Chapter 3CooperIt’s Saturday. Game day. And I’m stoked. It’s the first game of the season, and Coach has me on the roster as starting running back. I knew it was happening, but I’m suited up and ready to take the field. That makes it real. My parents, as well as Reese’s, are here. They’re all in the stands somewhere. Reese and her roommate, Tessa, are sitting with them. It’s nice to have them all here for the first game of my college career.
A loud laugh pulls me out of my thoughts. I look to my left to see Levi, all six foot six of him, staring at his phone with a smile on his face. “What’s so funny?”
“She’s a goofball,” he says, shaking his head.
“Who is?”
“Reese.”
“Reese? My Reese?” I ask. I’m shocked by his answer.
That stops his laughter as he turns to look at me. There’s a smirk on his face. “I thought she wasn’t yours?” His statement is a challenge.
“Of course, she’s mine,” I say, before adding, “She’s been my best friend since I was eight.”
“Just your best friend?” His stare is intense.
“Dude. We’ve talked about this. She’s my best friend. So why are you texting her?”
He shrugs. “We exchanged numbers last week at the bonfire.”
“She’s off-limits.”
“You just said she wasn’t yours.”
I inhale sharply. “She’s my best friend,” I repeat through gritted teeth.
“Okay?” He grins. “Is that what the cool kids are calling it these days?”
“Cut the shit.” I’m getting pissed, and that’s the last thing I need before taking the field. I need to focus.
He sobers up. “So, are you telling me that I can’t talk to her? That she and I can’t be friends?”
“She’s different,” I say, trying to remain calm on the outside while on the inside, I’m a raging bull. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to warn someone away from Reese. Hell, I’ve been doing it since we started high school. She deserves better than some player who’s not going to appreciate her.
“I can see it in your eyes, Reeves. You don’t know me, so stop judging me.”
“I know you. I am you,” I tell him.
“No.” He shakes his head, his face void of emotion. “You’re not me, rookie. You’re in the big leagues now, Reeves. This is college. You might have been able to pull that tough guy shit off back in your hometown, but things are different now. She’s not your girl, and you’re no longer the big man on campus.”
He’s right. I fucking hate it, but he’s right. “What did the text say?”
He throws his head back and laughs. “You want me to tell you about my private conversation with a friend?”
“My best friend.”
He shrugs. “Maybe she’s on her way to being my best friend too.”
“You’ve known her a week.”
“So, is there a timeline on these things? I mean, come on. If you weren’t being such a douche right now, I’d say the same for you.” He gives me a pointed look.
“I don’t want to see her get hurt. She deserves someone who knows she’s wife material.”
“Someone like yourself?”
“No. Not like me. But yes, I understand that about her.”
He watches me for a few seconds longer than is comfortable and turns his phone to show me his screen.Reese: Game Day: It’s all about the penetration.Her text is followed with a winking face emoji.Levi: I’m the master at penetration.This feeling, I know what it is, but I refuse to name it. It shouldn’t bother me that Reese is texting Levi. It shouldn’t bother me that I haven’t received a text message from her.
It shouldn’t, but it does.
I hate feeling this way, and I don’t know how to quell it. I don’t know how to stop feeling as if I have to protect her from everything and everyone. That’s just us. Cooper and Reese. That’s who we are, who I am. My phone vibrates on the bench beside me.Reese: Good luck today, Coop. I know you’re going to do great.It’s not a fun, flirty text like the one she sent Levi, but it’s mine. Already I can feel my shoulders relax, and the storm inside me begins to calm. She’s always had that effect on me. She’s the calm to the storm. My best friend. That’s one of the main reasons we can never be anything more. I could never risk losing her if we didn’t work out romantically. We kill it as best friends. It’s what we were meant to be.
“That her?” Levi asks.
Wanting to give him an olive branch, I turn my cell so he can read the screen. He nods, pats me on the back, and stands to walk away. I stare down at my phone, reading her message twice more, letting it calm me.Me: Thanks, Reese’s Pieces. See you after the game.Tossing my phone into my bag, I follow my team to the hallway. I’m about to take the field for the first time in my college career. My parents, my second parents, who are Reese’s, and my best friend are all here to watch me. That’s what’s important. Closing my eyes, I listen to the sounds of the stadium flow around me. My teammates are pumped, and the crowd is on fire if the noise is any indication. This is my life for the next four years.