And Then He Fell

Chapter 23

Sorry that it's been awhile.  I was away (camping), and there was no wifi or phone service.  I wrote some of this on vacation, but I wanted to fine tune it before I let you read it.  

I know that I mention Emily's eyes being dark blue in this chapter.  I also know that I wrote in one of the first chapters that Ellie had violet eyes.  I just wanted to promote the idea that their eyes are so blue, they look purple.  

Pic on right is what Em and Drew were doing in this chapter.  I know the girl is too thin, but I had a hard enough time finding that one.   Thanks for reading!  

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DREW

We had a quick practice after school, before the game started. My body responded accordingly, but my mind was, once again, on Emily. I still didn't know what had made me go from zero to sixty so quickly when it came to how I felt about her. How could I keep this a secret much longer? I knew there would be many who disagreed with our pairing, but I didn't really care. Some would be upset because she was Ellie's sister, and they might have a point. I couldn't alter how I felt, though, not even a little. Other superficial people might comment about how we're mismatched, and they'd have no right to do so.

In the end, I just wanted Em. The rest of the world could think what they wanted. I knew Ellie would be hurt at first, but I was pretty sure she'd come around. I might not have been in love with her, but she wasn't a terrible person. Ellie did have a brain. She just hid it underneath the layers of fluff filled with self-indulgent thoughts. To some people she could be a real jerk, and she was sometimes. I just don't think she was ever taught to have empathy. Emily must have gotten all of that in utero.

I think that once Ellie figured out how Em and I felt about each other, she might be okay with it. All of this stuff with Adam, though, was adding more drama. If Ellie was pregnant, it would mean that much more hassle for Em and me. We'd get through it, though. We had to.

"So, Ellie tells me you're 'in love.'. Just not with her," Tommy said as he sat down next to me on the bench while the defense took the field.

"Oh," I said, not willing to give away incriminating evidence.

"Was that just the excuse you gave her?" he said.

"What does it matter?" I asked him.

"I heard some of the girls on the squad talking. A few of them would really like to date you, from the way it sounds."

"Nope, not interested," I said, scanning the crowd for Em.

"Have it your way," he said as we ran onto the field.

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As the game began, I saw her. She was about 5 rows up in the stands, and her dark blue eyes were focused on me. I smiled at her, and she returned the sentiment. Then, I was swallowed back up by the game, and I had to concentrate on what I was doing.

A few hours later, we were cheering because we'd won the game. I hurried into the locker room to shower and change. I held back a smile as I saw Johnny grab and release Mike's hand very quickly as Mike headed for the shower. Maybe he'd fall in love with Johnny and leave Em and me alone, I thought.

I showered and changed as quickly as possible, and left the school in a rush. Mike stopped me as I was partway to my car, where Em was waiting.

"You're not coming with us to celebrate?" he asked, sounding a little upset.