Boys and Girls, Part III: Can't Stay Away
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Romance › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
16
Views:
5,079
Reviews:
27
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Romance › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
16
Views:
5,079
Reviews:
27
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Chapter 3 - The Harder They Fall
Chapter 3 – The Harder They Fall
The sun beat down harshly anywhere during the month of August, but it was especially killer in Southern California. Sweat streamed down the faces of the NMU football players as they ran plays and completed obstacle courses to improve speed and agility.
This was the second practice of the day, and even Joe – who had an uncanny ability to stay on his feet for an inhuman period of time – looked exhausted. Jason’s arm was sore. Ryan’s legs hurt, and he continually dropped passes.
The fact that Tristan Carter kept catching balls, even though he was also clearly tired, did not bode well for Ryan. It showed the coaches that Carter might be able to persist even in the most disadvantageous circumstances.
Jason hurled the pigskin another time, and Ryan ran a corner route. Again, the ball slipped through his hands. He swore out loud and kicked at the ground in frustration.
“Catch the damn ball!” he heard the receivers’ coach call from the side.
Carter was instructed to run the identical route. He stumbled slightly but managed to catch the ball gracefully anyway.
Ryan scowled. What the fuck?
As Carter walked past Ryan, carrying the football in his hands, he arched his eyebrows in a manner meant to provoke. Ryan willed himself to ignore the taunt and keep playing.
****
Ryan wiped at the sweat that just would not seem to cease falling down his face as practice entered its third and final hour. It was a mistake, but Ryan was thinking about taking an ice-cold shower and wolfing down three Hungry Man dinners before retiring early this evening. He was so tired, and he knew how much of today’s practice he’d already managed to fuck up. He was so beyond trying to salvage today, that he was ready to throw the towel in and let Pretty Boy have his day.
By now, the offense and defense were prepared to run a few plays. Both sides were tired, so Ryan wasn’t even worried about taking a hit. He figured the defense was just as beat as the offense was. He heard Jason call a play from the line of scrimmage, and Ryan ran another corner route. Jason opted to throw the pass toward Tristan who had somehow managed to make it halfway to the end zone. He outran the defenders and triumphantly entered the end zone, even though he was supposed to be fatigued.
Son-of-a-bitch, Ryan thought, this asshole is fast.
The teams gathered at the line of scrimmage again.
And again.
And again.
Pass to Carter. Let Roy run the ball. Scramble and get the down. In each of the subsequent plays, the defense had prevented Ryan from receiving the ball; that was because they knew him and his moves. The defense had nothing on Tristan Carter.
Fuck! Ryan was growing more and more frustrated. The heat was killing him, and Tristan Carter was pissing him off for fuck’s sake.
Before the offense lined up again, Ryan poked Jason on the arm. “Give me the ball, Jase.”
Jason regarded Ryan sympathetically. “I’m trying, man.”
Ryan shook his head before lining up in formation. Jason called out the play, and Ryan sprinted in a fly route toward the end zone. He met Jason’s eyes and urged him to throw it. Jason hesitated before finally hurling the ball straight toward where Ryan was.
He caught the ball. It was the damndest thing. Practice would end soon, and wouldn’t it be just perfect for a horrible day to end so nicely?
Well almost.
As Ryan landed, he lost his footing on a section of dirt that was inconsistent with the rest of the field. The lump in the ground completely threw Ryan off balance, and he fell.
Hard.
Ryan’s landing was punctuated by a ominous “pop” that seemed to be coming from around his right knee. He stared, horrified, at the almost unnatural twist of his leg, and a terrible realization dawned on him.
He couldn’t get up.
****
Ryan couldn’t hear everything the doctor was saying just outside his hospital room, but he caught segments of the speech here and there as the doc spoke with Coach Watson.
“…requires surgery…unable to play…”
Yep, he’d caught the most important parts of Doc’s speech. Ryan sat up in his bed. His leg was currently propped up on a sling. He’d been in and out of radiology the entire evening, and he was on a lot of pain meds. Surprisingly, Ryan remained pretty lucid.
The sound of Dr. Lewis’s footsteps walking away could be heard. The door slightly opened, and Coach Watson walked in with a serious expression on his face.
“How you feeling, son?”
“Fine, Coach,” Ryan lied. “I feel like I’ll be up and ready by tomorrow sir.”
Coach Watson couldn’t help laughing. “Is that so? Dr. Lewis doesn’t seem to think so.”
Ryan faltered. “Well, maybe the Doctor just wants to see USC whip our asses again this year,” Ryan joked, even though his heart wasn’t fully into it.
