Falling for Seven

by T. A Richards Neville

  “Sorry, Coach. I’ve got stuff on my mind.”

  “Stuff on your mind can’t affect your game or you will have no fucking career, do you understand me?”

  “Yes, Coach,” I said, when I realized he was waiting for a legit answer.

  “Consider it friendly advice. You’ve got no fallback, your game has to be on point. Every. Damn. Time. Something for you to think about.” He shut himself inside his office and I stood on the other side, cussing my sloppy performance.

  Nicky’s hand clapped onto my shoulder. “You were awful out there.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “Greek Row later?”

  “Man, no the wonder you are failing all your classes. What happened to a tutor?” We made it to Nicky’s car and he sat on the hood of the Jetta, taking his cell out of his bag to rest on his thigh.

  “Coach is setting me up. I hope she is hot, or I’m going to have to put her in for an exchange.” He plucked his diamond studs out next, putting them back into his ears. If people thought I was vain, Nicky was worse.

  “I don’t think it works like that.”

  He growled, hitting his phone with his fist. “Katlyn is driving me fucking nuts. Since you’re boning Angel, I’m sure she told you she busted up my fuck session yesterday.”

  “Not in those exact words. But yeah, she told me.”

  “Did she have to go and tell Katlyn?”

  “Uh, hold on a minute. Angel hasn’t told anyone but me, and she only did that because the sight scared the fucking shit out of her.”

  “Yeah? Then who told her?”

  “Kit told her, Nicky. Kit fucking told her.”

  “Katlyn’s acting like she’s been fucking possessed. She is going to rip my balls off when she sees me. Remind me to thank Kit next time I see her.”

  “I’m not getting involved. I’m out, man. Catch you later.”

  Nicky was too busy kissing ass over text message. “Yeah, man. Later.”

  On the drive home I called Angel on speakerphone, stuck in traffic coming off the highway.

  “Hey,” I said when she picked up. “Where you at?”

  “I just finished studying with Mia and now I’m getting dressed for work. All very boring. What about you. Did you have a good practice?”

  “Yeah, if I was blind, had two left feet and two broken arms. Then it was great, a real effort. At least then, you could say I tried.”

  She laughed, the flowery sound in my car making me smile. I smoothed my hand over my hair, and then took a left, cutting out the traffic and taking a back road. “It wasn’t that bad.”

  “No, really. It was. I’m sure your dad will back me up.”

  “She chuckled. “Fine. You were awful. Are you happy now?”

  “No,” I said. “How come you’re working tonight?”

  “I swapped my shifts around. County fair is Saturday and I was on the roster working till after twelve.”

  “What time do you get off tonight?”

  “Two. Why?”

  “Just asking. I’ll see you at two.” Then I hung up, cutting off any reasons for not being able to see her.

  When I got home, Kristina was on her way up to her apartment as I was getting out of the car.

  “Yo! Wait!”

  I ran across the street, cutting up a Taxi. The fat bastard’s horn blared and he flipped me off, his arm hanging out the window. "Fuck off,” I yelled, slamming my hand onto the trunk of his white rust-bucket. “Kristina, wait.”

  She kept on up to her apartment, leaving the door open for me. She went through to the kitchen and I pulled out a chair at the undersized table when she did. “How are you?” I asked. She looked decent enough. Her hair looked clean, her clothes were fresh, she wasn’t wearing makeup but her face was designed not to need it. Other than the obvious basics, she looked like fucking death.

  “I’m in a weird place right now. I’m not sad, I’m not happy.” Her brown eyes were dull, looking up at me. “I’m just here, and I feel nothing. Oaky, not nothing. I feel lost. Completely lost.” She stared at her hand in front of her, her finger making a circular motion on the table. “Is this payback, Julian? For what I did to you?”

  “You need to stoop with that. Nobody’s perfect. Everybody fucks up. Doesn’t mean you deserve what happened to you. No one deserves that.”

  “I did. Maybe next time I won’t be so selfish.”

