bet on it - odell beckham jr.

chapter twelve

"maybe tomorrow you guys can order a whole damn carnival, instead of just a food truck." i wink at him, as we arrive at my front steps. "well this is me."

"this is you?" he cocks his head and glances up towards my door.

"yes, odell. i'm sure it's not as nice as your place, but not all of us make multimillion dollars in a year."

his eyebrows crinkle. "that's not what i meant. it's just that, well. it's on the first floor."

"meaning?"

he quickly waves his hand. "never mind, ignore me. i watch way too much csi." he shrugs, trotting up the stairs after me.

"oh. well, thanks i guess. for the concern and the walk home. you've completely reassured me that i chose the right neighbourhood to live in."

he at least laughs. "this neighbourhood isn't bad by any stretch, i have a little sister." as if that statement explains it all. so when i don't reply, he rushes on. "i tend to be a little overprotective over the women in my life."

"oh, that's cute."

i don't bother to tell him that i am in no way a woman in his life, merely a blip on the radar of the life of odell beckham jr. hell, we aren't even friends.  he's merely becoming my acquaintance.

"you think i'm weird, don't you?" his hands go into his pockets and he rocks back on his heels, as i move to unlock my door.

"no, not really. i'm just surprised by you. that's all."

"surprised, as in pleasantly surprised?"

i've got no idea. all i know is that here we are, standing on my front porch, all alone. he's staring at me with those huge brown eyes and killer smile, and it's taking everything that i have to not let my knees go weak.

"sure." i tell him, before pushing my way through the front door. i glance back at him once, before giving him a tight smile. "thanks for walking me home, goodnight."

he simply nods, before flashing me another grin, turning on one heel and trotting down my front steps and back off into the night.

"so?"

"so, what?"

sterling rolls his eyes at me, completely dropping his towel to the ground and standing before me, completely naked as he rifles through his locker for his clothes.

"man, are you for real?" i grumble, turning around so that i didn't have to see him.

"what's the matter, beckham? does seeing me in all my glory bother you?"

"please." i grab my shirt out of my locker, before pulling it over my head. "you act like i'm tryna see that shit."

"my god, shep. are you kidding me?" saquon comes up behind us. "dude, you need to start covering up. way too comfortable."

"listen, don't hate just because i'm comfortable in my own skin." sterling quips back, sitting down on the bench, still butt ass naked as he turns his attention back to me. i only know this because i can feel his eyes burning into the side of my head, since there is no fucking way i'm turning back around to see him again.

"so, beckham. i heard you were with cuntmaster last night. are we mom free? because if so, you're getting a huge pat on the back for bagging that one so quickly."

the problem is, is that ira isn't even bad as everyone says she is. i mean, yes. she's rough around the edges, and speaks to us in a condescending tone most of the time, but last night, when i was walking her home? i saw a glimpse of the woman underneath the steel exterior, and for some reason, it raised my protective instincts.

i mean, what kind of woman has been on her own since the age of 17? when she dropped that, i knew she regretted telling me. but, it left me to wonder a whole hell of a lot about her, and what kind of life she has led up till now.

she's fucking gorgeous too. especially when she smiles, damn. more parts of me than my dick take notice. and while it was brief, i enjoyed being around her. i don't know why. but, for whatever reason, i felt a connection to her. on a different level than i planned on.

"na, i just walked her home."

"you just walked her home? and you didn't drop her any hints about your so called amazing dick? that's an issue."

"how would you know about my dick?" i kiss my teeth. "there ain't no issue. i've got to work up to it, you know? she isn't the type to just jump right on it. i can already tell that about her, gotta make her trust me first."

i turn towards him, trying to ignore the way my words make me feel, still finding sterling sat down beside me naked.

"put some clothes on, man! i don't know if you're doing this because of laziness or if you really about that life. it ain't right."

"not right at all." saquon repeats. "i'd love to stick around and talk about this, but fuck. i cannot have a normal conversation with anyone when sterls' baby snake is hanging out."

"you mean, sterls' anaconda?"

"i swear to god." i grab my helmet before following saquon out of the locker room. "sometimes, i worry about you."

"the only thing you need to worry about beckham is getting it on with, you know who. no need to worry about me and shepard jr, we both just fine."

☯︎

i pull my hood down further over my curls and grab a pair of dark tinted sunglasses. i love my fans, don't get me wrong. however, sometimes being in the spotlight can be a pain in the ass.

fame is something i very well may never get used to. at first, i loved it, craved it really. when i went pro? i was on a mission to prove myself, and to the world that i had made it. honestly, i was tryna prove it to my ex deja than anyone, making every appearance i could just to prove to her how badly she fucked up by doing me so wrong.

but after a while, i'd be lying if i said it didn't get old.

there's something to be said for peace, quiet and privacy. to go on about your day without constantly being stopped by fans, or have someone shove a camera in your face and ask about your life, when all you're tryna do is live your life.

so, over the years i've developed ways to try and stay hidden as much as possible.

for starters, a plain old hoodie does wonders. of course, it's not a giants one, which would draw attention. a hoodie is a pretty common thing to wear around here, and makes me blend right in, add into that a pair of basketball shorts and trainers.

my practice already ran late today, and add on to the fact that i had to deal with my mentally challenged teammate trying to have a conversation with me while his dick swayed in the wind has put me a little behind today.