Boys and Girls, Part IV: Why I Love to Hate You

A/N: Sooooo sorry for this long-awaited update. I think my computer's finally okay (fingers crossed). Since you guys waited so patiently, I'm giving you two chapters this time. Thanks.

Chapter 17 – The Gaming Season

Jacy hadn’t seen Tristan for a long time. He was busy as hell what with the impending draft, and she had barely glimpsed his face for more than two minutes before he was off to another meeting or another interview or whatever.

They hadn’t had sex in a whole week, which might not sound so bad, but these were two people who had humped like rabbits for the first few months of their relationship. A whole week without sex was a looong time.

But the dry spell was only one of a dozen things concerning Jacy with the NFL draft just around the corner. Obviously, as a studly, already wealthy, promising twenty-two-year-old quarterback, Tristan was a pretty high-profile personality around Southern California. Jacy had already gotten a taste of what it would be like to be a famous person’s significant other, and…she wasn’t sure she liked it all that much.

Photographers seemed to lurk around every corner whenever Tristan and Jacy were together in public. Her friends had eventually gotten wind of the relationship. While Jason, Joe, and Delaney – although initially shocked – seemed mostly happy for Jacy, the other three were not as understanding. Stephanie was upset that her best friend had kept such a huge secret from her. Lani thought that Jacy was nuts for going out with Tristan. And Ryan…well…he reacted the worst upon learning the news.

“Are you crazy? After what the son-of-a-bitch put you through? Are you self-destructive or something?”

Lani had finally accepted the relationship, and it was thanks to her that Ryan eventually locked away his personal hatred of Tristan, as well. Still, he seemed to regard Jacy as some kind of traitor every now and then; Jacy even heard him call her “Benedict Arnold” when he thought she wasn’t listening.

The good thing was that the media didn’t seem so interested in Jacy when she was by herself; so at times, Jacy reveled in being alone. Without Tristan, the glare of the Paparazzi lights didn’t seem so bright. Unfortunately, her friends weren’t the only ones to learn about Jacy’s relationship with Tristan. It seemed like the entire country was enjoying the gossip. While many outlets seemed to praise the fact that Tristan appeared “in love with this mystery woman,” a few other media outlets weren’t as forgiving.

Jacy wasn’t stupid. Next to Tristan, one had to wonder how a girl as plain as she could have nabbed the most eligible bachelor in Southern Cal. Jacy was sure that if she was some random observer, she’d be thinking the same thing. She had brought this particular topic up with Tristan once or twice, but he’d automatically dismissed her fears as simple paranoia.

She sighed inwardly. He was probably right…right?

****

“You’ve already got a Nike and Gatorade deal lined up for me?”

“You bet.”

Tristan regarded the slick agent sitting behind an expensive mahogany bureau, with awe. “That’s fucking amazing, man.”

“Yeah, well that pretty much describes me, Carter.”

Man, Tristan thought to himself, this son-of-a-bitch is cockier than me.

Despite the fact that Rob Gregorio annoyed the hell out of Tristan, the latter had to admit that the agent’s credentials and achievements for his clients could not be beat. All sports agents were assholes, so what Tristan really needed was an asshole of a sports agent who actually got things done.

“I take ten percent.”

“I know,” Tristan replied. Greedy bastard.

“But I’m always there for you, Carter,” he added, with a huckster’s grin.

Yeah, I’ll bet, Tristan thought. How else are you gonna make sure you get your money? “Cool, man.”

As the agent leaned back in his chair, his expression grew slightly serious. He looked like he didn’t want to say what was going to come out next, but –

“Let’s talk about your girlfriend.”

He did.

“What about her?” Tristan asked, cocking his eyebrow.

Gregorio hesitated momentarily, as if he was figuring out the most strategic way to say what was on his mind. Finally, he spoke. “As an agent, it’s my job to make sure that your stock stays high, Carter. Rookies and aging veterans are the most vulnerable, so I’ve got to look out for you.”

Tristan didn’t say anything because he wanted to hear where the agent was going with all of this.

“You need to lose the girlfriend.”

Tristan’s expression grew serious. “What?”

“You’re a good-looking kid, fresh out of school with a lot of prospects ahead of him, Carter. You’ve got franchise player written all over that pretty face of yours, and that franchise tag doesn’t really come to rookies who are already settled down with a woman.”

Tristan had to suppress his rage. “Would you consider Tom Brady a franchise player?” he finally bit out.

