"Owen, baby, kiss me."
I felt arms snake around my waist from behind as I shoved my varsity coat in my locker. I spun, meeting sparkling brown eyes. I loved that she was tall, not quite tall enough to surpass my 6'3" build even with heels on but still tall enough that I didn't have to bend down to kiss her.
"Hey there gorgeous." I said just before I did exactly what she'd asked of me.
Her lips were warm and soft, her cherry chapstick invading my mouth as I deepened the kiss.
"Get a room!" Someone shouted from in the hall.
I stuck my middle finger in the air, waving it around as I held Jaelyn closer to me. I was more than willing to give them a show, whoever they may be.
"But for real though, you're on my locker." Katie interrupted us, her arms folded in front of her defensively. "Remember our truce?"
I broke away from Jaelyn, tucking her under my arm as I backed away with a theatrical bow. "You got me."
She cracked an unamused smile that only made my smirk grow. Katie had been a five foot nothing pain in my ass ever since the grades combined in 5th grade and we were forever destined to have lockers beside one another. Who knew the once blond petite girl I met the first day of 5th grade would end up being one of the only people that didn't end up being awestruck in my presence. Even though I purposely went out of my way to annoy her and I'm still not entirely sure she considered us friends, I did. I knew she'd always tell me straight. She also was god at pranks and bets which is why at the mention of our truce she had me bowing down to her. I will never be ready to shave my balls and plunge into the freezing cold lake again. They had climbed so far up inside me I was sure they'd never come back down.
For the record they did.
I draped my arm over Jaelyn's shoulders, the two of us parted the hallway like some kind of royalty. It came with the territory, being popular. We basically ran the social circle of the school, along with our best friends. You know typical high school cliche, I wasn't embarrassed to admit it. It'd made the fours bearable if only a little.
My knuckles connected with my friend Drew's as he joined us, our little party of three expanding even more as Alec and Bre sidled up beside us. So far my senior year had been nothing short of a dream. I had everything I wanted, I was on cloud nine, killing it socially, keeping my grades high, busting ass in soccer and track, a beautiful girl by my side and nothing stopping me.
———————
I kicked back in the chair in my Trig class, sliding my finished test forward to the front of the table. Drew was beside me, chewing nervously on his pencil.
He glanced over at me, whispering as quietly as he could. His voice always seemed to carry. "You done?"
I shrugged. My friends all knew I did well in school, they didn't know I was sitting pretty with an overall gpa of 3.98 and only because my Chem teacher junior year was a bitch. I should have aced that class but he hated me and he took every opportunity to mark me down.
"Erin won't let me cheat anymore." He whispered, nodding his head to the girl to his right of us.
Erin was lined up to be the valedictorian. She'd never given us the time of day until she apparently developed a weakness for Drew's charm. She suddenly began keeping her test closer to the edge of her desk. Needless to say it was the first time Drew was killing it in Trig. Something must of went south because now she was hunched over it like it was her first meal in days and she had a hungry pack of wolves circling her.
Twenty-five painstakingly slow minutes later Drew finally flipped his test over with a defeated sigh. The majority of the class had begun quiet conversations as the teacher began to collect our tests.
"What're you doing after school?" Drew asked.
"Working out. Alec needs a ride after football."
"After?"
I shrugged. "Nothing."
"I'm comin' over."
His knuckles were out for me to bump in agreement. I did, gladly accepting the company at home. My dad sent me a text that morning telling me he had a couple showings that were going to keep him late at work. It was typical, not that I cared. But sometimes it got old sitting in the house by myself.
———————
I dropped my tray of food onto the table, the Styrofoam crunching as it gave way under the unbalanced food. I stepped over the bench, wrapping my arm around my girl as I did.
"Hey baby." I planted a kiss on her temple before directing my attention to the soggy nuggets they served for lunch.
"Where have you been?" She asked, biting down on a carrot stick. She was always eating healthy.
"I stayed after to talk to Coach. There's going to be some scouts at my next game."
"That's great!" Perfectly white teeth flash at me, her chocolate hair shining under the fluorescent lights of the cafeteria.
"What's great?" Alec asked, dropping down beside me, Bre beside him.
