by Angela Foxxe
She didn’t care.
Michelle focused on the camera, making sure she was capturing everything. It had been pointing at the cage the whole time, thank God. She had forgotten all about it and nearly dropped it during the crazy metamorphosis that she had just witnessed. But it had captured everything, she was sure.
She filmed another few minutes of the beast that was John Wild before deciding that she had enough and had been playing with fire long enough. Michelle turned the camera off and slowly turned and walked quietly down the hall.
When she got out of the house, she broke into a sprint, running down the huge driveway, hoping that there weren’t any vicious guard dogs to run after her like she had seen in the movies. Her feet hit the pavement harder than she ever remembered running in recent years. She jogged almost every day, but she rarely broke out into a full sprint, and she was finding it required a totally different type of stamina. By the time she reached the wall, she was totally out of breath and wondering how she was going to make the climb to catapult over the top of it.
She put the camera in the satchel that had doubled as her “tool bag” for the day and then proceeded to climb the moss that covered the wall. She was not sure how much of the moss was real and how much was decorative, or if it was meant to be climbed on, but she was hell bent to find out.
The relief washed over her the second her tired feet hit the ground on the other side of the wall. Though she was feeling kind of sick from the exertion, she propelled herself into another high gear and ran as hard as she could down the road to the secluded place where she had left her car.
She had to get home and watch this footage.
John Wild was going to be sorry he’d ever messed with her.
CHAPTER THREE
John swallowed the taste of the Yuengling Lager that he had missed so much since he left Ohio and let it linger in his senses for a few minutes before taking another sip. It was amazing how you never really forgot the great pleasures like this. Since he had moved to Arizona after being drafted by the Cardinals, he had not been able to get Yuengling Lager. They were based out of Pennsylvania, and for some reason, they just didn’t have it anywhere in his neck of the woods anymore. That was a shame because it was his absolute favorite beer.
“That’s good stuff,” Marcus said.
“Bet your ass,” John said as he looked around his favorite hometown bar. He spent some time in Ohio during the off season, but his home was in Arizona. He loved the desert so much that he decided to stay there, unlike some players who kept homes in the area they were from and also where they were playing ball.
He had grown up in a town called Lewisburg about fifty miles outside of Cincinnati. It was a nice, quiet town that had a nostalgic 1950’s type of feel. It was one of the few towns left in the world where you could leave your doors unlocked and everyone knew everybody else.
But John spent a lot of time in the Cincinnati area, too. It was a fun town, and when he went to school, he proudly applied and was accepted to play football at the University of Cincinnati. He was going to be a Bearcat for life; that was what he always used to say. Now he hoped to be a Cardinal for life, but that was not realistic in the NFL where players were swapped and drafted constantly. It would be a matter of time, but he might find himself in the same boat. But he might get lucky if he could stay in one place long enough to retire.
“This is a pretty sweet place,” Marcus said.
“Thanks; I used to come here all the time,” John replied.
“Man, check out all of these beautiful Midwestern farmers’ daughters,” Glenn said as he sat down next to them.
“That is such a cliché.”
“You telling me that these aren’t Midwestern farmers’ daughters?”
“No, they most definitely are, but that doesn’t mean any of them will touch you with a ten-foot pole,” John said.
Marcus laughed hard, slamming the counter with his fist as if he was starting to go into hysterics.
“Oh, we will see. It’s on,” Glenn said.
John ordered another beer, enjoying the silence now that loud-mouth Glenn was gone. He was a good dude, but when he started drinking, he suddenly became completely deaf and he became Fabio’s better-looking brother in his mind.
Marcus tapped John on the shoulder excitedly. “Hey, dude.”
“What, man?” John asked mildly annoyed. He felt like he was babysitting with these guys sometimes.
“There is a beautiful honey totally checking you out,” Marcus said.
John rolled his eyes. In Marcus’ eyes, every woman was checking one of them out all of the time.
“I’m serious, man. You gotta look,” Marcus said.
John glanced over his shoulder to where Marcus was pointing and then went back to his beer.
But the image of what he just saw was suddenly registering something crazy in his mind.
He couldn’t resist turning back. It was Heather.
He couldn’t believe it.
“Oh my God!” John gasped.
“See, now listen to me the next time I point a hottie out to you,” Marcus said as John stood up and started walking over.
He had to make sure it was her. It couldn’t be… But as he got closer, he began to realize it most certainly was her.
Standing in front of her was surreal. She was even more beautiful than she’d been when they were kids.
“Heather?” John said.
Heather couldn’t contain her laughter as she stood up and gave him a tight hug.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to notice me,” Heather said before kissing him on the cheek.
John felt his head get a little dizzy, and he quickly sat down, trying to make it look like he was okay when he really wanted to pass out. There was just something about seeing her after all those years that was ripping his mind apart right then. His brain was trying to contend with the information that his eyes were collecting, but it just wouldn’t let him admit that what he was seeing was truly real.