Coach Watson smiled but regarded Ryan with the utmost sincerity. “He doesn’t think you’ll be able to play Mackey.
Ryan swallowed the lump that was beginning to form in his throat. That was exactly what he did not want to hear. “I’m off the team then?”
“No, you’re still on our team, Mackey. But until we notice some definite improvement, you’ll be on IR.”
“And Carter’s taking over?” Ryan ventured, unable to meet the Coach’s eyes.
“We’d be stupid not to use him,” Coach Watson admitted.
Ryan’s eyes closed in anguish. “What about the draft, Coach?”
Even though his eyes were closed, Ryan could still hear the Coach sigh. “Honestly…I don’t know, Mackey.” Coach Watson pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’d like for you to be taken top ten, first round…but this injury will make it…difficult.”
“When will I get back on the field, Coach?”
A long, uneasy pause followed Ryan’s question, and he was afraid he knew the answer before Coach Watson finally responded.
“Not before the end of the school year, Mackey.”
Ryan sighed in frustration as he realized how terribly dim his future now seemed.
****
“Jesus Christ.”
Ryan winced at Joe’s reaction to his beat-up knee. Ryan hated looking like a total invalid in front of his friends, but what could he really do? Jason, Delaney, Joe, Stephanie, and Jacy stood in his room, taking in the bad news. Lani hadn’t heard anything, as she was at volleyball practice.
“Goddamn groundskeeper needs to get his ass fired,” Joe gritted through his teeth.
“No, man,” Ryan admitted. “I wasn’t watching where I was going. It was my fault.”
Delaney looked crestfallen. “When’s surgery?”
“It’s scheduled for this Saturday. I’m going to miss the first few days of class…and then some.”
“We’ll bring your homework,” Jason offered.
“What’s the point?” Ryan asked. “I’m screwed without football anyway.”
“Still…” Jason persisted. “You need to do things to take your mind off of that.”
It was true, yet Ryan didn’t want to admit it.
“Coach is starting Carter. Isn’t that just fan-tastic?” Ryan sneered sarcastically.
Jason and Joe regarded Ryan sympathetically.
“We won’t make it easy on him, Ry,” Jason promised.
“Yeah you will,” Ryan retorted. “Because you want to win. And you know what, Jase? You should win, cause you still have a chance at the draft.”
Ryan’s words were meant to be encouraging, but instead, they seemed to create guilt in Jason and Joe, even if Joe wasn’t even considering entering the draft.
Jason turned to the others and gave them a look that prompted them to leave. One by one, they filed out. Jacy was the last to go; she quietly shut the door behind her. Jason grabbed a chair next to the bed and sat. He bent forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.
“I’m sorry, Ryan,” Jason uttered, his voice tinged with regret.
“For what?” Ryan asked, his gray eyes flashing impatience.
“If it wasn’t for me, you’d already be playing pro ball.”
Ryan shook his head. “I told you, man – it was my fault. I was the one who lost my balance, and –
“That’s not what I’m talking about Ry, and you know it,” Jason interrupted. “You were ready to be drafted after junior year, and I made you stay on, remember?”
Yeah, Ryan remembered. But what was the point in blaming Jason for any of this? It wouldn’t change anything; it would just create more bitterness in Ryan, and he was already pissed off as it was.
“Forget it, Jase. It doesn’t matter.”
“I’m gonna win for you, Ryan.”
Ryan laughed bitterly. “Cut the bullshit, Kent. You’re gonna win for yourself.”
Jason’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t be a shithead, Ryan. This is tough on me too.”
“Oh really?” Ryan asked in disbelief. “And how is that?”
“Because if we win, I feel like I’m screwing you over, but if we lose, then I’m screwing over everyone else!”
“I’m not asking you to lose, Jase!”
“But you’re not telling me to win either!” Jason shouted, abruptly rising from his seat.
The outburst was immediately followed by a long silence. Jason took a few deep breaths, and ran a shaky hand through his light brown hair. “Look, man…I won’t lose. Yes, because I want our team to do well, and I want to do well in the draft so that I can provide for my fiancée and the family that I hope to start with her some day. But…” He looked Ryan straight in the eye. “If I deliberately didn’t give 100% to the team and didn’t try my best…it would be disrespectful to the other guys on that team, Ryan. I’d be disrespecting guys like Joe and Troy. I’d be disrespecting Coach Watson. I’d be disrespecting the Hawk fans. But most importantly, I’d be disrespecting you, Ryan. If I didn’t give this year my very best, I’d be pissing all over the hard work that you’ve contributed to this team, and that just does not work for me, man. So I don’t care if you believe me or not, but I am going to win for you as well.”
