"I really wish I didn't have to leave." Kylie reached out for another hug.
God. How long was this going to take? You'd think saying bye to someone would be quick and easy, but nope. Kylie had to make it be this long drawn out process. It was ridiculous.
"Now, I think if we stick to our schedule we'll be just fine. Don't you?"
"Yeah."
"Remember, Robbie that every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday we video chat five times a day. And all other days we video chat three times a day. I wouldn't want to impose upon your football, guy, family, or Jesus time. Of course, there are plenty of phone calls and text messages in between the video chats every day."
"And how exactly long are these things that I have to do?"
"It doesn't matter, does it? Don't you want to spend every minute with me that you can?"
No. Not really, woman. I thought to myself.
"Kylie. Seriously how long are we talking? I'm a busy guy."
"Fine." She groaned. "If you just have to know, video chats are a minimum of three hours. Phone calls are a minimum of an hour, and you have to send me at least two hundred texts a day."
I felt like my eyes were about to bug out of my head. It was official. This woman was crazy. She needed help. She needed to be an intensive mental institution. I mean, fifteen friggin hours of just video chatting four days a week?! The only explanation was insanity.
"Robbie!" She snapped her fingers in my face. "Do you understand the plan?"
"Yeah, sure. Whatever."
"Sign this then!" She stuck a piece of paper in front of my face.
What the hell? Now I was having to sign a friggin contract?!
"Sorry. Can't sign this until my lawyer looks over it. Don't wanna sell my soul over to the Devil, ya know?"
"Yeah." Kylie nodded her head. "You can just fax it to me! My plane is leaving soon. Bye Robbie! I'll video chat you later!" She planted a wet, slobbery kiss on my cheek.
Once she was out of sight, I rubbed it off my cheek. What had I gotten myself into? It was mess... that's for sure.
***
"Aaron. I'm not kidding. She pulled out a contract. She's insane!" I showed him the papers.
He burst out in laughter. "I'm sorry, but it's just sorta hilarious. Fifteen hours of video chatting four days a week... I just" He shook his head in laughter. "I can't wrap my head around that."
"Aaron... it's not funny. She has got some serious issues. I want to break up with her, but now, I seriously worry for my health and safety if I do. She's crazy. For all I know, she could have a tracking system and cameras on me at all times."
"If I am recalling this correctly, I warned you about her when you guys dated the first time. I had heard about her. You obviously didn't take my advice the second time around either because you hooked up with her again. Just sayin'" He grabbed his helmet out of his locker. "Come on, man. She's gone now. You can play it out."
I heard my phone start ringing. It was in my locker, and I was about to go out on the field for practice. It was probably Kylie. I didn't have to abide by her ridiculous rules. I was my own person despite what she wanted.
"You gonna answer your phone?" Aaron asked, pointing at my locker.
"No! It's probably her." I looked at him; I was still completely horrified from earlier.
***
"Patterson! What is wrong with you today, boy? You might as well have butter fingers!" Coach pulled me aside.
"Sorry. Got a lot on my mind."
"I don't want excuses. I want results. Our big rivalry game is this coming week. You're one of the star receivers. I'm counting on you. The team is counting on you. Heck! The school is counting on you. Remember the scouts are here. They're looking at the way you play... how much effort you put into practice... Get your head in the game." He gave me a shove back out onto the field.
"What was that all about?" Aaron asked me later when we were on the sidelines while the defense was practicing.
"Coach was just pressuring me about everything coming up."
"You got this, buddy. Play all of it out. You can do this." Aaron grabbed one of the spare footballs. "I need to work on my arm, so if you want, I can throw ya some passes."
Aaron threw the ball several times to me, and every single time I dropped it. I felt defeated. I felt like a fraud. I felt like a loser. In fact, I was all those things.
"Maybe it's just an off day for ya. At least we still got the team bonfire tonight still at y'all's house tonight. That's still on, right?"
"As far as I know, yeah."
"Good because I'm bringing someone."
"Who?"
"Sara Thomas. Total babe. She lives in Jackson and goes to East Riverbank High."
My eyebrows furrowed. Jackson was a good half hour or so away, "How'd ya meet her?"
"She's my cousin's girlfriend's older sister's best friend."
"Seems simple enough." I nodded my head.
***
Most of the guys had a girl with them. I was one of the few that didn't. Bored to death, I picked up a stick off the ground and poked and prodded the roaring fire with it.
My girlfriend would definitely want to talk to me, but I didn't want to talk to her. She creeped me out big time—so much so that I'd rather sit here at a bonfire pretty much by myself bored to death rather than talk to her.
The screen on my phone lit up. I looked down to see it was a text from Juliana.
Juliana: Hey. I just wanted to apologize for everything the other day. I was on a short fuse already, and you just sitting there... not doing anything whatsoever... made it even worse. I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to explode at you like that. So yeah... just know I'm really sorry. :/
I rolled my eyes. I wasn't mad at her for that. I was mad at her for standing me up, and I guess that it wasn't even that really. I was mad at the fact that her excuse went from being that she couldn't get a ride to my dad is dying of cancer in hardly time at all. I didn't understand that, and it frustrated me. If her dad was dying, why'd she lie to me in the first place?
My phone buzzed again. This time it was from Kylie. I had changed her name from Kylie in my phone to The Crazed Creepy Lunatic after everything that happened earlier.
The Crazed Creepy Lunatic: ROBBIE! You haven't video chatted me once today! This schedule is only going to work out right if we BOTH stick to it. If I find out that you've been/still are ignoring me, it will NOT be good. It will NOT be good.
I gulped. Not many things in the world scared the crap out of me, but Kylie sure did... and that was a fact.
*NOTICE: EITHER ALL OR PART OF CHAPTER 14 WILL BE OUT TODAY ALSO!*