“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, it is fucking freezing outside!” Ari said as she bundled up under a blanket. I had to agree with her. It was chilly, my head was pounding, and all these damn football fans were screaming even more than usual. Of course UT was winning, and Gunner and Jefferson were playing great, but at this moment I was thanking the Lord above that Gunner was not going pro. I could not do this every week. It already made me sick to my stomach to watch all these bitches throw themselves at the football players. Gunner always made a beeline to the locker room after the games, but a few times I had to see a cheerleader or some stupid, crazy-bitch fan run up and start hanging all over him.

I hated it. I loved home games, because of course that meant Gunner was home that night, but I hated watching all the girls. At least at away games I couldn’t see that on TV.

I noticed there was a girl walking around on the sidelines. She looked familiar to me, but I couldn’t place her at all. Gunner had just come off the field and was standing there getting a drink when she walked up and he leaned down as she said something to him. He threw his head back and laughed. Umm, hello . . . that made me sit up straighter.

“Who the hell are you giving the evil eye to?” Ari said as she tried to look in the same direction I was looking.

“I’m trying to see who the bitch is that’s talking to Gunner. He seems to be very captivated by her conversation.”

“Ellie, trust me, you have nothing to worry about with Gunner. If you can’t see how much that boy loves you, then you need glasses, bitch.”

I shrugged my shoulders. Maybe she was right; I was acting like a jealous bitch. Then the girl turned around and I knew exactly who she was. Lori.

“That fucking bitch. How the hell did she get down on the field?”

“Who? Who is a fucking bitch?” Ari sat up a little more interested after my outburst.

“Lori. The bitch that was dancing with Gunner at Rebels the night I left and we didn’t talk for a few weeks. That’s her! I knew she looked familiar. Why he is talking to her?”

Ari sat back and pulled her knees closer to her chest in an attempt to get warmer.

“Who cares, Ells. She’s old news. It’s not like he is hanging all over her. You have nothing to worry about. Gunner only wants you.”

Gunner leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

“Or maybe you do have something to worry about,” Ari said as she saw the same thing I saw. That bitch leaned up and gave him a kiss back and then they hugged. What the hell!

Gunner turned, scanning for me in the crowd. Oh, what’s wrong dickhead? Checking to see if I just saw you kiss another girl? His eyes found mine and he smiled.

I was so pissed. No way was I smiling back at that asshole. His smiled faded and he waved. So I did what any other girlfriend would do in my shoes.

I gave him the finger and got up to leave.

“Wait, where’re you going?” Ari said as she struggled to get out from under the blanket.

“I’m leaving. I think I’ve seen enough.” I took one last look, and Gunner was standing there staring up at me with a shocked look on his face.

I couldn’t believe it . . . How could he? He knew I was sitting right there, and I could see everything! Why would he do that?

You will never be wanted by anyone . . .

My mother’s words just kept playing over and over in my head as we walked out to my car.

“Shut up!” I screamed out as I threw my hands over my ears.

“Jesus, Ellie, I didn’t say a damn word!”

I stopped and looked at Ari confused. “What?”

“What to your what? Why did you yell at me to shut up? I wasn’t even talking!”

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Shit! I was losing my mind.

“Fuckin’ A . . . I think you’re stressed out with school, Ells. You took too many classes, and you’re stressed out from not seeing your man enough. I think you need a vacation. Like to a certain ranch under a certain live oak tree,” Ari said as she used her elbow to hit my arm while she winked at me.

“Argh! The last thing I’m going to do is go anywhere with that prick. He can take Lori.”

I started to walk faster. I needed to get out of there. I couldn’t breathe.

“Ellie, stop right now. Ellie! Stop!” Ari shouted.

“What?”

“Okay, I get that you’re pissed, but holy shit. It was a kiss on the cheek in front of thousands of people, including you . . . his GIRLFRIEND! Do you honestly think that Gunner is cheating on you with this girl? Don’t you think it could be something totally innocent? Maybe you should at least let him explain before you fly off the handle.”

I started to calm down a little. Ari was totally right. What the hell was wrong with me? I just couldn’t shake this feeling that something bad was about to happen. The floor was going to fall out any day now, I just knew it.

“You’re right, let’s go back.” I turned and started to head back into the stadium when I saw the little bitch walking out. There was a guy standing there I hadn’t even noticed when we walked by the first time. She walked right into his arms and they kissed. I stopped dead in my tracks. Wow, bitch sure does move from guy to guy.

Just then Lori the Bitch looked up and noticed us.

“Ellie? Is that you? Gunner’s girlfriend?” she asked as she walked toward me and Ari.

Well, at least she got my name right this time and called me “Gunner’s girlfriend” instead of “Jefferson’s little sister.”

I smiled and introduced Ari to her.

“It’s a pleasure. Um, this is Michael, my fiancé.”

Whoa . . . shut the front door! What did she say? Of course I knew I could count on Ari right at that moment.

“Your fiancé, huh? So what where you doing down on the field earlier?”

Subtle, Ari, real subtle.

“My uncle is one of the trainers. I came to say goodbye to him and a few of the guys I took classes with. I’m not coming back to UT after this semester. Michael’s company is transferring him to New York, so that’s where I’m heading.”

