Boys and Girls, Part I
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Romance › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
18
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4,461
Reviews:
22
Recommended:
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Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Romance › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
18
Views:
4,461
Reviews:
22
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 8 - Closer
****I'm going to begin adding chapter titles to the main story because I think it looks neater. Please review. I'm working on my next story as we speak, but I'm gonna be stingy with the chapters from this story until I see more reviews!****
Chapter 8 – Keeping the Distance
Jason nervously watched as Coach Watson looked over the plans he had begun working on the past weekend. They included some new plays that Jason had thought out with both Ryan and Joe and some new training regimens that he thought the team should utilize. It wasn’t much right now, but Jason hoped that Coach would appreciate the effort.
“Looks good, Kent.”
Jason smiled in satisfaction.
“But we’re not going to use it.”
Jason’s smile faded. “May I ask why Coach?”
Coach Watson sat back in his swivel chair, and regarded Jason like a father to his son. “Kent, I appreciate the work you’re putting into this, but this is simply not your problem.”
“I’m captain of the team, Coach, so I’ll have to disagree with that statement.”
“As captain, you did everything you could in that game against Grayson, son.”
“Obviously not, Sir, or that trophy would be here and not in Alabama.”
Coach Watson chuckled at Jason’s response, but his demeanor eventually turned a little more serious. He leaned forward in his chair, and he lowered his voice a little.
“Kent, you’re a very bright kid. You’re talented as hell out on the field. But, I’ve always had one complaint against you.”
“Coach?”
“You try to take on everything. You make everyone else’s responsibility your responsibility. But you know what, son? In the end, that amounts to nothing for the team. I need my quarterback to think like a quarterback and only like a quarterback for those four quarters. The second you start making things easier for your backs or your receivers or anyone else on that field, you sacrifice some of that quarterback mentality, and Kent, that is not what NMU signed you on for when they offered that full ride.”
Jason looked down. What Coach was saying made sense, but Jason knew what he was capable of. He could handle all that quarterback shit and more – no fuss…right?
“And now, you’re trying to be offensive coordinator, trainer…” Coach Watson began chuckling good-heartedly as his voice trailed off. He regarded Jason earnestly. “This is work that I can see you doing in twenty years, Kent – not now. Right now…I need you to be one hell of a quarterback. That’s the only way we win next year. As for all this…” he paused, referring to Jason’s plans, “you leave this to the guys upstairs, all right?”
Coach Watson got up from his seat, and Jason took that as his cue to get up as well. Coach patted Jason on the back and gave him a warm smile. Jason smiled too, but it was one of those fake smiles he had become so good at over the years at NMU. It was the smile he used when doing his best to suppress the disappointment he felt inside.
****
Delaney felt a little better. Sure, neither she or Lani were openly talking to each other yet, but the silence between them was no longer cold or tinged with bitterness. Delaney contemplated just coming out and apologizing to Lani for the things that she had said, but she chickened out each and every time the thought popped into her head.
The last time she’d seen Lani was before Lani had left for softball practice. Now that volleyball season was over, it was time for Lani’s other “hidden” talent. Delaney had said a meek “bye” to Lani, and Lani had responded with a meek wave. It was something, wasn’t it?
Delaney was in the middle of her homework when the telephone rang. She picked up the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Delaney? Hi, it’s Mom.”
Crap.
“Hi Mom.”
“How are you, honey?”
“Good. Couldn’t be better.”
“How’s school going?”
“Good.”
“Are you doing homework, sweetheart?”
“Uh, yeah Mom.” Delaney answered, a bit reluctantly.
“Which class?”
“Anthropology 331.”
“What major is that for?”
Oh shit. Here we go again.
“No major,” Delaney answered with a sigh. “I just thought it’d be a fun class to take.”
“Isn’t that…somewhat a waste of time, Delaney? I mean, to be taking a class you might not even need for your major.”
“Well, I may decide on a major that does require Anthro 331, Mom.”
“Like what?”
“Uh, anthropology.”
“Oh Delaney,” Mrs. Cameron uttered, clearly frustrated with her daughter. “that’s not a major, sweetheart.”
“Professor Waltham might be inclined to disagree with you, Mom.”
“What do anthropologists even do, dear?”
Delaney’s ire was rising, slowly but surely, “They study humanity, Mother.”
“Humanity? Why would they do that?”
A loud knock sounded at the door.
“So that we can understand why people behave the way they do in certain times and in certain cultures…like why American mothers constantly nag their college daughters,” Delaney gritted through her teeth.
