The Trouble With You

by L A Cotton

  “So, let’s get our hands a little dirty before then. Show Thatcher we’re not taking any prisoners this year.”

  “I thought we were done with that shit?” I said. “Finnigan is just looking for an excuse to bench Jase.”

  “Finnigan can kiss my ass.” Jase sneered.

  Asher’s house came into view and Jase parked up, effectively ending our conversation. We climbed out, grabbed the supplies from the trunk, and went around back where some of the other guys were already hanging out. Asher’s parents were cool, and since they were out of town for business a lot, we usually hung out here. His house was bigger than most of our places, thanks to his dad’s successful tech company. It backed onto a small lake where they had jet skis and a small motorboat, as if the huge pool and fire pit wasn’t already enough.

  It was pretty awesome.

  Jase went to join the guys, leaving me and Asher to take the beer and snacks inside. I dumped the bags on the counter levelling him with a hard look. “Why the fuck do you keep bringing up Hailee?”

  “That shit’s funny. I’ve never seen Jase so bent out of shape over a girl.”

  “It’s his sister, or have you forgotten that?”

  “Still… it’s not like they’re blood-related.”

  “Something is very fucking wrong with you.” I folded my arms across my chest, letting him deal with the bags. “Don’t be stirring up trouble, Ash, we don’t need it. Not this year.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” He ducked into the refrigerator to stow the beers. When he was done, he leaned against the counter, his eyes searching mine. “I still can’t believe it’s senior year. Have you thought about what you might do?”

  Dragging a hand down my face, I shook my head. “It’s not that simple.”

  “Yeah, I know. But if you know Penn isn’t going to be—”

  “What’s taking so long?” Jase appeared in the door, his eyes hard and assessing.

  “Just grabbing some beer, man.” Asher grabbed a six-pack and chucked a bag of chips at me. “Come on.” He brushed past Jase and went outside.

  “You okay?” Jase tipped his head at me, and I nodded.

  “Yeah, I’m good.”

  His eyes lingered on me a second longer, then he spun around and followed Asher. I sagged back against the counter, releasing the breath I’d been holding. Jase didn’t get it. He didn’t get why anything would take precedence over football. Over college. I guess that’s what made him different—what gave him an edge other players didn’t have. He was detached enough from life to make the sacrifices required, and then some. He didn’t worry about family because his team, football, was his family. I guess he’d learned that from his dad. But my dad hadn’t been a rising football star, and although he supported me, supported the team, he also had other things going on that required his attention.

  Sometimes, it felt like I was standing at a crossroads: one foot planted firmly in my dreams of football and college and the promise of going all the way to the NFL; the other remaining rooted in real life where dreams didn’t always come true and life wasn’t always fair. And balancing the two… well, it was hard fucking work.

  “Yo, Cam, grab an extra bag of chips.” Asher’s voice cut through my thoughts and I stuffed down all my shit and locked it away tight. Because right now I was a Raider, and football and all that came with it, needed to be my priority.

  “I’m just saying,” Mackey stood tall, swaying slightly in the middle of our circle of chairs. “Alabama are looking tight this year, and Clemson are looking stronger than ever, but my money is on the Buckeyes.”

  A sea of crumpled Solo cups rained down on him as he held up his hands to shield his face. “Come on, Jase, man, help a guy out. Ohio State wanted you, right? What do you think?”

  My eyes fell to Jase who was sitting in a chair, legs kicked out in front of him, his eyes slightly glazed from one too many beers. “There’s no denying Ohio are going to be bringing everything they’ve got this year, but it’s not this season I’m interested in, it’s next season. And rumor has it, Penn have recruited one of the best QB’s in the country.” He smirked. “It’s a motherfucking gamechanger.”

  Quiet laughter rippled around the fire pit. “Not that I’m knocking the Nittany Lions, I’m not,” Grady said. “But you do know they haven’t won a national championship since nineteen-eighty-six, right?”

  Jase shrugged, arrogance rolling off him. “I heard Deontay Syracuse is going to commit to Penn. He’s the best DT in the country right now. Together, we’ll be unstoppable.”

