Forgetting the Rules: A Second-Chance-Romance Sports Standalone

by Mariah Dietz

  “Hey,” Arlo says as we step outside.

  “Whore,” a girl mutters at my back.

  “Do I still need to be tested if I double-bag it?” The guy from class stops beside me.

  Before I can react, Arlo shoves him with both hands, making the guy stumble several feet. “Get the fuck out of here,” he warns, following him several steps before circling back to us.

  “You can’t do that,” I hiss as I place a hand on his back and push him toward the grass. “You just got back onto the field. If you get caught fighting again, you’ll be benched.”

  “Over my dead body,” Olivia says. “If my dad tries to bench him for standing up for you, there will be hell to pay.”

  I drop my head back and reach for my phone, realizing I have to face the music and at least be prepared like Anna had said. I ignore the multitude of messages and missed calls, and social media alerts and open the rumor site. My rules—my old rules—are posted over a picture of Ian and me making out in the parking lot yesterday.

  Another picture of me from last year drinking at a party. “Rumor has it, Rose Cartwright has had over four-hundred sexual partners.”

  “Cooper is doing everything he can to get this down,” Arlo tells me.

  “It’s too late,” I tell him. “It’s already out.”

  Arlo shakes his head. “It will be a rough couple of days, but then they’ll forget.” It’s the same hopeful sentiment I’d told Anna.

  “Yeah,” I say, though I know he’s wrong.

  25

  Ian

  I check my messages to see if Arlo was able to catch up with Rose. The team is currently all-hands-on-deck. I know Rose wants to pretend like nothing has changed, but if assholes are willing to mutter comments under their breath and share shit about the team and me, I know the gloves will be off with her.

  Arlo: This is going to be ugly.

  I have no doubt Anna is already looking into every legal avenue to get the site taken down. Her determination and concern were evident this morning. I glance down to see another message.

  Paxton: Where are you?

  Me: About to get out of class. I’m going to meet Rose.

  Paxton: Is she alone?

  I scoff

  Me: Arlo’s with her.

  Paxton: We need to talk.

  Me: I don’t have time today.

  Paxton: Five minutes. I’ll walk with you to where you’re meeting Rose.

  I tell him the building I’m in and slide my things back into my bag. I haven’t managed to pay attention to a single thing that’s been said and don’t have the patience to try any longer. I quietly exit the class and wait the ten minutes it takes for Paxton to arrive.

  There’s tension between us that neither of us has attempted to address since he woke up and heard my reasons for benching him. It keeps him from standing too close and keeps his gaze downcast.

  “I talked to Luis,” he says. “I had no idea about your friend Dustin.”

  Fucking Luis.

  “I know we’ve got some shit to work through,” I tell him. “But I don’t really have time for this right now. Rose is getting hung out to dry because she helped us.”

  Paxton nods. “I know,” he says. “And it’s bullshit. We can do rounds. Make sure someone is with her at all times so if anyone tries to say anything, we’ll be there.”

  “They already have,” I tell him. “Have you looked at your accounts? Have you seen what they’re calling her? What they’re saying about her?”

  His jaw tightens, and he takes a step closer to me. “I fucked up. Those pictures of Rose are my fault. I know that.” He shakes his head. “And I fucked up with you. I wasn’t going to drive, but I understand why you were worried.”

  “Do you think my friend got behind the wheel intending to kill himself and someone else in the process?” I ask. “You can’t tell me or anyone what you were planning to do while you were fucked up because you don’t know. You puked on the grass and then took a goddamn nap in the front yard.” I shake my head. “You can have the best of intentions, but the truth of it is that you have no fucking idea what would have happened if Rose didn’t call me, and I stand behind what I said because I care more about you being alive and safe than I do about football. I would risk my future to ensure yours.”

  Pax hugs me. Like Arlo, he doesn’t shy away from affection, but right now, every muscle in my body is tense, and it’s difficult to accept this moment of understanding between us as another storm brews overhead.

  “Cooper’s working his ass off to get the site down,” he assures me.

  I nod. “I’m just worried about the residual effects,” I tell him. “The rumor mill is working in full force.”

  “Let the team help. Rae’s rallying the girls, and they’re ready to help as well. We’re all here to support you in every way we can. I’m going to talk to my dad and Coach Harris, see if we can get the university to step in. They’ve been handling this with kid gloves because I think they’re enjoying the damn attention it’s brought, but going after someone who isn’t on the team has to be too low of a blow for even them.”

  “Let me know what you hear.”

  He nods. “I know it’s too little, too late, but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I want to work to be the best quarterback. I want to be the captain the team deserves and the friend you guys deserve. I will do everything in my power to squash this.”

  I offer my hand, and he clasps his around mine. “I just want you to focus on overcoming these demons. I know you’ve dealt with more than your fair share of shit over the past year, but I’m here for you.”

  Paxton’s grip tightens, and then slowly drops his hand. “Go find your girl. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  I nod, turning in the direction of where I know Arlo, Olivia, and Rose are. It takes me another ten minutes to find where they’re sitting under a white oak tree.