“Delaney Sarah Cameron, don’t you dare –
“Someone’s at the door. I’ll call you later.” Delaney hung up and knew that she’d have hell to pay later. Oh well, she was still thankful that someone had the good sense to come a-knocking during that phone call from her mom. Delaney walked over to the entrance and opened the door.
It was Jason. He was clutching a large brown paper bag and looked as good as ever in a blue and red-striped rugby shirt and baggy jeans. His sneakers looked brand new, but Jason always looked so put together and neat that Delaney wouldn’t have been surprised if those shoes were actually several months old. Jason also smelled like Jason – that distinct after-shave mingled in with his own masculine scent.
“Hi,” Delaney said with a smile, a little surprised to see him standing at her door.
“Hi,” he answered, smiling. Delaney didn’t know if it was just her or not, but something about Jason’s smile at the moment was not right. He almost looked like he was forcing something. She willed herself to ignore it. Learning to read Jason Kent was not going to do her any good in the long run.
“Is…is Ailani home?”
Delaney’s smile faltered a little, “Sh-she’s at softball practice right now.”
“Oh,” he began, “then, would it be all right to come in?”
“S-sure,” Delaney answered, a little confused.
Jason walked in, and Delaney shut the door behind him. A distinct aroma left a trail in Jason’s wake; it came from the mystery brown paper bag.
As if he could read Delaney’s mind, Jason lifted the bag, “I thought you might be hungry.”
How sweet, Delaney thought. Hmm, maybe he wanted to eat with Lani though…maybe that’s why he asked if she was at home, and maybe he just thought up something on the spot to –
“I brought a dish for Lani, but I guess she’ll just have to eat it when she gets home,” Jason said.
Never mind.
Delaney cleared her homework from the kitchen table.
“Anthro 331?”
Delaney regarded Jason with surprise. “How’d you kn –
“One of the best classes I’ve ever taken. Too bad I couldn’t have waited until this semester to take it, right. We could’ve been in the same class.”
Yeah, too bad, Delaney thought. She walked into the kitchen and brought out some plates and some silverware.
“I hope you like Chinese food.”
“Only a fool wouldn’t,” Delaney answered.
That got a smile out of Jason.
As the two ate, Delaney vented to Jason about her mother. Jason tried hard not to laugh, which only made Delaney more irritated at her mom. He basically cleaned off every dish, to which Delaney couldn’t resist but poke fun at him for.
“You might want to slow down, Augustus Gloop.”
“I’ll be fine,” Jason responded cockily. Just to prove a point, he made a show of lifting up his shirt slightly and exposing his tan and sculpted abdominal muscles. He thought he was being funny, and Delaney laughed but was desperately trying not to swoon at the sight of his very chiseled abdominals.
After they finished eating, Jason volunteered to help Delaney wash dishes. She scrubbed, while he rinsed, and Delaney had to remind herself that she and Jason were not a couple, even though it seriously felt like they might be. Delaney excused herself, while Jason finished rinsing the dishes. She went to grab her books that she had merely dumped on the ground to clear way for the food and brought them into her room. She eventually dropped the books on the floor of her bedroom anyway and groped around for the light switch. As soon as the lights went on, Delaney looked at her wall clock. 6:15. Lani would be at practice until 7:00…so maybe she wouldn’t have to send Jason home right away.
“Jesus!” a stunned male voice said from Delaney’s doorway.
Delaney turned abruptly. Jason’s green eyes stared at her messy room in utter disbelief. “What?”
“Don’t tell me you live here. Where the hell do you sleep?”
“On my bed!” Delaney answered indignantly.
“Yeah, but where is it?”
“Shut up!”
Jason chuckled but remained clearly surprised at the squalor that passed as Delaney’s bedroom. He moved through the doorway and maneuvered his way through the piles of clothes and textbooks that lay scattered on her floor.
“Does Ailani know you live like this?” he asked.
“She supports this life style, as a matter-of-fact,” Delaney admitted proudly. “She says that as long as I clean up after myself out there, she doesn’t care how I live in here.”
“How…diplomatic,” Jason teased.
Delaney had to giggle at that. She went to give Jason a friendly punch in the arm, but as she leaned forward, she lost her footing on a few of the gazillion textbooks that lay haphazardly on her carpeted floor, and she stumbled straight into the wall known as Jason Kent.
Jason caught her by her arms just in time. “Careful.” The gesture was, of course, the chivalrous thing to do, but it lead to one little problem: it brought Delaney’s face within mere inches of Jason’s. And as he took one good look into her deep cerulean blue eyes, he realized one little thing…
He was fucked.
