Bishop
I heard the knock on my door followed by a loud, “Yo!”
Game days were crazy days in our Frat House.
Specifically, home game days.
The San Diego Continentals were playing against their biggest rival, Miami State University, tonight. It was quite unusual for a college football game to be played at night, especially early on in the season. But with the advent of TV networks commanding the contracts of the Big Ten, colleges had to adjust to the demands of what the networks wanted.
For me, I liked playing at night because of the cooler temps.
Grabbing my phone from the top of my desk, I slid it inside the back pocket of my jeans and opened the door, “You driving?”
Silas muttered, “I guess. Everyone’s already there.”
One of the advantages of being a Tau senior officer was that I had a parking space reserved for me by the newly-inducted members.
I could drive but why would I?
I didn’t want to waste thirty minutes being stalled in the tiny-ass campus streets to head to a football game. I was planning to walk, but Silas had texted that he wanted to go together.
It was Tau’s tradition – whenever one of our senior brothers played on home turf, all Tau members showed up to cheer and create noise on the sidelines. Sometimes we created so much noise that the referees wanted to throw us out of the game because they couldn’t hear their own calls.
I didn’t have a game tonight. Football and rugby home games were seldom scheduled on the same day because the school spirit would be divided.
It wouldn’t have been the case three years ago since football games garnered the most audience.
But now, it was hard to tell.
The stadium was loud and deafening at both sports.
I knew because while I was on the stands during football games, I was on center stage during rugby games and the crowds had become thicker each year that I’d played.
Silas had already started jogging down the stairs so I followed.
Tonight would be a fun game to watch.
I’d texted Rikko and Scott good luck earlier.
They had a great team and they needed to play at the highest level in order to beat Miami’s defense.
By the time we’d parked and gotten inside the stadium, the game was five minutes away from start time.
“I’d pay to be in Vegas right now.” It was difficult to hear Silas but I managed to make out his words.
“Why do you wanna bet against our brothers?” I joked, SDU had the top offense and Miami had the top-ranked defense in the NCAA.
“Yeah!” He said, pumping his fists up in the air.
I laughed because while he could legally bet there, I doubted he would bet against SDU.
“You want anything?” He asked as we started walking towards the front row bleachers. Five rows were reserved for Tau and from what I could tell all the seats were taken already.
Like my parking space, my seats were also reserved.
It was one of the perks of being Tau’s VP.
I could sit wherever I wanted, but I also wanted to uphold the long-standing tradition that as the highest ranking officer, I had to be in the front row, along with the other officers who weren’t playing in the football game.
When I played on home turf, Scott and Rikko usually stood by the sidelines, heading the pack.
I proceeded to walk towards the front row before the game started, and as two of the newbies asked me if they could get me anything, I shook my head. I just wanted to watch a good game.
I said hi to a couple of my frat brothers and looked towards the field. The jumbotron panned over to the SDU players and I saw the serious looks on Rikko and Scott’s faces. As an athlete, I could relate to how they felt.
Big matchups like these could have the butterflies float around in your stomach, but they were also the ones that pumped you up and gave you the determination to win.
Cody, a sophomore and a Tau inductee, asked to my right, “Is it okay if you share the seats with two other guests?”
It was an odd question. Only frat brothers sat in the front row. Him being on his second year meant that he knew this.
I shrugged, “What’s going on?”
Cody looked guilty, “It’s just that Rikko asked me to save two seats for his sister and her friend and I forgot.”
Forgetting meant a punishment.
Forgetting to fulfill a request from the president meant doing dirty dishes for a month or cleaning the first floor bathrooms and anyone with good sense didn’t want those duties.
I couldn’t let him off the hook easily, but Cody was a good kid.
He delivered what was asked of him on time and he never created trouble.
Plus, it would mean that Kara would be sitting by me.
I wasn’t sure how she would feel about it in a few minutes but all thoughts were forgotten as I saw her golden hair heading towards me.
She was wearing an SDU Football jersey, the simple black and green shirt highlighting the curves on her body and the short shorts she was wearing emphasized just how long her legs were.
Cody was still waiting for my answer so I said, “It’s fine. Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
He muttered a thank you so much and left.
Kara’s companion was a tiny black girl who was laughing alongside her.
From their body language, I could tell they were close.
Kara’s head moved back and forth, as if looking for her seat. With the way the bodies were packed inside the stadium, Rikko had excellent foresight reserving a seat for his sister.
I could tell when she spotted me because her shoulders became stiff and her eyes glazed over in uncertainty. We hadn’t really talked much lately. And when she texted, it was about Quantum.
Her companion nudged Kara’s shoulders making Kara step forward.
My eyes weren’t the only eyes on her as I saw my frat brothers checking her out. Some of them weren’t at the party where she was introduced as Scott’s girlfriend and even if she were, it didn’t deter them from giving her their googly eyes.
Hers wasn’t a beauty that could be disguised.
Even in the simplest clothes, she stood out.
And so did my dick.
I signaled to her, pointing to the empty seats beside me. Silas had gone to grab some grub and he’d still have room to sit when he came back.
