Complications

26|tugawar

Walker Prince

"So you did it?" James asks plopping down next to me on the bench in the locker room.

"Did what?" I ask playing nonchalance because I'd rather focus on the game than have girl talk in the locker room. If he heard that come out of my mouth I'm sure he'd give me some lecture about who I am, because apparently I'm the guy that would've done that. He right, but right now I'm not that guy. I haven't played in a game for two weeks, without football I'm more lost than I'd care to admit. I rely on this game too much probably. I don't know what guy I am but I'm not in the mood for the somethings wrong with me speech. That'll just make me more unfocused than I already am. Besides I'm already aware somethings wrong with me. Can't this just be football?!

If anything James should be asking bout the crap coach is pulling on the field. I grind my teeth together at the thought. Hasn't James noticed that my dad is being an ass about playing me, that he's keeping me on the sidelines for some of my best plays, and that my tension has climbed past durable?!

Do I look like I want to talk about girls right now? Even if the girl in question is the only good thing going for me right now cause dad is ruining football! I saw her on the sidelines and it helped take me away from the stress of this game. My dad doesn't seem to understand what this game, and the rest of the season means to me. He seems to think that because I got myself into the situation that got me barred from playing in the last two games that somehow that means I suddenly don't care about football and don't mind not playing?!

I want to beat some sense into him, because talking is getting me nowhere, he's just given me dirty looks, told me to remember my place, and benched me!

I hate being benched! I thought we were past this! I want to be on the feild! I want to be playing! I want to be making up for lost time and making it up to my team! Why can't he get that? Why does he never get it?

"Walker?"

I blink, "What?"

"Where you at man?" James asks, "Cause it's obviously not here."

He stands up and slips away and I swear under my breath. Every step forward is two steps back, that statement has never felt so real to me. Tyla and me, were off to a great start, it took a while to get to that start but here none the less and I'm calling it a start because I'd like to forget all the crappy stuff I've done already. But being with her, kissing her, it's the perfect distraction, but now I'm realizing that I might be using her to hide from everything else. She'd wanted to talk about my problem earlier today; the strength, the asthma, and what did I do? I made out with her.

Shit.

And now, now I'm blowing off James because I'm pissed at my dad. Everything is getting entangled and no matter what I do I just seem to be making things worse, always worse.

My breathing sort of hiccups and I swear under my breath taking a drag from my inhaler. Which I've been clutching in my hand since we came in here for halftime. I played the last couple minutes of the game and came off the feild breathing a little weird. I'd been sitting over here, listening to my dad's voice as he lectures us on changes we need to make on the field, trying to stay out of his view as much as possible in case I needed to use my inhaler. My dumb asthma problem is most likely the reason my dad is keeping me off the field. I need to convince him I'm fine, which I thought I'd done, but apparently not. I focus on my breathing until it evens out and push everything out of my mind. All I need to do right now is focus on what my dad is telling the team, and making it cool with James.

Because this is football and my team needs me, my friends need me, and frankly I need this.

I push myself to my feet and step up next to James throwing my arm around him and leaning in, "dude, yes I asked her, and yes she said yes. We had some action on the bleachers and I'm sorry I've not been present."