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A Kiss in the Endzone
Bye Week.
It’s been a couple of weeks since Garrett and I broke up and the moment is still playing in my head. Over and over again, like a bad movie. It started a few days after the BYU game.
“We need to talk.” Garrett said, walking into my room. I looked up from my computer.
“About?” I moved my computer off my lap as he sat on the bed in front of me. He sighed and grabbed my hands in his and brought them to his lips, laying a gentle kiss on my knuckles.
“I don’t know how to say this, but I’m transferring to SMU.” My jaw dropped.
“But…SMU is in Dallas. That’s 200 miles from here.” He nodded. “But, why?”
“Because UT isn’t working out for me.” I pulled away from him as he said this.
“So you’re just going to give up?” I asked. He looked at me, astonished, like he had been slapped.
“You don’t understand. I need as much good press as I can so I can get into the NFL.” He told me, and I laughed bitterly.
“Oh, yeah, because that’s just so hard to understand.” I laughed sarcastically.
“You know what? You’re a bitch.” The sarcastic smile slid off my face. “This relationship is so fucking unhealthy, Angel. I’m done. I love you, but I can’t do this. Goodbye.”
With that, he walked out. He walked out on our relationship, on his scholarship, on his future in Austin. But most importantly, he walked out on me. I wanted our relationship to end, yes, but I wanted to be the one who ended it. It hurt less that way.
There was a knock on my door and I jumped up and opened it. Astonishingly, it was Jaxon, not Calyn, standing at my doorstep. My surprise must have showed on my face because he laughed slightly.
“What’s up Jax?” I asked.
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I haven’t really seen you since we came back from California last week.” Last week’s game against UCLA was in Los Angeles and I wasn’t able to go. This week was a bye week, meaning no game. So it’s Friday and Calyn and Jaxon were getting ready to go to his parent’s house in Brownwood.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I gave him what I thought was a reassuring smile, but he didn’t look very assured.
“Do you want to come with us to Brownwood?” He asked.
“No, no,” I shook my head quickly. “This is one of the only weekends you can spend with your family. I don’t want to ruin it.”
“You wouldn’t ruin it.” He smiled, and I smiled back.
“It’s alright Jaxon, really. I’ll be fine by myself.” He nodded it seemed mostly to himself than anything.
“Alright. Well, we’re heading out.”
“Okay. I think I’m going to go to Gregory and run off some frustration.” He chuckled at my words.
“Have fun.” He turned to leave.
“Jax?”
“Yeah?” He asked, turning around again. I debated on asking him, but I had to know.
“Did Calyn ask you to check on me?” He shook his head, Bieber-hair flying everywhere.
“Nah, I care about you, you know?” I smiled and opened my arms for a hug. He embraced me momentarily and then we broke apart.
“I’m really glad we’re friends.” I said truthfully.
“Me too.” I smiled and shut my door as he walked toward Calyn’s room. I got dressed in a sports bra, tank top, and shorts. I slid on my Nikes and grabbed my gym bag. I put my wallet, towel, deodorant, perfume and a change of clothes in the gym bag and left my room. Calyn and Jaxon were in the living room with her bags.
“You’ll be okay alone right?” Calyn asked.
“Yes mom.” I said playfully.
“Alright, just making sure.” She put her hands up in an I-mean-no-harm type of way.
“Have fun you guys.”
“You too.” She winked at me and I laughed. I grabbed my water bottle from the dish drainer on the counter, and filled it up with water from the refrigerator. They left as I went back to my room to grab my keys. I slung the gym bag over my shoulder, locked up the house, and went out to my car.
The drive to Gregory Gym on UT campus was uneventful, as was choosing a locker. After I locked up my stuff, I stretched and chose a treadmill by a guy with buzz cut. It was only when he spoke to me did I realize who it was. Blake Gideon.
“Hey Anjilika.” He smiled at me.
“Hey! How are you?” I asked, starting off at a brisk walk. He lowered the speed of the treadmill to match mine.
“I’m good. More importantly, how are you?” I sighed at his question.
“Wow, news travels, doesn’t it?” He gave me a confused look. “Garrett and I broke up.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He said, but he didn’t look very sorry. Concerned, but not sorry. Then again, I didn’t know the guy very well at all. This could be his “sorry” face.
“It’s fine. He wanted to go to SMU, so I let him go. I think we were done before that though.” I don’t know why I was telling Blake this. Probably because I never told anyone else and I needed to get it off my chest.
“Why do you say that?” He asked.
“Probably because we would get into fights over stupid stuff. And I just…wasn’t in love with him, I don’t think.” Was it a good idea to tell his teammate this? Probably not. Then again, they wouldn’t be teammates for long.
“Well, if you don’t think he is, then he isn’t. You’ll know when you find someone you’re in love with. Or so they tell me.”
“What about you? Have you ever been in love?” I caught sight of his face and looked down at my moving feet sheepishly. “Sorry, it’s none of my business.”
“It’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting that question.” I nodded. “But to answer it, no I haven’t. I just hear what my parents and sister tell me.”
“Oh, you have a sister?”
“Yep. Quincee, she’s three years older than me. She’s married with a baby already.” I smiled and laughed.
“Yeah, my oldest brother has two daughters and a bitch of an ex-wife. He should have waited for someone he truly loved I guess. Or maybe love is deceiving.”
“I think it’s a little bit of both.” I smiled at him. “So what are you doing this weekend?”
“Oh, um…” I didn’t know what to say and he looked at me, slightly panicked.
“It’s just that this is the first bye week I haven’t been able to go back to Leander to see my family, and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out.” I looked at him, really looked. He was cute, even sweaty and wearing a ratty something that was once a shirt, but now had arm holes so big it looked like it shouldn’t even be allowed. But it wasn’t that he was cute. He just seemed so sincere.
