She's Just That Kind of Girl

Twenty-Eight | Tanner

The guys and I sat in the living room analyzing game tapes of our opponent coming up this week on our TV. We pointed out tendencies and weaknesses that would help us win against them. Little "tells" like being outside the boundary for a safety or slightly different stances in the offensive linemen, like their hands and feet positioned differently to tell for a pass or run, body language. Things like that.

Doing this together with the guys was always fun. We studied these tapes individually as well, but once a week we made time to do this as a team-thing, even as a small portion of the team. It also helped Austin when we could talk about mistakes I made that we could both learn from. Obviously, every quarterback has their own unique throwing-game and things they're observing, but anything and everything was useful.

Especially now, coming off two breakups practically. One breakup and one let-down more specifically, if I categorized it. Mary, I was already experiencing a drift. But Violet was more crushing than I realized as days went on, just like expecting to like her so much being very shocking. That's why distractions and focusing on football and the guys helped keep her pushed at the very dark corner of my mind. Though I felt her lurking there in the crevasses, haunting me.

We wrote in notebooks and pens, taking notes and talking amongst each other about what we found, something maybe someone overlooked that would be helpful. William seemed intensely preoccupied on his phone for a few minutes, which I found to be a little odd. His eyebrows were as harsh and concentrated together as his fixed expression.

"Everything okay, buddy?" I asked.

"Uh. . . um. Yeah, everything's good." William said, still scrolling on his phone.

"You sure? Doesn't seem like it. What're you looking at? Not more wildlife videos of lions devouring cantaloupes, is it?" I asked with a chuckle, finishing the last of my notes. He always found those nature videos very disturbing and conflicting when watching "the circle of life" happen right before his eyes.

William sighed and rubbed a hand against his face. This seemed to be more than a wilderness video.

"Seriously, Will. What's up? Spit it out already," Preston said. Him and Austin had paused the tape to join in on the speculation.

"Alright, alright. Just. . . don't shoot the messenger." William said finally. He did a few taps on his iPhone and his screen mirrored on our TV through our shared Apple TV. Really it belonged to Austin, but he enjoyed sharing.

William pulled up an article titled Violet Adair and Shane Trevyn, Old Lovers No More? by Celebrity Gossip Clean Up (CGCU). The date stamped today. I gulped hard and my heart throbbed uncontrollably. The guys stared at me with worried expressions.

"Okay. Well, gossip columns make up celebrity stories all the time. Doesn't mean it's true," I said. Please don't let it be true.

William made a face that said there's more. . .. He scrolled down to pictures of Violet and Shane seemingly having a serious and intimate conversation outside of a heavily guarded building of some kind. Must be an arena or stadium.

One photo showed them holding hands, Shane holding one of Violet's hands with both of his. Fuck, it's hard to dispute photos. My heart crumpled up and sank slowly to the bottom of who knows what. First Mary, now Violet. Shit. Am I really that unlovable? What have I done wrong? Violet lied to me. She lied. . .to me. I know I lied to her, but at least I came clean.

"Okay, hold on now. Let's not jump to conclusions," Preston said, tossing his thoughts into the ring, "we don't really know what's happening in these photos. If you want, I can get clarification from Dallas."