I finally found my voice. “Wow, that sounds exciting. So, did you happen to see Gunner to say goodbye?”

She smiled and shook her head. “Yes. You’re very lucky, Ellie. Gunner loves you very much. He couldn’t stop talking about you the whole time. I’m really glad things worked out the way they did,” she said as she looked up at her fiancé.

Okay . . . I felt like a total idiot. Maybe Gunner would forget all about me giving him the finger. A girl can hope, can’t she?

***

“So are you going to keep ignoring me the rest of the night?” I asked Gunner as he sat there and watched TV. He looked exhausted, and I knew he was. He played a good, long, hard game, and by the time he got to his house, he was more than ready for bed. He didn’t look very happy when he opened the door and I was sitting there waiting for him.

“Listen, Ellie, I’m tired, I don’t feel like watching TV anymore, and I don’t feel like talking. I’m not in the mood for your bullshit tonight.”

My bullshit? What the hell! I hadn’t even said a word. Shit, was he still pissed I gave him the finger?

“Wait. I haven’t even said anything to you. I got you a beer, made you a sandwich, and just sat here while you came down from your game. Why are you pissed at me, Gunner?”

Gunner jammed his hands through his hair and sighed. He stood up and looked down at me and shook his head. “Are you staying here tonight?”

“Do you want me to stay the night?” I asked as I looked up at him.

“I don’t really give a fuck, Ellie, if you stay or not.” He turned and walked to his bedroom.

I felt the tears starting to burn my eyes. I will not cry . . . I will NOT cry. I wished Jefferson was still up, but as soon as he came home he went straight to bed. Some Thanksgiving this turned out to be. I slowly got up, grabbed the dish Gunner’s sandwich was on and his empty beer bottle, and set them in the kitchen. I grabbed my keys and purse and started to head for the front door. I had to hold it together long enough to get in my car and leave, and then and only then would I start crying.

I quietly shut the front door and practically ran to my car. I opened the driver’s-side door and was about to swing it open to get in when I saw an arm come across and shut the door. I screamed and spun around, ready to kick someone in the balls. Except I didn’t see some strange mass murderer, I saw Gunner.

“What the fuck! You scared the shit out of me, you asshole,” I whispered realizing it was around one in the morning and my scream probably woke up one or two people.

“Ellie, don’t drive home this late. Come back inside,” Gunner said in a tired voice.

“Well, you shouldn’t really give a fuck if I drive home now, should you, Gunner?”

He took his hand and ran it through his hair. His signature “I’m frustrated or angry” move . . . God, why did that turn me on so much?

“Now if you don’t mind, I’m going home. Please tell Emma I’m so sorry but I won’t be joining y’all for Thanksgiving dinner this weekend.”

I turned and grabbed the door handle to open it, and Gunner slammed the door shut again.

“Ellie, get your ass back in the house now.”

I was so mad that I started shaking. How dare he tell me what to do?

I turned and looked at him. “Fuck off!” I tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t budge an inch, that built motherfucker! I pushed again and again and even tried to put my foot on my car for extra leverage and nothing worked.

“Are you done yet?”

“No. How dare you tell me what to do? You’re acting like a prick, and I wouldn’t stay here if you got on your hands and knees and begged me to.”

Before I knew it, he had lifted me up and was carrying me into the house. I instantly felt his erection, which totally caught me off guard. I couldn’t yell because it was so late and I didn’t really want to end up in jail tonight.

Once we got in the house, I started to struggle to get out of his arms. Jesus, he was strong, and I was not making any headway. He grabbed my purse and threw it down on the sofa and forced my keys out of my hand, all the while still holding onto me. I was trying to squeeze my legs tighter on him, but I think I was only turning him on more!

He started toward his bedroom. Shit! I couldn’t yell because I would wake up Jefferson. Once he got in his room and shut the door with his foot, the next thing I knew he slammed me up against the wall and started to kiss me. At first I did nothing in return, but after I felt his erection pushing up against me and the sweet feel of his lips, I couldn’t resist. I grabbed his hair in my hands and started kissing him back.

Oh God, this felt so good and so right. I didn’t even remember why we were fighting. Oh yeah, he was acting like a prick. I started to pull away from the kiss.

“Baby, I’m so sorry I said that to you. Please forgive me, Ellie. It’s just when you gave me the finger and got up and left I had no idea why, and it fucked up my whole game after that. I dropped two fucking balls and got the shit knocked out of me three times.”

Oh no! Oh, shit, I had no idea that me doing that it would mess him up. I put my head back up against the wall and closed my eyes.

“Oh, Gunner, I had no idea. I’m so sorry, and it was a total misunderstanding that I don’t even want to talk about. I came back into the stadium—did you not see me? I was there the whole game!”

“No, Ellie, once you and Ari left I assumed you were leaving for good. I never bothered to look back up there.”

Oh, I felt like a total piece of shit.

“You have to trust me, Ellie,” he said as he was kissing all over my neck. My body started to tingle all over again.

“I do trust you, Gunner. I’m sorry I’m so insecure. I love you more than anything.”

“As much as I want to keep this up, Ells, I’m exhausted,” he said as he carried me over to his bed. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. I’m not sure how long I watched him sleep. I really did love him, but I just had the weirdest feeling. Something was about to happen, I could just feel it.