“J-Jason? Wh-what are you –
Jason Kent finally silenced Delaney Cameron
Chapter 8 – Keeping the Distance
Jason nervously watched as Coach Watson looked over the plans he had begun working on the past weekend. They included some new plays that Jason had thought out with both Ryan and Joe and some new training regimens that he thought the team should utilize. It wasn’t much right now, but Jason hoped that Coach would appreciate the effort.
“Looks good, Kent.”
Jason smiled in satisfaction.
“But we’re not going to use it.”
Jason’s smile faded. “May I ask why Coach?”
Coach Watson sat back in his swivel chair, and regarded Jason like a father to his son. “Kent, I appreciate the work you’re putting into this, but this is simply not your problem.”
“I’m captain of the team, Coach, so I’ll have to disagree with that statement.”
“As captain, you did everything you could in that game against Grayson, son.”
“Obviously not, Sir, or that trophy would be here and not in Alabama.”
Coach Watson chuckled at Jason’s response, but his demeanor eventually turned a little more serious. He leaned forward in his chair, and he lowered his voice a little.
“Kent, you’re a very bright kid. You’re talented as hell out on the field. But, I’ve always had one complaint against you.”
“Coach?”
“You try to take on everything. You make everyone else’s responsibility your responsibility. But you know what, son? In the end, that amounts to nothing for the team. I need my quarterback to think like a quarterback and only like a quarterback for those four quarters. The second you start making things easier for your backs or your receivers or anyone else on that field, you sacrifice some of that quarterback mentality, and Kent, that is not what NMU signed you on for when they offered that full ride.”
Jason looked down. What Coach was saying made sense, but Jason knew what he was capable of. He could handle all that quarterback shit and more – no fuss…right?
“And now, you’re trying to be offensive coordinator, trainer…” Coach Watson began chuckling good-heartedly as his voice trailed off. He regarded Jason earnestly. “This is work that I can see you doing in twenty years, Kent – not now. Right now…I need you to be one hell of a quarterback. That’s the only way we win next year. As for all this…” he paused, referring to Jason’s plans, “you leave this to the guys upstairs, all right?”
Coach Watson got up from his seat, and Jason took that as his cue to get up as well. Coach patted Jason on the back and gave him a warm smile. Jason smiled too, but it was one of those fake smiles he had become so good at over the years at NMU. It was the smile he used when doing his best to suppress the disappointment he felt inside.
****
Delaney felt a little better. Sure, neither she or Lani were openly talking to each other yet, but the silence between them was no longer cold or tinged with bitterness. Delaney contemplated just coming out and apologizing to Lani for the things that she had said, but she chickened out each and every time the thought popped into her head.
The last time she’d seen Lani was before Lani had left for softball practice. Now that volleyball season was over, it was time for Lani’s other “hidden” talent. Delaney had said a meek “bye” to Lani, and Lani had responded with a meek wave. It was something, wasn’t it?
Delaney was in the middle of her homework when the telephone rang. She picked up the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Delaney? Hi, it’s Mom.”
Crap.
“Hi Mom.”
“How are you, honey?”
“Good. Couldn’t be better.”
“How’s school going?”
“Good.”
“Are you doing homework, sweetheart?”
“Uh, yeah Mom.” Delaney answered, a bit reluctantly.
“Which class?”
“Anthropology 331.”
“What major is that for?”
Oh shit. Here we go again.
“No major,” Delaney answered with a sigh. “I just thought it’d be a fun class to take.”
“Isn’t that…somewhat a waste of time, Delaney? I mean, to be taking a class you might not even need for your major.”
“Well, I may decide on a major that does require Anthro 331, Mom.”
“Like what?”
“Uh, anthropology.”
“Oh Delaney,” Mrs. Cameron uttered, clearly frustrated with her daughter. “that’s not a major, sweetheart.”
“Professor Waltham might be inclined to disagree with you, Mom.”
“What do anthropologists even do, dear?”
Delaney’s ire was rising, slowly but surely, “They study humanity, Mother.”
“Humanity? Why would they do that?”
A loud knock sounded at the door.
“So that we can understand why people behave the way they do in certain times and in certain cultures…like why American mothers constantly nag their college daughters,” Delaney gritted through her teeth.
“Delaney Sarah Cameron, don’t you dare –
“Someone’s at the door. I’ll call you later.” Delaney hung up and knew that she’d have hell to pay later. Oh well, she was still thankful that someone had the good sense to come a-knocking during that phone call from her mom. Delaney walked over to the entrance and opened the door.
