Blayne
Winning the championship game was something I looked forward to since the start of the school year. Standing out in front of all the College scouts and performing at my best should have me feeling like I was the biggest sh*t to hit the scene, instead of like I just got sh*t on.
I walked through my cheering teammates receiving a few pats on the back and a praise here and there, but it didn’t help my mood. As I sat next to my locker and started removing my jersey, I glanced to my left and saw my friends.
Or the guys that used to be my friends before I made a dick move losing my girl and them with one decision. They were laughing and replaying the game in their conversation. Leroy looked ready to party and he deserved to after that last hit. While unlacing my shoes I shook my head in amazement that the self proclaimed player had in fact become the loyal boyfriend. With Keri of all people. It always seemed like they hated each other, but I guess it’s true that there’s a thin line between love and hate. If only Lylah was able to cross that line, she’d be mine again.
I still couldn’t believe she would choose Caleb over me. We had a history together, I knew all her likes and dislikes. I knew what made her smile and how to tick her off so our argument turned into a make up session. Now Caleb would be the one learning all those things about her. I wanted to blame him for this whole situation. Beat the crap out of him for worming his way in and taking what was mine when she was vulnerable and hurt. I couldn’t though, because it wasn’t his fault.
It was mine, and I would probably spend a long while regretting it.
Sick of myself and the pity party I was throwing like a little girl, I removed my shoes and got up to grab my things from my locker so I could shower. Just as I was removing my clothes I felt someone behind me. Looking over my shoulder I realized it wasn’t just one person, but four. Lance, Leroy, Koa, and Spencer stood there staring me down.
Was it finally time for them to give me the ass whooping they wanted to do since the day I broke Lylah’s heart. I knew they left me alone because they didn’t want me injured, I was the pitcher after all. Now that the season was over, there was nothing stopping them from teaching me a lesson.
I turned to face them, feet braced shoulder width apart beneath me ready for the first blow. I waited…and waited…but it never came.
“We should kick your ass, but we won’t because I think you’ve been kicking yourself enough for all of us,” Leroy said with a sneer.
“Yeah man, I don’t think I ever saw you looking so…destroyed. Shouldn’t you be happy? We just won the game of the season. I was looking forward to smashing your face in but there’s no fun in that if you already look like you got clocked,” added Koa.
“Well, Lylah’s got a pretty good arm,” I pointed out.
Lance tensed, “She hit you? What did you do to her?” Spencer had to put a hand out to stop him from attacking me which was just long enough for me to explain. “Nothing. She didn’t hit me physically, but I wish she had.”
“You sound like a pussy right now, Blayne.”
Well Leroy, I felt like one.
“What happened?” Spencer, always the peacemaker, asked.
They really didn’t need an answer from me, I’m sure they would figure it out by tonight, but I found myself explaining anyways. “She chose Caleb. She loves him and doesn’t want to give us another shot.”
“Can you blame her?” asked Koa. He was always the most protective of Lylah, more so than her own brothers. It used to drive me crazy how close they were knowing they used to be together. I guess that would be Caleb’s problem to deal with now.
I shook my head at him, “No, I can’t. Look guys, all I want to do is shower and get the hell out of here so if you aren’t going to kick my ass, do you think you could move so I can get going?”
“You’re not going to the party tonight?” Lance asked.
“I’m not in the partying mood.”
“Holy shit, she really did knock you good didn’t she?” Leroy asked with a touch of pride in his voice.
I started to make my way around them, not wanting to see their enjoyment at my obvious destruction when a hand on my shoulder stopped me, “Look Blayne. You’re not exactly our favorite person right now, but you just helped us win the most important game of our high school careers. You deserve to celebrate with the team.”
“True that, and some alcohol will do you good. Make all that pussy action disappear,” Koa joked.
I looked at them as if waiting for the punch line, but there was none. Maybe it was the realization that Lylah was really over me, or seeing how much it killed me that she was. Whatever the reason, these guys who were once my closest friends were giving me a second chance. I would be stupid not to take it.
“Why not? I got nothing else to do,” I said with a smirk.
“That a boy. Now go wash your stink ass so we can party. There’s a little brunette ready with a congratulations reward for me,” Leroy bragged.
“I hope you mean Keri,” Lance joked to which Leroy shot him a dirty look before saying, “You know I did dick head.”
Lance put his hands up in surrender, “It was a joke, damn! Someone’s got their rags.”
They started to go at it then, engaging in a mock fight. I just laughed before heading to the shower. It would take a while for me to get over losing Lylah; and I’m not sure if I could ever really be her friend knowing how much I still loved her, but at least I would have my boys back.
Caleb
I once got hit in the nuts with a baseball, without a cup on, but even that didn’t hurt as much as this. Hearing Lylah tell Blayne she loved him killed me. When I first met her, I knew I would like her but didn’t realize I would come to love her. I was an eighteen year old guy, just about to finish high school. What did I know about or want with love? If you asked me that a month ago I would’ve said nothing.
