Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Friday afternoon, Rocky shuffled her way out of the cheerleaders’ locker room where she’d showered and changed after practice.
Coach had not held back and practice had been brutal.
She’d expected that but not the continued hazing.
This was pro level sports. It hadn’t been too bad yet but it was annoying.
Coming back into the cheerleaders’ locker room to find all her clothes soaked with her shampoo and conditioner had only been the first.
Today, as she’d been showering, someone had pounded on the locker room door shouting that Coach called a meeting and she needed to be in the team meeting room immediately.
She’d found her clean clothes were gone.
Not knowing if the meeting was real or not, she pulled on her practice uniform and hurried to the meeting room, Of course, when she got there, she found the door locked and she heard someone laughing in the stairwell.
She was almost certain it was the asshole.
She returned to the locker room and found her clothes had been returned.
Much more and she’d start reporting it to Coach.
She’d also gotten two more notes on her car, one while it was parked at her apartment.
That freaked her out a bit. Another one and she’d be filing a report.
All the notes were now in her dresser, including the first one she’d retrieved from her backseat.
The parking lot was almost empty when she walked out of the stadium to find Kylie leaning against her car.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as she walked up, unlocking the car doors with her fob.
“You think I’d let your first week go by without doing something to celebrate?”
“I’m really too…”
“Nope, no excuses. We’re going out to celebrate. Just dinner at Antonio’s and maybe a drink after at Cosmo.”
The grin on Kiley’s face made her smile. Her friend was just trying to celebrate with her. “Oh, all right. I’ll need to stop at home and change first,” she said as she motioned to the baggy sweats she was wearing as she thought she’d be spending the evening at home in front of the television.
Twenty minutes later, Rocky opened her bathroom door to find Kylie sitting on her bed. “About time. Get a move on or we’ll miss our reservation.”
“You managed a reservation at Antonio’s on a Friday night? You did go all out.”
“Marcus owed me a favor so he found us a table but we can’t be late.” She stood and pushed Rocky toward the door. “So, move it!”
“Okay, okay, I’m going,” Rocky grumbled. She’d have been just as happy eating take out in front of the television. She was tired and her bed looked so inviting.
With a jingle of her keys, Kylie opened the door and ushered Rocky out into the hall. “I promise to not keep you out too late tonight.”
“You better not, I’ve got to be up early. Our plane leaves at nine am so I’ve got to be there at seven.”
“Let’s go so I can get you home before you turn into a pumpkin.”
Dinner at Antonio’s had been amazing, topped off with tiramisu and coffee. Rocky stifled a yawn as they walked toward the door.
“No, you can’t be tired. We’re going to Cosmo for a celebratory drink.
Just one, I promise,” Kylie said as she pushed Rocky toward the car.
“You made it, you’re the first female professional football player about to kick in your first pro game.
That deserves a party but a drink will have to do for now. ”
Normally, Rocky would be ready for a night of partying but it would have to wait for the end of the season. No way was she going to jeopardize her spot on the Legends by partying all night and then showing up still half-drunk for travel day.
The parking gods were looking down on them when they got to Cosmo, someone left just as they turned into the miniscule parking lot.
“Score! See, it’s meant to be. Let’s go get that drink,” Kylie crowed as she pulled into the coveted parking spot.
Dance music wafted around them as they walked up to the club, the bass rumbled through Rocky as they opened the door and stepped into Indy’s hottest dance club. Lights swung and whirled over the dance floor where couples danced to the beat. The air smelled of booze and sweat and popcorn.
Rocky followed Kylie as she skipped toward the front bar and wished for an open table so she could sit down. Her legs were tired and she wanted nothing more than to soak in a hot bath.
Two seats opened up at the bar, seemed like that good karma was still blessing them. Rocky hiked herself up onto a barstool as Kylie ordered their drinks – pink cosmos for them both instead of beer as it was a celebration.
Rocky sipped at her drink as she sat with her back to the bar, watching the dance floor.
She leaned toward Kylie to thank her for the drink when she saw her friend talking to a guy.
His back was to her so she couldn’t tell if it was someone she knew.
The drink had tasted amazing so she motioned to the bartender for another one. Surely one more wouldn’t hurt.
She felt Kylie’s hand on her arm.
“Hey, this is Butch and he asked…”
“You!” he hissed with a sneer.
“You know each other?” Kylie asked looking from Butch to Rocky.
“You could say that,” Rocky snapped. “This is the asshole who thought I was a cheerleader.”
Butch glared at her. “How was I supposed to know you think you’re a kicker?”
The bartender sat her drink in front of her. How dare he still say she wasn’t a kicker. Her vision narrowed to only his face.
He reached out and put his hand on her bare knee. “How about I buy you a drink and then we can go back to my place and talk about it.”
She usually had no problem keeping her temper under control but this guy irritated the fuck out of her.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she picked up her drink and threw the contents in his fac.
“Waste my career on a used-up has-been like you? I don’t think so.
” She grabbed her purse off the bar and slipped off the barstool.
“I’m done. I’ll get a rideshare home,” she said to Kylie as she turned toward the door.
Someone stepped in front of her. “I’ll make sure you get home.” She looked up to find Trey Conners holding his hand out to her.
“Thanks, Trey. I didn’t see you there. Are you really friends with this asshole? You seem like a nice guy.”
“Yeah. But to be fair, you seem to bring out the worst in him. Usually, he’s not so bad.’
“I doubt that,” she said as she grabbed her purse off the bar. “The one being a mama bear is Kylie.”
Kylie stood between Butch and Rocky just to be sure Butch wouldn’t retaliate in some way. “I’ll make sure my friend gets home safe,” she said as she pulled her keys out of her purse.
Trey smiled at her. “At least let me walk you to your car. You’re safe with me, I promise.”
Rocky watched as Kylie twirled her hair around her finger, a sure sign she was interested in Trey. He was a great receiver and he seemed nice enough but he was friends with the asshole so she’d reserve final judgement until she got to know him better.
“Thank you,” Rocky said and grabbed Kylie’s hand as they walked past her. “Come on, Ky, let’s go home.”
True to his word, Trey followed them out to Kylie’s car, even taking the keys and unlocking the car and opening the doors for them.
“You drive safe. It was nice to meet you, Kylie.” Trey smiled and stepped back. It looked like he wanted to say something else but Kylie grabbed the door and pulled it closed.
“I’m so sorry about that,” Kylie said as she pulled out of the parking space and turned onto the road.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, it wasn’t your fault that Butch had to be an asshole.”
“He walked up to the bar and I thought he was kinda cute for an older guy. I’ve got to admit he was smooth up until he saw you.
I thought his eyes were going to bug out of his head.
” She turned into their apartment complex.
“And then to proposition you like that. You’re right, he’s an ass. A cute ass, but an ass all the same.”
Rocky giggled as she imagined a big donkey with his face.
“What?” Kylie asked as she pulled into her parking space.
“I was just imagining his face on an ass, you know, a donkey.”
Kylie snorted as Rocky yawned.
“Come on Cinderella, let’s get you to bed.”