I get home from practice at eight the following night. Typically I'd get home around seven, but I always make an effort to smoke a joint in my car on the way back, and then I'll drive around to air out the stench. If I don't smoke weed after practice then I'm wired — so wired that it makes everything feel like it's completely on edge.
A lot of players are scared about having a surprise drug test, but not me. I could give two fucks if we get drug tested. Football isn't my life, and if it's in the cards for me to get tested and get kicked off the team then so be it.
I put a couple of eye drops in before I double check myself in the mirror, grabbing my backpack before I head into the house. My mom is busy making dinner in the kitchen, an old 80's band playing through the speaker.
"Hi honey!" She shouts over the music, quickly turning it down once I reach the island. "How was school? Practice?"
"It was fine." I shrug, the same response I always give.
"Ready for the big game this weekend?" My dad types away at his laptop at the dining room table, a ton of papers spread out around him.
If there's anyone I look up to in life it's my dad. He is truly the best father I could ever ask for, and I can only hope to be as good of a dad as he is someday. He's always been there for me through everything. He's at every game, but I know that if tomorrow I decided to quit the team then he'd support my decision fully. He'd never pressure me into doing something that I didn't want to do, and I love him for that.
People have always said that Maddie and I look exactly like him. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and very prominent jawlines. It used to be more obvious, but now that my dad has gotten older his hair has turned slightly grey, wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
"Very ready. You should have seen Cameron and I today. We're going to be unstoppable."
"Where is he?" My mom looks behind me as if she's expecting him to come around the corner. "I made that cornbread of mine that he loves to go with the chili."
"Uh, he said he was going to Mark's house for a get together or something." I say. "He'll probably be here later though. Just put a plate in the fridge."
"Figures. The day I make a double batch Maddie decides to go to Maya's and Cameron isn't here. You didn't want to go to the get together too?" She asks.
Definitely not. After the party last weekend I embarrassed myself entirely. Clearly I'm not in a place to even attend a party, or a small get together for that matter. My parents can't exactly know about the party that I went to though, so instead I just say, "no. I have a lot of homework to do, so I decided to stay back."
"How responsible of you." My father drawls, clearly not believing me. I'm too high to try and defend myself. It was a lame excuse, I'll admit it.
Not wanting to explain myself any further, I tell them both that I'll eat later and head upstairs to my room. I'd prefer to wait for the munchies to kick in. It'll taste ten times better.
I don't have homework, so I collapse down onto my gaming chair and start up the PlayStation. It's not everyday that I'm by myself after school. I'm used to having Cameron with me, and the silence is deafening. It leaves me alone with my thoughts.
As I start the game up, my phone rings. It's Cameron.
"Hey." I press my phone between my ear and shoulder.
"Hey, are you sure you don't want to come tonight? It's not too late. I can swing by and pick you up."
"Nah, I'm really okay." I reply, and images from the party last weekend flood into my mind. I refuse to have a repeat of that situation.
"I still think you should come." He says to try and persuade me. "I'm pretty sure Kelsey said there'd be free weed."
He knows I'd never turn down free weed, so I have to come up with some other plausible explanation. I don't want him to find out the truth about what really happened last weekend.
"Yeah, well Mark is also the host of the party." I respond bitterly. "I don't think I can be around him without doing the same shit you did to him yesterday. I'm good just chilling at home tonight, bro, but if you want to stop by after then feel free. I got the new call of duty."
After a few seconds of silence, he lets out a sigh of defeat. "I'll definitely make an appearance. I just want to get high and probably pay Kelsey a visit. Then I'll head over. Give me like an hour? Your parents are cool with it, right?"
"When have they ever not been fine with it? It's fine. Maddie is at Maya's until later, so it's one less kid they have to be responsible for."
"Alright, cool." He replies. "I'll see you then."
Tossing my phone onto the carpet, I see a notification that Maya is online. She's been on my friends list for years ever since she beat the hell out of me that day in seventh grade.
Maddie is over there though. Would she get mad if I invited Maya to a game? I can say that Cameron isn't here, which is the truth. All of my teammates are over at Mark's. I have no one else to play with.
I can sit here and try to give reasonings for why I press the button to invite her to a chat, but I know the real reason is because I've been craving that feeling with her that I felt last weekend. The feeling of utter relaxation just from her touch.
My heart speeds up when she accepts it, and in seconds I hear her voice. "Ethan?" She asks. "Did you mean to invite me, or..."