“Wow, I can’t believe it. You look amazing, as always,” John said.
“Oh, you’re still quite the charmer, aren’t you, Mr. Wild?” Heather said.
John couldn’t get over how amazing Heather looked. She truly was even more beautiful than when he’d last seen her right before they’d left for college. She was about five-foot-seven, a slender but athletic build, with long blonde hair and a face that belonged on a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model.
“I try, but now I think I’m more of an ass kisser. I’ve graduated from charmer,” John joked. He wasn’t sure how funny that was, but for some reason, Heather always brought out the comic in him.
“Same old John, still cracking those sweet jokes.”
“So, what are you up to nowadays? You finished school?”
“Well, it’s a funny story. I finished college with my teaching degree, and I realized there are no teaching jobs available anywhere within a hundred-mile radius.”
“Wow, that sucks. I know the feeling of having to move far away from home for work, but you might end up like it. I love Arizona.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t get the chance. About two weeks after, dad had a heart attack.”
“Oh, my God!” John gasped.
“He’s okay. It was minor, and he’s going to be fine if he listens to the doctor and takes it easy, but you know Daddy.”
John nodded. Heather’s father, Frank, was one of the sweetest guys you’d ever meet, but the man was a crazy workaholic farmer, and he was not the kind of guy to sit down for a minute.
“So, you had to put your plans on hold?” John asked.
“Yeah, I had to, unfortunately. So I moved back home, and I’m helping Daddy on the farm and taking care of him. I’ve started looking for teaching jobs closer to home still, but no luck yet.”
“That’s rough. I tell you, life loves to throw curve balls,” John said.
“It certainly does, Mr. Football Star. I can hardly turn on the ne
ws without seeing your face plastered everywhere.”
John blushed slightly. It always made him nervous when people tried to call him a celebrity. He wasn’t sure he would ever be truly comfortable with fame.
“I’m not a star,” John said.
“Oh, poo you’re not,” Heather said patting him on the hand. “It is pretty exciting that John Wild from our little town of Lewisburg has made it all the way to the NFL.”
John felt the blush getting worse, especially after Heather laid her sweet, soft hand on his. Her touch felt familiar and sweet. There was something about her presence that always ignited a spark in him. The world was filled with beautiful women, but occasionally, one came along that was special. There was something real and tangible there. He had forgotten it, and he missed it.
“Yeah, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a dream come true, but I still think there was a lot of luck at play,” John said.
“You know, your modesty is almost annoying. If you could predict the future, you would swear that you are just a normal guy,” Heather said. “You worked hard for your success and you had the talent also. That is nothing to be ashamed of.”
John smiled. “Well, if I remember pretty well, you were pretty talented at a lot of things. You were head cheerleader, the best pitcher on the softball team, and student body president.”
“Well, it’s easy to excel in a small town high school, I guess,” Heather said.
“Now who’s being irritatingly modest?” John joked.
“I need another drink,” Heather responded, trying to erase the fun tension.
John flagged the waitress over and ordered a couple of beers for them.
“So, do you keep in touch with the old gang much anymore?” John asked.
“Well, yeah. Some of them at least. You’d be surprised how many are still around.”
“Really? Who’s still here?”
“Jason took over the hardware store for his dad,” Heather said.
“Like that’s a shock. The kid was born to play with nuts and bolts,” John joked.
“Jackie is a waitress with me at Sugars,” Heather said.
“Wait, you’re a waitress at Sugars? Out near the highway?” John asked.
“Yeah, money has been pretty tight. You know how it is,” Heather said. “But I manage.”
“Well, I’d love to help any way I can,” John said. “How much do you need?”
“No, John.”
“What? It’s no trouble at all. I find myself in a very fortunate position to be able to help a dear friend out.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I just can’t. Thanks, anyway,” Heather replied.
John smiled, sighing slightly. Heather was the type of person who would give you the shirt off her back, but she would never accept help from anyone else. He really hoped that she reconsidered soon. It was a shame to see such a wonderful person having a difficult time.
“So, the season is almost over? What does a big-time football star do during the off season?” Heather asked with a sweet smile.
John felt himself blushing. “Oh, I’m hardly a star. And tonight was our last game actually. It’s kind of weird knowing that I have the next few months off.”
“Just a few months? The season doesn’t start again for like nine months,” Heather laughed.
“Yeah, but you’d be surprised at how long we have to work on training and getting ready for the next season.”
“I’ll bet. But you do have a few months off to relax, right?”
John smiled. “Yeah. I’ll probably just catch up with family. I was planning on flying some people out to visit for at least a few weeks. It’s perfect out there during the winter, so I imagine my family and friends who take me up on the offer will be pleasantly surprised.”
“Yeah, but most of them have boring day jobs that they can’t get away from for long, right?”
“Yeah, that’s a drag,” John said, swigging on his beer.
“So, how’s the romance situation?” Heather asked coyly.
John had to smile. “What romance?”
“Oh, please. You can’t give me the line that a famous football star like you doesn’t have women just beating down his door,” Heather said.
