“Okay, fine.”
“Well. You can go now,” she then shooed me off.
“Thanks.”
I then left the stadium fuming. I didn’t even get paid today, so now I had a long walk to catch a bus. I had finally reached the bus stop only to see that the bus was beginning to drive off.
“Hey! Wait!” I screamed as I tried to run after the bus. It was already turning around the corner before I could do anything to stop it. Great. First I don’t get paid today and then I miss the last bus. I headed to the bus stop and sat there for a while. It was just NOT my day. Suddenly, it began to rain and then it began to pour. I thought to myself that I couldn’t even walk home. It was getting dark and I knew it wasn’t safe for me to walk home by myself. I had no idea how I was getting home.
Suddenly, I saw a Maserati pull up to the stop. It seemed a bit out of place here and I wondered what the driver was doing in a place like this.
The windows began to roll down.
“Need a lift?”
I was surprised to see Nick Barrett was behind the wheel. It was Nick Barrett.
The rain was relentless. But I had no other way of getting home. Not that I wouldn’t have a problem going home with him…. Well, not like that. Maybe not so soon. Just the thought of Nick would make me flustered. Nick was the best football player the school had ever seen. He seemed to have it all: money, status and talent. I would never expect us to even interact with each other. I would sometimes see him at school and wish that he would notice me. But then again, what would he be doing with a girl like me? We seemed completely different and were from different side of the tracks. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. I’ve always wanted to get close to him, but I was very apprehensive about getting in the car with him. He was extremely handsome, but what did I really know about him. I couldn’t stop thinking if I should get into the car with him.
Noticing my indecisiveness, he asked me where I was heading.
“Home.”
“And where’s that?”
“Uh, South Lyon.”
“I’m actually going there. Come on, get in.”
He then pushed the door open to let me in. I felt like I didn’t have much of a choice. The rain showed no signs of stopping and there wasn’t another bus for miles. I decided to get into the car. I mean what did I have to lose? It was just a simple car ride right? I got into the car and then we sped off. And that was the ride that changed my life.
Nick
When she stepped into my car, I couldn’t believe what was happening. I had seen her around campus but didn’t pay much attention to her. She seemed extremely quiet and always had her head in a book. She was quite pretty, small,petite and it made me wonder how I didn’t notice her before. She was naturally pretty, unlike some of the girls who would cake on makeup and swear that they were just adding to their ‘natural beauty’. That was until we started to get hot and heavy and then the makeup would fade. Then I would see the “real beauty” that they were talking about and then I would kick them out of my house. Immediately. From the looks of it, she didn’t seem to wear any makeup and wasn’t so flashy like the other girls.
She was also really quiet and seemed to be nervous. She was looking outside the window and her hands were curled on her lap.
“And where do you live?”
“Barton’s Hill. But I am heading to a frat party close to where you live.”
“Oh,” she said,as if she was expecting it. Well, the fancy car and the flashy clothes might have given it away. I hoped she didn’t think I was one of those rich and spoiled kids…Well I had to admit that I was. I did have it pretty good and everything just seemed to happen to me. It wasn’t my fault I was born into this life! And who was I not to take advantage of it?
“Yeah. It’s actually my dad who has the money.”
“Oh, okay.”
She sounded even less impressed when I said this. I couldn’t understand why I wanted to make an impression. Normally, I wouldn’t care. Women would come to me. When I drive my car, they would normally flock to me. I was basically a god. I could have any woman I want. But I knew something was different about her. I just didn’t know what it was. I shouldn’t even be thinking about her. I had a girlfriend…which I was beginning to resent. Then I realized there was something important that I needed to ask her.
“So I can’t believe I forgot to ask you this, but what’s your name?”
“April. April Hansen.”
“Oh, I am….”
“Nick Barrett. Everyone on campus knows who you are.”
I hid my smirk. I had to keep my cool. Apparently, my reputation preceded me. That was good to know.
“Ah, they say they know, but do they really know?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes at me. I laughed. She was so cute when she was irritated.
“Okay, I have to admit that was pretty lame,” I agreed.
“Good.”
I asked her, “So did you get a chance to see the game?”
“No, I had to work,” she replied.
I said sympathetically, “Wow. That sucks.”
“Yeah.”
“What do you do?” I wanted to know.
“I just work at the popcorn stand. It’s nothing fancy.”
“Oh.”
“But I did get to hear the game…,” she stated.
And then she said the sweetest things to me that any girl ever did. She began to talk about my statistics and the team. She even gave me some pointers that would help us.
“Wow, so you’re a big fan of football?” I marveled.
“Yeah, Dad and I would sometimes watch games. We’d pay attention to tactics and what not.” she explained.
“Wow that’s impressive,” I was astonished.
“Yeah,” she responded.
“No, I have never heard any girl talk so much about sports. Most girls I go out with just pretend to be interested in the sport.”
“Wow. Their loss.”
