“Yeah, just about to put it on and go see her. It will piss coach off, but whatever.”
“All right, I’ll see you in the locker room.” I nod as Mason walks away, unable to take my eyes off my girl. She throws her head back with laughter, her smile bright and happy. I take one last look at her before the rest of the team comes out. I slip my helmet on and run out last. I purposely stop before I get to her and take off my helmet, sneaking up behind her.
“Hey beautiful,” I say, picking her up and spinning her around. She squeals, but laughs so I know she likes it. I set her down on the ground and face her. I watch her eyes as she takes in what’s on my face.
“You know you’re wearing the name ‘Jo’ on your face?”
“Of course I know. It says Jojo.”
“Yes it does.” She laughs, covering her face.
I pull her closer, kissing her deeply in front of everyone. The coach has a strict ‘no fraternization with the cheerleaders on the field’ policy, but I don’t care.
“I love Jojo more than anything,” I profess against her lips.
“You do, huh? Should I be worried?”
I shake my head, holding her face in my hands. “You’re my Jojo. Just mine,” I kiss her again before I turn and run toward the field leaving her on the sidelines ready to cheer for me.
I stop and turn, catching her ogling my ass. I smile and yell, “Hey, Jojo.”
“Yeah?” she yells back.
“I’m going to marry you someday.” Her mouth drops open and her eyes go wide. I wink before pulling the helmet onto my head and run out to meet the rest of the team. I know I’m young and just committed myself for life, but it feels like the first right thing I’ve done all year.
Chapter 5
I’m twenty-one; at least that’s what my driver’s license is telling the clerk at the store outside of Beaumont. Her attention flicks between me and my license as she inspects it, before she hands it back to me, seemingly satisfied that I’m legal. This is all a game to her. We do this every Friday night and sometimes Saturday. Each week it’s the same silent stare down as she pretends to calculate my birthday in her head.
She doesn’t tell me the total, she just holds out her hand for the cash. I hand her the wad that was waiting for me after the game and smile. She shakes her head as she bags up the cases of beer.
“Are you ever going to tell me your name so I can thank you properly?”
“Nah. I don’t know you and you don’t know me. This way when you get busted I can deny everything.”
I nod and gather the four bags that she’s given me to hide the beer. No one needs to fill me in on the consequences I’d suffer if I got caught; it’s the reason I volunteer. I want to see just how far this town is willing to go to protect their golden boy. How far will Sterling go to make sure the local police turn a blind eye? I have a feeling I could rob a bank and would walk out of the police station with nothing but a slap on the wrist. Sterling Westbury owns this town and it disgusts me.
I set the bags in the back and hop into my truck. It’s the only thing I own, besides my guitar, that’s mine. No, that’s not even correct. Sterling owns this truck, because I’m too young to have any assets of value. He just wants me under this thumb, wants me to be dependent on him. I am. I don’t have a choice. I’m a two-sport varsity athlete. I could quit playing baseball and get a job, but my father won’t let me. No one is going to hire me to work during the winter and summer. That doesn’t make me very dependable. He likes to monitor my cash flow and I know he hates that I spend the m
ajority of it on Josie. Knowing that pisses him off just means I’m going to spend more.
I pull into the field where our water tower is located. Only a few cars and trucks are lined up, most with their lights on to give us enough light to party. Music is low so people can talk without yelling and a bonfire has been started. I see a few couples walking off into the dark. No need to try to figure out what they’re going to do. From the looks it, we’ll be here a while. Normally I wouldn’t care, but I need some time with Josie. I have this ache that I can’t describe, but know that she’s the reason for it.
The second I throw my truck into park, Mason is there to get the beer. He pulls a bottle out, pops the top and downs the beer before I’m even out of the truck. Like I said, it’s going to be a long night. He had a good game, but it wasn’t enough to make much headway on his goal. Their defense was constantly blitzing and my offensive line kept missing tackle assignments. I’m lucky my ass didn’t get sacked a few times. The constant blitzing was enough to keep me on my toes.
My passes were weak and not as hard as they should be and Mason’s running game was only as good as the blockers allowed. It took him a while to find his groove. I can’t make too many excuses, everyone had a bad game and we won so I should be happy, but it’s not enough. It’s not enough for Mason or Sterling. Both have goals that I need to meet.
I grab a beer out of the bag before Mason takes off with them and look for Josie. It doesn’t take me long to find her. I can find her in any crowd. That’s how well I know her. Her presence makes the hair on my neck stand up. My body tingles when she’s looking at me. I don’t pretend to understand how love works, but I feel it. She’s in my bones. I need her to survive. I have no doubt when I’m on the field and she’s in the stands I’ll know exactly where she is. I know I’ll be able to look into the crowd and see her, feel her watching me.
In my Home Economics class we were asked to write a paper about what we’d be if our goals were different. As I looked around my class I saw people who didn’t have a clue about what they wanted to do once they graduated. I mean, seriously, we’re seventeen/eighteen years old and we’re told from the time we enter high school to start thinking about our future. What if you don’t know? What if you make it to your senior year and haven’t figured it out yet? Where do you go? What do you do?
These are the questions that I have and don’t know the answer to. I don’t need to, technically. My path is chosen. I’ve worked hard to get where I am and now it’s just a matter of waiting for the right offer to come in. Nothing but the best for Liam Westbury, that’s the motto I’ve lived by. I’ll have my pick of all the top schools that want to provide me with a stellar education. And all they want from me is to run their offense and win. I’ll do my four years and enter the NFL draft. Once I’m drafted, I’m asking Josie to marry me. I want her to finish college and make sure that my path is her path as well. I’m all she’s known. My fear is that she gets to college and meets someone else and realizes I’m not the man she wants. She could find someone whose parents accept her for who she is and not by the amount of zeros that are in her bank account. What if I don’t want to play football in college and become a number cruncher?
As much as I want to go to her and take her away from her friends, I don’t. I climb the ladder leading to the top. This tower has been here for years, but no one knows if it’s still working. As soon as I could drive we started coming here. At first it was just me so I could get away from Sterling. Then I brought Mason and a few of the other guys. The next time I brought Josie here.
I sit down next to Mason and heave my beer bottle over the edge, watching it fly down to my truck and shattering in the back.
“I love that sound.”