39. Teddy
CHAPTER 39
TEDDY
It’s the last game of the season, the last game of my college career and I don’t care .
I should be hyped, high on this ending and what comes next, but I’m not because my thoughts are all tied up with Vanessa, mingled with hurt and confusion.
It’s a home game, another thing I should be fucking elated over, but I’m not. I’d rather be ending this at an away game so I wouldn’t obsess over the possibility of Vanessa showing up. I don’t think she will, but I can’t help but think what if .
I never thought I’d turn into this pathetic fucker over a girl, but here I am.
“Get the fuck out of your head,” Mascen scolds, slapping the back of my head in an effort to snap me from where I’ve drifted off to. “We have a game to win.”
“I know, I know.” I jerk my pants on.
“Someone put Teddy’s hype song on,” Murray yells out, hands cupped around his mouth.
I groan, burying my head inside my locker in an effort to disappear. It’s ironic since normally I love being the center of attention, but not right now.
‘Everywhere I Go’ by Hollywood Undead starts to play and I shrink even more.
“Turn it off,” I beg Mascen or anyone who hears and decides to have mercy on me.
Mascen’s eyes narrow on me and the next thing I know he’s grabbing me and dragging me to the showers where it’s quiet.
“What the fuck?” He crosses his arms over his chest, leveling me with one of his trademark glares.
“Uh … am I supposed to respond to that?”
He shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose like I’m giving him a headache.
“You need to get yourself together.” I start to protest, but he shuts me up with a look that says he’s ready to kill me. “I get you’re going through shit right now. Fuck, I’d be worse than you if Rory left me, but the team is counting on you. Get through this game and then you can fall apart.”
Rubbing a hand over my unshaven jaw, I nod. “Okay. I can do that.”
He gives me a sympathetic look, a rare thing from Mascen, and then he surprises me even more when he says, “I’m sorry.”
“Let’s just win this game.”
Pasting on a fake smile, I go back into the locker room and play my part. The one of the goofy, overzealous guy who doesn’t have a care in the world.
No one cares that it’s a lie.
We win the game, but barely.
After a long-ass shower, I change into my clothes, and all the guys head to Harvey’s to celebrate. For once, I’d rather not, but what choice do I have?
We end up at our usual table, the whole team plus friends and a group of girls. Murray has one girl draped over his lap, his tongue down her throat.
That used to be me .
And now I’m sitting here like a sad fuck thinking about how I wish I was celebrating with Vanessa. For a second, I thought I saw her at the game, but when I looked back, I realized it was someone else.
I order a beer. Then when it’s gone, I order another drink. And another. Drinking until the room spins and I feel like I might throw up. It’s better than pretending all evening I’m fine.
A steel band closes around my body and I jerk against it. “What the fuck?” I look down and realize there’s a dark arm wrapped around me. “Cole? My duuuude. What’re you doing?”
“Getting you out of here before you pour even more alcohol into your system and do something you might regret in the morning?”
“Like what?” My feet drag against the floor and somewhere in my brain I register that Cole is dragging me, not because he has to but because my feet won’t work. Zoey trails after us and I laugh, calling to her, “Hey, Mom!”
“I don’t know, like hook up with another girl.”
“I would never!”
“There are lots of things people do when they’re drunk that they wouldn’t normally do. I’m not going to let that happen.”
“It’s not like it would matter,” I grumble as we exit the building into the cool night air. It feels good against my too-hot skin. “I don’t have a girlfriend anymore, remember?”
“Don’t make me slap you silly,” Zoey scolds, picking something up off the ground.
My shoe. It’s my shoe.
Why did my shoe fall off?
“Get the truck unlocked,” Cole tells her.
The door squeals in protest at being opened. Zoey climbs in first, taking the middle seat, and Cole shoves me in beside her.
“I’m going to be sick.”
“Don’t throw up on me!” Zoey shrieks in horror.
Leaning out of the truck, I empty my stomach on the ground. Cole groans, muttering, “At least you missed my shoes.”
I don’t remember the drive back to their apartment, but I do remember getting dragged up the stairs and dumped on the couch.
“Sleep it off,” Cole commands. He doesn’t sound disgusted, just worried. I don’t know why. I’m fine.
“Whatever you say, Dad.” I kick off my shoe, Zoey still has the other one, and drape a blanket over myself.
“Goodnight.” Zoey ruffles my hair as she passes by me.
“Mmm,” I hum back.
Cole chuckles from the area of the kitchen.
Crooking my arm over my face, I fall asleep.
“Wake up.” Zoey shoves what I assume is her foot into my ribs. “Cole’s making breakfast.”
“Food,” I grumble, waking to the smell of bacon. As I become more aware, I realize I have to take a piss. “Ugh.” I sit up slowly, head pounding. Cole knows better than to let me fall asleep after a night like that without drinking water and taking an aspirin. Fucker probably just wants me to suffer today.
“Go wash up.” Zoey comes into focus, her curly hair pulled up on top of her head. “You smell like a zoo.”
“Thanks for the compliment, Mom.”
“You’re welcome, Fido. Who’s a good boy?” She pets the top of my head. I playfully swat her hand away.
My body creaks and groans as I manage to stand and waddle down the hall to relieve myself. I feel loads better having an empty bladder. Grabbing some of Cole’s toothpaste, I put some on my finger and swipe it over my teeth before rinsing. It’s better than nothing. I steal some of his cologne too, dabbing it on my skin so I won’t smell like the zoo Zoey accused me of.
When I leave the bathroom, breakfast is ready. My stomach rumbles with the promise of greasy bacon.
“How are you feeling this morning?” Cole lifts a cup of coffee to his lips, eyeing me over the rim.
“Like death or close to it.”
He chuckles. “You were really pouring it in last night.”
“Yeah, well,” I stir my fork around in my scrambled eggs, “I miss her.”
“None of this makes any sense,” Zoey says softly, like she doesn’t want to startle me, which is unusual for her. Normally she loves to give me shit.
I shrug indifferently, like none of this matters. Taking a drink of orange juice, I go over that night again, pouring over every detail in my mind. I always stop, coming back to the fact of my father trailing behind her. Things were good with us, I’m not that oblivious, and I know in my gut he has something to do with this, but if I can’t get her to talk to me, what am I supposed to do?
I must say the last part out loud because Zoey gives me an incredulous look. “Jesus, Teddy, I don’t know maybe send her flowers or something? Girls really aren’t that complicated.”
Cole chuckles into his eggs. “You stay out of this,” I grumble at him.
He only laughs harder. Jerk.
I leave their apartment and return to my dorm, grabbing another sheet of paper and writing down my thoughts. I feel a little better when I finish writing and fold up the paper, but it still doesn’t entirely erase the ache settling into my bones. The only thing that will fix that is getting Vanessa back.