Chapter 5
CHAPTER
FIVE
SILAS
When I’m on the field, I become a different person in the sense that I can shut all the noise in my head out and lock in on one thing.
Getting the ball. It’s my job, as a cornerback, to make sure the best receivers on the opposing team don’t score—or even get the ball in the first place.
And I need to make the big plays, big tackles, and if I’m lucky, I can grab a few interceptions.
We’re one game away from the national championship game, and with the holidays and anticipation of bowl games, it’s easy to lose focus on what we’re working toward.
But not me. This season is important for me.
I’ll either stay here one more year or declare for the draft.
It’ll really all depend on how I play in the next two games.
Sure, I’ve had a great season, and I’m what is considered to be a lockdown corner, which means I’m an essential player on the team but also the guy quarterbacks want to avoid.
Other teams design plays just to move around me.
And I might be one of the best, but I also need to consider what teams are looking for a talent like me and if that need is likely to pay off for me now or in a year from now.
Our practice for the day just ended. It’s our last before we head to Houston for our game tomorrow.
The defensive coordinator worked us hard today, and I should sleep well tonight.
The tight end that I’ll be covering for during this game is fast, and I fully anticipate that he’ll make me work for every move I make.
That’s okay though. I’m up for the challenge. Hungry for it even.
When I make it to the locker room, the music is blasting, and most of the team is already undressing and getting ready for showers. I set my helmet on the hook in my cubby and start to pull off the rest of my pads and toss my practice jersey into the laundry bin.
Bo comes into the locker room last, just like he always does. He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve seen on the field. Always the first one on and the last one off.
As he walks by me, he whips me with his towel. “Well, Romeo, have you talked to Brooke since the basketball game?”
Casey’s at the cubby next to Bo’s, and his head whips up at the mention of Brooke. “Yeah, tell me how that all happened. I only saw the clip Bo sent out in the group chat, but haven’t been home yet to get all the details.”
“You gossip like a girl, King. Has anyone ever told you that?” I laugh.
“Fuck off. Brooke is like a sister to me, so I want to know what happened.”
“Well, our boy here laid one on her when her asshole boyfriend left her high and dry with the kiss cam.” Bo laughs.
“Seriously? Gah, I hate that guy.” Casey shakes his head. “I wish she would just break up with him. The whole thing reminds me of Noelle’s ex in a way, minus the cheating part. I don’t think Eli has it in him to cheat on Brooke, but I guess I could be wrong.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t seem all that into her, at least from what I’ve seen anyway, but I agree; I don’t think he’d cheat. If Silas has any say in the matter, she’d be on his arm instead,” Bo says.
“Caught on to that, too, a while ago. But let me ask you, Silas, does Beck know you’re into his sister?” A wicked smile spreads across his face.
“Beck is on the group chat, so I know he saw the video,” Bo chimes in again.
“I’ll have to ask him what he thinks about it.” Casey pulls his phone off his shelf.
“I love that you guys are talking about this in front of me like I’m not here,” I mumble.
But I can’t lie; I’ve watched the video a few hundred times at this point. Okay, maybe not a hundred, but close.
“Speak up then, man. Talk to us.” Bo nudges my shoulder.
Before I can answer, Casey dials up a FaceTime call with Beck.
Great.
“What’s up, brother?” Beck answers after three rings, the sound of a treadmill running in the background.
“Hey, not much. Just wanted to see if you caught that video of Arbuckle kissing Brooke.” Casey looks at me and winks.
I flip him off and shake my head.
“He in there with you?” Beck’s deep chuckle could be a good one or a bad one. “Well, I mean, I don’t love seeing one of my buddies kissing my little sister, but from what Charlie said, Eli was being a dickhead, so I forgive you, Arbuckle!” Beck shouts.
I walk over to Casey so I can fit into the frame.
“Sup, Linson? Look, I wish I could say that I’m sorry, but I’m not.
That guy is the worst, and if you had seen the way he was talking to her and blatantly ignoring her—even with me, Callaway, and Aston there—he was still an asshole.
And I gotta tell ya, she never looks happy when he’s around or when I hear her talking to Charlie about him.
I’ll spare you some of the things I’ve heard, but he doesn’t deserve her. ”
He’s nodding, and he doesn’t look real happy, but I don’t think he’s mad at me. “Did you say anything to him?”
