Sean
I still couldn’t get over what had happened last night. I never got to play, and when the game was over, none of my teammates wanted to talk to me. Parker was the only one who even remotely acknowledged my existence, but the only thing he did was look at me like he wanted to give me a gruesome death. Even Evan was awkward when I approached him.
“Don’t tell me you’re pissed off at me, too,” I said, and he scratched the back of his head, unable to look me in the eye.
“Well, I’m not part of the team, so I can’t exactly get mad. But you were out of line with what you said during the interview,” he replied.
“I don’t believe this! I was just telling the truth!”
“Sure, you’re scoring all the touchdowns. But all of that wouldn’t have been possible if Parker hadn’t thrown it your way perfectly, or if Daniels and Joe didn’t watch your back and block every player chasing after you,” Evan explained.
I didn’t have a comeback for that, and he sighed and patted me on the shoulder.
“You’re not alone in this, Sean. You’re on a team. It’s about time you played alongside them.”
I had been thinking about what he’d said since then, and I couldn’t take the silence of my apartment, so I went out for a drive. I didn’t have anywhere I wanted to go, but driving with no destination usually calmed me down.
I turned a corner, and my brows furrowed as I spotted something weird on the sidewalk.
A girl wearing a poufy-as-fuck gown walked miserably down the sidewalk. I got curious, so I drove closer and slowed my truck down. My eyebrows shot way up as I realized who it was. I rolled my windows down and called out.
“Hey, Charlie!”
She looked up at me, so startled and cute that I couldn’t help but grin. She blinked twice and tilted her head, looking confused.
“Sean?” she asked, like she couldn’t believe it was actually me in front of her. I chuckled at her reaction.
“Who else? What are you doing dressed up like that?” I asked.
Her eyes widened and she looked down, almost like she didn’t realize what she was wearing, and I immediately felt bothered. What could have happened to her to make her forget something like that?
“Get in,” I couldn’t help myself from saying. I could hear my inner monologue going, ‘Oh really, genius? And then what? Where exactly are you gonna go?’ and I gritted my teeth.
I’ll take her anywhere she wants, as long as she feels better afterward.
“Why would I do that?” she asked, looking at me apprehensively. Jesus, what did she think I was, a serial killer?
“Look, I can’t help it, all right? You’re walking down an empty street, wearing a big ass gown, looking like you’re about to cry. You can’t expect me to leave you alone after that, can you?” I asked her.
She clenched her jaw and picked up her skirt to continue walking. I gritted my teeth and stepped on the gas, keeping pace with her.
“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself,” she said.
I shook my head. “No can do, babe. I’m a fucking gentleman. I can’t abandon a beautiful woman walking all alone and looking like she’s about to cry,” I said.
She crinkled her nose as she looked at me with a ridiculous expression, like she was half-annoyed and half-skeptical. “I told you, I’m fine. What? You’re going to trail after me like this the whole way?”
“If that’s what it takes,” I admitted, and she laughed in disbelief. I peeked at the sky and noticed that the clouds were getting heavy and gray. Knowing she wasn’t going to budge like this, I tried a different approach. “Look, Charlie. It looks like it’s gonna rain. Your dress looks like it’s expensive. You don’t want to damage that, do you?”
Her face paled as she thought about what I said.
I bit my lip to keep from laughing and continued, “I highly doubt you’ll be able to just stick that in the washing machine if it gets caked with mud. Are you sure you don’t want to get inside?”
She bit her lip and gave up, trudging toward the passenger side of my truck and getting inside.
“Now, was that so hard?” I asked.
“Shut up and drive,” she snapped. I chuckled but did as I was told.
We spent a few minutes in silence, and I sneaked glances at her from time to time, catching her staring off into space. Something was really bothering her, and I couldn’t resist.
“Charlie, what happened to you?” I asked softly. She didn’t say anything as she turned her head and stared at me. I was starting to think that she wasn’t going to tell me anything when she finally spoke.
“Have you ever worked so hard to fit in somewhere? And when you were starting to think that everything was going well, you realize that it isn’t?”
I didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, she didn’t wait for me to answer and continued.
“I’ve been trying to belong in a world I wasn’t allowed to be in until recently. At first, I was just repaying the favor asked of me, but over time I think I missed being a part of a family so much since my mother died that I was willing to change everything about myself so they’d take me in.” She sighed and looked down at her hands as she fiddled with a stray thread from her skirt.
“That’s bullshit,” I said, and she looked at me in surprise. “You shouldn’t try to change yourself just so other people approve of you, especially if it’s family. Families stick together no matter what, even if you’re the worst human being on the planet. That’s just how it works!”
I looked at her for a moment before focusing on the road again. She was looking at me like I was a whole other person, and for the life of me, I felt myself blushing. What the fuck am I, a little girl? I shook my head and continued my tirade.
“If they can’t love you for who you really are, then you shouldn’t stick around with them. It’s their loss if they can’t see how great you are,” I said.
There were a few minutes of silence between us again, and then I heard her snort. I looked at her in disbelief, and her shoulders shook as she covered her mouth with her hands, trying to control herself from laughing out loud.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “What the fuck is so funny?” I asked, annoyed.
I can’t believe the first time I ever dish out advice to a girl, she fucking laughs at me. What the hell? That was some grade-A shit I gave out, not a punch line!
“Jesus, see if I tell you anything again,” I grumbled.
“No, no. I’m sorry,” she said, but saying that while wiping a tear from her eye as she continued to laugh didn’t sound like a sincere apology. “It’s just that…” she said, trailing off.
“Just what?” I grunted.
“I just didn’t expect those words to come from you,” she admitted.
“Hey, I may be a jock, but I’ve got a well-oiled brain, you know,” I cried, and she smiled wider.
“I know, I’m sorry again for laughing.” Her smile shrunk into a little grin as she stared off into nothing. “But thank you. What you said made a lot of sense.”
I scoffed once more. “Of course, I do,” I said confidently.
She shook her head at me. “Arrogant, are we? Tsk-tsk,” she tutted. “No wonder your teammates hate you.”
I winced. “You… you saw that?”
“Of course, I did. I’ve been following the Giants ever since Parker got drafted,” she revealed, and my heart sank. She’s watching because of Parker?
“You like Parker?” I asked. I trapped myself with that question, like I intentionally sliced myself in half. A part of me wanted to know if she liked him that way and if I had a chance or not. And then there was a part of me that didn’t want to know – the part that wanted to believe that I had a chance, regardless.
She nodded, and I closed my eyes as I felt my chest start to ache. “We’ve known each other since we were kids, so, of course, I like him. He’s the greatest friend I’ve ever had.”
My eyes snapped open at her answer, and the pain in my chest suddenly vanished, replaced with the lightest feeling I’ve ever experienced. I was so… relieved. Parker was in the friend zone. Thank you, God.
“But back to the topic, you should really work on taking your ego down a notch, Sean,” she said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked at her, completely baffled, and she sighed. “You’re never going to get along with your team if you don’t change how you treat them. Not everything is about you.”
I chuckled as I considered the things she said, and she looked offended.
“I just find it funny how we both ended up giving each other advice, and the advice we gave is the opposite of the other,” I said, and she tilted her head as she thought about it as well. “I’m telling you not to change, and you’re telling me I have to. Isn’t it hilarious?” I asked, and she giggled, the sound playing on repeat in my ears.
“Yeah. I guess it takes another person to act as your reflection to realize what you should’ve been doing all along, huh?” she said.
We smiled at each other before quickly looking away in embarrassment. The sun was starting to set, and I coughed to cover up the sound of my stomach grumbling.
“So, Charlie. Can you give me your address now so I can take you home? Because I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this is the third time we’ve passed this street, and I really don’t want to circle this block again,” I joked, and she laughed.
“Fine. I’ll show you where to go,” she said, and I smiled.
I realized this was the third time we’d spoken to each other, but the first where we’d had a normal conversation. Actually, it was the first time I’d ever talked to a girl just for the sake of talking to her.