“Hi.” Kara’s blue eyes scanned over me, “I didn’t know that you’d be here today.”
She was now standing a few inches away from me and from where I was, I could smell the refreshing citrusy smell that always emanated from her.
I didn’t know I was partial to lemons and oranges. Until now.
I smiled and gestured with my hand, pointing to the hundreds of SDU Continentals’ banners and signs that were all around us, “Here to show team spirit.”
The tiny lady beside her reached her hand out, “I’m Hanna.”
To which Kara said, “Ohmigosh, I’m sorry. I’m being rude. This is Hanna, my best friend. She’s visiting from Texas for a few days.”
Hanna’s face lit up when she smiled, “Nice to meet you –“
I reached for her hand and said, “Bishop.”
Hanna’s eyes widened but quickly recovered, “Nice to meet you, Bishop. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Really?” I asked, but before she could answer, I saw Kara’s right hand clamp on to Hanna’s left and the two ladies exchanged a look.
“LET’S GO San Diego!!!” SDU’s cheer squad was front and center as they tried to make the players and fans get energized for the game.
Kara’s head turned to the field, she waved, and I saw Rikko return her wave. Scott was busy talking to his coach so I didn’t see him acknowledge his girlfriend’s presence.
“Heeeyyyy…..” Silas was now back, carrying three large buckets of popcorn and bottled water. He probably had a new recruit pay for all his food.
He introduced himself to Kara and Hanna and before he could sit between me and Hanna, I motioned him to stay put. Right where he was. Meaning, sit beside Hanna.
SDU’s crowd got louder and the visiting fans tried to match the home team’s spirit but to no avail.
SDU was receiving first and as the Miami defense set up on the field, my frat team brothers started removing their shirts.
Kara whispered loudly, “What’s going on? What’s happening? Why’s everyone here getting naked?”
Silas answered for the both of us. “It’s Tau’s tradition. When we watch our frat brothers play, we show them respect by taking our clothes off.”
Kara covered her mouth and Hanna pointed as Silas, whose brown eyes winked at the dark-skinned beauty, “Does that include you, too?”
Silas took his white shirt off and tossed it to the side. “Oh yeah.”
Hanna giggled and Silas laughed. Kara, whose left hand was still covering her mouth, shook her head in disbelief.
Hanna pointed at me, “How about you?”
I pulled on the hem of my green shirt and shucked it. “Yeah. Me too.”
I’d done this a couple of times and being naked, or half-naked, wasn’t a big deal. But now, even with my shirt off, I felt a thousand degrees hotter. Largely because of the girl I’d been fantasizing about that was sitting next to me.
“Oh my.” It was Kara, her face was completely red and to me, she’d never looked more beautiful. “Bish-Ah. Umm. Wha --. WOW. I mean, why?”
“Dayyyyummm girl!” Hanna said, whisper-shouting, “No wonder you can’t stop thinking about him.”
“Shhh…Hanna!” Kara admonished, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Defense! Defense!” The crowd behind us was yelling in unison.
I looked at the big clock inside the stadium, it’d only been two minutes but it felt like an hour to me from the way my body was burning up inside.
It wasn’t right for me to hold these thoughts and feelings for her.
She was here for Scott.
I had to change seats.
I couldn’t stay like this, in this close proximity with her, throughout the whole game.
Just as I was about to type a text for Cody to make up an excuse for me to go up in the back area, Kara moved on my side. Her legs touched my jeans and her arm grazed mine, the skin that was burning a thousand degrees earlier?
It was now ready to melt.
Shit.
Why was fate so cruel?
Why couldn’t I have been attracted to a someone who wasn’t chained to another?
“Excuse me, Bishop… Can you let me by? I need to use the restroom.” Her voice was louder than what I was accustomed to hearing from her. She held a determined inflection and I felt the raging battle in her eyes, as if she wanted to look at my chest but at the same time, she didn’t want to.
I stood up to give her space and as she walked past me, I asked, “You need help? The restroom is on the other side. I can walk with you.”
Her head shook adamantly, “No, no. I’ve been there before. It’s cool.”
I nodded, but texted Cody to make sure Kara was okay on her way to the ladies’ room.
Cody quickly responded with a thumbs-up and I trusted that he was going to follow her. You never know nowadays, the weirdos that lurked around and preyed on women.
Kara left and Hanna moved closer to my side, “Mighty protective of my girl, huh?”
I turned to my side, glancing at her. “She’s Rikko’s sister and Scott’s girlfriend. I want to make sure she’s okay.”
“Hmm…” Hanna said with a slight tilt to her lips. She was a pretty girl. At first glance, she looked like a mix between Kylie Bunbury and Kerry Washington. Two ladies that my teammate, Jose, had pictures of in his locker.
I watched Scott and the rest of the SDU’s offense take the field. They needed to score to take command of the game. It was early but no one wanted to play catch up.
“So, she hasn’t told you then?” Hanna’s voice was loud on my side.
I eyed Silas and he was focused on the game, as were the rest of my brothers.
I would have been too, if not for the distraction of the beautiful ladies sitting beside me.
