Breaking Tradition

Chapter Eight: Theo

Disclaimer: All characters and settings are purely fictional. If there are any similarities to real people or places, it is merely coincidental. The plot is written by me and not copied from any other writer.

Author's Note: Here's chapter eight! This is a double update for my poor updating skills. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Great Future Fathers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every now and then, Hayden and I would get together and shoot some hoops in my backyard. We weren't the most skilled players, but it did give us the adrenaline we wanted outside of football. Lately, we would invite KC, but Hayden was a bit adamant about it just being the two of us. 

We had played a few rounds of one on one before we retired to the pool. The greatest part about living in a big-ass house was the amenities that came along with it. Hayden jumped in and took a few laps. It was a few minutes before he broke the surface, shaking his wet hair. He exhaled. 

"Have I ever told you, I'm glad to be your friend?" He joked, brushing his blonde hair back and away from his face. I laughed. He had. There were times people often ridiculed him for being my friend because I was rich. I would have believed them if I didn't know the circumstances to which we became friends. 

Hayden wasn't always my friend. In fact, the first few years of our elementary years, Hayden often snubbed me. He thought I was another rich boy using my money to gain friends. It wasn't until he made a comment about me being a rich idiot, who cried to his mother when he couldn't have his way, did I punch in the mouth. A few punches, scratches, and a trip to the principal office with our parents was all it took to blossom our friendship. It seemed like yesterday, we were both sporting matching black eyes and Band-Aids. Hayden walked up to me, holding a packed lunch, "My mom says I have to apologize and be your friend." Six-year-old me grabbed my lunch and replied, "My mom said I should apologize too." We eat lunch that day and almost every day after. 

"So, I think I figured it out," Hayden announced, interrupting my trip down memory lane. He swims closer to where I was. Part of me knew what he meant and the other wanted to ignore the entire ordeal. It wasn't that I believed in the stupid tradition. I just understood how difficult breaking the tradition would be in this town. The tradition-built legacies and so many others had their lives drastically changed because of it. Breaking it meant shattering the tainted glass they held over their eyes for years. The weight of that responsibility was not one I wanted to bear. 

"Hear me out," he starts, shaking the water out of his hair. He moves closer to the edge of the pool, where I was sitting on the steps in the shallow waters of the pool. "After we win the first three games, I'll announce to the team that I have not been following the tradition. For proof purposes, because these guys won't believe me otherwise," he explains. 

"But won't some of the guys be skeptical anyway? They'll probably think you faked it or something," I point out. Hayden thinks about it for a moment before groaning. The situation was a tough one. If he announced he wasn't participating in the tradition before our games, it would throw the players off. If he did it after, no one would take him seriously. 

"Help me, Theo!" He shrieks, falling backward into the water. I'm not even sure I could help him. Hayden breaks the surface again, wiping the water from his face. 

"I don't know Hayd. Do we need to break the tradition?" I ask. Hayden frowns. I'm not even sure why he's so persistent about throwing out the tradition. I mean I get he didn't want to enforce the situation onto Mikah but hadn't I told him what I did last year? He could just do as he wanted without the team knowing or the town's fantasies being shattered. 

"Of course, we do!"

"Why?" I snap. Hayden shakes his head, "I thought you would understand, considering you shook things up last year, O." Hayden stares at me, disapprovingly. It was a long time since I'd seen him look at me in that way. It hurt more than when my parents did it. We were friends for so long that we were practically brothers. His disappointment in me was no different than if it came from Tatum. I swallowed deeply, letting the embarrassment wash over me. 

"I'm sorry Hayd. Help me understand," I apologize. Hayden nods, putting my lack of better judgment in the past. 

"At first I thought about Mikah, like not wanting to subject her to it. Before I never saw any issues with the tradition. I mean, why would I? We grew up on it. As football players, it offered us free pussy for the season. Who wouldn't want that?" He rants, his voice quivering a bit. Hayden was always clowning around about something, so to see him so serious about something really caught me off guard. 

"But, then I found myself imagining Mikah and I married with kids. Sappy I know, but you already know how much of fool I am for her," he continues. I snort but hold my laughter. He wasn't lying. He was a complete sap for her. In the beginning, it was weird seeing Hayden turn to mush around a girl. He was always the carefree one between the two of us, especially with my long-complicated feelings for Rylee. But, Mikah had dethroned me by turning Hayden into a bigger mushball than I ever was. 

"Anyways, I thought about how we would have a daughter, and she would go to Devenport. And I found myself enraged by the idea that some narcissistic football players would claim her for the season because he could. She wouldn't have no control over it. I was so angry. Imagine me in my room ready to beat up a kid for a daughter I didn't have."

I found myself equally upset. As Hayden spoke, I thought of Rylee and how we would one day get married and have kids of our own. Two boys and a beautiful little girl. She would look just like her mother. She would be an angel. Just the idea of some boy claiming her for his sexual gratification angered me. My fist clenched, and I bit down hard. 

"I don't want to do that to Mikah because she's someone's daughter, O," He admits softly. He was right. Maybe part of me wanted to do the same for Rylee because she was someone's daughter. Because I could have last season. I could have forced her to participate in the tradition in its genuine form, but I didn't have the heart to do that to her. Not to be mistaken, I want nothing more than to explore the pleasure of her body. But, I respected her way too much to force her to do and participate in something so demeaning. I mean, I did, partially. But, I prided myself in knowing I wanted nothing more from her than she was willing to give. No matter the time and space, but only when she was ready to offer it. Were there a few times I forced a kiss or two? Yeah, probably not my proudest moments, but I know better. I wanted to be better for her. 

"Let's do it!" I announce with so much resolve it shocked Hayden. 

"You mean it?" He asked in utter disbelief. 

I nod, "Yeah. But let's not wait for a few games. Let's announce it before the first game."

Hayden slaps the pool in excitement, "Yes! Let's do this!" He squeals random noises of excitement before swimming erratically to the other end of the pool. We were probably going to upset many people. We may be shattering a few legacies and ruining a few lives, but we were being great fathers. Well, great future fathers and boyfriends. And that seemed more important than anything else right now.