Ryan couldn’t bring himself to smile, but he still believed what his best friend was saying. How could he hope his team would lose? Maybe if they lost, it would prove that they couldn’t do it without him, but really, they hadn’t won with him either, so the source of his current irritation was fundamentally unsound.
“All right,” Ryan answered firmly. “You do what you have to do, Captain.”
The statement was uttered in all sincerity, and Jason realized that. He flashed a subtle smile in Ryan’s direction before extending his hand. Ryan accepted, and they shook on it. Jason turned to leave when Ryan called him one last time.
“Jason!”
Jason spun around. “Yeah?”
“Do me one favor, man.”
“Anything.”
“Just send Carter a reminder that he is the new guy on the team, and treat him accordingly,” Ryan requested with a sly arch of his eyebrow.
Jason smirked. “You got it.”
****
“Are you kidding me?” Lani asked in shock.
“I’m for real,” Jacy answered. “He’s done.”
Lani straightened in her seat in response to the news of Ryan’s unfortunate injury. She had just returned from volleyball practice, and Hunter was already asleep. Jacy had come a-knocking a little later than was proper etiquette, but this was breaking news.
“He’s not a happy guy,” Jacy added. “He kind of snapped at Jason.”
“I’d be pissed too,” Lani answered. “Not at Jason,” she added, “but I’d definitely be pissed in general.”
“We’re all going to visit him off and on, and we’ve also got to bring his homework to him. He’ll be at the hospital for at least two weeks.”
“Oh, well, I’ll definitely help out,” Lani offered.
Jacy stopped and gave Lani the oddest of stares before standing to leave. Lani swore she heard something from Jacy’s mouth akin to “I’m sure you will.”
“Did you say something?” Lani asked.
“I said ‘I’ll tell everyone you will’…you know, visit Ryan at the hospital,” Jacy responded a little too conveniently.
Lani regarded Jacy skeptically as Jacy got up to leave. After the latter had gone, Lani took a deep breath and realized that spending some quality time with Ryan might be a good thing. Maybe their friendship could be rekindled. Maybe Lani could bring Hunter, and the three of them could have a gay old time.
Or maybe Ryan would rather watch grass grow.
****
A/N: Doesn't that just suck all for Ryan? Anyway, in case you guys haven't checked on my reviews, I was just wondering if anybody had any questions on the characters themselves or whatever. Just let me know, and NO...I will not share spoilers!
The sun beat down harshly anywhere during the month of August, but it was especially killer in Southern California. Sweat streamed down the faces of the NMU football players as they ran plays and completed obstacle courses to improve speed and agility.
This was the second practice of the day, and even Joe – who had an uncanny ability to stay on his feet for an inhuman period of time – looked exhausted. Jason’s arm was sore. Ryan’s legs hurt, and he continually dropped passes.
The fact that Tristan Carter kept catching balls, even though he was also clearly tired, did not bode well for Ryan. It showed the coaches that Carter might be able to persist even in the most disadvantageous circumstances.
Jason hurled the pigskin another time, and Ryan ran a corner route. Again, the ball slipped through his hands. He swore out loud and kicked at the ground in frustration.
“Catch the damn ball!” he heard the receivers’ coach call from the side.
Carter was instructed to run the identical route. He stumbled slightly but managed to catch the ball gracefully anyway.
Ryan scowled. What the fuck?
As Carter walked past Ryan, carrying the football in his hands, he arched his eyebrows in a manner meant to provoke. Ryan willed himself to ignore the taunt and keep playing.
****
Ryan wiped at the sweat that just would not seem to cease falling down his face as practice entered its third and final hour. It was a mistake, but Ryan was thinking about taking an ice-cold shower and wolfing down three Hungry Man dinners before retiring early this evening. He was so tired, and he knew how much of today’s practice he’d already managed to fuck up. He was so beyond trying to salvage today, that he was ready to throw the towel in and let Pretty Boy have his day.
By now, the offense and defense were prepared to run a few plays. Both sides were tired, so Ryan wasn’t even worried about taking a hit. He figured the defense was just as beat as the offense was. He heard Jason call a play from the line of scrimmage, and Ryan ran another corner route. Jason opted to throw the pass toward Tristan who had somehow managed to make it halfway to the end zone. He outran the defenders and triumphantly entered the end zone, even though he was supposed to be fatigued.
Son-of-a-bitch, Ryan thought, this asshole is fast.
The teams gathered at the line of scrimmage again.
And again.
And again.
