Chapter 14
Theodore Knight
H ectic is the only word I have to describe the past four days.
The football season is in full swing with the seasons fading into each other as the warmth of summer is overtaken by the chill fall air. Training sessions are intense. Everyone on the team has sore, aching bodies as we continue to build our match fitness.
The responsibilities of captain in combination with my academic schedule is stressful. Thursday is my busiest day with the inclusion of the research project I am doing with Jazmine.
My last class finished ten minutes ago; however, I decided to make a pit stop for caffeine. I exit my car and place my bag that is full of textbooks and my laptop, over my shoulder. In order to lock my car, I put the two coffees I brought onto the hood of my car.
As I approach my front door, I see a figure standing outside my door. Jazmine is tapping her foot rapidly with her hands on her hips. A scowl has formed on her lips and I force myself to push down a laugh. Honestly, I think that is her default expression when she sees me.
But what can I say? I’m a masochist.
My gaze flicks down her figure to her tight skinny jeans that hug her curves, leaving nothing to my imagination. Jazmine’s top has curled up, showing her lower belly, while her tits are highlighted by the v-neckline. I inch closer and her scent fuses into me, vanilla and coconut—like the candles my mum used to burn around the house.
“You’re late,” she snipes. Her eyes fall to the coffees in my hand. “Is one of those for me? If so, I might consider forgiving you.”
“Who knew, Jazmine Allen’s downfall was caffeine. If you’re this agreeable with coffee, I might have to start bribing my way to your good side.”
I pass her the drink. Jazmine squints, caution filling her green eyes, but nonetheless, she takes a sip from the straw. Her eyebrows pull together—a tell that her mind is warming up .
“Is this an iced caramel latte?” Jazmine takes another sip. “On almond milk?”
I laugh at her surprise.
“How did you know it was my favourite?”
The truth is I begged Athena to tell me. If I want to be in Jazmine's good books, I need to show her that I care. And knowing her coffee order is the bare minimum.
Jazmine's eyes soften and lips curve into a thankful smile. Fuck. My heart surges with happiness. The fact that doing such a small thing for Jazmine rewards me with a genuine smile, is more than I could ask for.
I clear my throat. “Lucky guess. Should we get started?”
I guide Jazmine to my bedroom, rattling off where the other rooms are before we come to a stop. She immediately pulls out the chair from my desk and spreads out all of her equipment.
If you had told me in freshman year, Jazmine Allen was in my bedroom, I would have laughed in your face.
I stare at her for much longer than necessary, my eyes flick between her and my bed. I suppress a groan. The things I would do to get her spread out for me, naked, my face buried between her—
“Are you going to sit or keep watching me?”
Right. Our research project. Innocent thoughts, Theodore, think innocent thoughts.
This project is, apart from football, the most important part of junior year. My name will be on the radar of various research companies and NFL teams. I’ve been putting more thought into declaring for the draft and still have no clue what to do. If you ask my dad, there isn’t even a question on which option is correct.
“Do you have any ideas?”
I offer her the chance to talk about any research topics she has thought about. I have a couple of ideas that I want to research, with a specific focus on recovering from injuries. As an athlete, this has always interested me, plus Jazmine is majoring in psychology so she will have a different perspective to bring.
Jazmine’s face lights up, her smile revealing her pearly whites. “I’m so glad you asked. So, I was thinking our thesis paper could be about the impact concussion has on athletes’ mental health and subsequently, how it affects their physical activity and performance. I’ve got some of the research up already—”
“Hold up,” I say. “It sounds like you’ve already planned everything, what if I had an idea I was passionate about?”
If Jazmine thinks I’m going to be a pushover and let her run this show, she has another thing coming. We are meant to be partners, everything is equal.
Jazmine’s eyes narrow, her piercing look sending shivers down my body. “You asked for my idea, I assumed you didn’t have an idea.”
I scoff. “I thought we already established I wasn’t just a dumb jock. I actually do have an idea, I thought I’d be polite and let you go first.”
“Trust me, Theodore. As the person who is always second best to you, I know you’re smart. So, tell me your idea and we will debate.” Her voice is laced with sass, as she continues in a whisper: “then we choose mine. ”
“I heard that,”
“You were meant to,”
“Fine.” I grind my teeth together, preparing my argument in my head. Jazmine isn’t getting her way. Not completely anyway. There is such thing as a compromise.
“I want to discuss the behaviours and motivations of injured athletes, focusing on their road to recovery and back to performing at peak levels.”
Jazmine rolls her eyes at me. I bite my tongue to stop the words on the tip of my tongue. In a minute, I’m going to give Jaz a reason for her eyes to roll back.
“Spoken like a true football player,”
“What and your idea isn’t at all related to the career you want in the future?”
Our gaze clashes, both of us staying still as if we are in a Mexican stand-off. We are stubborn people so, I can't see either of us caving. The tension in the room is palpable as we continue staring at each other.
My eyes fall to Jazmine's chest as it rises quicker than it was before. All while her hands twitch at her sides. Is she okay? I’m about to give in, but Jazmine beats me to it.
“Okay, fine.” She huffs. “What is a good compromise?”
After an hour of explaining our idea and the various components that will be part of it, Jazmine and I reach an agreement. We decided to talk about the impacts of mental health on athletes, but instead of specifically talking about concussion, we will do multiple types of injuries and how that affects recovery and returning to performance .
“What about testing? Who are our subjects going to be?” Jazmine asks.
“I’ll ask a couple guys from the football team. Should we pick injuries from each major body system?”
Jaz nods in response. “Good idea. Nervous, skeletal and muscular systems would contract the most injuries, plus if we do two of the same injuries for each system, we can do a wide range of contrasts and comparisons.”
“I like it,” I begin. “Look at us, we can get along Princess,”
“You just jinxed it,” she says, packing away all her belongings.
My phone interrupts me before I can reply.
Dad.
I swear this guy has the worst timing, I contemplate answering, forgetting Jazmine is still here.
“You can answer it if you need to. I’ll see myself out,”
I hit the decline button when Jaz’s voice travels into my ears. I don’t need his shit right now. I’ve been avoiding his calls since Saturday, not wanting to hear his critical analysis of every choice I made during the game. Eventually, I’ll have to pick up the phone but that time isn’t now.
“It’s okay. I’ll call him back later, it’s only my dad.”
Jazmine eyebrows scrunch towards each other, as if she is contemplating my statement.
“How did you get here? Do you need a lift?” I say, hoping to distract her. The last thing I want is Jazmine finding out about my complicated family dynamic.
“I can walk, ”
“You’re not walking,”
“Yes, I am.”
Her stubbornness knows no bounds. “I’m driving you and that’s final. Don’t think I wouldn’t throw you over my shoulder and buckle you in myself.”
Jazmine crosses her arms, resting them under her breasts.
Don’t get distracted Theodore.
“You wouldn’t?” She says, her tone unsure.
I step towards her, but she holds her arms up in protest. “Fine, you can drive me. I am not getting thrown like a sack of fucking potatoes though,”
I snatch my car keys from the kitchen bench and race her to my front door. “After you,” I say, my hand trying to signal her through.
I lock the door behind us and try to catch up to Jazmine. My eyes unwillingly fall to her hips as they sway from left to right.
Her voice; however, snaps me back to reality. Jazmine looks back over her shoulder. “You better not be staring at my ass,”
My cheeks heat, the blood rushing down my neck. Too late.