Chapter Nineteen
Matt
We had beer pong, cornhole, and a whole table set up with snacks and Jell-O shots, courtesy of our mothers.
Apparently, El’s and my mom had their own girl’s night dedicated to making Jell-O shots for our tailgate. If there was anyone who was loving it maybe a little too much, it was TJ.
I’d seen him go back for Jell-O shots three separate times, and who the hell knew how many times he’d gone back when I wasn’t looking?
The tailgate parking lot, one of many on campus, was packed. Cars, mostly pickup trucks, were scattered across the lot. Most people had a similar setup to ours— a car or two with the trunks open, dedicated to housing food, liquor, a music speaker, and everyone’s belongings.
We’d arrived at the lot at ten a.m. to make sure we’d have a spot, and everyone had started drinking by eleven.
Family weekend was one of my favorite times of the year. During the hockey season, we didn’t get much of any time off, but Coach made sure not to schedule any games each year during family weekend so that we could all see our families.
Even though he was a dick sometimes, Coach cared enough about us as individuals to ensure we had the ability to have lives outside of the rink.
He struggled expressing it, but his actions always showed that behind the deep scowls, insults, and harsh punishments, he did have a heart. He was like the Grinch.
Mac and my mom were drunk, telling stories about high school, and all our friends, along with Ezra, Lo’s new husband, were eating it up.
El and I, on the other hand, had heard the stories a hundred times and didn’t care to hear them again.
Instead, we were playing cornhole with Jade and Lo, and I was getting flashbacks to our childhood, when the four of us would break off and do our own thing, hang out and play games.
When we were kids, Ghost in the Graveyard was our summer go-to. Jade would always get mad because she’d be the first one to get tagged every time.
If it wasn’t summer, and the Illinois winters were at their peak, we’d be found inside, playing board games or watching movies in the Burkeley’s theater.
Once we got older, the quality time the four of us spent together started to dwindle, and by the time Lo went off to college, it was nearly nonexistent. After that, we only had intermittent visits altogether during the holidays. That’s why occasions like this meant so much.
Since El and I were on the same team, she stood across from me, throwing her bags in my direction. Which meant I got to look at her as much as I pleased.
Along with the crisp, October air came a fall breeze. It was refreshing to me, considering I was always overheating, but El wasn’t having it. She was bundled up in black jeans, a grey Cedar U t-shirt, and a black and grey plaid jacket. She was even wearing a hat to match.
The plaid reminded me of Halloween when we were nine.
We were going trick-or-treating together, and El was wearing a flannel, the exact same color as her jacket now.
For some reason, I thought she was dressed up as a lumberjack.
Apparently, she was a cowgirl. She was so offended that she ignored me for twenty minutes until I offered her my king-sized snicker bar.
I grinned at the memory.
Every time she made a bag on the board, she’d shine a smile directly at me, full of pride. And every time, I nearly melted into a pathetic puddle at her feet.
Everywhere she went, she glowed.
When the game was over, we gave up our spots so Kota and Bridget could play in our absence.
I grabbed another beer, a Miller Lite. I’d lost track of the number of drinks I’d had. It was almost two-thirty, which meant we’d been drinking for three and a half hours already. I wasn’t sure if any of us would even make it to the actual football game.
The boys were off to the side, laughing the day away, and a touch of fomo cut through me.
“You guys are never gonna believe what I just saw on Instagram,” TJ announced. “I already sent it to Cody.”
“What?” Crew appeared beside me, bringing a beer up to his mouth.
“They’re opening up a new bar downtown called Saddle Up. It’s completely wild west, slash country themed!”
Crew nearly spit his beer onto the pavement. “What! Are you fucking with me? They do this right after I leave?”
“Probably did it that way on purpose,” Lane chuckled, dodging a playful smack from Crew.
He and Cody were huge country fans. TJ liked country music too, but not to the extent of the other two. They were die-hard fans, wannabe cowboys, honestly.
“When does it open?” Crew asked.
TJ replied, “Next month.”
I wasn’t the biggest country fan myself, but a new bar sounded fun. We’d been going to the same two places for our entire college careers, so a change of scenery would be nice.
As Crew started swearing under his breath, TJ swung his arm around Lane’s shoulders, and just like I’d seen Lane do on our championship night, he shrugged TJ right off.
“I’ve been meaning to ask. You recommended Jett for captain,” TJ said. “Why not me?”
Anyone could answer that question, TJ.
“Are you really asking me that?”
TJ’s frown lengthened to a full-on pout. “Fine. I didn’t wanna know anyway.” He stomped off, heading straight to the Jell-O shot table.
Lane being Lane, he seemed unaffected. That guy could get decked in the jaw and still remain unbothered. I envied him for it. He was so level-headed, with this insane ability to stay in control of his emotions at all times.
I wished I could say the same about myself.
His eyes lit up as he watched Bridget jump up and down when she made a bag into the hole.
“You gonna put a ring on it soon?” I teased.
The comment backfired when he teased me right back.
“I could ask you the same thing,” he smirked.
“Yeah,” Crew sneered behind his bottle, “have you confessed your love yet?”
“Guys,” I scoffed roughly, “I’m not—”
“Sure.”
“Right.”
“Oh, shut up,” I grumbled, walking away.
Catching sight of Mac for a moment, it was like looking at my own reflection. He stood tall, a Miller Lite in hand. But whereas my destructive aura pushed people away, he brought people in.
For a man who wasn’t my own father, I valued his opinion too much. I questioned how he’d react if I just walked up and asked, How would you feel if I asked El out on a date?
Elisa joined him, and his empty hand snaked around her waist, tucking her close to his side. When he gave her a quick kiss, my gaze shot over to El.
She looked uncomfortable, as she usually did when her parents showed any affection or emotion towards each other. No one else seemed affected by it. I didn’t think anyone else even noticed the display.
Don’t get me wrong, I cringed if I ever saw my parents get touchy or show affection like this. For some kids, not all, they just felt a bit awkward at the sight.
This was a different level.
It was a snarky glare, face crunching briefly in disgust.
I trotted over. “Are you okay?”
Her rose scent fogged all my senses, and for a moment, I forgot why I came over here.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
I didn’t get another word in before she walked away. She definitely wasn’t fine.
But something about that spiteful frown, along with the specific shade of that pink tinted lipstick she wore, took my mind through a time machine.