  Someone let out a low whistle.

  “What about Chase? They want you too, right?”

  It was my turn to shrug, taking a big swallow of beer. Jase’s eyes slid to mine but he didn’t speak. “I’m still deciding.”

  The shrill of Asher’s ring tone pierced the thick silence that had descended over us, and he clambered to his feet. “The entertainment has arrived.” With a shit-eating grin he disappeared while Grady, Mackey, and a few of the other guys began scrutinizing Penn’s two-thousand-nineteen line up.

  When Asher reappeared, his arm was slung around a cute brunette I recognized from the gym team. “Girls, welcome,” he declared. “Make yourself at home. Drinks are in the kitchen.” He swung the girl around and pointed to the house. “Pool’s right over there, feel free to get in. But if you do, you should probably know about the rule.”

  “Rule?” one of them asked.

  “Yeah, it’s this whole thing my dad has about keeping the water clean.” He fought a smirk. “He prefers it if we all swim naked. Less chemicals.”

  “Yeah, but more bodily fluids,” one of the guys howled, and laughter rumbled around us as the girls rolled their eyes, giggling and whispering about Asher’s smooth-talking ways.

  But it worked. A couple of them broke away from their friends and started peeling off their clothes. Granted they didn’t get naked, but their tiny bikinis left very little to the imagination.

  “Fuck yeah,” Mackey said, jumping up and yanking off his jersey. “Wait for me.” He took a running jump and bombed into the water, sending a shower of spray in the girls’ direction. They threw their heads back, laughing, grabbed each other’s hands and took off after him.

  Things quickly escalated from the team hanging out and discussing the upcoming college football season to an all-out party. Asher cranked up the sound system before joining the girls in the pool, and Jenna Jarvis made a beeline for Jason, sliding onto his lap and running her fingers through his hair. He dipped his head, dragging his tongue along her jaw, and she opened up willingly, sucking it into her mouth. No sweet talk, no coercion, or promises of things he would never follow through on. But girls like Jenna were a dime a dozen. They knew what Jason was about and they were still willing to walk into the lion’s den. Just for the chance to say they had their shot at taming him.

  I was still watching them out the corner of my eye when Miley Connor stepped into my field of vision. “Cameron Chase, fancy finding you here.” She grinned but not in that coy please-pick-me way but with more of a guy-to-guy way.

  “What’s up, Miley?”

  “Not you, apparently.” Her gaze dropped to my crotch, and I gave her a throaty laugh.

  The other thing about Miley… she had no filter. Taking the chair beside me, Miley sipped her drink. She looked good, the cut-off shorts and tank top molding to her lean body, toned from hours of practice. Miley was like the rest of us, an athlete. She knew all about sacrifice, about being in peak physical condition. And unlike so many of her teammates, she didn’t have time to chase football players. Not with her sights firmly set on the Olympics.

  It’s why I liked her.

  With Miley I felt no expectation, no pressure to promise things I couldn’t give her. We hooked up, used each other to escape, just for a little while. And when we were done, we went our separate ways until the next time.

  “Why so glum, Chase? It’s senior year,” she said looking out over the party.

/>   “Do you ever get tired of it?” I asked her quietly.

  “I get tired of not being able to eat what I want when I want, if that’s what you mean?” Miley let out a long groan. “What I wouldn’t give to be able to go to Pepe’s Pizza and eat a whole pepperoni and onion to myself and then make myself sick on cookie dough ice-cream. But it’s the sacrifice we make.” She glanced at me, smiling.

  “A little birdie told me you’re going to commit early to Alabama?”

  “That birdie would be right.”

  “Nice.” I envied her being so sure, so certain of her future.

  “It’s a big move but it’s the best program in the country, and I want to be the best.” She gave me a warm smile. “What about you? A little birdie, also known as our entire class, are saying Penn want you as well as Jason?”

  “They’re interested but I haven’t committed yet.”

  “Ivy League,” she whistled through her teeth. “Impressive.”

  “I’m not just a pretty face and one of the best wide receivers in the State, you know?” I grinned at her.

