Chapter Four Danny
Out of necessity, I’d friend-zoned Taryn five minutes after I met her. In hindsight, that move had smacked of utter stupidity, but at the time, I couldn’t see any other way. Being new to town and desperate to fit in, especially on the football team, I’d taken Ronnie Boone’s advice and not crossed Derek Watson.
Moving around the country and changing schools three out of every four years had taught me how to read people fast—a necessary survival skill. On the first day of practice for the Central Valley High Scarlets, I’d sized up the team. QB Watson was the boss. He commanded more fear and deference from the other players than the head coach. The rest of the team pretty much followed his lead. Ronnie Boone, the middle linebacker, captained the defense. His steady presence kept the team from imploding when things didn’t go Derek’s way.
Derek was the guy I had to play the game with; Ronnie was the guy I could trust.
At the end of the first week of practice, a bunch of us players, including Ronnie and Derek, happened to stroll past the cheer squad who were practicing on the sidelines of the field. A gorgeous brunette with killer legs and a smile to light up the universe immediately caught my eye.
“Who is she?” I’d asked Ronnie.
“Someone you want to stay away from,” Derek had answered for him.
“Why? She yours?” I’d asked.
“She’s a prick-tease, and you don’t date her. Not if you want me to throw you any passes this season.” When he glanced over at Taryn, Derek’s eyes had blazed with something that looked a whole lot like hatred.
I’d caught Ronnie’s eye, and he’d mouthed, “Later.”
Ronnie hadn’t known the particulars, only that bad blood boiled between Derek and Taryn, and Derek had put the word out that no one could date her. She needed to be taught a lesson or something. If I wanted to shine in my position—which, of course, I did—I’d better not cross the boss. According to Ronnie, she was a classy chick and way out of all our leagues, Derek’s included. While Derek had it in for her, the rest of the team looked out for her. But no one had ever asked her out.
As I said, I’d honed my skills at reading people and was an excellent judge of character. I had no doubt Ronnie was being straight up with me. More importantly, he was looking out for me, so I’d listened to him.
A few days later when we all walked by the cheerleaders again, we’d stopped so Derek could introduce me. When he got to Taryn, I said, “Nice to meet you, Karen.”
“It’s Taryn with a T ,” she’d corrected with a shy smile and fuck , I wanted to take her home right there and then.
Instead I said, “Ooh. Nice to meet you, T .”
Out of the corner of my eye, I’d clocked Derek’s glare and backed off, turning on the flirt with one of the other girls. It had nearly killed me to watch the shine dim in Taryn’s eyes when I friend-zoned her in front of everyone.
By Homecoming, I’d gone out with every cheerleader on the team except for Taryn, which satisfied Derek and kept me in the game till the end of the season. He didn’t seem to care that I hung out at T’s house on the regular during the week. Then again, he didn’t take physics or advanced math, so I guess he thought I needed Taryn’s help since I’d done the stupid thing and enrolled in hard classes. At the time, I wondered if his beef with her was that she was so much smarter than him. It took me until right before prom that spring to find out the truth.
In the other schools I’d attended, I’d run through girls like a first-class man-whore—and reveled in it. It was one of the perks of being a horny teenage boy and the popular new kid who knew he wouldn’t be returning to that school the next year. But after meeting Taryn Hamilton, chasing every girl in sight stopped working for me. By New Year’s Eve, I was done. And football was done too, so Derek didn’t have any more power over me.
But on New Year’s Eve, I also screwed up in the worst way possible, and Taryn, who hadn’t hidden her interest in me, had turned the tables and friend-zoned me. Hard.
So now we hung out like best buds while I tried to figure out how to change the status quo. Of course, spending the past four years in military service out of state—for a year, out of country—had created all sorts of problems in terms of changing our relationship. My long absence had also opened the door for some ass-wipe to swoop in and steal my girl this past year for months that had stretched into a lifetime.
On Sunday morning, I had the idea to casually show up at the Hamiltons’ and catch Taryn before she headed back to campus. Knowing her penchant for sleeping in, I figured if I arrived by ten, I wouldn’t be too early and might even snag an invite to breakfast.
Mrs.Hamilton opened the front door to my knock.
“I’m sorry, Danny, she left about thirty minutes ago. Something about her shift starting at one.” Mrs.H.’s eye roll spoke volumes. “I would have thought she’d have called someone when she found out you were home.”
“She said it was too late on a weekend to find another person to cover for her.” I lifted my ball cap off my head and ran my hand over my hair before settling it back in place.
“She’s not been herself since that boy broke her heart. It’s good you’re heading up to Mountain State this fall. I worry she’s not enjoying the college experience the way she should.”
I had no idea what to say to that, so I said nothing.
“You’re welcome to hang out here with us here if you want.” Her warm smile, so much like Taryn’s, was a punch to the solar plexus.
Only getting to spend part of yesterday evening with T was almost worse than not seeing her at all. Our few hours together had revealed what her emails hadn’t told me. Her light had flamed out. It killed me to see it. More than anything, I wanted to plant a fist in the face of the asshole who’d stolen that light.
“That’s okay, Mrs.H. I’m making the rounds today. I’d hoped to catch Taryn first, but I’ll see her on the Fourth.”
She sighed. “I hope so.”
I cocked my head and shot her a questioning look from beneath the brim of my hat.