“Yeah.”

“He’s not exactly single, Gregorio.”

“Yeah, but he’s dating a supermodel. You’re…not.”

Ah, so that was the problem. If Tristan had been dating an anorexic twig with pouty lips than this wouldn’t even be an issue. Tristan knew that a lot of people were thinking what the slick agent had just told him, but he never thought that dating Jacy could affect his status as a rookie. But what could he do? He loved her, and he wasn’t going to lose her.

“Nice doing business with you,” Tristan said, extending a hand.
Gregorio didn’t shake Tristan’s hand. Instead, a sudden look of alarm crossed the agent’s features. “What?”

“Your work’s very impressive,” Tristan began, lowering his hand, “but if you can’t handle both me and my woman…then I got no use for you, cowboy.” Tristan began walking out of the Gregorio’s overdone office when he heard the latter’s voice from behind.

“You’re making a mistake, Carter.”

Tristan slowly turned around, his face unreadable. “Yeah…you’re probably right.”

And then, Tristan smiled and left.

****

“Cleanup on aisle sixteen.”

The announcement in the grocery store broke up the bad elevator music that had been playing. Jacy hated elevator music and vowed to get her shopping finished ASAP. She was eager to get home and greet Tristan. He only had one day left in his agent cattle call before deciding on someone. She was really excited for him.

Jacy only shopped for the freshest ingredients. She wanted Tristan to be well fed, so that he’d make the right decision. This was the rest of his life, after all.

As Jacy walked up and down the aisles, her mind kept wandering to what a future with Tristan might be like. He’d said that he loved her, but Jacy knew that young people said the craziest things to one another. Furthermore, Tristan was at a hectic time in his life. She doubted if he remembered what he had even confessed to her.

On the other hand, he’d also said that he would never leave her. Did that somehow entail that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her…like, he wanted to marry her? The very thought made Jacy shake her head in embarrassment. Sure, she had wanted Tristan to want to marry her, but in another light, the idea was somewhat bizarre. What would life be like married to Tristan Carter? What would life be like married to one of the hottest up-and-comers in the NFL?

Jacy grabbed a loaf of French bread before heading to the checkout aisles. It would be a long wait, so she casually browsed the magazine rack. There were the standard beauty and entertainment magazines. Jacy had never picked up a copy of Glamour or In Style, and she wasn’t about to start now. She reached for a copy of Us Weekly, instead.

There was news on Paris Hilton’s latest run-in with the law, prompting Jacy to groan inwardly. She flipped through some profiles of way-too-thin actresses and wondered what life would be like if she lost another thirty pounds but pushed the idea away instantly.

And then she saw it.

“FOOTBALL STUD + SOUTHERN BELLE?”

It was an small article written around a central photograph of Tristan and Krista Baxter sitting at a café in LA. Jacy had to do a double take to ensure that she wasn’t just seeing things. When was this photograph taken? she asked herself. Her eyes lowered to the photo caption.

It was from just a week before.

****

Jesus, Tristan was tired. He had tried to push away the pain of having let go the country’s most aggressive sports agent by reminding himself that he had done it for the woman he loved. As he opened the front door of his apartment, he was surprised to see that the lights were turned off.

“Jacy?” he called out. Hmm, wonder where she is.

Tristan took off his suit jacket and flipped on the living room lights. The sconces instantly came to life. He walked toward his bedroom and began loosening his tie. Tristan opened his bedroom door to find Jacy sitting on the bed. Her eyes were turned away from him. Even though Tristan was a little confused, he was still so happy to see her. “Hi, baby.”

Her hazel eyes shot up at him. Tristan realized two things at that moment. One: Jacy was pissed, and two: she was pissed at him.

“Jacy?”

She scoffed before getting to her feet and crossing the bedroom so that she was able to put the greatest distance between Tristan and herself. Now, he was really worried.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“You’re such an asshole!” she yelled.

He was taken aback by her sudden outburst. “What?”

She stomped over to his desk and grabbed a magazine off of it. She angrily flipped through the pages, eventually stopping somewhere in the middle. She walked over to Tristan and threw the open magazine at him.

Tristan regarded her with confusion. What the hell is this about? He lowered his gaze until it fell on the item that Jacy had been bitching about. He froze.

“How do you explain that?” he heard her ask.

Tristan scanned the article before tossing it angrily on the bed. It was complete bullshit. He wasn’t dating Krista Baxter. It was just lunch with a friend, and he had only agreed to it because Krista was having problems with her new boyfriend. Tristan eventually lifted his eyes to Jacy.

