The Coaches Daughter | E. Jaeger

02

You only agreed to him taking you home because you didn't want to get stuck at the school until midnight. Tomorrow is the first day of classes and you'd like to get ready before hand and to finish unpacking your room.

"Okay wait," you stop walking and he does the same. He turns back to look at you, waiting for you to speak. "Tell me your name so I don't feel like I'm getting a ride from a stranger."

"That didn't take long," he chuckles. "My names Eren Jaeger."

You pull your lips into a thin line and then continue walking towards the parking lot. "Okay, let's go."

"My truck is over here," he laughs and points behind him which is the opposite direction you're walking.

You shake off the slight embarrassment and continue following him over to an old four door Ford truck. It's black and well taken care of for how old it is.

"After you," he opens the door and you grab onto the handle to pull yourself up into the seat.

You look around the inside of the truck as he throws his bag into the bed. It's reasonably clean. At least void of any trash. There's bits of turf scattered on the floor and some leaves, but other than that it's well taken care of.

It smells like those black ice air fresheners and when your eyes scan over the dashboard, you spot the black tree hanging from the rear-view mirror.  You're not surprised by his choice since most guys prefer that scent.

Eren opens the drivers door and hops in, setting his wallet in a small cubby in the dashboard. The seat you share is fit for three people and stretches across from door to door. There's lots of leg space due to the dashboard being disconnected from the seat. Most cars have a center console, but due to when the truck was manufactured, it's not the case.

"What neighborhood do you live in?" He sticks the key into the ignition and starts the truck. The engine roars to life and the noise cuts you off from speaking. After it idles out, you're able to answer his question.

"It's the one in the eastern part of town," you try to remember the name of the gated community, but come up short. "I don't know the na-"

"It's okay, I know it." He puts the truck into gear and presses down on the gas, gently propelling you both forward and out of the parking lot. "It's the only gated community in this town."

"Oh," you glance out the window and take one last look at the high school before it's out of view . "How long have you lived here?"

"My whole life. My dad was raised here and so was my grandpa," he grips the steering wheel with one hand while leaning his head on the other thats resting on the window. "My dad played for the Titans and so I am too."

"Just because your dad did?"

"Well no," Eren takes a quick glance over at you. "I play because I'm good at it and it's fun."

"It's just because you said you are also playing because he did," you point out.

"I play for myself," he states bluntly, leaving no room for you to question him anymore. It's quiet again and you don't really feel like making small talk, so you watch the farm land pass by as you get closer to your neighborhood.

"How do you feel about moving your senior year?" Eren breaks the silence with a question you hadn't seen coming. It's odd for some stranger to be curious about your feeling on a personal matter.

You sit up straighter and adjust your legs so one is crossed over the other. "It's whatever."

"You don't seem all that happy with it," he laughs.