“Told me what?” I felt a slight chill from the night air. I could’ve gone without removing my shirt since senior officers didn’t have to. But I wanted to do it for team spirit and for the long-legged beauty who showed up tonight, who I really didn’t have business of messing up with.
“That while she’s still Rikko’s sister…” Hanna’s eyes sparkled in what I call mischief, “she’s now Scott’s ex-girlfriend.”
My jaw literally fell on the stadium’s floor.
Or ground.
Or concrete.
Shit, I’d played inside this stadium for three, going on four years but if you asked me right now what lay beneath the bleachers, there was a high probability that you’d get a blank look from me.
Kara and Scott had broken up?
Since when?
Why?
“If I could bottle up the chemistry between the two of you, my father would have disowned me for carrying triplets right now.” Hanna’s hazel eyes laughed as she made a motion of fanning herself with her hands.
“When?” I asked, barely hiding the briskness in my voice. “How?”
“Five days ago, or was it six days? I can’t remember.” Her lips pointing to the quarterback on the field, who was signaling plays to his teammates. “I don’t know why she hasn’t said anything to you, but all I know is that she’s making room for you in her life.”
“I don’t know about that. She hasn’t said much to me,” I said, countering Hanna’s thoughts. “We don’t know each other well.”
“Are you making up reasons on why you’re not going to act on your attraction to her?” Her right brow was higher than her left. “I don’t know you either. But I know this – I’ve never seen Scott look at her once like the way you’re looking at her, especially when she’s not looking.”
“How do I look at her?” I asked even if I knew exactly how.
Like she was the most precious thing in the whole world.
That if I had her, I’d do everything I could to keep her.
That she’d come first, in everything.
“Like you don’t want to blink because you’re scared she’s going to disappear,” Hanna said in a wistful voice. “Give her time, but don’t give her too much space. She loved him. He’s her first love.”
My right hand rubbed on a physically invisible pang inside my chest.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, wondering how in the world Kara’s friend knew what to say to me.
Her hazel eyes grazed on the field and amid the cheering home crowd for the Continentals who had just scored a touchdown, she said, “Because I’m a romantic fool. I’m a sucker for great love stories. Because for the first time in her life, my best friend is fighting for something for herself. All of her life she’s fought for other people – for me, for her brother, for Scott, for everyone else. But she’s never once fought for her. You know what she said about you the first time I heard your name from her?”
“What?” Intrigue laced my voice.
Kara was single.
She didn’t belong to anyone anymore.
She was making room for me and her.
At least, that’s what Hanna was saying.
“She said, ‘Hanna, today I met this boy and the first thing that came to my mind…” Hanna’s voice hitched, as if pulling a great memory from her memory bank. “…was graphite.’”
“Graphite?” I intoned, my head completely out of the game.
“Ask her about it.” Hanna smiled, “She’s fired off the first shot, Bishop. What are you going to do about it?”
What am I going to do about it?
I straightened my back and felt the tingle on my spine.
Kara was back.
This time, when she passed by me, I touched her wrist with my right hand and let it linger for a second.
Her blue eyes boomeranged with enough heat to combust a reactor.
I never wanted a girl as much as I wanted her.
I never wished for a woman to warm my bed at night except for this stunner beside me.
This time, when she sat down, I tore my eyes from the field and turned towards her.
Sensing my stare, her eyes met mine as her pink lips moved, “What? Do I have something on my face?”
I shook my head and replied, “No.”
“What are you doing?” She said again, her pale eyebrows knitting together. I could see Hanna’s shoulders shaking by Kara’s side. Silas was making her laugh.
“I’m trying to remember how I solved a problem…,” I said, my chest expanding and contracting in relief and excitement.
It’s game time, Kara.
You laid the groundwork.
Now it’s time for me to make a move.
“You’re thinking about homework right now?” Her melodious laughter broke through the noise in the stadium.
I said, “If you cut up the surface of a sphere into edges, vertices, faces, and let E be the number of edges, V the vertices, you’ll always get V – E + F = 2.”
“Seriously? You have Euler’s equation inside your head right now?” She chuckled, her shoulders moving in accord.
“I think it’s the most beautiful equation because it simply states the pure nature of spheres,” I said, and with my eyes on her, I added, “It’s how I think of you, Kara.”
Her blue eyes darkened in an instant and her pink lips formed an O.
The game was heating up on the field but I could care less.
I watched as understanding dawned on her face and she remarked, “You know.”
“What do I know?” I asked with a teasing manner. It always seemed like she had the upper hand, but now I felt the surge of power. Because now I know that she thought of me in a way that could incinerate the bed sheets that I often fisted when I was thinking of her.
“That I broke up with Scott.” Her eyes flitted to the field and then slowly she turned those blues back to me.
I didn’t say anything.
I didn’t want to. I wanted her to say it. Say something about me. That she felt a fraction of the magnitude of this attraction between us.
So I waited…
Waited.
And waited…
In the lightest whisper, which was almost indecipherable to my ears because of the raucous crowd, she said, “I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I became a cheater. And trust me, I’ve come so close to doing that – because I couldn’t stop thinking of you. I broke up with him because of you.”
For all the nevers in my life.
She was the one I’d never let go.