Fourth Down Baby: A May-December Romance

by Lauren Landish

  “Fuck yeah,” says Gabe Hackman, another douche jock who was just as much of a manwhore, biting his lip as if he's looking at a quarter pounder with cheese. “She's got an ass fatter than Kim Kardashian now. The good type, too.”

  I blush furiously, not sure how to respond. In a way, I feel insulted to be compared to a Kardashian, and in another, I’m flattered. But I can't figure out the sudden interest in me. None of these guys ever noticed me before, outside of insulting my appearance, and now, they’re practically drooling over me? Something must be in the air.

  Instead of engaging them, I continue on, ignoring their catcalls.

  “Hey!” Cory yells, waving with his arms. “Get your sexy ass back here!”

  Sexy ass? What is that guy smoking? I've never been accused of being sexy in my life. I'm the girl who disappears, remember, guys?

  I make it inside the school building and find my way to the locker hallways when what they were saying about me registers, and realization washes over me in a wave of awesomeness. It's the weight. I'd often been told by guys and girls alike that I was too skinny, so over the summer, I'd been a little more liberal when it came to eating. It's not like I went all out, but I also let go of my stupid fear of anything with carbs in it. I think my absolute favorite discovery, though, was pasta. Mom could make some mean spaghetti, especially when she paired it with a tomato and Italian sausage sauce.

  Who knew that stuffing my face with food would have resulted in my becoming more desirable?

  Walking through the hallways, I receive more stares and guys ogling me, but I ignore them and make it to my locker. It's new and a bit unsettling to get this much attention, and I'm not sure if this is all just some sort of fluke.

  I’m fumbling with my locker combination when I hear the sound of footsteps to my right, but I put my head down, hoping they'll not make another wisecrack. I've hit my limit this morning.

  “Hey, Chica,” a familiar, cheery voice chirps instead, and my mood lifts immediately. “Long time no see.”

  I look up into the smiling face of my childhood best friend, Danielle Vaughn, and crack a huge grin. She looks cute today with her two blonde side ponytails and red skirt topped by a white blouse. Her legs are long and sexy, and the red heels she’s wearing only further accent them. I’m happy to see her since I haven't seen her all summer due to her family vacation.

  Before I can respond, her eyes widen, her mouth dropping open in surprised admiration. “Good God, did you inflate those things or something?” she demands, staring at my chest. “Stuffed your bra with golf balls?”

  I glance down at my breasts and then let out a laugh. “No,” I say. "Besides, golf balls? I'd hoped for at least oranges."

  “Then what the hell happened to you?”

  “I don't know. I just filled out a bit I guess. That, and I ate what I wanted for once.”

  Danielle bites her lower lip, looking my body up and down. “Well shit, girl, put me on that diet then. You're smokin'!”

  I giggle again at Dani's exaggeration. The girl can always crack me up.

  “And I'll take that ripe ass while you’re at it,” she adds, smacking me on the butt. “Damn, it even wiggles now.”

  I laugh harder and smooth out my skirt where Dani has rumpled it. “Girl, please.”

  “Seriously. You've gotten so curvy, you could give Kate Upton a run for her money.”

  “Okay, now you need to stop.”

  Dani whips her tails, and I swear if the idiots in Hollywood ever want to make a young Harley Quinn movie, I know exactly who they should cast. Dani even knows who that character is—she introduced her to me. “I’m not lying to you.”

  I stop fiddling with my locker and glance around. I see several guys looking our way. One of them even grins at me. “Well, you know what? Ever since I walked on campus, I've received non-stop stares from all the guys,” I tell her. “Isn't that just weird? I couldn't even get one to look at me, then I go away for the summer, and now the whole athletic department wants me? I walked by the Fountain coming in, and I thought I was going to start a riot.”

  Dani shakes her head again. “Girl, I'm telling you. You were a stick figure when I last saw you, and now, you actually have some curves. And they're in all the right places.”

  “Thanks,” I say. “I think.”

  Dani grins at me. “Trust me, this year . . . you'll get laid, that's for sure.”

