Chapter 3
Roxanne~
Because my mother was the director for the city’s rec center, I wasn’t a stranger to sports.
While they weren’t my thing, I used to spend a lot of time with my mom at work when I was younger, so I knew the basic rules of football.
I might not know the positions, penalties, and things like that, but I knew the objective of the game, what the defense and offense did, and that each quarter was an imaginary fifteen minutes.
Imaginary because they weren’t a continuous fifteen minutes.
So, a lot of the quarters could run from twenty to twenty-five minutes, depending on how the game was going.
Looking out onto the field, we were on defense right now, Royce sitting this drive out.
When we’d gotten here, the game had already started, so there’d been no chance to talk to him before the game.
Pepper had made us late because she’d been determined to ‘pretty me up’- her words, not mine.
Though she had been adamant that I was already pretty enough, she had taken control of my clothing options for the night.
While she’d sworn that she wasn’t trying to turn me into a groupie, she still had wanted me to stand out a bit.
So, the compromise had been to leave my hair and makeup alone, but to wear something a little more feminine.
However, having shown up late, we’d been limited to a spot in the back row.
Still, the seats were a coveted part of the stadium seating.
The section that we were sitting in was for the starting players’ family and close friends, and since me and Pepper were neither to anyone on the team, it’d been a big deal for us to be sitting here.
People had been giving us odd looks all evening to prove it.
Luckily, the game was going to be over soon. The game was already past the two-minute warning, and the other team was down by two touchdowns. So, unless a miracle happened, Yosemite High was going to have another game in the win column.
After another few minutes, the game was called, the stands were in an uproar, and teammates were rushing the field for their victory over a district rival.
It was sweet to see the joy and excitement rushing through our students, parents, and faculty, and I could understand how a person could get swept up in this kind of high.
Looking over at me, Pepper did her best to discretely sign, “What do you want to do now?”
Now, wasn’t that a question?
I had no idea what Royce’s expectations were, and if his family was here, I didn’t want to intrude on their victory moment.
Plus, there was also the fact that I’d rather avoid the awkwardness if he tried to introduce me to his parents.
Though most of the time it was unintentional, a lot of people didn’t know how to act when first meeting me.
However, before I could tell Pepper that we should probably just leave, a sweaty, smiling, gorgeous Royce Cameron was making his way up the stands, straight for us.
I smiled because I just couldn’t help myself.
I was a teenage girl with a crush.
He looked between me and Pepper before signing, “I’m glad you were able to make it.”
“Thank you for inviting us,” Pepper signed back.
Royce grinned, then sent my head spinning when he grabbed my hand, laced his fingers in mine, then tugged. “C’mon,” he voiced. “I want you to meet my parents.” I glanced at Pepper, and her blue eyes were wide with shock. “My older brother, Quincy, is in college, so it’ll just be my parents.”
I pulled my hand from his, and he immediately scowled until he realized that my hands were my voice piece. “Are you sure?” I signed.
“Positive,” he signed back, then grabbed my hand again.
Royce started dragging me behind him, and when I looked back, I thanked God that Pepper was following us, not that I doubted that she would.
However, I knew that people were staring and wondering, so I needed all the support that I could get.
I wasn’t stupid enough to believe that Royce Cameron inviting me to his game, then introducing me to his parents wasn’t a big deal.
This was a very big deal.
When we made it back to the lower section of the bleachers, I was met with a beautiful couple, and it was easy to see where Royce had gotten all his looks from.
He looked like both of his parents with his features coming from his father, and his coloring coming from his mother.
They also looked like they would be his parents, very polished and put together.
I wondered what his brother looked like, and if he took after their father or their mother.
I had to shake my head of those thoughts.
I still wasn’t sure what this was, so there was no point in speculating about Quincy Cameron.
“Dad, Mom, this is Roxanne Rafferty,” Royce signed, and my heart lurched in my chest at how he had carefully signed each letter with one hand.
Looking back at me, he continued with signing.
“Roxanne, these are my parents, Bram and Francis Cameron.” Before I could respond, he was looking back at his parents again.
“And that’s her best friend, Pepper Milo. ”
Bram Cameron reached his hand out. “It’s nice to meet you, Roxanne,” he said, his lips moving slowly and precisely.
After a few uncomfortable seconds, Mrs. Cameron said, “Royce, honey, you have to let go of her hand.”
Royce dropped my hand like it was on fire. “Sorry,” he signed.
I reached out, then shook Mr. Cameron’s hand, and everything in me wanted to be brave enough to speak, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to mess this up by sounding like a tool.
However, to save me from any more awkwardness, Mrs. Cameron reached out, then shook my hand as well.
In the same manner as her husband, she said, “It’s finally nice to meet you, Roxanne.
” I shook her hand, then nodded. Sensing my anxiousness, she quickly addressed Pepper.
“And it’s nice to meet you, too, Pepper. ”
“Yes, it is,” Mr. Cameron added.
Pepper was immediately at my side, signing and talking at the same time. “It’s nice to meet you guys, too.”
With the introductions out of the way, Royce looked my way, then signed, “I need to go shower and change, but...well, would it be okay if you waited for me? I won’t be long.
” I nodded because I didn’t know what else to do.
“Okay, I promise I won’t be long.” Then, after exchanging goodbyes with his parents, Royce rushed off.
Mrs. Cameron looked back at me, then shocked the shit out of me when she signed, “Boys.”
What in the hell was happening?
~
Royce~
Normally, I took my time after a game, basking in the locker room banter, joining in on the high of a win.
However, that was before Roxanne Rafferty was waiting for me after a game.
My parents were used to the drill, so I wasn’t worried about them.
