Scarlett
I never realized how difficult it could be to read while four fine shirtless men run around you. Gatsby's and Daisy's lovers' quarrel is no match for the sight in front of me. I try my best to stay focus on Gatsby's never-ending love for Daisy but once I realize that I've read the same paragraph at least ten times without making any progress I give up and give into temptation. Hiding behind my oversized sunglasses, I take in the sight in front of me.
Lucas is shirtless and let's just say that his body is as perfect as his face. He has a perfectly chiseled six-pack, broad shoulders, and a strong back indicating that he's probably played a sport in high school. His calves are nicely toned, and he has a cute little butt. He built but not too built that he looks "jacked." You can tell that he works out a lot to maintain his physique. His shorts are hanging dangerously low and show off a very defined V line with a sprinkling of dark hair under his belly button that dips into his shorts. Lucas has been swimming, and his shorts are sticking to his legs and um...other lower extremities. My curiosity beats out my morals, and I can't help but notice that he's working with a lot. Lucas further cements my idea that he is a modern-day reincarnation of Adonis.
After a while even gawking at the guys gets boring. Lauryn, Heather, and Juliette were all laying out in the sun, working on their tans, but now they're gossiping about girls they went to high school with, while still working on their tans. Lauryn tries to include me in the conversation, but it's hard to hold a conversation about people you don't know or care about. The guys just finished a game of volleyball and are starting up a game of football and I decide that I can't stay in the corner with the girls any longer. I whip my shirt off, slide off my shorts and pray that the swimsuit isn't as revealing as I feel it is.
It's not that I'm insecure about my body. I know I'm not the skinniest girl out there. I have thick thighs that love being together and a bubble butt covered in stretch marks thanks to puberty. My tummy isn't the flattest, and my boobs aren't jugs more like cups. I'm curvy with a relatively small waist, but that's about it. Plus I'm short. When I was younger, I was extremely insecure about all my flaws. I hated my butt. I hated my boobs. I basically hated myself, but once I got older, I learned to love them all from my stretch marks to my B cup boobs, and even my scars.
I jog up to the guys, who are gazing at me intently. A brief wave of insecurity passes through me, but I quickly brush it off. The one thing I can't brush off, however, is the way Lucas looks at me. His gaze rakes over my body and lingers a few moments longer than the other guys does. I feel like he can see all the flaws I've learned to love. If it weren't for my complexion, I would be bright red under his scrutiny.
"What's up Scarlett? What do you need?" Lucas questions when he brings his eyes back up to mine. Embarrassment creeps up onto his face as he rubs the back of his neck and I thank god once again for blessing me with dark skin.
"I'm getting on in the game."
"We're playing football sweetie not cheerleading." Alex snarkily replies, while staring me down.
"I'm aware that you're playing football that's why I came over here. If you were cheerleading, I would have stayed sitting in the sand and watched you shake your ass." I cross my arms over my chest and stare back at him. I stared off bigger guys than Alex, so his tough guy act does nothing for me.
"Just go back and gossip with the girls and let the men play. Mm, kay?"
"Wow, misogynist much. You must be single. All that pent up anger towards women isn't good."
"Listen here you little bi-" Alex starts up, but Lucas quickly cuts him off before he can finish his sentence, which was good for Alex because if he were to have finished his sentence, I would've kicked his ass.
"Alex stop. She can play with us."
"Do you even know how to play? By the way, this isn't touch, it's tackle, and no one is going to take it easy on you because you're a girl. You want to play with the guys we're going to treat you like a guy." Alex says ignoring Lucas
"I come from a family of football players, and I was my older brother tackle dummy for years. Believe me, I can take a hit just as well as I can deliver one." I tell him.
"Whatever." He turns his attention to the guys. "I want Luke on my team. Liam and Jay are on a team, and we'll rock, paper, scissors for the dead weight. Best 3 out of 5."
I shoot daggers at Alex. This guy is really rubbing me the wrong way. He's definitely on my "avoid at all cost" list right below Juliette.
The guys battle it out for the "dead weight," and in the end, Liam and Jeremiah end up with me. Alex looks just as relieved as I feel.
We're all getting in positions when Jeremiah says to me "Don't worry we got this."
"I'm not worried. If anything they should be the ones worried. "
"That's the spirit."
Lucas quickly goes over the rules, where the end zones are and what counts as a touchdown. He flips a coin, and my team has first possession. Liam runs it, and instead of throwing it to me who's closer he throws it to Jeremiah who's further away. Alex intercepts it and makes a great play to Lucas who then scores the first touchdown of many.
~*~
We're losing, and I hate losing.