  “So how was your trip to Italy?” I say, quick to change the subject. The last thing I want to think about is having pre-marital sex. Mom is overly religious, and that's one of the things she never shuts the hell up about. When my boobs started to get bigger, she even made a comment that she could 'see my dirty pillows' before half-smiling at the joke. I hadn't laughed.

  Dani's grin twists into a sour expression. “It was alright . . . I guess.”

  “What do you mean, you guess? You've been wanting to go to Italy since our sweet sixteen birthday parties. You talked so much about Michelangelo's David last year that I thought you were gonna hump the thing when you finally saw it in person.”

  “Well, I had fun and all, but our parents made me room with Joseph.”

  Joseph is Dani's brother and is actually pretty cute and sweet. He's a sophomore this year and is probably hanging out in the quad with his buddies. Like I say, he's nice. He just isn't my type.

  “So what was so bad about that?” I ask. “I thought you loved your brother.”

  “I do! But I don't love his farts.”

  “Dani!” I protest, trying not to laugh too hard.

  Dani scowls, her mouth drawing down into a little point. “Sorry. I can't help it. He was cutting those stinky things like he was slicing Swiss cheese. Or maybe aged Parmesan, considering where we were.”

  I gag. I can't help it. “Okay. Stop. Now.”

  Dani lets out a laugh. “It's so frickin’ easy to gross you out.”

  “Which is why you should show some restraint and not do it.”

  Dani grins. “Never.” She starts to finger her blond locks then stops. “So I've been thinking, Whit.”

  Oh boy. It was never good when Dani thought about anything. Did I mention she'd make a good young Harley Quinn? Brilliant and crazy—that's Dani Vaughn.

  “About?” I ask wearily.

  “I got an idea while I was in Italy.”

  Even worse.

  “Huh?”

  “You know how you made that offhand comment about wanting to join the cheerleading squad last semester?”

  “Uh . . . yeah?” I remember. I said it mainly because I'd been so hard up for a date that I'd been desperate to try anything, including flipping around in a short skirt in order to catch some attention from the type of guys I like. I can't help it. While their attitudes and behavior are disgusting, the image of a strong jock sends tingles through my skin.

  “And have you been practicing the moves I showed you, like you promised?”

  I nod. I don't say it, but I suspect that all those tumbling moves had been part of the reason my new weight has gone on in a good way and not a bad one. “I didn't have much else to do besides eat and look up the colleges I want to apply to.”

  Dani looks pleased and says, “Well, I wanted to officially invite you to try out.”

  I drop my jaw. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, why not? You're my best friend and this is our last school year together. Why not experience something you haven't done before and make the most of it?”

  It's hard to close my mouth. I can't believe Dani is asking me to join the cheerleading squad since she always calls me clumsy as hell—and with good reason. I've spent years being all errant elbows and hip bones, and now she's asking me to do cheerleading?

  “When are tryouts?” I finally manage. Dani can't be denied.

  “Today after school, between the football field and the band practice area. And don't you dare think about saying no.”

  I pause for a moment, thinking it over. Besides going out there and doin
g something clumsy and embarrassing Dani in front of the squad, I can’t think of one good reason not to go and at least give it a try.

  What do I have to lose? I think to myself. The worst that can happen is I do awfully and they reject me.

  Usually, rejection terrifies me, but all the positive reaction I've gotten this morning has me feeling cheery and willing to try anything. I'd been practicing the moves Dani had taught me all summer, so I wouldn't exactly be going in as a total noob. Heck, I might even go out there and show up Dani once or twice, and I think she’s an awesome cheerleader.

  “Don't make me have to drag your new bubble butt ass out on the field,” jokes Dani, mistaking my silence as resistance. "And if you say you don't have any clothes to wear, I will stuff you in one of those nasty ass PE uniforms Coach Roberts lends out to the kids who forget to bring theirs from home. Don't worry about the t-shirt. You can use a team one, but you’d better have some exercise clothes."

  I chuckle and reply, “I'll drag it out there myself, thank you very much. And I've got something to wear. I think.”

  Chapter 2

  Troy

  “Gawd . . . damn! Who is that?” exclaims Russ Bowden, pushing his rust colored hair out of his eyes and doing a double take. "Did we get a new transfer student from the Playboy Mansion or something?"

