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I removed my headphones from my ears and sat next to Christian. His head low as we were all on the field messing around before practice starts. He was like this all day and I still didn't know why.
He messed with the fabric of our practice uniform, he was silent but just watched as the guys passed the ball around. Most excited because they were asked to play on different teams for college, a dream for us all.
"Hey Christian." I nudged his shoulder and he smiled slightly. I pursed my lips and then smiled to lift the mood. "What's going on?"
"Nothing." He looked over to me and his smile widened, "Oh, I got an offer from UCLA to play." My mouth was open and I smiled so wide.
"That's so good Christian!" I hugged onto him and he hugged back, I let go and his smile was fading again. "Why aren't you happy?"
"I just- I don't want this anymore." His eyebrows were in a confused but upset expression which made me realize that he was being honest. "I haven't wanted this for years."
I stayed silent as he played with the helmet that was now in his hands, "I mean, of course I'm happy for you and Vin, but it's never been my thing (Y/n). I mean it's just football and we could make millions but I'm not going to be happy with it."
"So what are you saying?" I asked.
"I'm saying that I'm going to play my last games, but I just don't love football that much like you guys." He grabbed my hand, "I'll come support you guys, I promise. And Evan and I want to go into the same major so if we all go to the same college, it'll all be fine. Right?"
I nodded my head and then realized what he said, "You guys want to go to the same college?Like all together?"
"Yeah we were planning to, Vinnie is already talking about Texas A&M and Evan got an offer there too. I can just apply with my grades and get in. What? You don't want that?" He asked as I stared at him confused.
"Yeah I do, it's just I'm overthinking things." I smiled at him and he did too, "Yeah, let's go to the same college. It'd be cool." He ruffled my hair and continued to smile at me as I watched him walk away.
And yes, I was lying saying I was okay with us going to college together. But I just thought that when we grew up, we would go our separate ways, and most of us would get into a relationship and turn into those friends that meet up every year.
I looked back at Christian and how he was smiling nicely as he played around with the guys, maybe I was just surprised. Surprised with the fact that they actually wanted to stay together, and eventually be the friends to hang out every day or week, not every year. They wanted to have those weekends where we would go to amusement parks and look at the cars pass by the apartment all of us will share.
So yeah, I guess I was just surprised.
Yeah.
>
"Hello?" His voice rang clearly through the phone and I smiled.
"Hey."
"You okay? You never really call?"
I nodded my head as if he could see me, "Yeah, I wanted to know if you were doing okay." A breath went into the phone and a few minutes later I was sitting on the couch. Completely still as I was silently looked at my phone.
I held onto a pillow as my felt my eyes water, "(Y/n), guess what? We were walking down to the convenience store and there was this guy-" Vinnie looked down at me and smiled. "Are you okay?"
I nodded my head and got up from the couch, "Get the suit out." He looked at me confused and then realization hit his face as I started to go back upstairs of the house that my dad had welcomed me back into.
I sent Christian a quick text. Then Evan. Then the football team and coach.
I grabbed onto the hanger and threw the piece onto the bed, I hadn't worn that in years.
>
Vinnie interlaced his hand with mine as did Christian. Evan as waiting in line, Jacob was crying on the seat next to his father. His facial features now dull and frozen as he looked at the box that refrained from privacy. An open casket as I sat beside him and rubbed his back, he couldn't stop crying.
I wouldn't be able to either, but I was kind of dull myself. I was trying my best to not think about where I was, especially since I wanted to stay to help out Jacob. His siblings were sitting on the other side of his father while his father looked rather confused.
And I sat there silently while other family members in the back mourned, and then Vinnie sat beside me and he looked kind of tired, Christian on the other hand was crying more than the father.
He looked at me and hugged onto me. Yeah, he wasn't crying about Jacob's mom. He was thinking he was back when we were in middle school and we both became afraid of funerals. My mother laid there instead of Jacob's, but Christian was afraid of the open caskets and maybe even death itself.
"Are you okay?" Vinnie whispered into my ear, but I ignored him and I held onto Jacob's arm as he continued to cry. I loosely made Vinnie let go of my hand and turned my body to console my friend who was now someone without a loving mother. I looked at him and leaned my head onto his shoulder, he leaned his onto mine and our hands interlaced. Tears streaming down both our faces, not just because it was a sad time but also because we both knew how it felt.
And no one could take away the fact that I and now Jacob were now remembered as the people who lost their mothers.