  Rose’s gaze climbs to meet mine, and she smiles, but I recognize its fictitious qualities. I drop my bag and sit beside her, my hand on her leg.

  “Your class isn’t over yet,” she says.

  I kiss the side of her head and thread my arm around her shoulders, so she moves to lean against me rather than the hard tree. “I shouldn’t have left you.”

  “Yes, you should’ve. You guys can’t babysit me.”

  “We’re not,” Arlo says. “We’re protecting the assholes from your mad guns. I’ve seen you balance on your head and one arm. These fools don’t know how tough you are.”

  Olivia rolls her eyes. “And because we love you and care about you, and we don’t want you to face this alone.”

  “I need to change my number,” Rose says.

  I nod. “Let’s go. We can do it now. The same dude at the store has had to help all of us. He’s got the whole process nailed down.”

  Olivia is the first to climb to her feet. “We can go to the old theater by Arlo’s work. Catch a double feature. And they just opened a new ramen place next door.”

  “I’d argue, but you guys are acing this business of ignoring me.” Rose leans forward and stands.

  We wait for her number to be changed at the store, and then Olivia convinces her to remove all social media before we fill the middle seat of the old theater I didn’t know about. The chairs are uncomfortable, and the cushions are worn, but we ignore those details with popcorn that has so much butter and salt my lips burn after the first handful.

  Rose sits beside me, but she’s quiet, lost in her thoughts.

  My phone vibrates against my leg. It’s a text from Cooper telling me news I don’t want.

  I turn to Rose, hating that I can’t fix this. “Cooper was able to crash their site, but they got it back up, and they’re posting more pictures and bullshit rumors, and he’s afraid he’s making it worse.”

  Rose looks at me, resignation dulling her green eyes. “Tell him thanks, but to stop.”

  “Cooper’s smart. I’m sure he can get it.”

  She shakes
her head. “It’s only going to cause worse repercussions for the rest of you.” She reaches for a piece of popcorn and places it in her mouth, turning her attention to the trivia they’re playing on the screen.

  I’m hoping Paxton’s managed to do something and that Anna can do something bigger. I consider our flight tomorrow that has us leaving in the morning and not returning until Sunday afternoon. It’s against Arizona, one of our biggest competitors, and yet, the idea of getting onto a plane or stepping onto a field makes me recoil.

  Rose looks at me as I shift, moving my knees as restlessness runs through me. She reaches across the armrest that doesn’t lift and sets her hand on mine. “You’re overthinking it,” she says. “There’s nothing we can do to stop it. It’s been done, and I’m fine—I’m going to be fine. These people who care, they weren’t my friends. I don’t even know them. Let them think whatever in the hell they want to.”

  I swallow, wanting to argue the points she lists to me about how the site is a gross violation and only inciting negative, abhorrent behavior.

  “I’d rather just pretend it doesn’t exist,” she says.

  I want to tell her that’s impossible for me because everything about her pulls my attention, and this site berating her feels like a personal assault.

  Her fingers slip between mine, reminding me of their perfect fit in my hand. “I’m going to stay back,” I tell her.

  “Stay back?”

  “This weekend, I’m going to stay with you.”

  She shakes her head. “You can’t. You have a game in Arizona, and your team needs you.”

  I want to point out that she needs me more, that she’s more important, but choose to avoid that argument. “They’re going early to recruit. I won’t be back until Sunday.”

  Rose is silent as her gaze travels between mine. “I appreciate the sacrifice, but Ian, I don’t want you to pay that price. If it’s bad tomorrow, I’ll just go home. Besides, if you don’t go, I won’t be able to write you into my article, and I don’t know if you’ve missed this, but I’ve been leaving Easter eggs and putting you in every article I’ve written over the past two weeks.” Her smile is genuine, but so is my reluctance.

  If she notices, she doesn’t say anything, turning her attention back to the movie.

  Anna meets us outside of Rose and Olivia’s apartment when we get home from the movies and dinner “You disconnected your number?”

  “I kind of had to,” Rose admits. “They posted my phone number.”

  Anna shakes her head. “How do I not have a key to your apartment? My hands are freezing. I almost considered breaking a window.”

  “No, you didn’t,” Rose says, moving around her to unlock the door.

  “I might have,” Anna responds.

  Rose opens the door slowly, checking for their cat before opening it wider for all of us to come inside.

  “Hey, Anna,” Olivia says. “How are you? Have you met Arlo?” she points at him.

  Anna smiles, showing her teeth, but it’s far from friendly or welcoming. Clearly, she’s here for a purpose. “I think so. At the lake, maybe?”

  Arlo nods. “Nice to see you again.”

  Anna nods and turns her attention back to Rose. “We need to talk.”

  Rose toes off her shoes and hangs her purse. “Should I dig in the freezer for the whiskey?”

  I expect Anna to reply tritely, but instead, she shrugs. “It’s not the worst idea.”

  I place a hand on Rose’s back, drawing Anna’s attention. “I’m sorry, Ian, I need to speak with her alone,” she says.

  “You mind giving me a ride?” Arlo asks. “I need to head to my house and pack.”

  Anna nods. “That’s a good idea,” she says, ensuring me that it’s the very opposite.