I look down, but lift my eyes to the phone. “I put the pressure on him a bit in the bathroom before we took off, but didn’t lay a hand on him, like I wish I could have.”
“Is that why you took off after them at the half?” Bo asks me.
I look over at him and nod. “Yeah, I originally wanted to just make sure she was okay, but then I saw him walk into the restroom and couldn’t help but follow him.”
“What did he say, or did you start it?” Casey asks.
“I asked him how it felt to see his girl kiss a real man. He got all red in the face and told me to fuck off. But when I told him to treat her better or leave her alone, he spun around on me and got in my face. Which, honestly, just wanted to make me laugh, but I was too curious to hear what he had to say.” I chuckle.
“So, he told me that I needed to step off—his words—and that me and my jock friends were interfering with his relationship with Brooke. And I couldn’t hold in the laugh by then, so I crowded up to him and told him if I ever saw him or heard of him disrespecting her again, he would be getting a visit from me on his nerd farm. ”
“He doesn’t live on a farm. I think he lives on campus,” Ace joins in from out of nowhere. Kid can be stealthy when he wants to be.
We all turn to look at him to see if he’s fucking with us, and, nope, he’s not.
“What? Am I wrong?”
Casey punches him lightly in the shoulder. “Bro, we know he doesn’t live on a farm. Silas was just trying to make him mad.”
“Ah, gotcha. Yeah, I hate that guy.” Ace shakes his head and walks to his cubby station.
“Well, thanks for that, Arbuckle. I appreciate you looking out for her, but, hey”—Beck pauses—“don’t fucking kiss my sister again.”
I look him dead in the eye, knowing what I’m about to say could hurt our friendship, but I’m gonna risk it anyway because she’s worth it. “If she wants me to kiss her, you and nobody else would be able to stop me.” I wink to lighten the blow, but he knows I’m not joking.
He sighs and shakes his head. “All right, assholes. I need to run. I’ll see you in Houston.” The call drops before any of us can respond.
“Welp, it’s your balls on the line, Arbuckle. What are you gonna do now?” Casey asks.
“I’ve already told her to break up with him, so I feel like it’s pretty clear to her that I’m into her.” I shrug.
“Never assume they know, brother. Sometimes, these girls need to see it clear as day. Don’t make her guess, and I’ll fuck you up if you play games with her too.” Casey points at me, smiling.
Bo takes hold of my shoulder. “You should probably see how it goes over the next few weeks. Hopefully, she’ll come to her senses on her own. But we need you ready to play now. Worry about your girl problem later, yeah?”
“No, you’re right. I need to stay locked in right now and figure this out later.”
“She’s going home for a few days, so you won’t even see her until after the game anyway.” Casey turns back to his cubby and starts packing up his gear. “I’m gonna grab a snack then head home to shower. See you guys later.”
Brooke going home is probably a good idea for both of us. I don’t want her to feel awkward being around me now. She needs to figure out her relationship with Eli on her own, and maybe the space will give her that clarity.
But maybe checking in with her from time to time wouldn’t be a bad thing.
After I left the field, I got an email alert from one of my professors, telling me there was a problem with my submission for my final grade.
It didn’t transfer completely to the portal, and it needed to be done before five p.m., which didn’t leave me a lot of time to get it done.
So, instead of going home and resubmitting it, I swing by the library, settle in at one of the study tables, and get my laptop out of my bag.
I’ve just put on my glasses when I look up and see Brooke walking by.
I whisper-shout to her so I’m not totally disrupting the other students, “Brooke!”
She stops and looks around, and I wave to catch her attention. When she just stands there, I think maybe she might still be upset about the kiss. But then she walks over to the table and pulls out the seat across from mine.
“Silas.” She drops her backpack on the floor, then leans in, resting her arms on the table. “What are you doing here? Didn’t you have practice?”
I nod. “Just got done, but I need to submit an assignment that didn’t make it through, and I would have missed the deadline if I had gone home first. Speaking of, don’t move. Let me just send this out real quick.”
As I’m typing a note to my professor, I can feel her watching me, so I glance up and wink at her. It’s a little dark in here, but I swear she blushes.
“Okay, done. So … what are you up to? Aren’t you done with finals?”
“Yeah, I am, but I remembered I had a book I needed to return before break, so I ran over here to get it done.” She tilts her head, still studying me.
“Do I have something on my face?” I pull off my glasses and run my hand over my face.