Second Chance At Love

Brotherly Advice.

Cgc

The boys have been teasing me about my weekly rendezvous for a good couple of hours now. It's Monday, meaning this is our first day back at practice. You could easily tell who stayed in football mode these past two free weeks and who didn't. I certainly did, meaning practice wasn't hard for me. Some of my friends got their asses kicked by Coach. I can't really blame them since practice was difficult as we did a bunch of cardio workouts today. Then we played a short scrimmage which we normally don't do until Thursdays. I can tell how serious everyone is about the upcoming game, though. We all want to win as much as the guy next to us. We've been getting ready all season for this.

I'll be damned if we fucking lose again. I won't allow it to happen which is why I'm in an all-serious mode. As much as the guys hate it, I can't help it. I won't let absolutely anything distract me from my end goal at the end of the next two weeks: win the Orange Bowl. That is until Valdez questions why I have a sudden glow. I don't, but he's just trying to get something out of me. I won't tell him about Brynn and me because that's no one's business, but his mention got me thinking. I was on top of the football-priority hill and he just pushed me right off by mentioning my girl.

Not because I'm mad at what he's initiating. We did the same thing with him and Nova and Xander and Maddy once. Valdez talking about her takes me back to yesterday morning when I walked in on her crying. The amount of pain that shot threw my body and made me stop breathing for a second. I hated her seeing upset but it almost killed me thinking that I was the cause of it. I thought she was suddenly regretting everything that had happened the night before and that scared me the most. Luckily, she cleared up that it wasn't that. She told me she wouldn't be able to go to the Orange Bowl AKA the most important game this season to me.

I was upset. More than I showed to her at least, but she was already crying and I didn't want to make it worse. At the same time, I was upset — and rightfully still am — that she lied straight to my face. See, I know Brynn better than she thinks. I've been paying close attention to this woman since the moment I met her at that party. I know her ticks. I know that she blushes when she gets shy. That her forehead crinkles slightly when she's mad. That she pauses before she tells a lie. It's exactly what happened yesterday. I don't think her tears were fake. I know she was upset about something but it wasn't about missing my game. I know it wasn't about the events of the night before either.

I don't know what it is. I wish she had just told me because whatever it is, I would've listened. I would never judge or disrespect her. My feelings are too strong, too blinding. I would have hoped she would have known this by now. Still, I let it go. I didn't ask her to tell me the truth because like I said, she was upset, and I didn't want to push it any further. After she left my place yesterday, we talked and texted like everything was okay. I can't stop thinking about what the real reason she was upset was. I'm trying to forget about it but I can't. Especially when my friends bring her up.

I take a deep breath, releasing it harshly. I play an important game in two weeks. I won't let anything affect me. Including this. I push all of my negative thoughts into the 'do-not-think-about' file in my brain.

"Worry about a freshman receiver catching passes on you instead of me and my relationship," I tell Valdez easily with a shrug. "Damn," Rhys says under his breath. I don't look at Valdez to see his reaction but he doesn't say anything back to me. I clench my jaw slightly as I fix up my locker and put all of my belongings away. Once I do, I pick up my duffel bag and sling it over my shoulder. "Anyone else got anything to say?" I look at not only my roommates but the teammates in front of me as well. None of them say a thing and some of them only shake their heads. "Cool," I say before leaving the locker room and facility. I make it halfway to my car when I hear a voice shout out my name.