The Swimmer and The Football Player

Chapter 2: Old Friends

Josephine 

"Ya know Joey, I have never met anyone more sarcastic than I am, but here you are." He tells me with a deep chuckle. Dinner was actually not bad. Jamie was not horrible to be around, so that's a plus. I go to unlock the apartment when I hear Jamie's phone ring and he answers it and tells waves me to go inside. I walk in without a second glance. I could use a good shower before school starts tomorrow. 

When I finish showering, I realize Jamie never returned. I guess he went to his friends or something. Glancing at the clock, 2:00 Am, it read. Later than I thought but not very late for myself. I have trouble falling asleep, so usually I don't go to bed until around 4am. Melatonin is my best friend, I think as I pop one of my gummies in my mouth and hop into bed. 

I wake up to my alarm blaring and check my phone, 8:00 am. The urge to go back to sleep is very strong in this moment, but I must get up for my 9:00 am class. I hop out of bed and go to my bathroom to start getting dressed. I decided to wear jeans and nude sweater and my black converse. I put in my contacts before heading to the kitchen to grab coffee before class. 

I was finishing up filling my tumbler cup with iced coffee, when I realized how silent the apartment was. Huh, Jamie must've left already. I don't know who in their right mind would be up and out the door before... I glance at the time on my phone 8:45 am. Wait, shit! I'm late. I quickly grab my stuff as I rush out the door and to my class. 

...

That felt like the longest class of my life, I think as I enter the apartment, dropping my bags on the floor as I plop on a barstool and look at my phone. My sister had sent me so many messages and tik toks while I was in class. I love that girl but there is no way I can watch all these. I am just getting started on a few of the tik toks when Jamie walks out of his room. I look up at him and he appears to be going to football practice, from what I can tell from his clothes. 

"Well hello there Jamie." He chirps in an overly nice voice. 

"Hi."

"Whatcha watching?" He asks quickly as he snatched my phone. Ugh this dude is so annoying.

"Stuff. Now give me my phone back, dumbo." I say as he holds the phone above my head while I try to grab it. The only way to end this is to not play. So, I stop and stand there was my arms crossed and stare at him with my are you done face. He just laughs then hands me the phone. 

"I'm heading out. I'll see you later Joe." He says as he walks out.

"I don't like that nickname." I say as he slams the door. Whatever, he can do what he wants. 

I decide I should do my homework before going to hangout with some friends. I haven't seen any of my friends since I've been back and I miss them so much. 

...

"Josie!!!" My friends yell as I walk up to the table they're sitting at. 

"Hi guys!" I say as I take them all in. These are my best friends, Lynn, Jack, and Micah. They are all on the swim team with me. Lynn is pretty short, standing at 5'2", she has dark brown curly hair and brown eyes, overall gorgeous. She has been dating Jack for over a year now and they're now sharing an apartment. Jack is 6 foot and has black silky hair and a pale complexion. Micah is my saving grace when we're all together, they make sure I am not a third wheel. Micah and I are really close, I was the first person they told that they were gay. Micah has the cutest red curly locks and is pretty tall around 6'2", with a pale complexion and lots of freckles. 

We talk for hours. I love these guys so much they're some of the only people I am able to open up to. 

When I finally arrived back at my apartment it was around 10:30pm and Jamie is sitting on the couch watching TV. 

"Hey!" Jamie yells from the living room. I go and sit down on the couch with him. As I sit down he looks me over with his beautiful eyes. 

He smiles asking "Will you be joining me?- or are you going to go hide in your room?" He says that and I cringe remembering all the times I got yelled at by my parents because I was "hiding in my room". 

"Uhm, sure I guess." I still have many hours before I will be able to full asleep as I might as well. We sat and watched Iron man till the end credits rolled around and then we decide to head to our separate rooms. 

... 

Jamie 

"Will you be joining me?-or are you going to go hide in your room?" I ask and I swear I saw her cringe before she covered it with her emotionless mask. I stare at her and take in how beautiful she really is. She has long brown hair, that falls down her back in waves, hazel eyes, and if you look close enough you can see the freckles that cover her face. 

"Uhm, sure I guess." She replies snapping me out of gawking at her.  I was unsure about having her as my roommate. As a football player the girls are usually all over me and from my fair share of girlfriends they can be so loud and emotional. But, Joey is quite literally the opposite. She is almost always silent and wears an emotionless mask. She draws me in. This is the first girl I have ever wanted to actually talk to me and open up to me. I don't know why I am so drawn to her. Dinner the first night here was fun. She is very sarcastic and quick witted and it was very entertaining and I never wanted her to stop speaking. Thinking back on that night I realized that we talked so much but I didn't get to know anything about her. I am determined to get to know her better, I want her to be mine. 

The end credits snap me out of my inner-thoughts. I yawn and look over a Joey, only to see that she is wide-awake. She just offers a half-hearted smile and says goodnight. 

...

My alarm goes off at 6:00 am and I sneak around getting dressed quietly knowing Joey is still sleeping. But when I exit my room, I see her door open a crack and by the latch of the door being off, I can tell she's not here. That makes my mood instantly drop. Why is she not here. What if she went to hookup with someone. I shake my head to snap myself out of it. She is not my girlfriend, I need to chill. And with that I head out the door to practice.