“Yeah, that sounds fun.”
“We need to talk.” Garrett said, walking into my room. I looked up from my computer.
“About?” I moved my computer off my lap as he sat on the bed in front of me. He sighed and grabbed my hands in his and brought them to his lips, laying a gentle kiss on my knuckles.
“I don’t know how to say this, but I’m transferring to SMU.” My jaw dropped.
“But…SMU is in Dallas. That’s 200 miles from here.” He nodded. “But, why?”
“Because UT isn’t working out for me.” I pulled away from him as he said this.
“So you’re just going to give up?” I asked. He looked at me, astonished, like he had been slapped.
“You don’t understand. I need as much good press as I can so I can get into the NFL.” He told me, and I laughed bitterly.
“Oh, yeah, because that’s just so hard to understand.” I laughed sarcastically.
“You know what? You’re a bitch.” The sarcastic smile slid off my face. “This relationship is so fucking unhealthy, Angel. I’m done. I love you, but I can’t do this. Goodbye.”
With that, he walked out. He walked out on our relationship, on his scholarship, on his future in Austin. But most importantly, he walked out on me. I wanted our relationship to end, yes, but I wanted to be the one who ended it. It hurt less that way.
There was a knock on my door and I jumped up and opened it. Astonishingly, it was Jaxon, not Calyn, standing at my doorstep. My surprise must have showed on my face because he laughed slightly.
“What’s up Jax?” I asked.
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I haven’t really seen you since we came back from California last week.” Last week’s game against UCLA was in Los Angeles and I wasn’t able to go. This week was a bye week, meaning no game. So it’s Friday and Calyn and Jaxon were getting ready to go to his parent’s house in Brownwood.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I gave him what I thought was a reassuring smile, but he didn’t look very assured.
“Do you want to come with us to Brownwood?” He asked.
“No, no,” I shook my head quickly. “This is one of the only weekends you can spend with your family. I don’t want to ruin it.”
“You wouldn’t ruin it.” He smiled, and I smiled back.
“It’s alright Jaxon, really. I’ll be fine by myself.” He nodded it seemed mostly to himself than anything.
“Alright. Well, we’re heading out.”
“Okay. I think I’m going to go to Gregory and run off some frustration.” He chuckled at my words.
“Have fun.” He turned to leave.
“Jax?”
“Yeah?” He asked, turning around again. I debated on asking him, but I had to know.
“Did Calyn ask you to check on me?” He shook his head, Bieber-hair flying everywhere.
“Nah, I care about you, you know?” I smiled and opened my arms for a hug. He embraced me momentarily and then we broke apart.
“I’m really glad we’re friends.” I said truthfully.
“Me too.” I smiled and shut my door as he walked toward Calyn’s room. I got dressed in a sports bra, tank top, and shorts. I slid on my Nikes and grabbed my gym bag. I put my wallet, towel, deodorant, perfume and a change of clothes in the gym bag and left my room. Calyn and Jaxon were in the living room with her bags.
“You’ll be okay alone right?” Calyn asked.
“Yes mom.” I said playfully.
“Alright, just making sure.” She put her hands up in an I-mean-no-harm type of way.
“Have fun you guys.”
“You too.” She winked at me and I laughed. I grabbed my water bottle from the dish drainer on the counter, and filled it up with water from the refrigerator. They left as I went back to my room to grab my keys. I slung the gym bag over my shoulder, locked up the house, and went out to my car.
The drive to Gregory Gym on UT campus was uneventful, as was choosing a locker. After I locked up my stuff, I stretched and chose a treadmill by a guy with buzz cut. It was only when he spoke to me did I realize who it was. Blake Gideon.
“Hey Anjilika.” He smiled at me.
“Hey! How are you?” I asked, starting off at a brisk walk. He lowered the speed of the treadmill to match mine.
“I’m good. More importantly, how are you?” I sighed at his question.
“Wow, news travels, doesn’t it?” He gave me a confused look. “Garrett and I broke up.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He said, but he didn’t look very sorry. Concerned, but not sorry. Then again, I didn’t know the guy very well at all. This could be his “sorry” face.
“It’s fine. He wanted to go to SMU, so I let him go. I think we were done before that though.” I don’t know why I was telling Blake this. Probably because I never told anyone else and I needed to get it off my chest.
“Why do you say that?” He asked.
“Probably because we would get into fights over stupid stuff. And I just…wasn’t in love with him, I don’t think.” Was it a good idea to tell his teammate this? Probably not. Then again, they wouldn’t be teammates for long.
“Well, if you don’t think he is, then he isn’t. You’ll know when you find someone you’re in love with. Or so they tell me.”
“What about you? Have you ever been in love?” I caught sight of his face and looked down at my moving feet sheepishly. “Sorry, it’s none of my business.”
“It’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting that question.” I nodded. “But to answer it, no I haven’t. I just hear what my parents and sister tell me.”
“Oh, you have a sister?”
“Yep. Quincee, she’s three years older than me. She’s married with a baby already.” I smiled and laughed.
“Yeah, my oldest brother has two daughters and a bitch of an ex-wife. He should have waited for someone he truly loved I guess. Or maybe love is deceiving.”
“I think it’s a little bit of both.” I smiled at him. “So what are you doing this weekend?”
“Oh, um…” I didn’t know what to say and he looked at me, slightly panicked.
“It’s just that this is the first bye week I haven’t been able to go back to Leander to see my family, and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out.” I looked at him, really looked. He was cute, even sweaty and wearing a ratty something that was once a shirt, but now had arm holes so big it looked like it shouldn’t even be allowed. But it wasn’t that he was cute. He just seemed so sincere.
“Yeah, that sounds fun.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Outfit