Brighton Part One

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

In the final week of school, barely anyone attends if they have passing grades. Tracy starts to feel her nerves come unrattled, realizing that traveling to New York is only a few days away. She turns up the heat between her and Clarke and enjoys the freedom of no more condoms ever since her mother started her on birth control. When she knows her parents are gone for work, she calls Clarke over for hours of endless sex in nearly every room of the house, and lunch consists of bagel pizza bites and Code Red.

Clarke drives over in Steve's Camaro during heavy rain on the final day of school. Clarke is slightly scared of the supercharged V8 and tight clutch. Not used to driving a stick shift, he pulls up and parks around the corner. He runs through the drenching rain, and a clap of thunder is heard.

Startled, Tracy trembles slightly, watching Clarke dash for the door.

"I can't believe it's the last day of school, and we gotta deal with this crap!" she says, staring outside.

Clarke runs his hand over his hair, "Yeah, tell me about it. My car is still down with a busted head gasket, or at least that's what Steve told me. Anyway, are you ready for New York?"

With a nervous smile, Tracy shakes her head no, "Yes. How about you? Are you ready for Montana and spending camp at big ol' SMU?"

Able to get a whiff of her perfume, Clarke stares at his lover, admiring the turquoise belly shirt that exposes the outline of her bra. He's overheard whistling lightly, leaving Tracy with a bigger, more natural smile.

"I heard that, mister. I see you still like what you're staring at."

Gently chuckling, Clarke continues to look her up and down. The sight of her smooth-silky legs complimenting the cut-off jean shorts that show off her ass, "Oh, I could stare at your body all day long. As much as I don't wanna, we need to get to school." Clarke says in a gravelly tone.

Tracy quickly picks up her bag and then runs to the classic Camaro. Settled into the black leather seat, Tracy places her bag on the floor between her legs before buckling the seatbelt. It doesn't take Clarke long to slide behind the wheel and drive to school, where they're surprised that it's a half-day approved by the school board. Clarke's pulled into the weight room to get more time to train. Tracy spends the rest of her day talking about her upcoming trip to New York with some of her other friends.

The next few days between Clarke and Tracy are spent apart. He trains with the team on the field, working on cardio in the humidity. She spends time reviewing language accent pieces of training, trying to cover her Texas twang.

Finally, the day arrives for Tracy to board the plane to New York. Clarke picks her up around four in the morning to take her to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Once they arrive and Tracy checks in and has her bag checked, she sits with Clarke until it's time to board around six o'clock.

A chime echoes over the waiting area with a female attendant, "Good morning DFW, the passengers waiting to board Southwest flight number sixteen-thirty-seven are now boarding for first and business classes. Please line up with your boarding pass and federal identification ready for processing. Thank you for choosing Southwest Airlines."

Fear takes control as Tracy's eyes double in size, "Oh my God! I don't think I can do this. Forget it; I'm not going!"

Taking her hand, Clarke helps her up, followed by a hug.

"You've been busting your ass for this chance. If you don't get on that plane, I'm no longer playing football. I love you. I will be right here when you land at the end of summer. Now go!"

After a quick goodbye kiss, Clarke leads Tracy to the gate, where he stands and watches her walk onto the plane. Already missing Tracy, Clarke waits and watches the plane pull onto the runway. The navy blue plane with the red and yellow stripes on the end charges down the takeoff strip into the air. Clarke slips his phone from his back pocket when the plane is out of sight.