Then Lylah came into my life and suddenly I’m spending every waking moment thinking about her and picturing her smile. Trying to figure out ways to get her to smile at me. I was giving up nights drinking with the guys to spend it watching chick flicks with her. I didn’t go to the beach to scope out chicks, but to ride the waves with one chick in particular. The kicker was that I would wake up an hour earlier than usual every day, just so I could send her a ‘good morning’ text making my face the first thing she saw at the start of her day.
I was whipped and all before she even admitted to feeling a slight bit of the same for me. Maybe this was a good thing. Maybe Lylah was making me too soft. After all, college was just around the corner. Did I really want to start what was supposed to be the best party days of my life shackled down with a girlfriend?
The answer should have been ‘no’, but the truth was plain to see. If that girl was Lylah, I’d gladly lock the shackles myself.
Each step I took away from her felt like a physical tear in my body. I paid no attention to anyone around me, ignoring Keri and Leah’s questioning glances as I kept a fast pace to my car. I just wanted to get my hands on some beer as fast as I could to dull some of the pain I was feeling.
Bryce, being my best friend wouldn’t let me do that without an explanation. That was made evident as his steps dogged mine and he opened the passenger door of my car, slipping inside before I could lock it. Deciding not to argue with him because it would be pointless, I started the car and drove to the address of the party.
We remained silent the whole way, me quietly stewing and Bryce letting me. When we pulled up to the house, the last rays of the sun were setting. We were early and kegs were still being delivered, but that didn’t matter. We knew just how to get a party going.
“You’re not going to let me leave this car without an explanation are you?” I asked staring out the wind shield. A couple girls from Lylah’s school noticed us sitting there and sent flirtatious winks our way.
I ignored it. That was another thing, every single girl paled in comparison to Lylah. Would it always be like this?
“Nope. What kind of best friend would I be if I let you keep sullking off like a kicked puppy?”
I shot him a glare, “I do not look like a ‘kicked puppy’.”
“Sorry, did I bruise your ego? Didn’t think that was possible.”
“You’re a riot, Bryce. Seriously. You should give up your baseball dreams and become a Comedian,” I said with heavy sarcasm.
He had the nerve to laugh, and if he wasn’t my best friend I would’ve punched him for it, but it wasn’t his fault I was in a pissy mood. Nope, that would be due to the realization that the girl I loved was still in love with her ex.
“What happened Caleb?”
I was silent at first, then answered honestly, “Lylah doesn’t love me?”
“What? She told you that?”
I winced, “Not exactly. I overheard her and Blayne talking. She told him she loves him.”
“Caleb-”
“No Bryce. I know what you’re going to say. I didn’t misunderstand. If I hadn’t heard those words, the way they hugged would have told me all I needed to know. I should’ve known I couldn’t compete with him. They have history, I always knew she loved the guy. I was just hoping she would come to love me to.”
“You don’t know that she hasn’t. You need to talk to her.”
“I know that. She’s probably going to come find me tonight to break it to me. I know it’ll be hard for her because she’ll feel guilty for hurting me. It’s going to suck big time.” It wasn’t something I was looking forward to.
“Again, dude. You don’t know that. Did you stay to listen to the whole conversation? Maybe there was more to it,” Bryce tried to reason with me.
I shook my head not daring to hope, “Nah man. Whatever I thought we had is done. The only thing left is for her to end it. Maybe I should end it first, leave with some of my ego in tact.” The more I thought about it, the more the idea appealed to me. It would relieve Lylah of the guilt she no doubt would feel, and leave me with the illusion that it was my choice that things ended.
“That’s not a good idea. At least ask her about it first.”
My mind was set. I wouldn’t give her the chance to say anything. I would control the conversation, but in order to do that some alcohol was needed. I started to get out of the car, Bryce following. I looked at him across the roof of my car, “There’s no point. I’m going to break it off tonight. As soon as she gets here I know she’ll come looking for me. I plan on getting pretty buzzed so it dulls everything because one look from her fallen face and I’ll cave. As soon as it’s done I need you to get me out of here. Can you do that?”
Bryce looked uncomfortable. I needed to guarantee his cooperation, “You said it yourself. You’re my best friend, you’re supposed to be there for me when I need you. Well Bryce, I need you. Now will you do that for me or not?”
I pushed him into a corner and he knew it, but couldn’t resist pointing out, “Yeah. I will, but just let me say I think you’re about to make a really stupid mistake. Don’t be surprised when this all blows up and I say ‘I told you so’.”
I doubt that would happen, even though a niggling feeling in the back of my neck told me Bryce could be right. I couldn’t have imagined the way Lylah had opened up to me. How she sought out my company.
No.
That was my hopeful thinking again. If I was going to be successful in freeing Lylah of the burden that was me, I needed to squash those thoughts. She was an amazing girl and deserved to be happy. I wanted to be the one that gave her that, but if I wasn’t then I needed to step aside for the person that could.
Regardless of how much I hated the guy.
“Come on, Bryce. There’s a keg with my name on it.”
I stalked off to the house ignoring Bryce’s mumbled, “This isn’t going to end well.”