  “No, Cameron Chase, no you’re not. You’re also very, very good with your tongue.” Her eyes darkened with lust. “Want to get out of here?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” I downed the rest of my beer and stood up, waiting for Miley to do the same. Asher caught my eye across the pool. He knew the deal with me and Miley, but he was too busy all up in one of her friends to give me shit about it.

  “We’re out,” I said to Jase as we passed him.

  “Here?” he asked, and I knew he meant were we going upstairs or somewhere else.

  I looked to Miley who shrugged. “I’m easy.”

  “I bet you are,” Jase snickered, and I threw him a harsh look.

  “Watch this one, Jenna,” Miley said with a hint of bitterness. “I’ve heard he bites.”

  Jenna lifted her face from Jason’s neck, her lip curved with arrogance. “Oh, I know he does. But I bite harder.”

  Well, okay then.

  “Come on, Chase,” Miley laughed softly, and I jammed my hands in my pockets, following her toward Asher’s house. “Fancy place,” she said.

  “Yeah, Ash’s parents are loaded.”

  “You don’t say.”

  We slipped inside and Miley paused, letting me lead the way. I stopped to grab a couple bottles of water and then led her upstairs to the guest room the Bennets let me use whenever I stopped over. I wouldn’t exactly call it my room, but no one else stayed in here. They’d even given me a key last year.

  “What is this?” Miley asked when I stopped outside the familiar door and dug the key out of my wallet “Your red room of pain?”

  “Something like that,” I smirked at her. “Why, scared?”

  “Nah, Chase. You put on a good show, but I see underneath all that macho Raider bullshit.”

  Her words caught me off-guard, but I schooled my expression. “You know what this is, right?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she replied giving me a little shake of her head. “We fuck, nothing more, nothing less. I’m not asking you for anything.”

  With a curt nod, I pushed open the door and pulled her inside. Sometimes, in the quiet moments after sex with Miley, I wondered what it would be like to open up to her; to tell her all my deepest fears, my darkest secrets. We weren’t that to one another though, and I didn’t want that, not with her anyway.

  But life wasn’t fair, and we couldn’t always have what we wanted.

  I knew that better than most people.

  Hailee

  “This is a bad idea.” Flick snatched the bottle of vodka mixer from me and took a big swallow of it. “This is a very bad idea.” She smeared the back of her hand across her mouth before hiccupping.

  “Come on, we need to be quick.” I grabbed her hand, pulling her through the trees bordering the Bennets' property.

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” she groaned quietly as the woods grew denser, the shadows swallowing us whole.

  “Consider it something to add to your list.”

  “Hails.”

  “Oh, come on, Flick. I already I said I’d go with you to the stupid pep rally, and I’ll consider Homecoming—”

  “You will?” The hope in her voice made me feel like the shittiest friend ever but I buried down the emotion, focusing on the task at hand.

  When Jason, Cameron, and Asher had walked away from us at Ice T’s, I knew I couldn’t just leave it. Even if Cameron had warned me to back down. It was one thing to mess with me but to mess with Flick? That was completely unacceptable, especially after I’d learned she actually wanted to go to their stupid party. So, while she devoured her apology-brownie, I hatched a plan.

  “Okay,” I said pausing at the edge of the trees right where they met Asher’s driveway. “Give me the drink.” I needed some more Dutch courage for what I was about to do. It was stupid and reckless, and it could land me in hot water if anyone caught me, but it would be so worth it.

  I chugged the remainder of the vodka mixer, my stomach churning as the bitter taste flooded my senses. When I was done, I tossed the bottle into the undergrowth and held out my hand. “Now give me the other stuff.”

  Flick hiccupped again before handing me the cannister and sticker. “Are you absolutely sure about this?”

  “Do you even need to ask?”

  “I guess not. But, Hails, you don’t need to do this, not for me.”

  “Hush now, I need to concentrate.” I read the instructions again, my glassy eyes making everything a little blurred. When I was sure I had it, I gave Flick my attention. “Wait here, okay? I won’t be long.” Slipping my hood over my head, I pulled the cord to conceal as much of my face as possible and slowly inched from the trees.

