It was good.

  "Good job, Daniels," Coach said.

  "Lookin' good, Daniels," Bret said, but I could tell he wanted out there.

  "Thanks, man," I said, panting. I grabbed a drink and sat on the bench.

  The game could go either way. OSU played their asses off, and the next time I caught a pass, I got knocked down just as fast. It was now third and two. Plan was to pass to Butts instead of me. Black and orange suits were on me like flies on shit and this was the end of the game.

  The snap was made and just like before, I was heavily covered. I turned, hoping to distract the fuckers, but they expected me. Jarred threw his pass and Butts grabbed the ball. I shifted direction and ran, blocking the guy headed for him. The maneuver helped. Butts drew close, but more guys rushed in.

  "Fuck." I noticed a defensive end tailgating him. I took off, dodging another lineman. Butts was gonna get his ass tackled. I picked up my speed and ran. Instead of tackling the defensive end on his ass, I pushed my teammate over the line.

  "Texas Tech, takes the victory."

  "Thanks, man," Butts said, breathless. I couldn't talk, and just nodded.

  Back in the locker room, Coach gave us his usual good job speech followed by his “don't let this win get to your heads." After a hot shower, I headed straight to our bus, ready to sleep like a baby on the drive back.

  My phone buzzed, I opened the text. Great game! And nice push ;) I'm doing a piece for the paper. Give me a quote...

  I smiled. Elle had told me she'd be doing a piece for today's game, with the usual sports writer still being out. I typed in I love you…choose me. Then deleted the text.

  Write what you want. I'm sure whatever you come up with would be better than anything I could say.

  Whatever. NERD! I'll think of something. How about this: I was the man of the hour and Tech is lucky to have me kicking ass and taking names. ;)