Loving Daisy

by R. M. Lynn

  My eyes bounced between Maddox, Colt, Dash, and Marcus the entire game. In the end, the Stingrays won 24-7, and the entire team as well as the crowd in the stands celebrated. Girls screamed for Maddox as the team ran out of the field for the locker room, and I jumped up from my seat, pulling on Logan.

  “We have to go now or we’ll never get out of here in time to meet them out,” I tell her over the noise of the stands. “Hurry up.”

  We managed to beat most of the crowd to the doors of the locker room, but by the time the team emerged, the sun was down and the crowd had thickened, the screams were deafening. The team was showered and changed by now, wearing their street clothes and ready for an after party. I grinned wide as Colt ran to me immediately and lifted me up, twirling me around. I laughed at him as he put me back to my feet and moved to his dad before finding his mom and brothers on the other side of the crowd. Logan leaned in to tell me she was going to catch a ride with another friend. I waved to her as Dash pulled me under his arm, pressed a kiss to my temple, and then pushed through the crowd, sliding his arms around two girls that I thought might be juniors, heading off for the parking lot. Maddox found me, pulled me under his arm, and pushed us through the crowd, even though I heard Marcus call after me.

  “Don’t turn around,” Maddox ordered and pushed us forward. “You’re with me right now. He’s got his family here.”

  “Your dad didn’t come?” I asked softly and tipped my face up to look at him.

  “Nope,” he muttered and shrugged.

  I wrapped my arm around his middle and hugged him as we continued our walk to his car. I loved the way his smile looked on his face. He was genuinely happy, and I knew the win meant a lot to him. He opened his car door for me, and I climbed in before he closed the door. When he didn’t get into the driver’s seat right away, I looked through the rear window to see him chatting with Colt with a smile on his face. A moment later, he got in and whipped out of the parking lot, his hand coming over to squeeze my thigh as we got on the road.

  “One down,” he commented about the win. “So, ready to party?”

  “I’m not exactly dressed for a party,” I muttered and looked down at my clothes.

  I was wearing a short pair of jean shorts and a blue t-shirt with the Stingrays logo on the front with Maddox’s number on the back. I had a t-shirt for each of the guys, and I debated that day between Maddox’s and Dash’s numbers before finally settling.

  “You look fine, Daze,” he laughed out and shook his head. “You make my number look good.” I blushed, but he didn’t seem to notice. “But, yeah, we’re going to head to Tyler’s place. But I want to drop the car off at home, and we can walk. It’s not that far.”

  “Sounds good,”

  So, that’s what we did. On the way over to Tyler’s house, he raved about the highlights of the game, including the passes to Dash that got them ahead on the scoreboard. We got to the house, already pounding with music and people chattering and laughing. The second we got through the door, the crowd swarmed, and I was separated from Maddox as his team huddled around him, smacking him on the back and shoving a drink in his hand. Two girls slid to his sides, their hands running up his abs as they grinned up at him coyly.

  I let him have his moment and slipped off to find myself a drink. I headed for the keg and coolers in the backyard, and was filling up a red solo cup when I heard my name called. Looking up, I spotted Marcus coming through the sliding glass door.

  I smiled and exclaimed, “Hey, congrats on the win!”

  His arms came around me in a quick hug, and he laughed out, “Yeah, thanks. I’m glad to see you out.”

  I bit my lip as we pulled apart. “Yeah, I’m glad I came.”

  His hand lifted to brush a piece of hair that fell from one of the two Dutch braids I had, but before he could make contact, his hand was batted away. I glared up at Dash as his caramel colored, tattooed, and muscular arm wrapped around my front, right under my collar bone.

  “Fuck off, Williams,” Dash snapped. “Keep your hands to yourself, yeah?”

  “Dash,” I interjected coolly and pulled away from him. “Don’t be like this right now. Please.”

  Dash gave a shrug, smirked at Marcus, and on his way for the backdoor, he announced, “Mac’s on his way out. Just a heads up, Williams.”

