The Perfect Touchdown

I laid in bed, hung over to shit, and once more regretted my life choices. My phone had been blowing up with messages and calls from Leah, but I ignored every single one of them. I did what she had asked of me at the end of the game.

She promised she wouldn’t leak the photos if we acted like a couple, and she was my celebratory kiss if we won the game. It had always been my plan since the day Rylee and I confirmed our feelings for each other, that I would run to her and kiss her when we won the championship game, or even if we didn’t.

I wanted to tell the world that we were together, I had already worked on my speech to Avery in hopes that he would’ve understood.

But it was all tossed out the window thanks to my dumb ass. I never put a passcode on my phone because I always forgot it when I was drunk, and recently that was quite often. Thanks to that, it was easy for Leah to get to my phone whenever I left it out. We had to leave our phones in the locker phone and I remembered the day I was a little late onto the field and rushed out before making sure my locker door was locked.

She already admitted that it was coincidental that the day I forgot to lock it was the day she decided to see if it was unlocked and steal my phone. Her original plan was to send a fake break-up text to Rylee, but then she saw the pictures in our message thread and a new idea popped into her head.

If she couldn’t get me to like her, it was better to force me. She didn’t understand why Rylee deserved everything that she wanted when she wasn’t as good or hard-working as her. Leah believed that everything had been handed to Rylee on a silver platter just because her mother was a cheerleader and her family was wealthy, so they could afford the tuition.

Whereas Leah had to work 2 jobs just to save up for her tuition and she had to continue working through Uni just to afford her books, uniform and food. It was clear she had a hard life, but it was still no excuse for what she was doing. I couldn’t sympathize with her no matter how hard she tried to get me to.

I also couldn’t sleep with her no matter how hard she pressed me. She frequently tried to use the pictures against me when I refused to sleep with her, but I always got her when I said I would call the whole thing off then and tell everyone that she was lying about them being together since there was no point in us pretending after that.

Thankfully, that had worked so far and now it was winter break and the end of the semester, I had the chance to go home, and she was too.

That also meant that Rylee was leaving, and it was probably the last chance I would get to actually speak to her and have her listen. I had a feeling that if I had left without saying a word to her, she would never want to speak to me again once we started the new semester, and for the sake of Avery I had to try and mend our relationship a little bit.

I dragged myself out of bed and drove over to the dorms. I hoped she was there still, but Avery was already gone which wasn’t a good sign. I pulled up to the front doors of the dorm and there she was, just about to walk out the doors as if it was meant to be.

She was packing her bags into her parent's SUV and looked even more miserable than before. My heart ached at the sight of her, and I was torn between turning back around to prevent hurting her anymore and running to her to scoop her up in my arms and tell her everything was a lie.

But I couldn’t do either. I sat there and watched as she continued to pack her suitcases into the trunk with a solemn look.

To my luck, however, she seemed to sense my presence and looked right over to where my truck was parked. No doubt, she recognized it right away and told her parents to hold on before she started to walk over. I stepped out and waited for her on the side of the truck.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I wanted to see you off, at least. You’ve been avoiding me for weeks; I wasn’t sure if I would ever hear from you after this.”

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, hiding herself from me.

“We’ll both be back in a few weeks, it’s not like I have a choice.”

“I guess you’re right,” I mumbled.

She took a deep breath. “Actually, I’m not right. Listen, Aiden, I don’t know what the hell is going on and I feel like there is a lot more to this than you want to admit to me. This is your last chance; tell me the truth and I’ll forgive everything. We can move on and figure out whatever it is together, but if you’d rather be with Leah, then turn get in your truck and leave.”

“And what if I do?”

She snorted and narrowed her eyes. “Then, that’s it for us. I’ll make up some excuse about us having a fight and falling out of touch. We won’t ever speak again; we won’t ever be in the same room together unless it’s against both of our will. I will never give you a second chance.”

I knew she wasn’t kidding; this wasn’t a bluff. She was really going to stop speaking to me if I left right that second. But I also knew that the alternative to telling her everything was even worse.

How would she look at me if she knew I allowed her sensitive photos to get stolen and exposed to everyone? How would she ever face anyone at the school again after knowing that everyone had seen her most intimate parts that were supposed to be reserved for the person who promised to always love and protect her?

The very person who did the exact opposite and broke her heart.

Me. The utter douchebag.

“Should I take your silence as an answer?” she asked.

I didn’t know what to say. There wasn’t anything I could say to get out of this.

She scoffed after a few more minutes. “I guess so. Thanks… goodbye, Aiden.”

My heart was shredded to pieces as I watched her walk away for possibly the last time. My fingers itched and my legs ached to reach out and run after her, but I couldn’t. I would end her if I did, and her life was just beginning.

She would find someone else, someone better. Someone who could protect her in the ways I had failed.

‘What the hell am I thinking? Can I really sit back and watch her be with someone else? After everything we have gone through?’

I could hardly watch her and Jake together. I had rushed out to get her, half drunk I should add, just over the thought of her sleeping with him. Now that I’ve been the one to take that precious part of her away, how could I watch as she walked off to be with someone else in the end? I worked too hard and waited too damn long for her to be mine.

Yet, there I was, giving up on us over something so trivial. Enough was enough.

It was time to start giving some serious karma.