Southside of Heaven

Chapter 10

The sound of cheering parents filled my ears as I watched a team of five year olds kick a ball to each other. The coaches were yelling at them to get the ball to the goal. I stood back on the fence behind all of the parents, keeping an eye on Jett. 

Suddenly, I felt a presence beside me. Looking over, I realized it was Ryan. He smiled at me. He’s actually really hot. I internally face palmed myself for thinking that.

“Are we winning?” He asked, examining my face.

“I mean, they’re kicking a ball at a goal. I don’t know if that’s winning.” I shrugged. He let out a big laugh.

“You don’t know anything about soccer, do you?” I shook my head. His gorgeous green orbs still hadn't left mine. 

“Nope. I never really got into sports. I was always just a music nerd.” He smiled and turned his attention back to his son.

“Where’s my mom?” 

“I figured she’d probably had a few too many drinks, so I brought him.” He looked back at me, shocked. His expression softened as our eyes met again.

“Thank you. I really appreciate that. My mom’s always relying on other people.”

“Of course. I love Jett. He’s such a good kid.” Ryan smiled proudly at the compliment. We both turned back to the field and cheered as Jett kicked the ball into the goal.

--

Ryan and I sat at the dining room table with iced teas in front of us. Allison was passed out on the couch, probably from the alcohol, and Jett was asleep in his bedroom.

“Are you going to go to the memorial?” I asked as I took a sip of the tea.

“Yeah, Jett said he wants to go.” I looked down at the table, thinking about the asshole at the craft store and the preacher. “Was your dad that bad when you were growing up?” Our eyes met as he asked that question.

“Yeah. He would blow all of our money at the bar and then come home and sell my brother and I’s toys and clothes. We had to move from town to town because he would get fired from his job and we had to make a new name for ourselves. After Alex graduated high school, I moved to L.A. with him and worked hard to get noticed by a record label. My dream came true and my dad found out. Before he died, he would ask me for more money, trying to guilt trip me into it. The last words I said to him were so harsh.” I looked back down at the table. Ryan placed his hand in mine, his thumb drawing circles on the back of my hand.

“My mom is kinda the same way. She’s never really worked in her life and relies on me for everything.” He admitted. 

“I’m sorry you had to deal with my father. When I was eleven, my family got invited to this party outside of town. My dad had gotten extremely drunk and wouldn’t give my mom the car keys. On our way home, we crashed. It felt like years before the ambulance arrived. We were okay except for my mom who died the next day.” I looked down at my lap while Ryan continued holding my hand. 

“I’m really sorry about that. That must’ve been hard.” I nodded.

“So where’s Jett’s mom?” I asked hesitantly, afraid it was a touchy subject. 

“She was a lost cause. At the time, I had no idea she was drinking and doing drugs. She’d go behind my back all of the time. One day, it seems you’ve got the world in your hands. Then you blink and you have a son and then you blink again and he’s almost six years old.”