  Marcus shook his head as he watched him head inside. I slid my hand up his forearm and squeezed gently, which made his eyes meet mine again.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I know they’re a lot, and they’re stupidly overprotective. I’ve told them to lay off, but I guess they just didn’t get the hint. I’ll talk to them again, okay?”

  He gave me a smile and pulled me under his arm. “Don’t worry about it, alright? I like you, Daisy, and those three guys aren’t going to keep me from pursuing this.”

  I blushed, couldn’t help it, and smiled up at him. His eyes averted back to the door, his smile dropping into a frown, and I looked up to see Maddox’s hard expression on us. He sauntered over to us, Marcus pulled away from me, and Maddox slid an arm around my shoulders while his hand wrapped around my solo cup, bringing the beer to his lips. He handed it back to me after he took a drink and smirked as he looked over Marcus.

  “Awesome pass interference today, man,” Maddox commented, and I scowled up at him.

  “It was a lousy call, and you know it,” Marcus countered, his jaw jumping with tension. “I didn’t deserve that foul.”

  Maddox shrugged. “If you say so. Some of us on the sideline disagree and say they wouldn’t have scored if it weren’t for you. Anyway, Daisy,” he looks down to me like he didn’t just throw shade Marcus, “I was looking for you. Logan just showed up. Thought you’d want to say hi.”

  “Fine, Maddox, I’ll be in there in a minute,” I insisted, hoping he’ll get the hint and leave us alone.

  However, before he could even think about the implication of my words, Marcus let out a breath and muttered, “I’ll see you later, okay, Daisy? Maybe save me a dance?”

  “Yeah, okay,” I mumbled and watched him head inside before spinning to face Maddox fully and gave him a shove in his abs. He didn't budge, only making me more frustrated. “Why? Why did you have to do that?”

  “Do what?” he chuckled. “He did get a pass interference foul, and you had to have seen it.”

  “Maddox,” I whispered then, and his eyes softened as he looked down at me with a sigh. “I like him.”

  “I don’t know why, Daisy. He’s… I told you, he’s not what you think he is.”

  “Then let me figure that out on my own.”

  He brushed a hand over my braids and shook his head. “I’m trying, but there’re things you don’t know, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I can handle it.”

  His expression said he disagreed, but he didn't get to say it out loud because Colt and Logan came outside to get her a drink. Logan came in for a hug, and I laughed, shooing her away when she pinched my side. She must’ve had some stuff to drink before she got there because I could tell she was already a bit drunk. Colt seemed to notice, too, and I wondered if that was why he was hanging around her.

  “Good game today, Maddox,” Logan told him and gave him a quick side hug.

  “Thanks, babe,” he chuckled and looked her over. “You drunk already?”

  She held up her two fingers and laughed out, “Just a smidge.” She leaned into me and whispered much too loudly, “Hey, did you ever ask him?” When I scowled in confusion, she giggled and leaned into me further. “You know, did you ask Maddox? About the thing?”

  My eyes widen, and I shake my head at her while Maddox looked between the two of us, amused, and asked, “Ask me what?”

  “Nothing,” I answered quickly and looped my arm through hers, pulling her toward the door. “It’s nothing. She’s drunk.”

  “Ask me, Daze,” Maddox encouraged.

  I ignored him and yanked Logan inside, hissing lowly, “What the fuck, Lo? You’r
e going to ruin everything. I can’t ask him. Ever.”

  “Oh, my God,” Logan laughed. “I think he’d receive it really well. Drink your beer. Lighten up.”

  I did, in fact, drink my beer, and I drank a lot more of it throughout the night. Marcus found me at some point, reminding me to save him a dance before I left for the night, and a little after midnight, I headed outside to grab myself another drink. Dash, Colt, and Maddox were huddled near the pool passing a joint between them while Audrey and a couple of other girls filled the spaces between them. I sighed, not wanting to go over there. And yet, my body seemed to have a mind of its own as it pushed me forward toward them.

  “Hey, flower,” Colt murmured and looked me over. “You look pretty, by the way. Not sure I said anything earlier. The shorts are sexy. Although, you know what’d make you look better? My number on that shirt.”

