It was odd seeing the team practice without the graduating seniors. Martin and Sam were the only ones from their class there, since they were the only ones entering the draft. I was confident Sam would find a home in pro football. He was a top recruit coming out of high school.
I knew that Martin wanted to be drafted to his hometown team, but I selfishly hoped he’d be drafted to a team nearby wherever I ended up.
“Hey Martin,” I heard Donny yell. “Did your girlfriend really come watch you work out today?”
I felt uncomfortable. I didn’t like hearing other people talk about me. I put my head down and pretended like I was busy with something on my phone.
“Yes, she did,” Martin said nonchalantly.
I could tell this wasn’t the answer Donny was looking for.
“Ooh,” Donny mocked. “Hey everyone, Martin’s got a girlfriend.”
“We know, Donny,” Sam said. “It’s not a secret.”
This made him even madder. For someone who thought he’d become captain, no one liked him enough to fill him in on new information.
“Do you love her?” he continued to mock. “Do you? Do you?”
“Yes,” Martin said, exasperated.
I blushed hard. I grabbed a book from my bag, and flipped through the pages, pretending like I couldn’t hear the conversation.
“I’m happy for you, man,” Donny said. “If the draft doesn’t work out in your favor, she’s always good for a paycheck. Why even bother playing, if she’s got you set for life?”
This struck a nerve. Martin lunged at him and Donny ducked, sending him into a padded wall.
“You have to know it’s not going to work out,” Donny panted. “You’re trailer trash. She’ll never love you back.”
Martin grabbed Donny and put him into a headlock. He took him to the ground. Coach Wilson grabbed Martin by the back of his t-shirt and pulled him off of Donny.
“Blocking drills, now!” Coach Wilson barked at the team, who had made a circle around their fighting teammates. “Thomas, Jackson, with me.”
Their coach pulled them to a secluded corner. Unfortunately, this was even closer to me. I ducked down even lower, hoping the coach wouldn’t notice or recognize me.
“What is going on?” Coach Wilson asked. “This is not the kind of behavior I want to see from my former captain and future captain candidate. Donny, if you can’t be trusted to keep the peace, how can you be the next captain?”
Donny’s smirk dropped from his face. I chuckled to myself.
“I haven’t announced it yet,” Coach Wilson continued. “This is my last year as coach of this team. My wife is sick and I want to be able to spend more time with her. I want to finish my career at this school on a high note. I need support from my past and future players to make that happen. Do you understand?”
Martin and Donny nodded quietly.
“Do you have anything you want to say to each other?” Coach asked.
“I’m sorry,” Donny said. “I shouldn’t have said those things to you.”
Martin nodded. “I hope you learn how to be a team player. You’re good, but your attitude will get you nowhere.”
“Good,” Coach Wilson said. “Now let’s get back to work.”
Martin looked back at me as he ran to rejoin the huddle. He looked apologetic. I smiled back. No harm done.
I waited around on the empty field while he showered and changed clothes after practice. I was bored, so I did a few cartwheels and round offs.
“Looks like you’ve still got it,” a voice said from the door.
I ran over to Martin and gave him a kiss.
“I made reservations for a sushi restaurant a few blocks away,” I said.
“Oh, great,” he said sarcastically.
“Keep an open mind, I bet you’ll love it!” I said, linking my arm with his as we walked out to the parking lot, toward his car.
When we got to the restaurant, I ordered some of my favorite rolls for him to try. He picked a piece up, hesitated, and dropped it into his mouth. I waited patiently while he chewed.
“That’s not half bad,” he concluded. He piled more pieces on his plate.
“You should trust me on these things,” I said.
“I trust you,” he said. “Did you see what happened during practice today?”
“Yeah, I heard everything,” I admitted.
“I’m sorry. I’m embarrassed that you had to see that. I’m going to miss the team, but I will not miss Donny.”
“Me neither,” I said.
“I know we didn’t have a lot of time to talk about the boyfriend/girlfriend thing, but I thought we could now,” he said, stuffing another roll into his mouth.
“I’ve been thinking about it too,” I said. “Graduation is coming up, and I’m planning on staying with Sasha since I’m not welcome home. I want to make things work, but it will be really hard if we’re apart.”
“Why don’t you come with me?” he asked.
“We would be moving really fast,” I said hesitantly.
“We don’t have to decide today. I just want you to know that’s an option.”
I nodded. I hadn’t really thought about staying with Martin over the summer. It seemed crazy that we would move in together after just a few months of dating. I knew I wanted to spend all of my time with him, though. Maybe it wasn’t the worst idea.
“If you decide to stay with Sasha,” he continued, “I’ll try to visit you as much as I can. But, you should know that I might be really busy over the summer. I don’t know how much time I’ll be able to spend with you.”
“It’s always good to have options,” I said.
We put off dating talk for a while and switched to his upcoming pro football combine. He would be working out and showing his skills to football scouts at the end of the week. I could tell he was really nervous.
