FIFTEEN
Austin
The next morning, I snuck out of bed before she woke. She had set her alarm, so she would get up eventually. My internal clock never let me down.
As I stopped in the kitchen for a bottle of water and to write Brooke a note to leave on the refrigerator for her, Jocelyn walked in wearing her nasty brown robe.
“Hey there,” I said, nodding my head at her as I closed the refrigerator door.
“Stealing another water, are you?”
She nodded at the water bottle in my hand.
“I guess you could say that, but it’s not stealing.”
“Yeah? You going to pay for that, are you? I’m going to tell your coach,” she said, following me. “You’re not supposed to be sleeping around, are you?”
I stopped and turned to face her.
“I can do whatever I damn well want,” I said. “You can’t stop me.”
“We’ll see about that,” she said. “By the way, Brooke isn’t really interested in you. She’s using you to get to Trey.”
“That’s bullshit,” I said, not believing her.
“It’s the truth. I’m just trying to help you.”
Shaking my head, I turned and left out the front door. On the walk to my apartment, I thought about the night before. Would Brooke sleep with me and Trey? Did she have some weird fetish where she liked to sleep with multiple sports stars?
I told myself I had no proof. Brooke hadn’t done anything to make me suspect she wasn’t trustworthy. Still, Jocelyn had planted a small seed of doubt. It pissed me off, so I pushed it out of my mind, determined to forget about Brooke for a few days.
Football and classes were the only things that truly mattered. The rest was cake. She might come clean if I put some space between us. All around, my idea sounded reasonable and even helpful. I had nothing to worry about.
When I reached the house I shared with a man who might or might not be sleeping with Brooke on the side, I walked up the porch and opened the door. Inside, I saw Brian and Teddy both sunk into the couch.
“Have you two even got up since I saw you last?”
“New game,” Teddy said, eyes glued to the television.
“Trey around?” I asked.
“He left already,” Teddy said, then added. “Take that fucker!”
“Alright, bro. If you see him bring a woman around, would you let me know?”
Teddy paused the game and looked over at me.
“What?”
“It’s nothing,” I said, waving my hand away from me as if swatting away the whole idea. “I’ll catch you guys later.”
“Off for your run?”
“No, I think I’m going to grab a bite at the student center then get to class. You guys remember classes, right?”
Brian laughed.
“Yeah, we go sometimes. It’s all bullshit anyway, bro.”
I adjusted my backpack slung over one shoulder.
“Alright, then. Catch you fellas later.”
“Later,” Teddy said.
He turned back to the game as I walked into my bedroom.
Why did this woman have me so messed up in the head? Actually, both of them. Jocelyn and Brooke. Were they both secretly insane and trying to bring me down?
I stepped into the shower. None of it made any sense. Warm water washed over my body as I lathered up. Memories of fucking her came back to me.
And that blowjob. I bent down and made the water a bit cooler. To help get her out of my mind, I went through everything I needed to get done that day. If I skipped my morning run, I would have to work it in later. Classes and practice were essential too.
The more I thought about my busy life, the less I cared if Brooke was sleeping with Trey or anyone else. It might even turn out to be a good thing. Without her around, I would be able to concentrate on everything important in my life. Football would be my future.
After my shower, I got dressed and prepared to leave. Brooke called, but I ignored it, sending her to voicemail. She sent a short text, “I had fun last night, call me later,” but I didn’t respond to that either. To me, at least for the day, she didn’t exist anymore.
I left the house a changed man. No longer weighed down by a complex modern relationship with a woman who had a crazy person as a roommate, I might be able to more easily achieve my big dream – playing professional football.
Any team would make me happy. As I walked toward the Student Center food court, I went through my top five teams, wondering if I would be good enough in a couple years to get drafted by one of them. Dreams kept me motivated.