  The front of the house was steeped in darkness; all noise and music coming from around the back. I’d never been in Asher’s house before, but everyone knew his parents were rich. I had overheard kids at school talk about his infamous parties down by the lake his property backed onto. My eyes darted left and right, making sure no one was around, before I cut across the driveway to the row of cars. Asher’s Jeep, Cameron’s truck, and finally my target: Jason’s restored 1969 Dodge Charger.

  Moving around the body of the car, I crouched in front of the hood. My fingers trembled, my heart pounding against my ribcage, as I worked the sticker off the backing and positioned it front and center on the sleek black paintwork. Rubbing out any air pockets, I smoothed the Rixon East Eagles logo onto the hood, and then set to work on the spray paint.

  “Hails,” Flick’s hushed voice carried on the breeze as I leaned over the hood to reach the windshield, spraying with as much accuracy as I could manage given the lack of light and my current lack of sobriety. “Hurry up.”

  “Coming, I’m almost done.” Stepping back to survey my handiwork, I smiled to myself. Jason was going to kill me. If there was one thing he loved almost as much as football, it was this car. And when he realized… shit. It suddenly occurred to me I might not be the first suspect to pop into Jason’s mind.

  The Raiders had a messy history with Rixon East High. A rivalry dating back decades. A rivalry that had only burned brighter since Jason became QB One for the Raiders. Crap. What if he thought someone from their team had done it? I could be the match lighting a long-simmering fuse. It was too late to worry now though. I had no way of removing the sticker or spray paint.

  Scooping up all the evidence, I shoved it in my pockets, and checked the driveway again before ducking back into the shadows. But the sound of voices startled me, and I dashed back to Asher’s Jeep, crouching down behind it.

  “You sure you’re good getting home?”

  It was Cameron. Thank God. At least it wasn’t Jason; maybe I could still get out of this without being caught. The cars were parked in front of the double garage adjoining the house so if no one came around here, then I would be fine.

  “Yeah,” a female voice said. “I’m a big girl, I
can take care of myself. It’s cute you care though.”

  He gave a strained laugh and my stomach knotted. Cameron and a girl. It shouldn’t have surprised me. The words Raider and manwhore practically went hand-in-hand.

  “Thanks,” he said. “For… you know.”

  “It’s always a pleasure, Chase. I’d coming running any day of the week for that trick you do with your…” The soft purr of a car engine drowned out her words. Thank God, because I really didn’t want to hear all about Cameron’s amazing skills in the bedroom.

  Shuffling to the other corner of the Jeep, I leaned up slightly to try to get a look at whoever Cameron was saying goodnight to. But all I caught was the flash of long dark hair before she climbed inside the Uber car.

  Now was my chance, I had to get out of here. Crouching down again, I slipped out from behind the Jeep and ran. But right before I hit the tree line, the cannister fell out of my pocket, rolling to the floor with a loud clunk. I froze, my body paralyzed as I held my breath, waiting. Maybe Cameron had already gone inside, maybe he was—

  “What the fuck?”

  Shit.

  Shit!

  My pulse pounded against my skull as I tried to figure out my options. I could make a run for the trees and hope he didn’t give chase, or I could turn around and fess up. Either way, it wasn’t looking good for me. I’d hoped to be safely tucked up in bed when Jason discovered my latest handiwork.

  Deciding to take my chances, I took one step, ready to dive for the trees, but footsteps crunched on the gravel behind me. “Who’s there? Thatcher, if that’s you, you’d better—”

  I turned slowly, loosening the cord of my hood to reveal my face. Cameron’s mask of fury faltered for a second, his eyes widening. But they quickly narrowed dangerously as he stalked closer. “Sunshine? What the actual fuck?”

  “Hmm, hey.” I gave him a wry smile.

  He grabbed my arm and I wondered what the hell he was doing until he pulled me further into the shadows. “What the hell Cam—”

  His head flicked up to the house where there was a CCTV camera. Crap. Why hadn’t I thought of that? Probably because you’re drunk on vodka mixer and high on adrenaline, idiot.