That made me nervous for him, but I tried to fill him with confidence. He had a great season, but since we weren’t a big school, it was hard to catch the attention of scouts. He really needed to do well on Saturday to be a top pick.
When the check came, I instinctively reached for my credit card to pay the bill. Instead, I only had about twenty dollars in my wallet.
He noticed. “I’ll pay for it,” he covered.
“We’ll split it,” I compromised. After hearing about his money problems, I couldn’t let him start paying for all of our dates.
He walked me back to my dorm and pulled me in close when we reached my front door.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come in?” I asked again.
“I have homework and I should get some sleep,” he sighed. “Don’t be a bad influence on me.”
I giggled and kissed him goodnight. I grabbed his arm, stopping him before he walked away.
“Did you mean what you said to Donny?”
“That he’s a bad teammate? Yeah, absolutely.”
“No, the other thing—that you love me.”
He smiled and cupped his hands around my face. “Yes, I mean it. I love you, Alexa.”
I beamed. “I love you, too.”
He kissed me again and went home. I felt like I was floating above my body.
I know we promised that we wouldn’t fall in love, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted that to be the only promise I ever broke to him.
23
Martin
Things were happening so quickly in my life. Graduation was in two days, and my mom was coming to visit. The draft was only a couple days after graduation, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was so nervous.
I wanted to make plans with Alexa, but everything was so uncertain. I couldn’t bear the thought of drifting apart after graduation.
The last couple of months have been everything I could ever want out of a relationship. We sat next to each other during our shared classes and studied together at night.
On the weekends, we went out to eat alone or with our little couple group. Parties were more fun whe
n I could go home with my girl instead of looking for a hookup.
Alexa seemed happier, too. Instead of binge drinking into oblivion, she never had more than three drinks. She said she would rather go home with me early and remember our time together. We had to set limits on how much time we could spend together, though, because we had final exams to worry about. I always tried to push the boundaries on this.
“Come over,” I told her over the phone. “I just finished my last exam, and I want to celebrate.”
“I can’t, and you know it,” she said. “I have to finish a paper tonight and I have one more test tomorrow.”
“Please?” I begged.
“I’ll hang up on you,” she threatened. “After tomorrow, I’m all yours.”
“Don’t forget, I made a reservation at seven o’clock,” I reminded her.
“I can’t wait,” she said flatly.
My mom was coming for the graduation ceremony and I was going to introduce her to Alexa over dinner. I was nervous for them to meet, so I couldn’t even imagine how Alexa felt.
“Are you sure your parents aren’t coming?” I asked. It seemed crazy that her parents would skip such an important event in her life over a silly disagreement.
“Yeah, I doubt they’ll show up. I haven’t heard from them in months. I think they would tell me if they planned on being here.”
I felt bad for her. I knew what it was like to have a parent who wasn’t around, but at least I still had my mom. She was great and always supportive of me.
“Do you want me to come over and help you study?” I offered.
“No, thanks,” she responded. “You’ll only distract me.”
She was right. Almost all of our study sessions ended with us hooking up.
“Okay, I’ll talk to you later,” I said. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I looked around my bedroom. With all of the stress from finals and the draft, I had forgotten that I had to pack all of my belongings up. I grabbed stacks of notebooks off of the floor and tossed them into the trash. I collected dirty plates from my nightstand and took them to the kitchen.
As I put them in the sink, a tiny white piece of paper floated to the ground. It was my fortune from the cookies Alexa and I shared together. I put it in my pocket.
I knew my mom would want to hang out in my dorm and see Reg, so I hastily tried to make everything look presentable. I hid our alcohol collection under the sink and sprayed an air freshener to cover up the smell of sweat and booze.
The next day, I drove to the airport to pick up my mom. She offered to sleep on the couch in my dorm, but I couldn’t let her do that. First, because our couch was terribly uncomfortable and covered in mysterious stains, but also because I wanted a place where I could be alone with Alexa, if the opportunity arose.
My mom gave me a big hug when I got out of the car to put her suitcase in the trunk.
“Geez, mom,” I said. “You’re only going to be here for a few days. I think you over-packed.”
“I wanted to make sure I had the right outfit. My little boy only graduates from college once!” she squeezed my arm.
“Where’s Alexa?” she asked, while peering into the front seat.
“She still has finals. She’ll meet us for supper tonight.”
“I’m so excited to meet her. Tell me all about her.”
“I already have, Mom. I’ve told you everything I know about her.”
My mom has always been very interested in my love life. I haven’t had very many girlfriends, but if she likes them, she treats them like they’re her own child. If she doesn’t like them… that’s another story. I was confident that she would love Alexa, though.
“Can I meet her parents this weekend?”
“I don’t think they’re coming. I told you about how things were still bad between them.”
“Yes, but parents don’t miss events like these.”