Pass to Carter. Let Roy run the ball. Scramble and get the down. In each of the subsequent plays, the defense had prevented Ryan from receiving the ball; that was because they knew him and his moves. The defense had nothing on Tristan Carter.
Fuck! Ryan was growing more and more frustrated. The heat was killing him, and Tristan Carter was pissing him off for fuck’s sake.
Before the offense lined up again, Ryan poked Jason on the arm. “Give me the ball, Jase.”
Jason regarded Ryan sympathetically. “I’m trying, man.”
Ryan shook his head before lining up in formation. Jason called out the play, and Ryan sprinted in a fly route toward the end zone. He met Jason’s eyes and urged him to throw it. Jason hesitated before finally hurling the ball straight toward where Ryan was.
He caught the ball. It was the damndest thing. Practice would end soon, and wouldn’t it be just perfect for a horrible day to end so nicely?
Well almost.
As Ryan landed, he lost his footing on a section of dirt that was inconsistent with the rest of the field. The lump in the ground completely threw Ryan off balance, and he fell.
Hard.
Ryan’s landing was punctuated by a ominous “pop” that seemed to be coming from around his right knee. He stared, horrified, at the almost unnatural twist of his leg, and a terrible realization dawned on him.
He couldn’t get up.
****
Ryan couldn’t hear everything the doctor was saying just outside his hospital room, but he caught segments of the speech here and there as the doc spoke with Coach Watson.
“…requires surgery…unable to play…”
Yep, he’d caught the most important parts of Doc’s speech. Ryan sat up in his bed. His leg was currently propped up on a sling. He’d been in and out of radiology the entire evening, and he was on a lot of pain meds. Surprisingly, Ryan remained pretty lucid.
The sound of Dr. Lewis’s footsteps walking away could be heard. The door slightly opened, and Coach Watson walked in with a serious expression on his face.
“How you feeling, son?”
“Fine, Coach,” Ryan lied. “I feel like I’ll be up and ready by tomorrow sir.”
Coach Watson couldn’t help laughing. “Is that so? Dr. Lewis doesn’t seem to think so.”
Ryan faltered. “Well, maybe the Doctor just wants to see USC whip our asses again this year,” Ryan joked, even though his heart wasn’t fully into it.
Coach Watson smiled but regarded Ryan with the utmost sincerity. “He doesn’t think you’ll be able to play Mackey.
Ryan swallowed the lump that was beginning to form in his throat. That was exactly what he did not want to hear. “I’m off the team then?”
“No, you’re still on our team, Mackey. But until we notice some definite improvement, you’ll be on IR.”
“And Carter’s taking over?” Ryan ventured, unable to meet the Coach’s eyes.
“We’d be stupid not to use him,” Coach Watson admitted.
Ryan’s eyes closed in anguish. “What about the draft, Coach?”
Even though his eyes were closed, Ryan could still hear the Coach sigh. “Honestly…I don’t know, Mackey.” Coach Watson pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’d like for you to be taken top ten, first round…but this injury will make it…difficult.”
“When will I get back on the field, Coach?”
A long, uneasy pause followed Ryan’s question, and he was afraid he knew the answer before Coach Watson finally responded.
“Not before the end of the school year, Mackey.”
Ryan sighed in frustration as he realized how terribly dim his future now seemed.
****
“Jesus Christ.”
Ryan winced at Joe’s reaction to his beat-up knee. Ryan hated looking like a total invalid in front of his friends, but what could he really do? Jason, Delaney, Joe, Stephanie, and Jacy stood in his room, taking in the bad news. Lani hadn’t heard anything, as she was at volleyball practice.
“Goddamn groundskeeper needs to get his ass fired,” Joe gritted through his teeth.
“No, man,” Ryan admitted. “I wasn’t watching where I was going. It was my fault.”
Delaney looked crestfallen. “When’s surgery?”
“It’s scheduled for this Saturday. I’m going to miss the first few days of class…and then some.”
“We’ll bring your homework,” Jason offered.
“What’s the point?” Ryan asked. “I’m screwed without football anyway.”
“Still…” Jason persisted. “You need to do things to take your mind off of that.”
It was true, yet Ryan didn’t want to admit it.
“Coach is starting Carter. Isn’t that just fan-tastic?” Ryan sneered sarcastically.
Jason and Joe regarded Ryan sympathetically.
“We won’t make it easy on him, Ry,” Jason promised.
“Yeah you will,” Ryan retorted. “Because you want to win. And you know what, Jase? You should win, cause you still have a chance at the draft.”
Ryan’s words were meant to be encouraging, but instead, they seemed to create guilt in Jason and Joe, even if Joe wasn’t even considering entering the draft.