"I'm throwing a party, Saturday, my house. My parents are out of town and Julia is staying at my grandma's." Drew announced, our tight knit group complete.
The table erupted into an excited conversation as more of the football players and cheerleaders filled in the empty seats, the news already spreading like wildfire. My hand headed for my phone to text my brother.
"I'll have Jase get us a keg." It was standard protocol, my job when it came to parties because I was the only one with an easily accessible family member who didn't care about under aged drinking.
"Sweet man." Drew high-fived me from across the table before his eyes darted to someone behind me. "Hey Bella!"
He clambered from the table just as fast as he'd sat, jogging out of sight.
"Bre, baby!" Jaelyn nearly squealed as she leapt from her place beside me. "We should go shopping."
My mouth twitched up in a smile, knowing full well her walk-in closet was spilling with clothes. Any excuse she could find to shop she did. Jaelyn settled in beside Bre, sending me a look that had my blood pumping south. Don't get me wrong I'm a horny teenage guy, but there's something about the way Jaelyn looked at me. It was mischievous and lustful all at once and it always had its desired effect.
"You can still give me a ride after practice today right?" Alec's voice brought me out of my thoughts just in time.
I nodded, shoving a fry into my mouth before flushing it down with the coke sitting in front of me.
"Yeah, man. I was gonna do some sprints anyway." I said.
His head shook. "You're crazy. I can't wait till I'm done."
"What, you got next week and it's over right?"
Alec was a seasonal kind of guy, he put his work in when the season started but once it was done, he was done. I on the other hand lived, ate, breathed it. That was the only way to excel at something. And I liked to excel. It also helped that being good at shit had come pretty easily for me.
"Yeah but coach has been pushing us hard and I'm falling behind in Econ." He whined.
"Don't be a pussy." I teased. "Without you our football team would suck."
"That's why you and Drew should have tried out."
I shook my head, remembering Alec's attempts to get Drew and I to join. It wasn't that I didn't
like football. But I was better at soccer and was wicked fast. It made more sense for me to play soccer and track and all my hard work focusing on the two had paid off. I had been offered a scholarship to U of M for soccer. They'd been scouting me since late sophomore year. The season was about to start and I had every intention of upping my game to keep the offers rolling in. I had a decent back up offer for track but the college wasn't in my top 5 so I wasn't even really looking at it.
"Footballs not my game."
"Fuckin' foot fairy." Alec teased.
———————
I wiped the sweat from my face with the bottom of the shirt I had on as I walked back to the other end of the track to catch my breath. I heard the football coach shout Alec's name, my attention getting redirected as I watched him pull his helmet off his head. His brown hair was matted with sweat as he threw his helmet to the side. I met him halfway down the long side of the track as he jogged, his head down.
"Company?" I asked as I fell into line beside him.
"Fucking asshole. It wasn't even me." He muttered. "Yet here I am doing a mile."
I laughed, "Probably payback for something you got away with."
He glared at me, flicking me off as I matched his pace. Alec wasn't fast. But he was big and surprisingly agile for as large as he was. At least in short bursts.
"How's your sprints?" He asked me as we started in on our second lap.
"Good, I think I can go faster though." I told him.
I had to shave a couple seconds off my time for the 400-meter. There was a kid in the neighboring school district that I had been fighting with the last year. We took turns beating each other but I was determined to end the cycle.
Alec's breathing was labored as he trucked around the track, his shoulder pads creaking as they shifted with every step he took.
"Halfway done." I told him. "Get up on your toes and you'll go faster."
He once again glared at me; his face beat red in the cool autumn air.
I shrugged, chuckling to myself. "Just offering."
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First chapter! I know we are just learning who the characters are but what do you think? Like them? Hate them already?
I was going to wait until tomorrow to post the first chapter but I can't stand it anymore! I've missed you. Literally two days passed from when I finished Hearts, Scars and Horsehoes and I thought a week had gone by 😂. So here I am! I have about 25 chapters already done on this story so updates will probably happen fast because as those of you who hang out with me know I'm impatient af and have to post shit as soon as I'm done writing it. The fact that I've made it this long to post this story is a damn miracle.