We're down by 5, and I have yet to even touch the ball. Although Liam and Jeremiah are more accepting of me than Alex, I can tell that they too don't want me intruding on their game. This whole game neither one of my "teammates" have thrown me the ball, even when I'm always open. It's like I don't even exist. I'm more than slightly annoyed at their sexist ways, and now I'm really out to prove them wrong.
The guys have been purposely playing the game high and by that I mean there hasn't been a time that the ball was less than 6 and a half feet in the air, so naturally, I can't reach anything. Lucky for me Lucas throws the ball just as Liam tackles him, so the ball is lower than normal. I jump and intercept the ball before it can reach Alex. Alex smirks ready to tackle me, but I fake left and run right. I'm running like my life depends on it, to the end zone. I hear a collective gasp as I run the ball into the end zone and slam it down into the sand.
"Scarlett, what the hell? You run track?" Liam's voice is full of shock.
"I had- no have an older brother who enjoys torturing me. Gotta be fast to avoid being slaughtered." I nonchalantly say although I'm everything but. I'm giddy that the guys got to see my skills and on top of that they were impressed by little old me.
We're back in position, and this time Jeremiah throws the ball to me instead of whipping it over my head to Liam. I start running like hell, and I hear Alex yelling at Lucas to tackle me since he's the closest to me.
"But I don't want to hurt her."
"Just tackle her you wuss!" Alex's screaming intensifies, and I can hear Lucas catching up me.
Next thing I know Lucas is on top of me and I'm holding the ball above my head. His face is dangerously close to mine. I can feel his minty breath on my face while I'm losing all ability to breathe. He's staring at me, like really staring at me and I can't help but stare back into his blue orbs. My anxiety kicks in, and suddenly I'm afraid he can see past this image I created and see the dark secrets lurking underneath. I know it's irrational, but that irrationality is enough to get me out of the trance I always seem to find myself in when I look into his eyes. I push him off of me and throw the ball to Jeremiah who runs it into the end zone, giving us another point.
Thanks to the guys finally including me into the game, we're all tied up. 29-29. One more point and my team will win the ultimate award - bragging rights. Once again Jeremiah throws the ball to me and I catch it effortlessly. I'm running to the end zone when Alex comes out of nowhere and tackles me. He hits me so hard that the impact can be heard from a mile away. Not only is the wind knocked out of me, but the ball is knocked from my grasp. We land in a heap and unlike when Lucas landed on me, Alex's full weight on me and crushing my now bruised body.
"Alex what the fuck?!" Lucas yells, while aggressively pulling Alex off of me. "What were you thinking? Scarlett are you okay?" Lucas' concern and anger are clearly present on his face. Once I get my breathing back in order, I'm fine, but I decide to milk it a bit. I grab my ankle feigning pain and give a Tony winning performance. The guys surround me, trying to see the extent of my make-believe injuries. From the corner of my eye, I see the ball is in arm's reach. The guys' attention is on me, the game is completely forgotten. Lucas kneels in the sand to get a better look at my ankle while Alex stands by my side shamefaced. I quickly roll out of Lucas's reach, run towards the end zone, not before grabbing the ball. I slam the ball into the sand and hit the hardest milly rock on the east coast.
"Gotcha! You really thought Alex's weak ass tackle was going to knock me out the game? You gotta hit hard than that sweetie." I'm all up in Alex's face bragging. "The dead weight" just made the greatest comeback since New England beat Atlanta. Liam, Jeremiah and I are all high fives and cheers, while Alex looks pleasantly surprised. I'm milly rocking with Jeremiah when I get scooped up and thrown over a broad shoulder.
"Congrats you won. Wanna know what we do with winners?" Alex starts walking us away from our makeshift field and towards what I presume to be the water.
"No thanks. You can put me down now buddy." We're getting closer to the water, and I'm starting to panic. I came to the beach to stare at the water not actually get in it.
Alex momentarily stops and turns to Lucas who has a wicked grin on his face "Hey Luke do you think we should put our winner here down?"
"No Alex I don't think we should."
We're moving back towards the water and I try to get out of his grasp, but Alex is strong. That doesn't stop me from trying, however. I'm kicking and punching his back, but nothing works.
"Stop moving, or I'll have to spank you." Alex playfully threatens. I'm pretty sure he would so I stop trying to get out physically, and instead I move on to mental tactics.
"Lucas please don't let him do this to me. We're partners remember." We're knee deep in the Atlantic. "Please Lucas?"
"Let me think about that...- uh nope."
I go to continue my begging when I'm unceremoniously dumped into the cold and salty water. I come up sputtering while Alex and Lucas are red in the face laughing.
"Damn you done fucked up now," Jeremiah solemnly shakes his head "Rule #1: Never mess with a black woman's hair."
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Ick this was supposed to be a cute little filler chapter, but it's anything but little. Jeremiah is up above