  “I call dibs on the next game,” Dash piped in, smoke billowing from his mouth and nose. “You’re wearing my number, hear me?”

  Maddox smirked at me and interjected, “Maybe she wants my number for every game. Fifteen looks good on you, Daze, and you know it.”

  The girls, even Audrey, were scowling at the interaction between us, but their expressions only made me grin wider. Maddox slid out from Audrey’s grasp and pulled me under his arm while snatching the joint from Dash and propelling us down the manicured lawn. The land sloped, and when we were out of view from the others down the hill, Maddox sat down in the grass, patting the ground next to him.

  “So, enjoying the party?” he asked me quietly with a smile as I sat down next to him.

  “Yeah, except for Marcus avoiding me for the most part,” I sighed and sent him a glare. “Thanks for that, by the way. I’ll be lucky if he even looks at me.”

  Maddox smirked with a shrug. “Fuck him. It’s for the best.” I ignored the comment because I knew we’d only go in circles, and he took a quick hit from the joint before asking, “Hey, remember earlier? What’d you want to ask me?”

  “Hmm?”

  I decided playing dumb was the best way to go about it. Maybe he’d move on with the conversation and forget the whole thing with Logan ever happened.

  No such luck, though, because he added, “You know, Logan said you were going to ask me something. What was it?”

  “Oh, nothing,” I insisted quickly. “It was nothing. Totally handled it on my own.”

  He laughed. “You’re such a liar. Tell me. You’re not supposed to keep secrets from me.”

  I sighed, snatched the joint from him to take a hit, and shook my head as I argued, “I’m telling you, Mac, you don’t want to know. It’s stupid.”

  “Now, you really have to tell me. I’m sure it’s not stupid.”

  “It really is.”

  “Prove it.”

  “I can’t.”

  He laughed and threw his hands up, retorting, “You’re being ridiculous. I’m your best fucking friend, Daisy.” He seemed to get irritated now. “Why can’t you just tell me? Have you told Dash or Colt? Because if you did, that’s bullshit.”

  I shake my head and scowl. “No, I didn’t. It was Logan’s idea, and honestly, not even a thought for me until she put it in my head. I’ve just been trying to forget about it, and it’ll be all the harder now that you even have an inkling about it.”

  Maddox shook his head at me, snatched the joint from me, finished it, tossed it in the grass, and then quickly lunged on top of me. My hands shot out to fight him off of me, but he was stronger and grabbed both of them in one of his, holding them above my head. He straddled me, his free hand splaying across my ribs, and I tried to wriggle free with no avail.

  “Maddox, get the fuck off me right now or else,” I warned him and tried to put my most serious face on.

  “Or else what?” he goaded.

  “I’ll scream.”

  “I dare you,” he laughed. “C’mon, Daze, just tell me. I’ll get off you when you do.”

  The alcohol made my head fuzzy, and I knew he wouldn’t ever let it go. The amount of drinks I had made it easier for me to share my secret. So, I sighed, looked up into his stormy eyes and nodded.

  “Fine,” I whispered. “I’ll tell you. But you have to get off of me, and you have to promise to not get mad at me.”

  He got off of me with a chuckle. “You’re acting fucking weird, Daze. Why would I be mad?”

  I sat up next to him and shook my head as I demanded, “You have to promise. Seriously, Mac. Promise.”

  “Okay, I promise, Daisy.”

  I bit my lip and glanced at my lap as I mustered up whatever liquid courage I had in me. “So, as you know, Marcus is into me.” He scowled at that, and I waved him off. “And while I like him, I also realize that there are concerns about his intentions from people like you, people I care about and know they care about me.” He nods and looks me over. “So, with this, I also realize I’m inexperienced at best, and I’m not prepared for somebody with experience like Marcus. And while I’m not very sentimental when it comes to things like firsts,” I bent my fingers in an air quotes motions, “I also don’t think I want to give them to somebody who could hurt me, and maybe that’s Marcus. So, in an effort to cross off items from my list of firsts and to gain more experience for the future, like say in college, Logan proposed an idea.” I cringed and shook my head. “I don’t know if I should say.”

