I Hate Football Players 3 | 18+

Chapter 37: Ellie

The apartment door clicked behind me like a stab in the heart, only I'd stabbed myself. Both my hands clenched my hair tightly on the top of my head and I squeezed my eyes tightly shut.

What the hell is wrong with me!?

I was supposed to apologize, not attack him for sharing his feelings.

The sound of my feet as they padded down the hallway barely registered in my ears. The stark, white-walled hallways provided nothing to focus on but I wouldn't have seen anything if I'd tried. Since I'd left my purse and keys behind, there was only one place I could go. Although, honestly, there was only one place I would've gone.

"Ellie?" Charlie's blue eyes squinted at me from a dark apartment, then blinked at the obvious sleepiness in them. Her voice was groggy and her normally put-together blonde hair was wild in all directions when she asked, "Do you need to come in?"

"I do, I'm sorry." I rolled my lower lip under and stepped past her.

"What did he do," a dark towering shape that sounded like Wes demanded in a half-sleepy, half-angry tone.

Both of them blinked against the light when Charlie flicked it on. Wes' thick brown hair was also messed up in multiple directions and he wore his T-shirt backwards, a pair of purple basketball shorts low on his hips, and his feet were bare.

I gaped at Charlie, who wore one of Wes' football sweatshirts, nothing from the bottom-down and obviously no bra. The fact that both their lips were swollen and the side of her neck was slightly pink told me I'd just barged into their private time.

"Oh gosh." I buried my face in my palms at what I'd interrupted. "I'm so sorry guys, I -"

"It's okay," Charlie's dismissive voice hit my ears but her cheeks were definitely pink when I lowered my hands. "Not what you... Well, it is what you think but we're fine."

"More than fine," Wes replied with a cocky voice and ran one hand over Charlie's obviously 'freshly fucked' hair.

"I'm sorry." My fingers trembled as I lifted my hands up again, this time to my forehead, and rubbed gently with my fingertips. "I was talking with Logan and I just, I can't - it's too -"

"Logan," Wes spat out angrily and took a long step towards the door before Charlie's hand clasped around the elastic waistband and halted his steps. Before I looked away, his bare ass crack flashed into my view. I squeezed my eyes shut but it was too late.

I deserve that for interrupting them so late.

"Hang on there, hothead," she tugged him back and shut the door in front of him. "Let's hear Ellie out first, then consider dishing out the knuckle sandwiches, okay?"

"Fine," he huffed, walked into the living room, and flopped his large, heavy frame down on the couch.

"I swear one of these times he's going to break it doing that," Charlie muttered to herself and ran her hands over her hair, pulled it into a messy bun, then swept me inside towards the sofa. "Sit down."

"I'm sorry." She reached for my hand, but I clutched onto her arm like a lifeline and sniffled quietly. "I didn't -"

"You're welcome here anytime," she assured me and stopped at the kitchen entrance. "Can I make you some tea or something?"

"S-sure," I replied meekly, then trailed behind Wes' path into the living room and sat down next to him. My lower lip trembled as I sat on the edge of the sofa, hugged my arms into my stomach, and rounded my spine. His brown eyes were full of concern and curiosity while they studied me. Under the weight of his concern, both my hands gripped my hair tightly again and I tucked myself into as small of a position as I could.