  “I’m not here to watch you beat up on yourself. You didn’t bring this on yourself, so stop thinking you did. You know why you went with another guy behind my back?”

  Kristina’s head came up at my question, tears in the corner of her eyes on the brink of falling.

  “Because you didn’t love me, and that’s cool. I’ve forgiven you. But no one’s punishing you. This is something really fucking shitty that happened to you. And it happened to me, too. It happened to everyone that gives a shit about you.”

  Her tears loosened, rolling down her cheek and onto the table.

  “The fair’s in town on Saturday. I’m going with someone, come with us. You need to get out and be with people. Be with me, you know I’ll look after you.”

  She wiped her cheeks, smudging the tears. “You say someone like I wouldn’t know it was that girl you keep bringing around here.”

  “She’s chill, she won’t bother you.”

  “What’s so special about her?” Kristina pushed her chair back and ripped a paper towel from the stand, drying her eyes. “You bringing girls home, apart from me—” she gave me a pointed look. “—it’s not like you. So don’t tell me she’s your friend, or she’s nobody. I already know it’s more than that, and I’m not your college frat buddies. I actually won’t tell anyone.” She feigned a smile, the first one in days. “Well, aside from your mom.”

  “She’s my partner in a Sociology assignment. We’ve got a paper due and it’s on each other, so we have to spend all this time together.”

  “That’s your official story… what’s the unofficial story?”

  “You want all of it?”

  “The whole shebang.”

  She asked for it.

  “I made a bet with one of the guys on the team that I could get her to sleep with me, for no other reason than she was the next chick to walk around the corner. And then I find out she’s in one of my classes, and I’m stuck working with her. But to just to make things extra fucked-up, my coach is her dad, and now I really think I like her. Before you judge me, remember I’m a fucking idiot.”

  Kristina was straight in with it. “You have to come clean if you want to be with this girl.”

  “We’re not going to be together. But the more I see her, the worse I feel about what I did.” Telling Kristin I’d taken Angel’s virginity the way I had, was the part of the story I couldn’t get out of my mouth. Her judgement would be too real and it wouldn’t reverse what I’d already done.

  “You can’t use a pro football career to weasel your way out of everything. You need to face shit, Julian. Face what you’ve done. If she’s as great as she’s got you believing she is, she won’t hold it against you.”

  “You think?”

  “She will, but not forever. What you did was pretty jackass.”

  <>

  Taj was asleep when I got home after seeing Kristina. I snuck into his room to check on him, but mostly to make sure he really was sleeping and not just avoiding everyone. I closed his curtains, took his PSP from under his pillow and pulled the covers down to just below his shoulders, his neck and face covered in a damp sheen of sweat. I watched TV until one-thirty, fuck all to choose from apart from ESPN, then I left quietly to meet Angel.

  She was finished early, leaning against the brick wall outside the bar, her arms crossed over her chest. She was wearing a black leather jacket over her uniform, her legs covered in black sheer tights and black heels on her feet.

  She looked sexy as fuck.

  She trotted over to the car when I pulled up, opening the door and cl
imbing in. “God, these are killing me.” She kicked off her shoes and rubbed the sole of her feet, her face melting into a sigh of relief. “My feet are on fire. They need ice.”

  “Then you are going to like where I’m taking you.”

  I hit the freeway, north, the roads clear at 2 a.m. in the morning. Fifteen minutes later I parked up at Revere Beach. Outside, the air was cooler, touching cold, and I grabbed a sweater for me and a blanket for Angel. “The beach?” she said, taking the blanket. “That’s strange. You’re not going to drown me, are you?” Her white smile lit up under the moonlight.

  We walked to the shore, the small, frothy swells rolling onto the sand, breaking into white water. I sat down near the edge, Angel not far behind. She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, pulling her knees up. Her hair blew back from her face in my peripheral, a thick brown strand stuck to her cheek. The need to pry it free dissipated when Angel scooped her finger under the strand and it came away, blowing against her neck.

  “I have to confess that I felt kinda letdown when you called earlier to say Taj couldn’t make ice-hockey.” She smiled, her eyelashes skimming her cheeks. “Dumb, huh.”