It was Jason. He was clutching a large brown paper bag and looked as good as ever in a blue and red-striped rugby shirt and baggy jeans. His sneakers looked brand new, but Jason always looked so put together and neat that Delaney wouldn’t have been surprised if those shoes were actually several months old. Jason also smelled like Jason – that distinct after-shave mingled in with his own masculine scent.
“Hi,” Delaney said with a smile, a little surprised to see him standing at her door.
“Hi,” he answered, smiling. Delaney didn’t know if it was just her or not, but something about Jason’s smile at the moment was not right. He almost looked like he was forcing something. She willed herself to ignore it. Learning to read Jason Kent was not going to do her any good in the long run.
“Is…is Ailani home?”
Delaney’s smile faltered a little, “Sh-she’s at softball practice right now.”
“Oh,” he began, “then, would it be all right to come in?”
“S-sure,” Delaney answered, a little confused.
Jason walked in, and Delaney shut the door behind him. A distinct aroma left a trail in Jason’s wake; it came from the mystery brown paper bag.
As if he could read Delaney’s mind, Jason lifted the bag, “I thought you might be hungry.”
How sweet, Delaney thought. Hmm, maybe he wanted to eat with Lani though…maybe that’s why he asked if she was at home, and maybe he just thought up something on the spot to –
“I brought a dish for Lani, but I guess she’ll just have to eat it when she gets home,” Jason said.
Never mind.
Delaney cleared her homework from the kitchen table.
“Anthro 331?”
Delaney regarded Jason with surprise. “How’d you kn –
“One of the best classes I’ve ever taken. Too bad I couldn’t have waited until this semester to take it, right. We could’ve been in the same class.”
Yeah, too bad, Delaney thought. She walked into the kitchen and brought out some plates and some silverware.
“I hope you like Chinese food.”
“Only a fool wouldn’t,” Delaney answered.
That got a smile out of Jason.
As the two ate, Delaney vented to Jason about her mother. Jason tried hard not to laugh, which only made Delaney more irritated at her mom. He basically cleaned off every dish, to which Delaney couldn’t resist but poke fun at him for.
“You might want to slow down, Augustus Gloop.”
“I’ll be fine,” Jason responded cockily. Just to prove a point, he made a show of lifting up his shirt slightly and exposing his tan and sculpted abdominal muscles. He thought he was being funny, and Delaney laughed but was desperately trying not to swoon at the sight of his very chiseled abdominals.
After they finished eating, Jason volunteered to help Delaney wash dishes. She scrubbed, while he rinsed, and Delaney had to remind herself that she and Jason were not a couple, even though it seriously felt like they might be. Delaney excused herself, while Jason finished rinsing the dishes. She went to grab her books that she had merely dumped on the ground to clear way for the food and brought them into her room. She eventually dropped the books on the floor of her bedroom anyway and groped around for the light switch. As soon as the lights went on, Delaney looked at her wall clock. 6:15. Lani would be at practice until 7:00…so maybe she wouldn’t have to send Jason home right away.
“Jesus!” a stunned male voice said from Delaney’s doorway.
Delaney turned abruptly. Jason’s green eyes stared at her messy room in utter disbelief. “What?”
“Don’t tell me you live here. Where the hell do you sleep?”
“On my bed!” Delaney answered indignantly.
“Yeah, but where is it?”
“Shut up!”
Jason chuckled but remained clearly surprised at the squalor that passed as Delaney’s bedroom. He moved through the doorway and maneuvered his way through the piles of clothes and textbooks that lay scattered on her floor.
“Does Ailani know you live like this?” he asked.
“She supports this life style, as a matter-of-fact,” Delaney admitted proudly. “She says that as long as I clean up after myself out there, she doesn’t care how I live in here.”
“How…diplomatic,” Jason teased.
Delaney had to giggle at that. She went to give Jason a friendly punch in the arm, but as she leaned forward, she lost her footing on a few of the gazillion textbooks that lay haphazardly on her carpeted floor, and she stumbled straight into the wall known as Jason Kent.
Jason caught her by her arms just in time. “Careful.” The gesture was, of course, the chivalrous thing to do, but it lead to one little problem: it brought Delaney’s face within mere inches of Jason’s. And as he took one good look into her deep cerulean blue eyes, he realized one little thing…
He was fucked.
“J-Jason? Wh-what are you –
Jason Kent finally silenced Delaney Cameron