  I look at Rose, who offers a playful smirk. “I’ll call you,” she says. She leans forward and presses a chaste kiss to my mouth.

  Arlo grips my shoulder and opens the door before glancing back at Olivia and ushering me outside.

  “This feels like a bad idea,” I tell him.

  Arlo leads the way to my truck. “Liv’s in there. She won’t let anything crazy happen.”

  “You don’t think Anna is going to suggest that Rose should transfer schools or something insane, right?”

  Arlo pulls his head back, the idea clearly surprising him. “No. Definitely not. And if that is her suggestion, you know Liv will sink that idea quick.”

  “Am I blowing this out of proportion?” I ask as we get into the truck. “Because it feels like there’s a second shoe waiting to drop.”

  “I don’t know,” he tells me. “I wish we had a better understanding of what in the hell this person is even doing. Maybe if we knew their motive, we could figure out why they were going after Rose.”

  “I’m sure it’s revenge,” I say. “She’s been publishing articles promoting us for the past week and a half.”

  Arlo shakes his head. “I just hope Coop’s able to figure out who this fuckhead is.”

  I drop Arlo off at his house and decline his offer to go inside. Instead, I head home and busy myself with packing.

  It’s hours before I hear from Rose, a single message.

  Rose: I’m really sorry, but I’m exhausted after today. I hope you have a good trip and enjoy beating Arizona ;) We’ll talk when you get home.

  She doesn’t reply to my questions about her visit with Anna.

  I have half a mind to go by Rose’s and make sure everything’s okay, but hear Arlo’s assurances.

  My mind is increasingly restless as the hours tick by with no response from Rose.

  26

  Rose

  I scroll through social media, reading comment after comment as people rip apart my name, clothes, hair, teeth, and body—every aspect of my appearance and beyond as people claim they know me and how fake and superficial I am. I click on a few of the people who are posting so I can look through their profiles to see if I recall having met them, but after falling down that rabbit hole a dozen times and realizing I don’t know any of them, I’ve stuck to reading the messages filled with hate and judgment.

  I don’t know why I’m reading them. It’s as though I can’t stop, like for some reason these people I don’t know—have never even met—opinions of me matter and are somehow influencing my self-worth. I hate it. And the angrier I become over this, the more I try to understand why they’re wasting their time and energy to throw shade, and then I get stuck in this ugly cycle.

  I flip back to the site, slowly skimming over the pictures again as I hear the judgment of a few hundred strangers in the back of my thoughts. I stop at the picture of me with Bobby, trying to remember the night and this particular moment. Who had I smiled at? Why does this feel familiar?

  A knock on my bedroom door has me setting my phone down. Olivia opens the door before I can respond and doesn’t wait for an invite before she climbs into bed with me. “You’re on the wrong side of your bed.”

  I don’t tell her I’m on this side because it’s where Ian’s been sleeping, and the sheets still smell deliciously like him.

  “Are you hungry?” she asks.

  I shake my head.

  Olivia tucks her arms around me. “Are you going to tell me what Anna said?”

  I shake my head again, my breaths struggling to remain whole.

  Her grip around me tightens.

  We lie still, neither of us talking for what feels like hours. Both of us have classes, but neither of us makes any mention of the fact.

  Eventually, Olivia sits up. “I’ll be right back.”

  Within moments she returns with our leftover ramen reheated. I’m not hungry, and comments about the size of my thighs only make the food less appealing. I set the bowl on my nightstand. “You should go to class.”

  Olivia doesn’t respond. Instead, she reaches for the remote and turns on the first Harry Potter movie, and then she gets into bed beside me and eats her ramen.

  We finish the first two
movies as the sun begins setting on the horizon. Olivia shuts my shades to hide the darkness and sits beside me. “What sounds better, Chinese or pizza?”

  “I’m not hungry,” I tell her.

  “I know, but you need to eat something.”

  “You pick.”

  Olivia turns her attention to Juliet, who has spread across the foot of my bed. “Do you want to go and pick it up? Maybe it will feel good to move around a little.”

  “I’m not done making a dent in my bed.”

  “Rose, talk to me.” She moves, setting her hand on my knee. “Tell me what’s going through your head, so I can help you battle these dragons. Are you worried other people at school will be as rude and inappropriate as that giant douchebag?”

  “I just needed this,” I tell her. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” I scoot up and lean against my headboard. “Let’s order Chinese food.”

  “Lo mein?”

  I nod. “Sounds great.”

  She unfolds her legs and goes to place the order, and I sink back into my bed, curling into the blankets and searching for another breath of Ian.

  We spend the night eating Chinese food that I mostly move around my plate until I finally give up on it and watch the third Harry Potter movie. We only pause it for a brief couple of minutes when Arlo calls, and Olivia steps into the living room. Aside from that, we continue to ignore the world.

  The next morning, I shower and search my closet, debating if it would be better to dress scandalously or conservatively for far too long before deciding on a pair of jeans and a red top that is purely for my own morbid humor as it matches the scarlet letter that was pinned to my back.

  “You look nice,” Olivia says between bites of her cereal.