“Exactly.”
Then I wanted to know, “So, what do you study at school?”
“Law.”
“Wow, so not only do you know about sports, but you’re also very bright.” This girl was simply amazing!
She blushed, “I guess you can say that.”
I was becoming more attracted to her by the minute. It felt natural. It almost felt like I was cheating on her by having my girlfriend. The worst part was I didn’t even feel guilty. Jennifer could be such a pain sometimes and I was glad that she decided to celebrate with her girlfriends instead of me. I needed a break from her. Also I wouldn’t have been able to meet April, who was unlike any other girl I have ever met.
“I guess I will have to watch what I say around you; in case it could be held up in a court of law,” I joked.
She laughed. It was the most interesting and melodic laugh I have ever heard.
“That’s only if you are under arrest,” she informed me.
There was so much that I wanted to say after she said that, but I held my tongue. I wanted her so badly, but sometimes you can’t be too direct with women. Otherwise, you would scare them off. It really turned me on when she said that but I didn’t want to break a sweat. I just decided to change the topic of the conversation.
“So you live off campus. Do you live with your folks?” I really wanted to get to know this girl.
“Just my dad. My mom died when I was younger.”
I offered her a little sympathy, “Wow. Sorry to hear.”
“What about you?” she returned.
“Oh I live alone with my dad. My mom died when I was younger. She was really sick and now I am glad she is in a better place,” I explained.
“Oh…I’m sorry to hear that.” It was her turn to offer condolences.
“Thanks, it was tough growing up. It was probably tough for you too.”
“Yeah.”
“But, sometimes you get used to it, you know?”
“Yeah.”
&
nbsp; I rested my hand onto hers to offer her some small comfort. I then had to remove it to shift gears. Also, she seemed uncomfortable having my hand on hers.
“Oh, sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Oh, no it’s okay. It just took me by surprise.”
I felt something when I touched her hand. I felt an instant connection with her. She laughed nervously and I thought maybe she felt it too. I hoped she had.
We continued to talk and I loved how she spoke her mind and wasn’t afraid to talk to me. We talked about every single thing: from food to music to other sports to movies and it really opened up my mind to what a woman could be like. She was so interesting and complex. I had never met a girl who could hold a conversation quite like her. She didn’t just see me as some meathead or a pretty boy jock who just happened to have a lot of money. She saw an actual human being when she talked to me and boy, was that refreshing. I loved how confident and comfortable she seemed around me and she was also funny. I haven’t laughed so much in a long time. She was great company. Normally girls would be so afraid to talk to me that it seemed that I would be doing all of the talking and they would listen to me prattling on and on, until I would make a move. A part of me had become really tired of it. I didn’t think I would find another girl who was different and so close to being perfect.
I finally arrived at her door and I couldn’t understand why, but I got out of my car and opened the door for her. I was thankful that it stopped raining and she got out.
“Thank you so much for opening the door for me. You seem to be quite the gentleman.”
I laughed. I really wasn’t at all. But I figured she deserved it.
“Well, for the right girl, I can be. Don’t tell anyone,” I laughed.
She grinned at me, “Well, thanks for the lift.”
“No problem,”
I was about to head back to my car when I stopped myself.
I asked her, “Hey, would you like it if I brought you a jersey?”
She smiled at me, “I’d love it.”
“Great, I will drop one off at the stands for you,” I promised.
“Cool. Thank you.”
“No problem. See you soon,” I waved goodbye.
“See you,” she waved back.
As I sped off towards the party, I began to think about April. I wanted to hold her and kiss her goodbye. I wanted to be closer to her and talk to her for hours.
I had to stop myself. This wasn’t like me. I couldn’t believe that I could feel like this about someone else.
I could hear the loud music coming from the speakers a few blocks away. I was told that it was going to be an epic party and so far, it sounded like that. I finally arrived and parked my car.
I walked through the door and all eyes were on me. I was used to all of this attention being the star player and what not.
I saw some of my teammates hanging out near a beer keg and some of the sorority sisters dancing to the music.
“Hey, Nick. What’s up?” they greeted me.
Ryan, who was one of the outside linebackers, handed me a drink and gave me an update about the party. We then began to walk around the house. People cheered and congratulated us when they saw us.
“Great game guys!” One of the guys called out.
“Best all season!” Another said
A really pretty girl came up to Ryan and asked if he wanted to dance with her. Ryan, being the ladies’ man that he is, followed her to another room and they began to dance. I decided that it might be good if I was on my best behavior. I wasn’t too sure if Jennifer was going to be here, but word had it she and her girlfriends were celebrating the big win here.
Some girls saw me and laughed. As usual. Not even one had the nerve to come up to me. And it was in their best interest that they didn’t. Jennifer was insanely jealous and had threatened a few girls who attempted to flirt with me at the initial stage of our relationship. She refused to have anyone take what was hers. I rolled my eyes at the thought of it. I was my own man. Before I had met Jennifer, life was much easier and less stressful. I could have any girl I wanted and I did. I thought Jennifer would have been much different and that we would have been perfect together.