  “He was at the hospital.”

  She turned her head to face me. “Why? Is he okay?”

  “He saw a specialist. He qualifies for surgery and he’s on a waiting list for this new hearing aid. It won’t bring miracles, but he’ll hear actual sounds for the first time.”

  Angel clamped her hand over her mouth, her entire body shifting in line with mine. “Julian, that is amazing.”

  “Yeah. Amazing.” I wanted to be happier for her, but I had some things to get off my chest before I could celebrate. “Angel, I lied to you.”

  Her hand came away from her mouth, confusion building in her eyes.

  “Taj isn’t deaf because he contracted too many ear infections.” I had to get this over with. “He’s deaf because of me.”

  “How can he be deaf because of you?”

  Going into my past was a fucking death sentence, but telling someone was long overdue. I had to get rid of some of my guilt. If it didn’t get lighter, it would bury me.

  “I was twelve and he was coming up to his second birthday. I was running around the house with a football. Mom told me to take it outside, but fuck if I was going to listen to her. I threw it from my bedroom to the hallway and ran to catch it. I never saw Taj. I knocked right into him and he flew down the stairs backwards, hitting every step he touched. He hit his head so hard it damaged the nerves inside his ear. The damage was permanent.”

  Angel had gone white, the truth of how selfish I was too much to listen to. Wait till she found out it could get worse.

  “The ear infection story stops most questions. My mom and dad didn’t want everyone to know I’d caused his disability. He’d be a normal kid now if I’d have just taken the damn ball outside.” If I could go back and take away everything that happened that day, I’d give up football forever.

  We were both silent, the wave brakes crashing in front of us. The sea was black, stretching for miles. It was too dark to tell the difference between sky and water. I could sit here all night, the repetitive lapping of the waves overriding all the shit in my brain.

  Angel tore at the silence. “How come you’re telling me this?”

  “You wanted the truth, so I’m starting from the beginning. It’s the one truth nobody else knows.” I looked at her, wrapped in the blanket, her arms wound together. “And I thought you should know this about me. You should know what I did.”

  “You were a kid and it was an accident.” Her voice was softer than I deserved. “But thank you for telling me.”

  She unraveled the blanket and it fell onto the sand. She took her jacket off next and then her arms came over her head, peeling away the T-shirt. The pink lace of her bra paled next to her dark hair, swirling around her slim shoulders. I licked my lips. She was fucking edible. She sat on her knees and they unfolded as she got to her feet, skimming her skirt down her legs and stepping out of it. She walked in front of me and in-between my legs, her hands on my raised knees.

  “Take off my tights,” she demanded, the want in her eyes set and arrowed on me.

  “Is this a pity fuck?” I asked, never too far from a joke.

  “I don’t pity you. I just need to feel you inside of me. Now.”

  She grabbed my hands, setting them on her waist, and I followed order, sliding the sheer material down her silky, smooth legs. Her pink G-string matched her bra and barely covered what was inside them. I jerked her towards me, nipping at the measly underwear with my teeth. Her head fell forward over mine, her hair enveloping us in a private darkness, shutting out the rest of the deserted beach. I bit down gently on the fleshy skin between her legs and moved the lace to the side with my finger, my tongue slipping into the warmth of her hidden skin. Her hot breath pebbled my skin and I tore off the G-string and then undone my jeans. I pulled her onto my lap and took a condom from my pocket, giving it to Angel. She ripped into the packet and rolled it over me, her hand guiding me inside as she lowered herself slowly. I sunk inside of her with a painful caution. Really I wanted to fuck the life out of her, but she was still new at this.

  “Am I hurting you?” My hands were on her back and I undone her bra, bringing her towards me so she wasn’t on full display.

  “A little.” Her smile was sinful. “But I like it.”

  Her nipples tightened in the cold air and she picked up the blanket and brought it around her shoulders. She moved so sweetly over my dick, I was starting to ache. But she felt amazing on me.

  If tonight never ended that would be perfectly fine with me.

