CHAPTER 21

EMMA

I spent the next few days floating on a cloud. I saw Jackson when possible between school and work and kept it simple as best as I could in my head. I was falling more in love with him with every kiss.

I had decided yesterday to tell my parents that I had moved out. My mom had been worried at first that Jackson and I had had a fight, but I assured her that everything was good and that living with Bella, a fellow student, was great for me and for my grades. I had waited to tell them when I knew that Greg was likely not visiting my parents and not have to deal with his questions. I had warned Jackson beforehand what I was planning to do, and he seemed relieved that the deception was over for that part of our relationship.

Later that day at the stadium, I jogged down to the locker room to give Jackson a quick kiss. I saw Nick coming through the doors and paused at the serious expression on his face.

“Hi, is he back there?”

“He is, but he’s talking to Coach.” Nick gave me a look.

“What about? The party?” I asked as a few of the guys walked out and looked at me with smirks. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”

Nick pulled me away, looking back at the door.

“Is Joe in there?” I asked, and Nick nodded. “He’s in the wrong. Jackson was protecting me.”

“You’re the only person who knows that, Emma, apart from Joe. Nobody saw him, and they only saw Jackson start the fight. I know he’s not the type to just start a fight and you know what happened, but Joe’s the quarterback. He’s a franchise player. Jackson is second string and easy to trade.” Nick kept glancing at the door as he spoke, lines of worry creasing his forehead. “Jackson fucked up.”

“He was protecting me. Joe was dragging me to that bench after pinning me all over the kitchen. Jackson did what he needed to stop it… I need to get in there,” I said as I tried to walk past him.

“Stop. Just let it be. Jackson can handle this.”

I heard Bella calling my name.

“Come on. We’re learning a new dance for the next game.” She looked from me to Nick’s tense expression and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Jackson is in trouble,” I said. I needed to get away from this or else I was going to barge into that locker room and make things worse. I’d look for him out on the field later and hope that everything went okay.

I couldn’t be the reason Jackson was traded to another team. He was doing well here and playing more each game now and loved Tennessee. He was close to his family, and I only moved here a short time ago. We did talk about the day that he might move to another city, but that was in the future and he still didn’t want to do it then. Jackson was happy here.

I went through the motions of learning the dance as Bella kept shooting me worried glances. I was a nervous wreck and jumped as I heard voices out on the field near to the room we practiced in. I called out that I needed to use the bathroom and hurried out to look at the field.

My heart soared when I saw Jackson there, standing on the side of the field as the other guys worked on a play. He wasn’t actually practicing but at least he didn’t leave the stadium.

I walked back into the room, grinning at Bella as she shook her head. We finished practice, and I walked over to look at the field, still seeing Jackson there. I could tell that he was tense, and Nick was talking closely to him. Bella walked over and leaned beside me as she watched them.

“He’s out there, right? He probably just got a warning. Fights between players like that are a big no-no. The fact that it was with the star player makes it even worse.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at me. “We’re going for dinner. Want to join us?”

“I guess. I’ll just call him later,” I looked again at Jackson before turning to leave, still thinking about it through the meal. Joe thought he was God’s gift to everything. He was a good player and valuable to the team, but Jackson had a lot to offer as well. He just needed more time on the field.

How would I explain this to Greg and Jackson’s family if he were to be traded?

I got to Bella’s apartment around eleven. I spent equal time here and at Jackson’s now, though he didn’t call me that night. I decided to study a little before bed and call it a night since everything had been so exhausting.

Bella was in her room and I was reading when my phone vibrated. It was Jackson.

“Hi, I was hoping to hear from you,” I said as I dropped back against the couch.

“Hey, baby,” Jackson slurred a little and I frowned. He didn’t drink a lot.

“Are you home?” I asked, hoping that he didn’t drive anywhere.

“Yeah. I went out drinking with Nick after practice and he’s here now. I’m fine, Em. Coach talked to me today. He’s pissed and said not to pull that shit again or else I’m gone. Joe is the star and blamed me for everything,” I could hear the pain in his voice, and I bit my lip. “I know he’s going to push it with me. Joe’s going to try to make me come after him again because he wants me gone.”

“Why? You aren’t threatening to take his position on the team.” I was confused.

Jackson sighed. “It’s just guy stuff. I’m okay for now, apart from not practicing today while that asshole smirked the entire time. He’s going to keep at me. I’m going to get some sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow and maybe we’ll have lunch.”

We ended the call, and I felt disappointment surge through me. I wondered if I should step in and say something about the situation. I knew that Joe wasn’t a good man. I ran my hands through my hair as I looked around the small living room. I should be at the apartment with him, but I was giving us both some space.

I decided to plan another romantic dinner for the two of us as soon as possible, rekindling what we started. We needed to strengthen things so he’d have something good to think about. Joe was not going to leave this alone, and I suspected that he had it in for Jackson and possibly always had.

I fell asleep after trying to study, thinking too much about Jackson to get anything done. I turned off the light, dropped back to the pillow and I sighed slowly. I needed to move back to the apartment.

The week continued with school and work, and Jackson kept his attitude positive. I spent a little time with him, but we were almost always busy. It made me want to move in with him even more, but something made me hold back. I knew that we were both holding back a bit given that we weren’t telling our families anything but moving in was an option, wasn’t it? All this had to come out eventually, and I considered telling Greg myself. Then I imagined his anger, coming here immediately. It would be ugly, and I wasn’t ready for that yet.

We’d keep it like this for a little while longer. We could tell them over the holidays. I knew that Jackson cared about me with the way he treated me. It wasn’t a public display of affection every time we were seen together but behind closed doors, he made me feel beautiful and loved. He just didn’t say those words to me yet, and I held back as well. This was too complicated to rush along and if it was going to be forever like I wanted it to be, I needed to take it slowly.

I just kept on with my life. I loved school and work and felt like I was making some great friends. It was nice to report all this to my family though I felt a bit sad that I couldn’t mention Jackson apart from the fact that he was helping me out a lot. He was being great about it.

Greg was still telling both of us that he was going to visit soon, and I did welcome that idea. I wanted to see him but what I didn’t want was to hide what I had with Jackson from him. I didn’t want to hide my love for Jackson.

We all traveled to the next few games since it was considered safer for the girls. We didn’t go as far as we did at home games, but it was nice to be able to support the team and had a great time doing it. The cheerleaders were front and center and I was happy to see that Joe seemed to want to focus on the game and leave Jackson alone.

I also noticed that Jackson didn’t play at all and looked angry as he watched the victorious game. I sank in my seat and watched quietly, drawing back from the group. They were so happy about the win and while I was too, I was worried for Jackson. I was worried for his well-being and the way I noticed Joe smirking at him as he ran by.

Joe still looked at me when he got a chance and I knew what he planned to do in those bushes. Some girls might go willingly with him and I assume that was what people thought I was doing, but he wasn’t going to ask me. After what happened, a couple of girls shared what happened during their own encounters with Joe and I realized I’d been lucky.

I was certain that he would have been stopped, given that it was a party and others were there. I just didn’t know what everyone would believe.

I was new and the only thing that all those people knew about me was that I worked with the team and portrayed a bubbly girl, but they didn’t know how shy I was.

This was going to be fine and Jackson and I were going to make it.