“The girl wouldn’t commit to coming home next weekend. I have no idea if she’ll be here or not. Maybe you can talk some sense into her.” She blew out a breath. “I swear, second children are a trial.” Catching herself, she said, “I hope you’re planning to be back for dinner. I’ve laid out a package of pork chops.”
I grinned. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
I spent what was left of the morning at the gym where the captain maintained a membership. Working out was one of the few things we had in common.
As I pushed myself through an arms circuit, I thought about Taryn maybe not coming home for the Fourth of July. Skipping her second-favorite holiday with her family made zero fucking sense. She loved the parades, the picnic in the park, the fireworks. Before meeting her, I never knew anyone who actually oohed and aahed over the fiery light show. Her delight over them gave me a new appreciation for fireworks. Of course, I didn’t see much of the show in the sky with my eyes straying to her upturned face smiling and laughing between those oohs and aahs.
Truth be told, Taryn Hamilton was the most gorgeous human on the planet, her beauty arising from deep inside her heart and radiating out into the world. Though Derek’s vendetta against her had dimmed some of that incredible light, the douche she’d dated last year in college had all but extinguished it.
As I pressed the weighted bar over my head, with each exhale I pictured my fists connecting with his face. I hated the idea of her dating anyone, but I hated him even more for dumping and hurting her.
On Sundays in high school, a bunch of us on the team used to hang out at the diner that served breakfast all day. After I finished making myself good and sweaty, I showered and headed to Stella’s, hoping to run into someone I knew. I’d barely stepped through the door when Mike Ryan called me over to his table.
The second I sat down, the waitress appeared. Without glancing at a menu, I ordered coffee and my favorite breakfast: a skillet scramble with eggs, elk sausage, breakfast potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and black beans.
“Do you ever change it up?” Mike laughed.
“What’s the point when you know what you like?”
“That go for Taryn too?” I didn’t like the shrewd expression in his eyes.
“What’s the story with Derek getting his ass booted out of school?”
Mike shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him.”
The waitress brought my coffee. I thanked her and downed some nectar of the gods. I’d missed the hell out of civilian coffee, and Stella’s had the best.
“He spend a lot of time driving past Taryn’s house?”
“Nah. We just happened by, saw your car, and stopped.”
“You ever going to stop covering for him?”
Mike slugged back his coffee and waved the waitress over for a refill. “You’re a transplant, not a native. Some things go beyond your comprehension.”
I snorted.
Our meals arrived, and between bites of succulent eggs and sausage—which I doused liberally with hot sauce—I asked, “You finish up your degree?”
“Working on it. Might ’a got a little sidetracked with fraternity life.” He grinned over an unmannerly bite of scrambled eggs. “What are your plans now that you’re a free man?”
“Taking up Uncle Sam on his generous offer to put me through school.”
“Yeah? At City College?”
I hesitated. Mike was fishing, and it didn’t take a genius to know why. But once classes started, word would spread anyway. Like most places in Montana, Billings was a small town disguised as a city, and even without social media, everyone knew everyone else’s business.
“Walking on to the Wildcats. I’m starting camp right after the Fourth.”
Sitting back in the booth, he eyed me. “Ballsy.”
With a hunk of sourdough toast, I sopped up sauce and juices from the side of my plate. “It’s not the first time I’ll have had to prove myself to a new team,” I said with a nonchalance he couldn’t miss.
His brow lifted. “Yeah, but you haven’t stepped on a field in almost five years. And you’ll be playing with the big boys.”
“The head coach liked my film—and my military service. Turns out MSC is a big-time supporter of nontraditional students coming from the military.” I popped the saucy bite of sourdough into my mouth. “I’m not too worried about my chances.”
The low hum of conversations at other tables, the clattering of silverware and crockery into tubs as a kid bussed the table beside ours, and a server calling up an order intruded as Mike went quiet.
I forked another mouthful of skillet scramble, chewed, swallowed. “What’s the problem?”
“Derek entered the transfer portal, specifically aiming for Mountain State.”
“Huh.” I shoved another bite of breakfast in even though my stomach was turning over at the thought of having to play with that asshole again.
“They didn’t bite.”
My gaze flew to his, but all I said was, “Huh.”
“He’s headed to D-II Black Hills State.” Mike had a weird look on his face. “He’s not going to like hearing that you’re walking on to the Wildcats.”
“Guess what?” I wiped my napkin over my mouth. “I don’t give a rat’s ass. We aren’t in high school anymore. And getting bumped down from D-I to D-II doesn’t make Derek Watson a big man on campus.”
“Yeah, well, he still has some pull around here.” Mike finished his coffee and waved at the server for the bill.
“Guess it’s a good thing I’m not really from here.” Finishing the last drop of my coffee, I added, “Once camp starts, I won’t be here very often.”
“Your problem is that Derek’s influence has a long reach.”
“Is that a threat?”
Mike took the bill from the server and handed her his card. “Nope. A warning.”
“Thanks for breakfast, man. See you around.” Standing, I reached out and shook his hand.
I had no doubt the first thing the guy was going to do when he jumped in his truck was text Derek Watson with my news. Why it mattered to Watson was its own mystery. Then I grinned to myself. Pulling up the Wildcats’ schedule on my phone confirmed my memory. We were playing Black Hills State at home in a nonconference preseason matchup. With both of us being offensive players, neither Derek nor I would face each other directly, but each of us could tell our defenses how the other played.
Uh-huh. That game should be fun.