  I was sitting in the bleachers texting on my cell while my friends and teammates drooled over Silver Lake's cheerleading squad practice. It was a customary tradition for the guys to come sit around whenever there were new tryouts and bet money on which cheerleader would be having sex with them before the season was out.

  Usually, I'd partake in the betting right along with them. In my junior year, I'd gotten a cool two hundred dollars from my haul, but I'm just not in the mood today. I'd gotten into a nasty argument with my drunk of a father before I left home, and I was ready to smash faces . . . not pussy. Besides, I'm a senior now. Chasing freshman and sophomore ass is supposed to be beneath me, and I know all the upper-class girls. At least I think I do.

  “That's Whitney Nelson,” Cory, who is sitting to my right, says. Cory's the biggest player on the team, and I don't mean size-wise. The man has a list of conquests that would make Leo DiCaprio jealous, although personally, I thought Cory's focus on quantity took off points due to lack of quality. But to give the man credit, he has a great eye for the female figure.

  Russ makes a face, his eyes going wide as saucers. “That's Whitney Nelson? Pancake Nelson? Bullshit.”

  Cory nods. “Yup.”

  “No fucking way!”

  “Crazy, ain't it? She's a knockout now,” Cory added.

  Russ snorts, shaking his head. “Knockout is an understatement. That bitch stacked.”

  I look up from texting on my cell to see what all the fuss is about. My heart skips a beat and my mouth goes dry when I see her. I remind myself not to drop my fucking phone. I don't have the money to replace it if I crack the screen.

  Oh my fucking God.

  A girl with long, wavy auburn hair, a heart-shaped face and a voluptuous body is doing tryout exercises with the cheerleading squad. Her whole body moves with a sensuality that I've yet to see. I'm instantly turned on by the sight. Seriously, she's going to make me pop wood in front of all my friends. It's crazy. I've seen a lot of hot girls, but this one takes the crown.

  To say she’s beautiful is like saying the sky is blue. You don't argue that shit. You just accept it.

  What I can't understand, though, is why I haven't ever seen her before? The other guys are all talking like they know who this girl is, but I'm racking my brains, and I'm drawing a blank.

  “Ten bucks says I'll have her sucking my dick by the end of tonight,” boasts Cory.

  Russ lets out a rowdy laugh. “Ten bucks? Fuck, dude, a hundred says she'll be riding me after practice!” Russ does a little dance in his seat, moving his arms all around like he's riding a pony. “Gangnam Style!”

  All my teammates howl with laughter, but I'm not amused, and a dark, violent anger surges through my chest, surprising me.

  “Shut the fuck up!” I seethe, barely holding back from it becoming a bellow. The words leave my lips before I can stop them. I'm not sure what's gotten into me. I never cared before who they laid claim to. It's all just a game, anyway. But right now, I'm about three seconds from taking the football team's starting tailback and safety and seeing if I can throw them out of the stands off the back side. “None of you dickwads are getting shit!”

  My teammates are momentarily stunned into silence by the venom in my voice. They're used to me being aggressive on the field, but never angry. In fact, some of them have never seen me angry, to all of our benefit. I prefer to get my high school diploma through school and not a jailhouse correspondence course.

  “Shit, Troy, what crawled up your hairy ass and died?” Cory gets the courage to ask a second later. "Not into K-pop or somethin'?"

  “Nothin,” I say, calmer now. “Just that I know none of you have a chance with her is all. Girl like that, she ain't gonna be going home with any of you jackoffs.”

  Cory snorts. “Says who?”

  “Says me,” I snarl, causing Cory to draw back as if he fears I'm going to punch him in the face. Honestly, I don't know why I'm acting this way. I don't own this chick, don't even know her. And Cory's right. The guys weren't saying anything different from what I'd seen the past four years on the first day of school, and again in April when the track team did the same act.

  Russ eyes me suspiciously. He's always been one of the smarter guys on the team, even if he's got a strange sense of humor. He usually makes me laugh, unless he's fucked off on deep coverage again and gotten beaten deep. “You want her, don't you?”