They were probably on their way home right now, unless they had chosen to stay back and get to know Roxanne better, but I doubted it.
When I’d told them about inviting her today, I’d made them promise not to overwhelm her.
Of course, they’d known who she was because I hadn’t stopped talking about her since I’d first seen her, and then there were the ASL classes, but Roxanne didn’t know all that.
“Told you that we were going to kick ass,” Hudson smirked, our lockers next to one another.
“Two touchdowns is not kicking ass,” I argued, then swore under my breath when I realized that I’d just put my shirt on inside out.
Hudson laughed. “Dude, what’s got you so revved up? I’m pretty sure that the tag is supposed to go on the inside.” I flipped him off before hurrying to fix my shirt. “Dude, seriously? What’s up?”
With my shirt finally put to rights, I looked over at my closest friend here, then told him the truth. “I invited Roxanne Rafferty to the game, and she came. I left her and Pepper talking with my parents before hitting the showers.”
Hudson’s head reared back, shock etched all over his face. “What?”
“You heard me,” I muttered before going back to getting dressed. All I had left were my socks and shoes to attend to.
“Dude, since when are you interested in Roxanne Rafferty?” he asked, then added, “Hell, since when are you interested in anyone?” When I stopped putting my socks on, then looked up at him, his entire expression changed. “Ohhhhhhh...”
“Yeah, oh,” I retorted before I went to put my shoes on, a ball of anxiousness forming in the pit of my stomach. If he said one bad thing about Roxanne, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.
“So, she’s the reason that you’ve been fending off all these girls left and right?” he asked.
I stood up, done putting my shoes back on.
“Yeah,” I finally confessed. “I’ve had a thing for her since last year, but I didn’t want to start something until I learned more about her.
” I straightened to my full height in case this got ugly.
“I also wanted to have a few ASL classes under my belt before I asked her out. If she agrees to date me, I want to make it easy for her, not hard.”
“If she does agree to date you, you’ll be the first,” he said, grinning fully. “A lot of guys have asked her out, but she’s never given any of them the time of day.”
“Maybe because they were too stupid to put in the effort,” I drawled out.
“Maybe,” he agreed, still grinning.
Letting out a deep breath, I said, “Okay, let’s have it.”
Hudson just grinned wider. “Oh, hey, I’m good,” he chuckled. “I think Roxanne Rafferty is sexy as fuck-”
“Watch it,” I warned.
He just laughed. “I’m just saying that...” Hudson shrugged one massive shoulder. “She’s a good girl. She’s good people. A lot of guys are going to be jealous.”
“Like I care,” I scoffed.
All teasing gone, he added, “And so are some of the girls.” Eyeing me, he said, “Maybe keep an eye on that part of it, okay?”
I nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. “Got it.” After gathering my shit, I grinned up at him. “I better head out.”
“Good luck, man,” he offered, back to smiling.
Leaving Hudson in the locker room, I said my goodbyes to some of my other teammates, then headed back towards the stadium.
Normally, my parents would be gone by now, but my mother had started taking some ASL classes after I’d told her about my obsession with Roxanne, so she might be trying her hand at speaking with her right now.
However, when I got to the stadium, it was empty, and the hit felt worse than any that I’d ever taken on the field.
I had really gotten my hopes up when Roxanne had shown up.
I had introduced her to my parents, for fuck’s sake.
I mean...sure, she couldn’t have known that introducing her to my parents had meant something to me, but. ..fuck.
Making my way towards the front of the stadium, I almost tripped over myself when I saw Roxanne and Pepper standing near the entrance.
My heart started beating like crazy in my chest, and I quickly realized that I was not cool enough to do this.
I’d dated girls before, but this was something different, and it felt like I was discovering girls all over again.
Doing my best to smile like the confident, charming, winning quarterback that I was and not some lunatic psychopath, I looked between both girls as soon as I reached them. “Hey.”
They both signed it back, but Pepper kept on signing. Only she voiced her words, too. “It was kind of spooky in there with everyone gone.”
I chuckled a bit. “I can see that,” I signed and spoke.
Still signing and speaking, Pepper said, “I drove her, so-”
“I can drive Roxanne home,” I offered, signing and speaking. Looking over at Roxanne, I added, “If you don’t mind.”
“Okay,” Roxanne signed back, then I watched as she signed all kinds of words to Pepper that were too fast and too advanced for my beginner’s status. When Pepper started signing back just as fast, I suddenly felt like such an underachiever.
Finally, Pepper looked over at me, her eyes narrowing a bit.
“I told her to call me as soon as she gets home,” Pepper signed and spoke.
“I don’t know you, Royce Cameron. I might know who you are, but I don’t know you.
” Straightening her back, she added, “I’m entrusting you with the best person that I know, so don’t mess it up. ”
“I hear you,” I signed and spoke. “I promise that I’ll get her home safely.”
Pepper harrumphed me, then turned to hug Roxanne. After their hug and a few more hand gestures, Pepper stepped to make her way to the parking lot, but that wasn’t how I got down.
Reaching for her, I grabbed her arm, then spun her around, though I made sure to do it as gently as possible. Something told me that Pepper Milo was probably a feral little thing. “Hey, you don’t get to walk to the parking lot alone,” I told her. “Not while I’m around.”
Pepper side-eyed Roxanne, then signed what I’d said. At least, that’s what I thought she was doing. “Fine,” Pepper signed and spoke. “And thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I signed and spoke back, and then taking liberties that I probably didn’t have the right to right now, I grabbed Roxanne’s hand, then the three of us made our way to the stadium parking lot.
After seeing Pepper safely to her vehicle, Roxanne and I made our way towards my car, and the entire time, I was wearing the biggest smile ever on my face.