4. The Play Clock is Running
4
Riggs
“Hey, man, where do you want this?”
I set the television on the floor against the wall where it will be out of the way and straighten. Foster and Porter are holding a large hardwood dresser between them, their faces red and peppered with sweat as they wait for me to direct them.
“Spare bedroom. First door on the right,” I say, and they quickly shuffle in that direction.
“And be careful. It’s an antique,” I call out as they disappear into the hallway.
“Yeah, we can tell. It weighs a ton,” Foster yells back.
I laugh at his whining tone. Foster is two-hundred plus pounds of pure muscle and ink, while Porter is leaner, yet just as strong. Though we’ve just become teammates, we’ve known each other for a while, and I know for a fact either of them could pick up that damn dresser without any help. They’re just being drama queens.
“This stays in here, right?” Miles asks as he walks through the door carrying a table lamp.
“Is that seriously all you brought in?” I ask, nodding toward the end table where I want him to place it.
“It looks expensive. I didn’t want to drop it,” he says, pressing his palms against the bottom of his spine and stretching backward.
“Good thing you’re on defense, butterfingers,” I say, taking the jab for which he left the perfect opening.
“That was one time,” he groans.
“Too bad you were trying to show off for those cheerleaders when you begged me to throw you the pass. They all saw you choke.”
I wrap my fingers around my throat on that last word, coughing like I can’t get it out past the pressure.
“Shut the fuck up, dickface.”
“Oh, dickface. Somebody’s got his knickers in a twist.”
“Who the fuck says knickers? You’re giving away your age, old man.”
“I’m only a year older than you, shithead,” I say, lunging forward to sucker punch him in the gut.
Miles laughs and dances backward, out of reach. Bouncing from foot to foot like a boxer, he holds his fists up and jabs at the air in front of him.
“Gotta be faster than that, Grandpa,” he says, then darts for the door as I lunge for him again.
I jog after him, and we shove at each other’s shoulders as we head toward the back of the moving truck. Just like every other time I’ve made the trip back and forth, my gaze wanders over to the house next door. There’s a car in the driveway, but I haven’t even caught a glimpse of her. We’re making enough noise to make anyone come out to investigate. Maybe even welcome a new resident to the neighborhood. Miss Nelly has already said hello, promising to bring me a welcome gift later on.
Assuming Tessa is home, there’s only one reason she hasn’t come out to see what all the ruckus is––she knows it’s me.
“Hello? Earth to Riggs. Don’t leave me hanging here.”
I snap out of my thoughts and look up to see Miles in the back of the truck, holding out one of the chairs that goes with my breakfast table. I mumble out a quick apology and take it from him, glancing over at Tessa’s house once more as I carry it into the house.
I wonder if she still hates me. I know I fucked everything up between us, but she can’t still be holding a grudge after all this time…right?
Twelve years ago…
“This bitch was so fucking tight, I almost didn’t get all the way in. I had to push her knees to her chest and slam into her so hard, I saw fucking stars, man. God, I love virgins.”
Rage boils in my stomach as I pull the straps tight on my pads and secure the buckles. Grady Hollis is a sick bastard, and bragging to the entire locker room about his conquests makes him feel like a real big man. He doesn’t care about the girls he seduces, promising them whatever it takes to create hearts in their eyes before using them and dropping them like a bag of bricks.
And now he’s going after innocent virgins? It’s disgusting, and I want to knock his fucking lights out. But coach warned me after our last tussle that if we fought again, we’d both be benched. I can’t risk that. I’m a senior, and the college scouts have been coming to every game this season to watch me play. If I get benched for fighting one of my teammates, it could ruin my chances at a scholarship. Or even worse, it could prevent me from playing college football, at all.
So, I hold my tongue and seethe silently. One day, Grady will fuck with the wrong girl, and his whole world will come crashing down around him.
“I know who I’m going to fuck next, boys,” Grady says, and his acolytes crowd closer around him as if he’s sharing the secret to everlasting life. “Tessa White.”
I freeze, my entire body rigid with caged-in violence. Tessa White is a sweet, beautiful girl who doesn’t deserve to have her light extinguished by this fucker.
“Stay the hell away from her, Hollis,” I find myself barking before I could stop it.
“Oh-ho-ho,” he sing-songs, standing and strolling toward me lazily. “You jealous? It’s been almost a year since you and Candi broke up. Has your dick shriveled up and fallen off from spanking the monkey too often?”
He curls his fingers and pumps his hand up and down, making his little posse laugh. I look over at them, and their humor disappears. Grady may be their ringleader, but I’m still their captain. I look back at him, barely containing my rage.
“Don’t fuck with Tessa. I’m warning you.”
“What are you going to do, Malone? We all know coach has you on a tight leash, and you can’t get yourself benched or you’ll lose your chances at a scholarship. And you can’t go to college at all if you don’t get that scholarship money, can you?”
Fucking rich prick. I’m not poor by any means, but unfortunately, my parents weren’t able to put away much money for me for college. He’s right. If I don’t get a scholarship, I’ll have to settle for community college. It would be the end of my professional football dreams.
“I know,” he says, folding his arms behind his back and circling around me like he’s putting on a show for his buddies. “I’ll make a bet with you.”
“What kind of bet?” I ask, squeezing my fists against my thighs to restrain myself from knocking his lights out right here and now.
“You take that little nerd’s V-card.”
“What?” I ask, rearing back slightly as the anger drains out of me.
“Yeah. Yeah. This is good,” he says as if he’s congratulating himself. “You pop her cherry, and I’ll back off. But if you can’t get her to spread her legs for you, I’m going in.”
“That’s a stupid bet. I can just tell her what you’re up to, and she’ll never even look in your direction.”
“Okay,” he says, nodding slowly. “Good point. But how about this? If you fuck her, I’ll make all virgins off-limits for my cock. But if you can’t do the deed, you keep your mouth shut and let me wet my dick in that pussy.”
“This is idiotic,” I say with a slash of my hand. “You don’t even know for sure if she’s a virgin.”
“Hell, yeah, I do. I heard Tessa and her mousy little friend whispering in the library about never having even been kissed before. Shit, I was thinking about doing them both, but they’ve been tight for a long time. I don’t think they’d take each other’s sloppy seconds.”
Shit. I don’t know what to do. I could just tell Tessa the truth, but that won’t stop Hollis from hurting other girls. And with that movie star face of his and equally impressive acting skills, he could make almost any girl believe the rumors about his dickish behavior are just that––rumors.
“What’s the matter, Malone? Just now realizing you have zero game? Where the ladies are concerned, I mean. We all know you’re a talentless hack on the football field.”
He’s trying to get under my skin, and God damn it, it’s working.
“Oh, I’ve got game, Hollis. On and off the field.”
“Then we have a deal?”
“Deal,” I say, shaking his outstretched hand.
He hoots with joy before turning back to our teammates with a wide grin.
“This is it, boys. Time to watch Malone crash and burn.” Then he turns back to me. “Oh, and Malone, the play clock is running. You have until the end of winter break to get it done, or I’m making my move.”
The guys file out of the locker room, their laughter floating behind them as I finish getting dressed for practice. Sitting on the bench in front of my locker, I drop my head and sigh.
What have I done?
And what in the hell am I going to do now?