Basketball is Not Life

Chapter Forty-One

Parker was waiting at the front door; Spartan was sitting next to him after I got back from my trip.

"Renee," he said, wrapping me into a hug. He whispered in my ear, "Gosh, I missed you."

My parents were behind me. They had a few boxes, and Parker had yet to notice.

"Hey guys," He said. "How was the trip?"

"It was great." My mother answered him.

I tugged on his hand. "Parker, can I talk to you?"

His eyes fell to mine, and I could see the worry in them again.

"Sure," he pulled me down the hallway into his father's study. "What's up?" He asked, clicking the door shut.

I was nervous, and my voice shook. "I'm moving out."

His eyes narrowed "but I thought you had changed your mind."

I nodded. "I did."

"Then why are you moving out?" He asked, confused. He stepped forward toward me and thought about it, and stepped back.

"Parker, I'm not breaking up with you." I stepped forward, grabbing his hand.

"It sure as hell feels like it, Ren." He said, his voice low.

"I was in one relationship for most of high school, and it was ... you know what it was like. It consumed me. I was too far in. And I'm all in with you, but this has gone very fast. When I moved in, I was ok with it because I never thought you and I would become a thing." I winced at the word "Thing" since this was way more than just a thing.

"Where are you going to be staying?" He asked. He was taking this better so far than I thought he would be.

"At the dorms" I smiled at him. "I won't have the perks of having a housemaid and getting groceries bought for me. But I'll get the true college experience."

He was not smiling, not even close. "I feel like you ambushed this on me."

I shake my head. "I feel like I did too. I'm sorry. I didn't want to ruin your time at the tournament, and then my dad surprised me with the trip, and I didn't want you thinking about it the whole time I was away. Even though I was stressed about it."

"Why were you stressing about it?" He asked me. He was hanging onto my hand still and gave me a squeeze.

"I thought you were going to break up with me, or worse, get possessive, so I would have to break up with you."

He smirked. "You're not getting rid of me that easy, Ringer." He kissed the top of my head. "But next time, tell me sooner than dragging it out." He yanked at my hand. "Come on, let's go get you packed up."

He helped me pack my room up and helped load it into my Range Rover.

"It's a real shame," he said as he helped load.

"What is?" I asked him.

"Your rover will have to be parked outside." He patted the side. "I'm so sorry, gal." I laughed, smacking him lightly on the shoulder.

When we got to the dorm building I was in, he was not happy to find out it was co-ed. There was a guy that walked by and smiled at me. He threw me over my shoulder and said, "that's it, we are leaving." We made it back to the main door when he sat me down and turned me around so we could walk back to my dorm room.

My parents had left after they had helped unload the last box. My father's fondness of Parker was growing by the minute, so it was best that he took off. He had helped make my bed and set the rest of the items up around my dorm room. He stood by the door when everything was done. "I guess I'll get going," he said. He looked so sad it broke my heart.

I walked over to him and grabbed his hand. I dragged him back to my bed. "Or you could spend the night?" His eyes went up in confusion. "Just because we don't live together doesn't mean we can't do sleepovers."

He actually smiled. The first smile I had seen all day.

"Oh, thank goodness," he said. "I did not want to leave. I don't want to seem clingy, but I missed you so much." He kissed me, and I kissed him back. I giggled when he threw me up on my bed; he landed off to the side of me. "I'll have to get up early to go let Spartan out, but he will be fine."

I nodded. "I feel bad for him."

"He will be fine," Parker said as he peppered me with kisses.

"I missed you" I smiled into his lips. Gosh, I had really missed him.

Daisy and I had breakfast the next morning. She held her hands up. "You moved out, but then you guys spent the night together. That just seems silly."

I shook my head. "I know, but I needed to do it."

She didn't smile at me. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" I paused, looking at her. "I may have kept asking Larry what had happened during the tournament. He finally broke down and told me." Her hands slide over mine. "I'm here for you, Renee, no matter what."

"Thank you" I didn't know what else to say, but I was damn sure happy that I had met Daisy. She was going to be a lifetime friend, and I knew it.

Parker was at my dorm room door that night, knocking right at six o'clock. I opened the door to him, smiling and holding a thing of popcorn and m&ms in his hands.

"You should have moved out during basketball season and then moved back in during the off-season. I have no clue what to do without you there."

Larry had moved into my room; I had set it up with him during the tournament. I told him the last day. He had looked at me like I was the worst person in the world. He didn't understand why I was moving out, but he said he would move in so it wouldn't be as bad for him.

"We can go to your house," I said to him.

"We can?" He asked, still hesitant as if he was going to spook me. I nodded, grabbing my coat.

"My dorm room isn't as nice as yours," I said to him, retreating back and shutting and locking my door. When we arrived at the house, Larry was there, and Daisy was in the kitchen cooking him 

something that smelt amazing.

"You can't have your room back," Larry said to me.