Jason turned to the others and gave them a look that prompted them to leave. One by one, they filed out. Jacy was the last to go; she quietly shut the door behind her. Jason grabbed a chair next to the bed and sat. He bent forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.
“I’m sorry, Ryan,” Jason uttered, his voice tinged with regret.
“For what?” Ryan asked, his gray eyes flashing impatience.
“If it wasn’t for me, you’d already be playing pro ball.”
Ryan shook his head. “I told you, man – it was my fault. I was the one who lost my balance, and –
“That’s not what I’m talking about Ry, and you know it,” Jason interrupted. “You were ready to be drafted after junior year, and I made you stay on, remember?”
Yeah, Ryan remembered. But what was the point in blaming Jason for any of this? It wouldn’t change anything; it would just create more bitterness in Ryan, and he was already pissed off as it was.
“Forget it, Jase. It doesn’t matter.”
“I’m gonna win for you, Ryan.”
Ryan laughed bitterly. “Cut the bullshit, Kent. You’re gonna win for yourself.”
Jason’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t be a shithead, Ryan. This is tough on me too.”
“Oh really?” Ryan asked in disbelief. “And how is that?”
“Because if we win, I feel like I’m screwing you over, but if we lose, then I’m screwing over everyone else!”
“I’m not asking you to lose, Jase!”
“But you’re not telling me to win either!” Jason shouted, abruptly rising from his seat.
The outburst was immediately followed by a long silence. Jason took a few deep breaths, and ran a shaky hand through his light brown hair. “Look, man…I won’t lose. Yes, because I want our team to do well, and I want to do well in the draft so that I can provide for my fiancée and the family that I hope to start with her some day. But…” He looked Ryan straight in the eye. “If I deliberately didn’t give 100% to the team and didn’t try my best…it would be disrespectful to the other guys on that team, Ryan. I’d be disrespecting guys like Joe and Troy. I’d be disrespecting Coach Watson. I’d be disrespecting the Hawk fans. But most importantly, I’d be disrespecting you, Ryan. If I didn’t give this year my very best, I’d be pissing all over the hard work that you’ve contributed to this team, and that just does not work for me, man. So I don’t care if you believe me or not, but I am going to win for you as well.”
Ryan couldn’t bring himself to smile, but he still believed what his best friend was saying. How could he hope his team would lose? Maybe if they lost, it would prove that they couldn’t do it without him, but really, they hadn’t won with him either, so the source of his current irritation was fundamentally unsound.
“All right,” Ryan answered firmly. “You do what you have to do, Captain.”
The statement was uttered in all sincerity, and Jason realized that. He flashed a subtle smile in Ryan’s direction before extending his hand. Ryan accepted, and they shook on it. Jason turned to leave when Ryan called him one last time.
“Jason!”
Jason spun around. “Yeah?”
“Do me one favor, man.”
“Anything.”
“Just send Carter a reminder that he is the new guy on the team, and treat him accordingly,” Ryan requested with a sly arch of his eyebrow.
Jason smirked. “You got it.”
****
“Are you kidding me?” Lani asked in shock.
“I’m for real,” Jacy answered. “He’s done.”
Lani straightened in her seat in response to the news of Ryan’s unfortunate injury. She had just returned from volleyball practice, and Hunter was already asleep. Jacy had come a-knocking a little later than was proper etiquette, but this was breaking news.
“He’s not a happy guy,” Jacy added. “He kind of snapped at Jason.”
“I’d be pissed too,” Lani answered. “Not at Jason,” she added, “but I’d definitely be pissed in general.”
“We’re all going to visit him off and on, and we’ve also got to bring his homework to him. He’ll be at the hospital for at least two weeks.”
“Oh, well, I’ll definitely help out,” Lani offered.
Jacy stopped and gave Lani the oddest of stares before standing to leave. Lani swore she heard something from Jacy’s mouth akin to “I’m sure you will.”
“Did you say something?” Lani asked.
“I said ‘I’ll tell everyone you will’…you know, visit Ryan at the hospital,” Jacy responded a little too conveniently.
Lani regarded Jacy skeptically as Jacy got up to leave. After the latter had gone, Lani took a deep breath and realized that spending some quality time with Ryan might be a good thing. Maybe their friendship could be rekindled. Maybe Lani could bring Hunter, and the three of them could have a gay old time.
Or maybe Ryan would rather watch grass grow.
****
A/N: Doesn't that just suck all for Ryan? Anyway, in case you guys haven't checked on my reviews, I was just wondering if anybody had any questions on the characters themselves or whatever. Just let me know, and NO...I will not share spoilers!