19. McKenzie
NINETEEN
MCKENZIE
The morning after the storm is awkward, to say the least. I stay in the guest room all morning until I know Tyler has already left for the game. Kylie drives me back to my car. Thankfully, she doesn’t ask too many questions. She had hugged me and apologized profusely when I walked in completely soaked last night. I apologized for scaring her. I truly didn’t mean to make her worry.
Once I have my car, I head straight to the stadium for game day.
Somehow, I manage to successfully avoid Tyler all day. I understand why he wants to keep his distance, and I really do want to respect it, but it really sucks. Especially now that I know how he truly feels. But the distance between us will be good. I’ll get over this. It’s not like we even had anything, really. All we did was share one kiss. A truly amazing kiss, but still. I can’t act like a clingy teenager. That’s exactly what he doesn’t want.
I get set up on the sidelines like every other game and grab a good shot of the team running out on the field. I can sense the moment Tyler walks out, and when I finally find the courage to look in his direction, his eyes are already on me. I straighten my shoulders and force myself to look away.
I keep to myself for most of the game. I don’t even interview Tyler during halftime, which will likely result in a whole bunch of questions from Professor Moore on Monday, but I don’t have it in me today. Even when Tyler looks over his shoulder at me and pauses to see if I’m going to walk over to him, I turn my attention to the field, ultimately ignoring him.
I know I’m being petty. He’s put distance between us for a good reason, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. And with all the other stressors in my life, football and the little time I had with Tyler were the only things that I had to look forward to. Now, it seems both of those things are ruined.
After the game, where the Bobcats win by a landslide, I interview Tyler because I know I have to. I ask him the bare minimum of questions and quickly leave. I’m thrown into Hayes’s path, and he reminds me and insists that I come to the party tonight. Begrudgingly, I agree. I don’t love to party, but I also wouldn’t mind letting loose. Hayes doesn’t seem like the type who would mind if I crashed on his couch.
After the game, I head to the Danvers’ house so Kylie and I can get ready for the party. She’s more than ready to go out with me since things with the guy she went on a date with didn’t work out.
We’re gone before Tyler even gets home. We get an Uber to the house Hayes shares with a few other guys from the team, and the place is already packed with people. There’s music blaring, girls in barely there clothes, and Solo cups. Tons of Solo cups.
Kylie drags me into the kitchen and gets us each a cup of watery beer.
“There she is.” I feel Hayes’s heavy arm drape over my shoulder. “You finally came to another party. This deserves a celebratory shot.”
He’s dressed casually in sweats and a T-shirt, his hair still damp like he just got out of the shower. I have no idea how these players have the energy to party after they just played a game.
He leaves my side, grabs a bottle of tequila from one of the cabinets, and pours three shots. “To the hottest girls at La Vista U,” he says, holding up his cup. But then he lowers his voice and smirks. “Don’t tell anyone else I said that.”
Kylie and I both laugh before we down our shots.
Hayes smiles at us and then says, “For real, though, thanks for coming. Drink all you want. Have a good time. I’m sticking mostly to water.” He holds up a water bottle. “So, I’ll watch out for you two. You’re welcome to crash here later if you need it.”
“Thanks, Hayes.”
Then he leaves to say hello to another player who just walked through the door.
“Alright, let’s do this,” Kylie says. She links her arm with mine, and we make our way into the party. We mingle with guys from the team, and some of Kylie’s friends from school are here, so we talk to them for a while. We play beer pong, which we learn we’re terrible at. Quinn even makes us what he calls his specialty cocktail, but I’m pretty sure it’s just straight alcohol with a splash of Sprite in it.
When things finally start to wind down and people start leaving, Kylie and I are definitely past the point of tipsy.
We’re sitting out back around the fire pit, Kylie in a camping chair and me on a bench with Hayes, his arm draped over my shoulders. It’s friendly, and I think he finally understands that I’m truly not interested in hooking up with him.
“Hey, my dad is here to pick me up,” Kylie announces.
I stiffen in my seat but hope Hayes doesn’t notice. Thankfully, he’s looking in the other direction and talking to Ryan about something.
“You called your dad?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I knew he’d still be up. And it’s a hell of a lot safer to have him come get me than get in a stranger’s car.”
I nod, trying to calm my pulse. “Right. Yeah. That makes sense.”