She still looked as pissed off as ever. Goddamn. “Jacy, this isn’t what it looks like. The people at this magazine are full of bullshit, sweetheart.”

“It looks like you’re having lunch with Krista Baxter,” she retorted.

Tristan gulped. “It isn’t a date or anything, baby.”

“I don’t care what you call it!” she snapped. “You’re still seeing her, aren’t you?”

“I met up with her once, last week. That’s it!”

“You said you were finished with this shit when we were in Trinity Falls, Tristan.”

“No I didn’t,” he protested. “I never said that!”

“We had make-up sex that night, Tristan. You told me you loved me, and –

“I do love you,” he interrupted.

“Then why are you still meeting up with her?”

Tristan growled in frustration. “Are we really having this argument again, Jacy? I told you…I don’t think of her in that way.”

“But now that the rest of California is on your business, they won’t think the same thing!” Jacy’s hazel eyes glowed in desperation. “Don’t you understand, Tristan? When people see that…” she gestured to the magazine on his bed “…they’re not going to understand that you’re just friends with her. The public loves to jump to conclusions when it comes to this stuff.”

“Well, fuck ‘em,” he declared. “I don’t give a shit what other people think.”

“But I do!” she shot back. “I care.”

Tristan grimaced. “Why?”

“Because…” she hesitated, choking up. Tristan regarded her with annoyance in his eyes.

“Because why?” he yelled.

“Because no one expects someone like you to be with someone like me!” Jacy confessed.

“What?” Tristan asked, looking confused.

“Come on…” Jacy explained, unable to stop the tears that were beginning to form “…what are the odds that a good-looking, wealthy, and about-to-be-very-successful football phenom is going to fall for a dowdy girl like me?”

“Jacy,” Tristan warned with a sigh. “Stop saying shit like that. I don’t think that at all, and you know it.”

Jacy sighed, herself. She turned around and sat on the bed with a defeated look on her face. She looked at the magazine with disdain.

“This isn’t working, Tristan.”

“What’s not working?”

Jacy hesitated briefly before clarifying. “Us.”

Tristan rolled his eyes and rubbed his face impatiently. “Don’t do this, Jacy. I’m tired.”

“So am I.”

Tristan felt a sudden surge of anger. “So what! You wanna break up or something?”

“Yes,” she answered almost too calmly.

Tristan pounded his desk in disgust. “Goddammit, woman! This better just be one of your mood swings.”

“Don’t call me that,” Jacy warned. “This isn’t a mood swing, Tristan. This is for real.”

“What is this really about, Jacy?” Tristan asked with a sneer. “Is this about ‘difficulties in our relationship’ or is this actually about you being jealous that I have female friends too.”

He expected her to get angry at his jibe, but it didn’t happen. Instead, Jacy shrugged her shoulders. “A little bit of both, I guess. But…it also entails a lot more, Tristan.”

Tristan sighed in exasperation and leaned back against the wall. “Like what?”

“You may not think that you’re better than me, Tristan, but the rest of the world does, and sometimes…so do I.” Tristan groaned in frustration again, but Jacy ignored it and continued. “I can’t spend the rest of my life guessing whether or not I deserve you. I can’t spend the rest of my life with a guy who’s so much more better-looking, richer, and has a more functional family than me.”

“So you’re giving up because of your stupid insecurities,” Tristan gritted through his teeth.

Jacy’s hazel eyes fell. “Don’t make it sound so bad.”

“Normally, I wouldn’t,” Tristan answered, peeling away from the wall, “but I’m making a point
of letting you know how stupid all of this is because you’re not the insecure type, Jacy. I’ve never seen this color on you before, baby, and frankly, I don’t like it.”

“Everyone is insecure, Tristan.”

“Not me,” Tristan replied, with a shake of his head. “I know exactly what I want, how to get it, and I know that I deserve it too. Nobody’s allowed to tell me otherwise.” He moved to the bedroom door and opened it.

“Where are you going?” Jacy asked with a sad look in her eyes.

“Out,” Tristan answered firmly. “I’d normally climb on top of you and knock some sense into you that way, but I’m a little pissed off right now, Jacy. I need to cool off, and I hope in that time, you realize how stupid all of your paranoia and insecurities are, darlin’.”

Without another word, Tristan slammed the door shut on Jacy.

****