Whatever It Takes

Chapter- Forty-three

I let go of a shaky breath, while running my hand through my drenched hair.

"Something itching at you?" I heard Reece, another member of our team, asked.

"Just thinking, that's all." I told him and sat up. By now they were all surrounding me. Caleb, Reece, Devon, Andre, Logan, Paul, Bennett, Owen, Doug, and Elliot gave me questioning looks.

"Yup, he definitely was dropped as a baby." Owen commented. I shot him a glare.

"Dude, we know you're thinking about her." Caleb said, making me laugh. I haven't even known this whole team for a full year and they know me so well. I saw them as family, just as they did with me. I haven't forgotten about the high school football team, we are just busy with college and following our dreams.

"You shouldn't have agreed with her to take a break." Paul told me, as everyone nodded with agreement.

"It was what she wanted." I gave a short answer, not bothering to explain further.

"From what we know, you always give her what she wanted. Do something you want and make it your way. Make her yours." Logan cut in before Elliot could speak.

"She's not an object and I respect her feelings."

"He has a ring already." Elliot piped in, not realizing that I wasn't ready to tell them yet.

"You what? Dude! You know the situation you are in and you go out and get a ring?!" Doug was infuriated. He means well, I promise. He just likes to look out for you and make sure you don't do something stupid. Let's say he has had his fair share of stupidity in past experiences.

"I have a two year plan. I've thought this out. Don't kill me." I rushed out before anyone else could shoot at me with bullets.

"As long as you thought it out. We would always be there to help. Man, we need to meet her. I say next time you get the chance, have her come to a practice game and then we'll all go out and get something to eat." Devon suggested. I ran my fingers over my chin, thinking about it.

"I like the way you think, Foster."

Throughout the next week of classes, I found myself struggling to study and keep up with assignments. My mind was just really clouded over. It was as if the thick fog would never clear. I tried being better with staying in contact with Danny, knowing if I didn't we would drift. I would sent humorous texts, tell her about my day, ask about hers, how she was doing, and then we would have at least two phone calls a week. I could talk about anything and everything with her. Nothing bored me, unlike Joyce who kept on bothering the crap out of me. I told her it was over the night I kissed Danny in the parking garage at the hospital. Let's just say she slapped me not once but five times, kneed me in the balls, and threw a chair at me which went out of her dorm room window. She was persistent in trying to grab my attention. She would wear very revealing clothes during class hours, and wore even skimpier outfits to knock on my dorm room door.

I slammed my fist on a nearby wall as Joyce tried to talk to me again.

"Joyce, don't you get it? I know you have a small brain, but come on. I have told you this a countless number of times to leave me alone and that we are over." I said pointing at her. She only laughed.

"I don't get what you see in that girl?" She snorted. "I gave you me, and you threw me away like trash. The trash is her. Except it, and take me." She added on, only make me angrier.

"That girl is my life. Say one more thing about her and just know that plastic surgery won't fix your face for a third time. I don't want you, never have and never will. I used you, because I knew it would never last longer than a week." I let out bluntly.

"You'll be hearing from my father." She said sticking her nose up in the air.

"I'd love to tell him how much of a prostitute you are walking around in clothes like that." I said motioning to her extra padded push up bra that was showing through her see-through white v-neck shirt, and the short-shorts showing a little too much of her cheeks for everyone's own good. She scoffed and scurried off mumbling incoherent words.

Job well done, Oliver. Job well done.

I patted myself on my back for that.

After another long, boring class, I headed back to my dorm room to give my brothers a call.

"You are on speaker. So are we continuing the conversation from two days ago?" Michael asked me.

"Well I did tell you I was going to give another call, so yes." I said stating the obvious.

"Have you come up with anymore date ideas?"Chad questioned.

"Only like two, at the moment. I know from Elliot she's been dying to try this one bistro outside of her campus, so I was thinking of taking her there one night. I was also thinking of taking her out to grandpa's lake." I told them hoping those ideas were good.

"You should have lunch in the boat with her. Get flowers, too."

"I'm going to write that down. Anything else?" I asked them.

"Do something before the bistro. Um, go to the arcade or something." Chad told me. Of course he would say the arcade, he spends most of his time there hitting up girls.

"Not the arcade."

"An abandoned one?" He added.

"No. It's supposed to be sweet and fun."

"Going to the arcade is fun, eating at a bistro is considered sweet on a date, if you pay for her." Michael said. I rolled my eyes, and let my head fall into my hand.

"Really guys, really?" I said.

"Fine don't listen to us." Michael hung up. Such great help they are.

I sighed and tossed my phone onto my desk, slumping down into the chair more. Rapid knocking made me sit up.

"Coming." I mumbled and walked slowly to the door. Once I unlocked it the door swung open and I was pushed out of the way. I closed my door and Elliot was pacing around the room.

"What's up?" I asked walking closer to him.

"So you know how I told you that Daniella was hanging out with Gabe the other day? Well he touched her." He said shaking me by my shoulders. His face pale, eyes dark, and behavior was frantic and antsy.

"That son of a bitch!" I shouted. I walked out of his grasped and grabbed my keys. I was almost at the door was Elliot ran in front of me, blocking the door.

"You can't go. She's with him right now. She'll know I told you." He blurted while pushing me back.

"I don't care if I wasn't supposed to find out. I did and now I am doing something about it. I said shoving him into the bathroom, closing the door and locking him in there. I swung the door open and then slammed it shut. My body boiled with anger. I am going to strangle him for touching her. I'm going to do anything I can in my power to keep her safe.

He's so dead.