“Just ‘cause they’re beating doesn’t mean that you want to answer all the time. I can’t lie and tell you that the admiration from the female persuasion hasn’t been fun at times, but it’s also predicated on something I feel I don’t have control over, and I feel has nothing to do with the real me. It’s weird, but I always feel that the women I date out there have an ulterior motive and are dating me just because I can run with a football.”
Heather frowned. “Hmmm, I guess I never thought of it that way. That’s pretty tiresome.”
“It can be,” John said. “So I haven’t really dated anyone seriously for a while.”
John looked directly into Heather’s eyes. She caught his gaze—her blue eyes were sparkling and heavenly to look into—and then she dropped the gaze, looking down at her beer. There had been a moment there where the old spark returned, and he remembered how amazing it had been to be the most popular kid in high school, captain of the football team, and Heather’s boyfriend. He actually envied his past self. It had been like living a fairy tale of some sort, but apparently all good things do eventually end. But did that mean that they could never return?
“You’re doing the women of earth a great disservice then. You can’t keep you all to yourself,” Heather teased.
John wasn’t sure if it was the beer or if Heather was just being her old, outgoing, flirty self.
“Well, I’ll tell them you said so. I must take to my Twitter feed,” John said.
Heather couldn’t contain her laughter. It was like music to his ears. It had been so long he’d almost forgotten what her true laughter sounded like, and he missed it. Just thinking about the old times they’d had was pretty nostalgic. Why did great times like that have to end? Why did things have to change?
“So, you say your dad is doing better? I mean, is going back to school something you see in your future?” John asked.
“I don’t know. I mean, Dad has good days and bad days, but I would feel awful if I went away to school and left him. I’ve kind of resigned myself to the fact that I may be stuck in this pattern or this life for a while, but it’s not so bad. I still get to see a lot of my friends I grew up with. And I’m making okay money. I’m getting by.”
“I hear you. Sometimes we just have to do what’s right for family when they need us, no matter what we would rather be doing. You’re a strong person, Heather. That’s one of the things I’ve always liked about you best.”
“Thanks; I appreciate you saying that.”
They sat there sipping their beers for a few moments in silence. It was easy to just get lost in the thoughts and the sweetness of reminiscing. Heather was one of those people that you could just be silent with, each one of you lost in your own thoughts and just enjoying being close to each other. That was a comforting feeling, and John could not remember the last time he’d been with someone like this.
“So, how long are you in town for? Just tonight?” Heather asked.
“Yeah, we’re flying back home tomorrow morning,” John said.
“That’s a shame. I would love to spend some more time getting caught up. It’s starting to feel like old times, you know?”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” John replied. But then he suddenly had a thought. “Well, this is our last game of the season. I don’t have to report for briefing or practice this week. Maybe I will stay around a bit. We can reunite with the old gang, whatever’s left of them that is.”
Heather’s eyes widened with excitement. John remembered that look she used to have all the time when she was cheering or when they were at the school dances. She had always been so full of life and so full of wonder at the amazing things that were yet to come in life. But now, he saw that she was an older soul trapped in a young body. The world had
beaten her up a little bit. But the old Heather was still in there somewhere. He had seen it just now, but only for a second. She was beautiful.
“That would be great! You really think you can do that?” Heather asked.
“Yeah, I’m free and clear for a while,” John replied.
They had to toast to that.
CHAPTER FOUR
The knock at the door stirred him from his slumber as his body jerked itself awake. He had been dreaming, but he couldn’t remember what he’d been dreaming. His dreams didn’t usually make much sense. He’d been that way since he was a kid. Everything would be completely lucid while he was having the dream and it would seem to fit perfectly, but then he would wake up and wonder how any of that had become so entangled in his head that it made sense at all. Some of the dreams were laughable that way; others were just disturbing and scary.
The room was dark and silent. He could hear the slight whir of the air conditioning running, blowing cool air against his naked body. It had stayed surprisingly warm for late October in Ohio. When he was a kid, it was always cold by this time, but it was sure nice to play the last game of the season in a seventy-degree Indian summer, especially for a team that was used to playing in the hot sun.
John grabbed his pajama pants, which he never wore, preferring to sleep in the buff most of the time, and walked to the door. The clock on the wall said it was just after two-thirty. He did a double-take glancing at it; who would be knocking and ringing his doorbell this early? He really hoped there wasn’t some sort of an emergency. Maybe one of the guys had partied too hard and ended up in the hospital. This had happened more than once, but luckily, both times it was because of a drunken brawl at a dive bar at the end of a bar crawl.
He flipped on the light and walked across the large living room. Of all the hotels they’d ended up at this season, he had to say this was his favorite one. It was very spacious and luxurious. Apparently, the team had gone all out and given them some nice rooms to thank them for a well-played season. Usually, the hotels were one or two steps up from an economy hotel. But John had never cared too much for fancy things; he was happy just having a comfortable bed to sleep in.