Second Chance: A Military Football Romance

"They don't talk back? What the hell does that mean?" I paused by the only elevator in our apartment complex, preparing for a long wait as per usual.

"Guys talk to my chest when I wear normal clothes. My

boobs don't talk back. I need to get a shirt made that says that."

"I almost feel giddy for the man that actually catches your eye and means enough to pull your clothes off for. He's going to feel like he just uncovered buried treasure," I laughed as she pushed at me.

"You're jealous."

"Of course, I am. You're insanely hot and yet you hide yourself behind all those clothes. It makes no sense to me, but I support whatever makes you comfortable." I got into the elevator to find it empty. The apocalypse must have been coming; it was usually packed with people, most of whom were frat boys who didn't seem to think personal space existed.

"No, you don't, but whatever. Your peer pressure might work on Cindy and Dedra, but I'm immune to it. I've been fighting it my whole life."

I let out a soft gasp. "Me? Peer pressuring someone? Next, you'll be calling me bossy."

"You? Never," She rolled her eyes and held the door for me.

"I can't help it, and you know it. You've met my father, right? If he wants his way, all else be damned." I tugged my suitcase out into the hallway and nodded at a hot guy walking toward us. I turned my head to check him out as he passed, only to find him doing the same.

"I thought you swore off men." Emily bumped her suitcase against mine.

"Just blonds. He had brown hair." I winked and moved down the sidewalk, letting out a groan. "Why is Arizona so hot during the summer?"

"At least it's dry heat." Her tone was pinched.

"Alright, what's up?" I popped the trunk and lugged my bag into the back of the car. My parents had outdone themselves with my new BMW for graduation, and where I wanted to think it was for doing a great job, I knew better. Nothing came from my father without strings attached. It was an incentive to keep going. My business degree was great and a good start, but pre-law was next. No matter how much I abhorred the idea of it.

"Nothing. I'm just worried about you." She lugged her bag into the back. Her shirt pulled tight, and I could make out her curves. She was perfect, and yet her jacked up sense of self-preservation left her hiding all the time.

She hides behind clothes, and I hide behind false importance.

"Don't worry about me, Emily. I'm good. Brandon is in the rearview mirror — long gone." I shrugged and closed the trunk. "Let's stop talking about the past and start living in the future."

"How about we live in the present?" She glanced at me over the top of the car. "You sure you're good with me driving?"

"Yep. You wreck it and you get to talk to my dad."

"Oh, hell no." She tossed the keys over the hood, and I jumped up to catch them.

"I was kidding." I watched her as she walked around the car.

"Yeah, well, just in case you're not. I'm not looking for any reason to talk to your dad. He's the only guy in the world I think has the ability to make someone feel stupid before even entering the room he's in."

I moved around to the driver's side door and opened it, getting in and buckling up. "You should try living with him. College has been a dream come true." Nostalgia rolled over me as I glanced up the road to see the signs for Arizona State. "I love this place. I'm going to miss it."

"Not me. I'm going to start my master’s in the fall and before I know it, I'll be teaching in the science department. I'm never leaving." She settled in before turning around to look in the back seat.

"Lucky." I turned to see what she was up to before starting the car. "The snacks are in the back of the car."

"Why? That's not gonna help us when we're starving in ten minutes." She got out and moved to the back as I popped the trunk.

I was leaving behind a lot of good memories from college, as well as some not-so-good memories. I wanted to be excited about the future, but it was hard. It wasn't my future, but one my parents were still working to control.

A summer on Lake Havasu would do me some good, even if my parents highly disapproved of such a waste of time. Avoiding their phone calls was getting trickier, but I was still managing, somehow.

"Got 'em." She got into the car and tossed the bag in the back. "Let's go. I want to get there and let my hair down."

I reached over and tugged at her ponytail. "Let it down now. I'll roll the windows down, and we can let this hot ass air blow through our hair."