"Uh, yeah. I did. I mean, If that's okay. I know Maddie is there, so if you guys are busy then-"
"No!" She splutters, clearing her throat before she adds, "She's um.. sleeping."
"At eight?"
"Um, yeah. I know, right? She started studying and passed out a few minutes later. I'm downstairs in the den though, so it's fine. I won't wake her up."
"Okay." I smile and lean back more into the chair, more than pleased that she seems to want to do this too.
We haven't played together in years, but I know she hasn't lost her love for gaming because she asks, "why aren't we in hardcore?"
A girl that knows how to game is so damn attractive. "My apologies." I smirk and go back to the lobby to select a new match. "I didn't realize you still gamed like that."
I did know. I see her gamer tag pop up all the time to let me know she's online, but I've never had the opportunity to do this when I've been alone, so I act like I had no clue.
"Unlike you, I haven't changed. I'm still the same old me."
Blunt, honest and straightforward. That's always been Maya, and it's what I love the most about her. She always tells it like it is, even if I don't necessarily want to hear it.
"And how have I changed?" I find myself asking. The game starts up, and I try to focus but it's almost impossible. I can hear her breathing through her microphone, suddenly realizing how fast this conversation turned serious.
"Do you really have to ask?" She replies. "Aside from being a total and utter dick to women, you follow Cameron around like a lost puppy. You emulate him when he's the completely wrong person to choose."
"I am not a dick to women." I try to say, but then she clears her throat.
"So are you trying to tell me that the lipstick all over your neck last weekend was from a serious relationship? Not another one of your conquests?"
This one I really can't defend, because I genuinely was a dick to Jennifer. Not in the way that Maya is thinking though. She has it all wrong.
"Why do you care?" I find myself asking.
"I don't. You asked a question and I answered. You were a lot different before you both got into high school and - fuck!" She shouts. "What a pussy. Why the fuck is he camping like a noob?"
I can't hide the smile on my face at all as I listen to her trash talk another player, sighing into my mic before I say, "okay, maybe you have a point, but it's not like I want to be like this. I mean, Cameron is my best friend, and if I'm not into the same things that he is then sometimes I feel like he'll find someone else to hang out with."
"And If he does that then he wasn't really your friend to begin with in my opinion. You should explore and be who you want to be. Not who everyone else wants you to be. I bet that guy is way cooler."
"Or has panic attacks." I add. "The real version of me isn't what you think. Trust me."
"The real version is who I'm talking to right now, and he's way cooler than the guy hooking up with girls every weekend and discussing their tits and asses in the locker room. Regardless of whether or not he has panic attacks. That doesn't define you, and I feel like if you stopped trying to live in your best friend's shadow then you might find yourself a lot less anxious."
I let out another sigh and try to focus more on the game, suddenly realizing that I spilled out some dark secrets in the matter of minutes to her. It's like she knows me better than anyone. She knows me better than my best friend does. But it's easy talking to her. I don't have to think about what comes out of my mouth, and I don't have to try and be someone that I'm not with her.
"Maybe you're right." I tell her quietly. "Can we change the subject now?"
"Oh, most definitely. Want to tell me why I already have thirty kills and you only have ten? Have you really not practiced all these years?"
Double checking the scoreboard, I let out a whistle. "Damn, Maya! What the hell? That's insane."
"I know." She gloats, and I can hear her smile. "I'm just that fucking amazing." Then the speaker gets all fuzzy for a second before she shouts, "mama, dame cinco minutos mas!"
Oh, sweet fuck. The accent sends me spiraling, my dick involuntarily growing hard just at the sound of her voice.
"Do you have to go?" I can hardly choke out.
"Um...." And then there's a long pause before she says, "Actually yes. Maddie is up I think, but..."
"But what?"
"Just... if you're online and see that I'm on, don't hesitate to call again, okay?"
I'm grinning like an actual idiot. My cheeks hurt from smiling so damn much. "Okay." I reply. "I look forward to it."
"Me too. Bye, Ethan."
I'm surrounded by silence again just as my phone goes off. It's a text from Cameron to let me know that he's on the way here. I guess it's a good thing Maya had to go anyways then.
Standing up from the chair, my dick is still hard as a rock from her. From hearing her voice. From remembering how she felt right in my arms.
That belly button ring, that ass...
Oh, hell. I'll shower afterwards.
Collapsing down onto the bed, I grasp my dick and close my eyes, pleasing myself to nothing but thoughts of her.
A/N:
Ahhh ok I love them so much
I love Ethan
I love Maya
We love a bilingual queen
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