  “No,” I reply nonchalantly. "Just sayin', you two ain't got no chance. I can see it in her face. She's no easy lay."

  “Fucking liar. You want her bad, man. Admit it.”

  “So what if I do?” I growl menacingly. “What are you going to do about it?”

  Russ holds my gaze for a moment and then looks away. “Nothing,” he mutters. "You get all the girls anyway. All I get are the fucking skanks.”

  That's what I thought.

  I nod my head. “You're right. But I'm also the one who carries this fucking team.” As Silver Lake's prized quarterback on offense and inside linebacker on defense, I’m literally the lynchpin of the best chance Silver Lake has had to go to the state championships since Jimmy Carter was President. I’m one of the most popular kids in the school and usually get my way with everything. Girls, grades, preferential treatment by teachers— you name it, I get it.

  It goes without saying that I'm an egotistical, conceited bastard. But I'm that way because I earned it, every fucking bit of it.

  But while I can't ask for more of the sweet perks I get at school, it's a total 180 when it comes to my living situation at home. The moment I step off school grounds, I go back into the real world. I'm no longer Troy Wood, Silver Lake High's most prized athlete and biggest campus celebrity.

  I'm just some ungrateful shit that should be happy that my dad chose to bang a random chick when he was eighteen and not use a condom. And according to my drunken dad, I wouldn't be shit without him. I owed him for everything—giving me life and for being a star ball player, though he'd done nothing to help me hone my skills. Shit, I owed him just for breathing. In fact, I owed him so much that I had to work an after-school job at a shitty pizza parlor just to help support his sorry ass drinking habit. So I take those easy grades from the teachers, mainly because after practicing until seven four nights a week, I spend another three to four hours slicing vegetables, sausage, and stirring five gallon pots of tomato sauce just to put food in my stomach.

  I don't know what he's going to do when I go off to college, I think to myself. Probably become a bum under the bridge. And it'll be all my fucking fault.

  I have big plans for myself after I graduate high school, none of which involve my drunkard father. First, I hope to go
to college on a scholarship, because I certainly don't want to be chained to a student loan debt, and then I want to be drafted by the NFL, starting off with a multimillion-dollar contract.

  I figure once I get on the college team and start showing off my exceptional abilities, the talent scouts will go crazy and start the bidding wars. First round draft pick, working a couple of endorsement contracts coming right out of school, and I'll be on easy street riding out my rookie contract on that bullshit scaled system the NFL is putting in place. When I hit free agency though, that's when it all goes bananas. Naturally, I'll settle with the highest bidder and make my way to the Hall of Fame and retire with a big mansion, a trophy wife and a quad of kids, set for life.

  Ah, the easy life. I just have to get there first.

  And I will get there. I have total confidence in my ability to do so.

  As cocksure as I am, I always have to give myself an internal pep talk to keep my confidence level up. You have to when you're the brightest star on an otherwise shit team and your father tells you you're a worthless piece of shit. Coach tells us a positive mental mindset is essential, and I believe it. Coach has a lot of good sayings like that.

  One thing is for sure. I know I'm not going to reach my goals if I get involved in a relationship with a needy girlfriend. That's one promise I've made to myself. No girlfriends. No relationship. No drama. No bullshit.

  If I want to make it to the NFL, my motto has gotta be fuck 'em and leave ‘em. It's harsh, but I have to protect myself. I don't want to become too attached. And I know what could happen if I fuck up by falling in love and getting a chick pregnant. It already happened to one of my best friends who now had to put his entire life on hold because he'd knocked up a chick he had feelings for. He was 'the guy' before I showed up on varsity, and we formed the core of a good one-two threat before he got the bitch pregnant. He quit the team, saying he wanted to man up, and that was when the shit hit the fan. He's been forced to work two shitty jobs to support the baby, and his grades fell because of it. With no football and no grades, he couldn't qualify for college and was stuck in those same two jobs, a miserable bastard. The worst part of it all? His lady love cheated on him shortly after giving birth. Hell, she asked if I wanted a piece of her ass when I stopped by once to see how my buddy and the baby were doing.