  “You’re almost there,” he assured me with a smile. “I hear what you’re saying, and I want you to continue because, honestly, I’m not sure where this is going.”

  I took a deep breath and looked up at him as he takes a sip from his red solo cup. “She suggested I find a fuck buddy.”

  He immediately choked on his beer and coughed as he scowled at me, sputtering, “W-what?”

  “I know! Ridiculous, right? But it gets worse. She then proposed that I ask… you.” I bit my lip as I averted my gaze from him as the words slipped from my mouth. When he remained quiet, the silence began to kill me slowly, and I couldn’t take it anymore. “That’s what she wanted to know. She wanted to see if I actually asked you to, you know…” I rambled on and shook my head as his continued silence. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you.”

  “Daisy,” he mumbled lowly, and I looked up at him again cautiously. “That is… That’s seriously stupid. You know that, right?”

  I wasn’t sure why, but for whatever reason, his words hurt. What was stupid? The idea of being with me in general? Or the idea of me having a fuck buddy?

  “We… We’re friends,” he continued quietly and chanced a look my way as he swallowed. “You’re my best friend, and I… Daisy, we can’t.”

  “No, I get it,” I assure him, my voice sounding forced even to my own ears. I stand up and try to smile, although it’s a wobbly one. “It’s stupid. I knew this from the beginning. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. Because now…” I felt tears burning my eyes but I tried to smile to force them off. “I don’t want it weird with us just because Logan put a stupid idea in my head.”

  “I feel like you’re taking what I’m saying the wrong way,” he says and stands up with me, running his free hand through his hair. “I’m flattered. I really am.” I rolled my eyes, and he grabbed my wrist as I turned to walk away. “C’mon, don’t. I just mean… Fuck, Daze, I don’t know. I don’t want you to take any of this personally. You mean too much to me, and I can’t risk it. Not to mention, Daisy? The guy you meet in college or wherever, if he loves and appreciates you, he’s not going to give a shit what you know or don’t know how to do. He’ll be fucking thrilled to show you what he likes, and he’ll learn what you like, and –”

  “It’s just a way for me to take control of my sexuality in a way that I see fit.”

  “And I respect that. But I’m telling you, there’s nothing wrong with being inexperienced.”

  I’d heard enough. I understood his position. I didn’t want to lose his friendship either. And I understood he felt like my plan was unconventional, but that
was okay. It was my decision. He’d just have to understand that.

  I shrugged and pulled away from him as I muttered, “I’m going to find Marcus. I told him I’d dance with him before I left. So…”

  “Daisy,” he called after me as I started back up the small hill toward the house.

  The group of girls, Dash, and Colt had dispersed by then, and I headed inside to find Marcus. However, he was nowhere in sight, and I really just wanted to go to bed and die from mortification. I debated on what to do. I spotted Colt near the front door, chatting up a blonde, and I hurried over to him.

  “You alright, Daze?” he murmured, pulling me close and ducking his head so his mouth was at my ear.

  “I just don’t feel very well,” I lied. “I’m hoping to just head home. You think I can just walk?”

  “You can’t walk home alone,” he snapped in my ear and shook his head at me. “Where’s Mac? He should take you home.”

  I shook my head and pulled away from him. “No, it’s fine. I’ll be fine.”

  “Well, wait a minute, alright? I didn’t drive. Let me find Dash.”

  He muttered something to the blonde, and headed into the crowd of the party in search of Dash. With him no longer guarding my exit, I slipped out of the front door and jogged a few houses down until I felt like I was safe from anybody spotting me. Because Tyler’s house wasn’t far from mine or Maddox’s, it didn’t take long for me to get home. The house was dark, so I knew I had to be quiet as I unlocked the front door and hurried up the stairs to my room. I stripped and took a quick shower, and once my hair was brushed and I had a pair of sleep shorts on with a holey t-shirt, I checked my phone that lit up with text messages.