She stands from her chair. “You coming?”
I shake my head. “No. I’m going to stay here tonight.”
She raises her eyebrows, and then a slow smile spreads across her face when she looks between me and Hayes. Not what I intended, but I’d rather her think I’m finally into Hayes than into her dad, so I don’t correct her.
“K. Call me in the morning, and I’ll come get you,” she says.
I nod, and she walks back into the house.
Not even two minutes later, Tyler is standing at the backdoor without Kylie, his eyes glaring at Hayes’s hand on my shoulder.
“Coach!” someone calls when they notice him standing there.
He nods his head in acknowledgment. “Boys. I’m going to pretend that I didn’t see that keg in there.”
Everyone laughs. Everyone except me. Why is he here? Kylie went out to meet him, so he should’ve left.
“McKenzie, can I talk to you a sec?” he asks. His tone is casual, but the glare in his eyes is not.
Hayes removes his arm from my shoulders and is still talking to Ryan.
Reluctantly, I stand and follow Tyler inside.
“Why aren’t you coming home with us?” he asks in a low voice once we’re away from the remaining party guests.
We’re alone in the living room, and Tyler is standing closer to me than usual. I sway slightly on my feet as I say, “I’m going to stay here tonight. Hayes said I could.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “Come back with us. That way, I know you’ll be safe. You’ve clearly had a lot to drink.”
“You want to know I’m safe or that I’m alone? Because one of those is none of your business.”
His dark eyes meet mine. “McKenzie.”
“Tyler,” I say in a mocking tone. “I’m an adult, and I’m choosing to stay here with Hayes.”
He leans in closer to me. “Do you want me to beg, McKenzie? Because I will.” When I don’t say anything, he continues, “Please come back to the house with us. I need to know you’re there.” He pauses, and his eyes soften. “Please.”
I swallow hard. The ‘please’ makes my insides feel like jelly. Why can’t I say no to him? “Fine. Let me tell Hayes.”
He nods and takes a step back. I walk back outside. “Hey, change of plans. I’m gonna head out.”
Hayes looks a little bummed, but he doesn’t try to change my mind. “Ok, babe. Do you need me to call you a ride?”
“No. Coach is going to drop me off.” Thankfully, I’m not drunk enough to admit to everyone that I’m secretly crashing at Tyler’s house.
“Cool. See you next week.”
I smile, nod, and then turn back toward Tyler. He’s leaning against the kitchen counter, likely surveying the mess and the alcohol. He’s also wearing my favorite pair of gray sweatpants that fit him perfectly in all the right places.
“Ready?” he asks when he sees me coming back.
“I guess.”
“Come on. You didn’t really want to stay here, did you? This isn’t your scene.”
I hate that he’s right. I hate that I’ve told him so much about me that he knows I would’ve been uncomfortable staying here.
“Maybe I’m trying new things,” I suggest.
He scoffs and then follows me out the front door. Kylie is already lying down in the back seat of his truck, and it looks like she’s fallen asleep. The silence drags on as Tyler drives us home. There’s too much alcohol running through my system right now to bother having an actual conversation, and I don’t even know what I would say to him.
By the time we pull into the driveway, I’m itching to get out of here and away from Tyler. I practically jump out of my seat as soon as the truck is in park. I gently wake Kylie and help her into the house.
“What are you doing here?” she asks groggily. “I thought you were staying with Hayes.”
“Yeah, well, your dad had other plans, I guess.”
She groans. “Oh god. Did he cock-block you? I’m sorry, I shoulda just called an Uber.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tyler stiffen, but I’m not sure if it’s because his daughter just said the word cock or because he’s wondering what might have happened if I had stayed with Hayes.
I wasn’t planning on sleeping with him, but everyone seems to assume I was.
As we’re walking up the stairs, I say, “Thanks for the ride,” over my shoulder because no matter how annoyed I am, I don’t have it in me to be rude to someone who is helping me.
He doesn’t respond, and I don’t expect him to. After I get Kylie into bed, I cross the hall to my new room.
I peel off my clothes and throw a big T-shirt on before I land face-first on the bed and fall asleep on top of the covers.
In the morning when I wake up, there’s a glass of water and some ibuprofen on the nightstand next to my bed. Why does he have to continue to be nice to me? It would be so much easier to get over him if he was truly the asshole he pretends to be.