We had met in high school. She was the hottest and most popular girl at school and was the head cheerleader in high school and also at university. She was also wealthy and privileged, so we did have something else in common. But once I got to know her, she began to get on my nerves. I felt like I had a nagging wife rather than a girlfriend. She had so many demands and always wanted attention. She was the longest girlfriend that I had ever had. I stayed with her not only because I thought I couldn’t find a better woman, but also because of our status at school, we were a bit of a power couple and I thought it could ruin our reputation if we broke up.
But after meeting April tonight, it made me think of the possibilities of being with someone who could truly understand that life was more than makeup, designer bags and money. I saw that some girls could actually be nice without being boring.
As I walked around, I finally saw Jennifer talking and drinking with her friends. She spotted me, ran up and hugged me.
“Hey, congrats on winning the big game!” she gushed.
She then kissed me. I wanted to roll my eyes at her.
“Thanks.”
Her friends were giggling and staring at me. It was safe to assume that they were drunk. They kept giggling. I knew for a fact that when Jennifer wasn’t looking, they had tried to hook up with me on several occasions. Her friends were fake and apparently only hang out with her to know more about me. Who could blame them?
Jennifer then pulled me aside and whispered into my ear.
“So how will we celebrate the big win?” she smirked at me.
Normally we would have sex after a big win so that, according to her, there would be two big wins. But recently, we haven’t been having sex. We haven’t been having anything at all. We haven’t been spending much time with each other. It was a relief to be away from her and not constantly hear about dates and shows and beauty products.
“Not tonight, Jennifer,” I refused her blatant hint.
“Aww, why not?”
“Just not in the mood.”
She stopped hugging me and glared at me.
“What do you mean you aren’t in the mood tonight?”
“I’m just not. Okay?”
She looked at me like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“How could you not be in the mood? You are breaking our tradition!” she yelled.
I looked at her and said, “Look it’s not really a tradition. Plus, don’t you think you are making a big deal out of this?”
I could see her becoming enraged. She pulled me away from the crowd and the party.
We were outside and she looked like she needed an explanation.
“Look tonight is just not the night, okay?”
“Nick, we have been doing this for years! Why is it all of a sudden you don’t want to have sex with me?!” She is getting louder with every word.
I remained silent. I didn’t want to tell her that it was because I met April and I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
“Nick! Answer me!” she demanded.
“Jennifer, aren’t you a bit tired of all of this? Aren’t you tired of this pretending like we actually care about each other?” I tried to speak calmly hoping she would bring it down a notch.
Jennifer was taken aback by what I had said.
“Pretending?! What the hell has gotten into you?” she screeched.
I asked, “Don’t you think we should just end this?”
“What is going on, Nick?” Jennifer was beginning to whine now.
“I don’t know. I’m just tired…,” I tried to explain myself
“…. Of being with me? Really? After all that we have been through? You’re going to just break up with me!” She started screeching again.
“I didn’t mean it like that.
I mean…,” I tried again to placate her.
She glared at me and asked loudly, “You want to break up with me?”
I did want to break up with her. I knew it was the right thing. But it didn’t make it any easier.
“Huh? Do you?” She was demanding now.
She was getting impatient.
“Yes, I want to break up with you,” I confirmed.
“But you can’t do that Nick. You can’t do this to me,” she cried.
“I can do what I want now.”
“You can’t do this! Nick what is going on with you?”
She then proceeded to cry. I wasn’t sure if she was being genuine or was manipulating me to stay with her. I remained quiet. I hate seeing women cry.
“I’m sorry, but I think it’s for the best.”
She continued crying.
“Great. Now my mascara is running,” she began to sniffle.
“You know what? I will give you some time to think about it. Maybe, it’s just the game. Maybe there is still some testosterone running.”
“No, I don’t need any more time to think about it.”
“Wow. I can’t believe this. Nick. You can’t be serious.”
“I think I am going to go home now.”
‘No!” She pulled at my sweatshirt and demanded that I stay and fix things. I tried to pull away from her.
“Nick! I demand an explanation. What is it?”
I remained silent as she was trying to figure it out.
“Is it another girl Nick?”
“No,” I lied, “It’s just that I want more than this.”
“We have been together for three years. I have given you everything I had. I gave you my heart, my time and so much more than that. What more do you want?”
“Jennifer. Stop lying. You never really cared about me or anyone else. You only care about yourself.”
“So you are not only breaking up with me, but you are also insulting me?”
This has been the first time that I have ever seen her display any deep emotions. She just sat on the sidewalk and began to cry. I tried to comfort her but she just brushed off my hand.
“Leave me alone, Nick.”
Dirty Indiscretions: A Dark Mafia Romance Page 29