That Football player

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Are you sure you are okay to go to school?" I ask Zack. We had just got to school and we were still sitting in his truck.

"Yes, I'm fine." He assures me.

"I know, but..." I trail off. He puts a hand on my shoulder.

"I will be fine."

"Promise me something."

"What is it?"

"Tell me if you need to come home, I'll drive or my mom can come." I say. "And no football practice today."

"But-"

"You can watch but no."

"I feel you are just trying to get rid of me." he crosses his arms.

There is a knock on the window that terrified me. "Why are you two just sitting there?" Tara yells. she doesn't know, no one knows what happened to Zach.

*~~~*

"I need to ask Dean a question, is he home?" Zach asks when we get home after practice.

"He should be in his room." I say. "The showers are broken in the girl's locker room so I'm going to take a shower." I sigh. Zach nods and walks down stairs.

I step into the warm shower. When I get out I change into my pajamas that I grabbed before I got in the shower. My pajamas the same as they always are but now I have leggings on. I go to Dean's room and the boys aren't there. Then I go to the kitchen no one it there. Where is everyone? I bet Dexter is home. I don't talk to him much. I walk into his room. He is playing a video game.

"Knock much?" sarcasm hits me hard. His room ways very messy. Kinda gross.

"I was just wandering if you know where the boys went."

"They went shopping."

"Haha, very funny," I laugh, "seriously, where are they?"

"They seriously went shopping."

"I guess I should start on homework then." I say and walk to my room slightly disappointed and hurt I wasn't invited.

After I finish homework I watch LSU games on YouTube. After watching football for an hour they finally come back home. I run to the kitchen but they have already disappeared into Dean's room. Just as I make it into Dean's room Dean is putting something in his closet.

"Next time y'all leave tell me." I say. The boys jump.

"We told Dexter to tell you." Dean defends.

"Dex never leaves his room, did you really think he would come tell me?"

"Shut up." Tony says. "We got you some food." Then he throws the bag at me. We eat foot and play video games. Dean had brought his tv back into his room. I get bored quickly and go to the kitchen. There was nothing full of sugar so I settle for a red apple. I jumped onto the counter to enjoy my beautiful apple. Then Dexter walks into the kitchen. He was in a grumpy mood. I decided to play with fire.

"I didn't know you could leave your room." I joke.

"I didn't know you could survive five seconds without your new boy toy." He fires.

"Zach is not my 'boy toy'."

"Oh really? What happened to Gavin? You got bored?" Playing with fire you get burned, noted.

"Why don't you just go back to your room and stay there. You don't even fit in." I get off the counter and get into his face. Dexter turns around and takes off to his room, I hear a door slamming.

I walk up the stairs, I passed a line. When I pass by Dexter's room I hear him crying. Crud, as Zach says.

"Dex, I didn't mean it." I say from the other side of the door.

"Go away."

"No, I'm sorry."

"Why would you even say that? I know I don't fit in but you didn't need to say it."

"I said it because you said something about Gavin. It hurt me."

"Why did it hurt? You were the one yelling at him to leave."

"He- I had a pretty big crush on him and he... used me. Dean was paying him to keep tabs on me. but Gavin lead me on and he broke my heart."

"Wait Dean paid someone to be your friend?"

"Yeah." Dexter starts to laugh. "Hey, stop laughing, I'll make him hire friends for you and see how you feel about it."

"Just get me a new family."

"Don't say that."

"I am like no one in this family."

"You are just like mom. dad said that she was nerdy just like you." I sat down with my back to the door.

"Dad called me a nerd?"

"He didn't say it like that."

"But still though."

"Be happy you don't have to hide your grades from mom."

"You do?"

I looked down at my hands. "Yeah. I'm not good at school. After dad died... my grades took a back seat to my life falling apart."

"I could help you."

"You want to help me?" I became suspicious. "What's in it for you?"

"I want you to let me hand out with you and Dean."

"No one is stopping you."

"Just invite me."

"Open the door and come down."

"No thanks."

"Wh?" I don't know the sound that came out of my throat.

He opens the door. "I'm joking."

"Little turd." I hug him, he tries to push me off but I hold him too me. he is would become a freshman next year. I just wished he was I freshman this year so I could see him in the hall and call him out. Dean did that to me in our old high school. Though we hung around the same circles, but Dean was way more popular. The girls loved him and Tony.

Dexter and I walk into Dean's room. Dean goes to make a comment about him being there but I shut him up with a look. The couch was taken up by Tony and Dean, and the two chairs had Dexter and Zach in them, Dean didn't like anyone on his bed, so I took my place on the floor with pillows and a blanket.

After a few minutes Dexter comes and sits next to me on the floor, then Zach, next Tony and Dean. I don't claim a chair. I should but I don't because family I guess. That and I was too tired to get up from the dog pile on the floor. I was just falling asleep when mom came down stairs to see where everyone was. I heard her take a picture, I didn't fight it like I usually would. She deserved that picture. She was raising three kids plus two who ended up joining the family.