Loving Kinnick (Rewritten)

I Searched For Happiness Wherever I Could Find It

I paced back and forth, shivering as I waited for my dad in the spot where he left me. He is coming back to get me. He is coming back to get me. My eyes lifted from the sidewalk to see the road was still vacant. He is indeed not coming back to get me. There isn't a single person walking or even driving nearby. Yet, I still have hope that any minute my dad will show up and rescue me from the weather brewing around me.

The phone in my hand said it had been twenty minutes since I saw him last, and I am not sure how much longer I will have to wait until he comes back. I plopped down on the curb and made myself comfortable as I shivered. I made a poor choice of clothing tonight. I wasn't sure if that could be any more clear.

"He'll come back, right?" I raised my eyebrows. "Probably not, but a girl can hope."

I smacked my forehead when the thought of realization came into play. "Of course he will come back! I am his daughter, silly!"

"Care to explain why you are still outside, crazy girl?"

A short gasp left my lips as my hands flew toward the air. "What the heck? You scared the living daylights out of me!"

Under the dim light, Kinnick stood, leaning against the brick wall behind him. Amusement was twisted into his features as his blue eyes gleamed under the red lighting above us. He slung his black duffle bag over his shoulder. Instead of the hoodie he wore earlier, he is now supporting an Iowa Hawkeyes long-sleeve shirt and a pair of black joggers.

"Usually when someone asks a question, you are supposed to answer," he sighed heavily. "Did your dad forget you or do you enjoy being a sitting target?"

"I wanted to walk," I stared straight ahead, so I didn't have to focus on how his beauty mesmerized me. "You know, to get a head start on this whole fitness thing."

"What are you waiting for then?"

"Everyone to go to sleep so I can make it safely."

"Magnificent idea," he rolled his eyes. "I can give you a ride."

"You don't exactly have a safe place sticker on your forehead," I reminded him as if he didn't already know. "So, I am going to pass. I'm almost one-hundred percent sure I am more safe walking."

"I won't let anything happen to you."

That's what Warren said.

"What makes you think I'd want a ride after what happened between you and my dad?"

"I did what he asked," he rolled his eyes. "How does that make me the bad guy? I'm not the one who left my daughter on the side of the road. I'm the guy asking the stranded girl if she wants to make it home safely."

"Could you leave me alone?"

"Listen, lady, I'm trying to do you a favor."

"My new boxing skills will protect me," I huffed.

"Then you're fucked," he snorts. "You're clumsy. You have a problem with keeping your arms up, and you can barely throw a punch to save your life."

"The bag moved,"

"It weighed fifty pounds," he deadpanned.

"Well, my dad's a police officer. He'll save me."

"He's the same reason you have a target on your back," he snatched my bag from the ground.

My shoes scuffed the sidewalk as I hurried to my feet. "Hey, give that back!"

"Get in," he opened the driver's door on the truck.

"You're a stranger."

"What are you? Five?"

"No, I'm smart," I place my hands on my hips. "I'm sorry, but I barely know you. And the little I do know about you, makes me think you're the person I should be avoiding on my walk home."