Two Thousand Miles Away

Chapter 19

Ella

"Ella you've been going to this school for the past month and haven't gone to one game," Rebecca said as she evaluated herself in front of a mirror. Rebecca was wearing a Colorado football jersey and matching it with a yellow scarf.

"But I hate football," I countered.

"So just go for the food. You said you love soft pretzels. The game has five dollar ones." She picked up my hightops and grabbed a Colorado shirt from my closet. Then she threw them at me. I barely caught them. "This is college," Rebecca said. "Lets have fun."

I rolled my eyes as I tried to hide my smile. Then I got off the bed and went to change.

***

Half time was almost over and the football team gathered on the sidelines. Colorado' football stadium was huge and was filled to full capacity. I saw Jacob as he ran onto the field. He must have seen me watching him because he turned and winked. I couldn't help but blush.

Jacob wasn't letting up. He still sat next to me everyday in pre calculus. Slowly he'd wedged his way into my life and we became somewhat friends.

After the game Rebecca and I were throwing our stuff away when Jacob found us. He and his friend who was following him were still in their football uniforms. They held their helmets at there side. "Hey Ella," Jacob said as he tried to act casual. It wasn't working and I was trying not to laugh. "We're going to a party tonight. Wanna come? Your friend can come too.'

At the same time I opened my mouth to say no, Rebecca exclaimed, "Yes!" Then she stepped forward and introduced herself. "I'm Rebecca, by the way. Ella's roommate."

"Jacob," Jake said as he pointed to himself. "And this is Caleb. My roommate." I looked Caleb over. He was tall and well built like Jacob but he was darker with deep brown hair and eyes. His hair was only to be described as helmet hair.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm not going."

Jacob frowned. "Let us talk," Rebecca told him. Then she grabbed my arm and pulled me a few feet away. "We're going to that party."

"Why? I already went to the game."

Rebecca sighed and stomped her foot. "This is college Ella. We're going to be stupid and crazy. And I'm going to hook up with that Caleb guy. So we are going."

I frowned. "Fine. Whatever."

***

The four of us walked into the party and I got flashbacks of high school. Me getting drunk. Sitting by myself. Ben ignoring me. My virginity. And Ben. Why did I think that Ben was a good idea?

People quickly began to gather around Jacob and Caleb. Rebecca pulled me away to grab a drink for all of us. I frowned but still grabbed the drinks.

Jacob

Ella quickly handed me a drink before sinking into the couch. She pulled out her phone to keep her busy. I'd read about her in this situation one too many times to let it happen again. I wasn't going to be the guy to ask a girl to a party just to ignore her. I walked over to her and said, "Come on. Get up." She looked up, startled that someone was talking to her. "Lets dance."

Ella looked at me, confused. Then when she realized I was serious, she started to laugh. "I don't dance."

"Okay." I shrugged. "You think I care?" I grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the couch. "Come on."

She shook her head but I could see a smile on her face. As my hand stayed on her arm there was this electricity between us. I'd never felt anything like that before.

But she didn't protest as we danced and after we finished with that we sat on a nearby couch and talked. We fell into a conversation about everything. It felt familiar but still so different. She was here. Ella was real. She was no longer just words on a screen. Her voice was soft and musical. Her skin was smooth but freckled. I was falling for her more than ever before.

We'd both drank at least three cups of beer since the beginning of the night. Ella seemed drunk and I was tipsy. But it still surprises me when at the end of our conversation Ella grabbed my face and let my lips met hers.
As surprised as I was, the minutes my lips were on hers, my whole body relaxed and melted into hers. I reached for her hair and tangled my hands in it. After a few seconds she backed away, her eyes still closed. She whispered, "Oh."

I smiled as she blushed. I could tell that she was rarely so bold. I put my fingers of her chin and moved her head up. She looked sheepishly at me. Once I'd gotten her attention, I leaned in again. But this time she moved away. I gave her a weird look. "I'm sorry," she said as she pulled her hair back. Her face was turning red. "I can't do this again."
I shook my head. "Do what?"

Ella stood up from the couch and grabbed her phone. "Look, you don't know me, but if you did you'd know that I've made a lot of mistakes while drunk at a party. I can't let it happen again" She mumbled something about finding Rebecca.

As she walked away I realized what she meant. When she got drunk at a party and Ben took her virginity. I groaned and put my face in my hands. I was about to be just as much of a dick as Ben. I cannot be Ben.

I'd never really understood Ella's dislike for jocks, though she made it apparent from almost the first message. I was starting to understand it. She sees jocks as people who use people and want sex. That wasn't me. I just had to prove that.