“Then why didn’t Dad come?” I asked.
“I didn’t invite him. Should I have?”
“No, you’re right. I just don’t think her parents will be here either. Even if they were, they don’t know about me, and I don’t think they’d want to meet me.”
“They’d be crazy not to like you,” she said, pinching my cheek.
I brought her back to my dorm and she went into mom-mode. I repeatedly told her not to worry about cleaning up, but she couldn’t help it. I was a little thankful, to be honest. It was a big task to clean up several years’ worth of stuff.
I took her back to her hotel to get ready for dinner.
“I’ll be back in an hour,” I told her.
I raced home and got in the shower. It felt like such a big step in our relationship, for Alexa to meet my mom. I kept my family life private, and I felt like I was letting her in on a big secret.
I dried off and put on a short sleeved button down shirt with khakis. I drove back to the hotel and picked up my mom and we made our way to the restaurant.
While we waited for Alexa, I ordered a drink for myself and a glass of wine for Alexa. I knew that she would need some liquid encouragement.
She arrived just a few minutes after we did. She looked incredible. Her hair was wavy and loosely pinned up. She was wearing a cute sundress that I had seen her wear on a previous occasion. She was finally learning that it was okay to wear clothes more than once.
I don’t know why we were so nervous, because they hit it off amazingly. Alexa was so at ease around my mom and my mom was captivated by Alexa, hanging on to every word she said.
“What are your plans for after graduation?” my mom asked her.
“I may be staying with a friend,” she responded. “I’m not entirely sure yet.”
“Come stay with us,” my mom said. “My house is small, but I would be honored to have you with us.”
“Thank you,” Alexa said as tears welled up in her eyes. “You’re so incredibly kind to me.”
“I like anyone who makes my son this happy,” she said.
As we ate, we talked about school, football, and summer plans. My mom managed to only tell two embarrassing stories from my childhood. Alexa was loving it.
When the check came, Alexa and I both reached for it, again.
“Nonsense,” my mom scolded, grabbing it away from us. “My treat.”
We thanked her and I took my mom back to her hotel.
“So,” she started. “When are you two getting married?” “Mom! We’ve been dating for just a few months. It’s way too early to even discuss it!”
“I like her, Martin. She’s the one. I’m sure of it.”
Her approval meant a lot to me. I kept smiling after I dropped her off and drove back to my dorm.
The one. I felt it, too.
I went over to Alexa’s dorm and helped her decide what she was going to pack, and what she was going to get rid of. Her closet was packed with clothes she never wore. I found some things I wanted to see her wear and put them aside.
“Your mom didn’t hate me, right?” she asked as the flung a pair of shoes in a box to give away.
“The opposite. She loves you.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“No, I’m not. She called you ‘the one’.”
She smiled widely and went back to packing.
“You should sell some of this stuff,” I said, holding up an expensive looking coat.
“That’s not a bad idea,” she replied. “We know I could use the money.”
I found a very provocative nightgown in one pile of clothes. It had clasps and straps that I couldn’t even begin to understand how they worked.
“I want to see you in this,” I said.
She gave me a dirty look, but snatched it out my hand and shut the bathroom door behind her. A few seconds later, she emerged; strutting around the room like it was her personal catwalk.
I lunged at her and threw her on the bed, to her delight.
“Shut the door,” she ordered.
“I like this, but I think I’ll like it even better on the floor,” I decided.
She had to help me with the complicated closures, a fact that I was not proud of. Once she was free, I grabbed a thigh, pulling her closer to me.
The door shot open and before Alexa could pull the covers up, Sasha screamed.
“Sorry,” she called, covering her eyes with one hand. “Finish up, and then let’s go to a party on the third floor.”
She shut the door and Alexa gave me a ferocious look.
“Why didn’t you lock the door?”
“I’m sorry, I just kicked it closed in a hurry. Should we get dressed?”
“Of course not,” she said and pulled herself on top of me.
We finished up quickly and pulled our clothes on. Sasha already left with Reg, so we met them at the party. It was weird talking to people I got to know really well over the past four years, knowing that I may never see some of them again.
“I should go,” Alexa said. “I have to get up early to finish packing and get ready for the ceremony.”
“Yeah, I’ll go too,” I said.
I gave her a long kiss in the hallway. Having her softened the blow of leaving college.
At this time tomorrow, I would be celebrating my graduation. I was just a kid from a poor, broken home, about to be a Princeton graduate. I just hoped I would be able to make something out of it. I wanted a future that Alexa could be a part of.
24
Alexa
I woke up early on the day of the graduation ceremony full of dread. It was going to be so hard to see everyone with their proud parents, while I was alone. Martin’s mom was very loving and accepting of me, but it wasn’t the same.
I wanted my parents to be there. Well, I wanted my parents to be there, only if they could love and accept me.
Touchdown: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Pass To Win Book 1) Page 11