  32: Angel

  THE ORANGE MAXI-DRESS my mom wore fit like a glove. I loaned her my cropped jean jacket and she twisted her hair onto the top of her head, exactly as I do with my own. “Can you see my Spanx?” she asked, swiping Vaseline onto her lips.

  “Mom, you don’t need Spanx. Your body is amazing.”

  “I need Spanx,” she said, sliding her feet into cork sandals. “Why do you think I look so amazing?”

  I’d just finished drying my hair. It was almost straight, but the volume was still on full amp seeing as I hadn’t bothered with the flat-iron. I buttoned up my white sleeveless shirt, leaving the top two buttons open and tied the loose shirt ends at my waist. I had on jean shorts and a fresh pair of white Nike Air Max because I had it on good authority that the grounds of the fair were uneven as hell. I stuffed a wad of dollar bills in my pocket, not wanting to carry around a purse all day, and my mom and I went downstairs in time for Julian pulling up outside. Only when I opened the door it wasn’t Julian sitting out in the silver Jag.

  It was my dad.

  “He agreed to come?” I asked mom.

  “I’m going to ride with him. You go with your friend.”

  “Why? I thought we were going together.”

  “We’ll meet up. I need some time with him.”

  “You aren’t going to fight are you?” My hesitancy to leave them alone in something as small as a car was validated with the vexed expression on my dad’s face.

  “I haven’t got all day, Selene,” his voice floated from the cracked-open window. “You wanna go to this thing or what?”

  “Bye, baby.” My mom got in the car and I ran to the driver side before he pulled away.

  “Where’s Elena?” I asked. “Isn’t she coming?”

  My dad stuttered on his words, peering at me from under his frown. “You care about Elena?”

  “Well, I like her. I want to know you didn’t leave her at home.”

  “She’ll be there,” he said, after more frowning. “As soon as she’s finished at work.”

  I stepped back, Julian’s Range Rover materializing at the end of the road. Marilyn and Mario came out of Pamela’s house. She shouted bye to her mom, slamming the door closed.

  “Race you there, Angel.” Marilyn slapped my back, skipping past me with a Twizzler hanging from
her mouth. She waved to my dad but he was too busy scrunching up his face, twisting his rear-view mirror. “Is that my quarterback?”

  “Michael, can we go?” My mom scolded impatiently. “If we sit here any longer the fair will be closed.”

  “What’s he doing here?” My dad asked me, my mom ignored and unanswered. “No the wonder he’s playing like a second stringer. Is there something you want to tell me?”

  “Nope.” I turned and walked away. Marilyn and Mario had already gone and we took off before my dad had even started his car.

  The fair was swarming with people, the sky clear and blue. The Ferris wheel rose above the other rides, the white metal glowing under the sun. I rode it twice, since that was Julian’s limit after labelling it ‘boring’.

  I stood in line to a pirate jig, waiting for our turn on the Jolly Roger. Julian came back from the food stand with a tray of funnel fries for Marilyn. She chomped on a fry, offering one to Mario but he shook his head. “You don’t like funnel cake?”

  “I don’t like any cake.”

  “That’s…” she looked at Mario with a level of disgust. “Just wrong.”

  “That didn’t take long.” Julian tipped his head up, drawing my attention to the other side of the line, but my gaze slid back onto him. It was a crime how good he looked in crisp navy shorts and a white tank top, loose on the waist but giving us all a show if his tanned and muscled arms. White high-tops hugged his ankles and instantly drew the eye to his mouth-watering calves.

  “Darlin’, you mind if I cut in? I’m Daniel Leroux by the way, first string linebacker for the Boston Lions. You’ve probably seen me on TV.” Dan, or should I say Daniel, eyeballed the leggy brunette behind us. I looked at Julian when I noticed it was blindingly obvious she was here with her boyfriend.

  The guys jaw set and he stepped away from his girlfriend, missing the pouty smile on her face from the attention she’d gathered. “Fucking move it along, shitface. She’s with me. Ergo, not interested in you.”