"Hello? Earth to Ryder! Anybody in there?" Coach is talking to me, I know he is, but I can barely hear him. I'd rather him not give me tips on being a better teammate today. Instead of turning around and talking with him, I walk out of the locker room with my helmet in my hand.
It's been a problem for me for as long as I could remember; working with others. It's not that I don't like people... I just don't know how to interact with them correctly. And it's not like I'm awkward either, honestly I just don't understand other people. The kids in my elementary school called me weird. The kids in my middle school called me a freak. The kids in my high school called me quiet. Now people in college call me Ryder; it's got a ring to it, doesn't it? Unlike when I was little, my loneliness isn't what I am anymore: it's who I am, I can't remember the last time I actually had a friend-like conversation with somebody. Frankly... I miss it. I almost feel like I'm begging for somebody to come and release me from this (once) preferred solitude. But I haven't found anybody who I connect with yet. It'll happen though, I know it will.
I don't live on campus right now. There's a bunch of apartments very close to the school, and I have a car, so I just live there. I don't think I could live in a dorm anyway, I'm sure you know why by now.
Coach likes to think that I play football because I can get my anger out easily, but I don't really know why I play. I just do it. For as long as I can remember, I've been living and breathing football. Call me crazy, but that could be a reason why I have no friends. To have friends you need time for a social life.
Nobody really understands me and I make it seem like I don't want anybody to. But honestly; this charade is getting so old. I need somebody. Anybody.
Standing outside of my car, I can see my reflection in the glass. My almost black hair is sticking up slightly from sweat, and my almost tan skin is flushed from the long practice I just had. I get in and drive home. My two bedroom apartment is small, but good enough for me. I don't have many people over, if at all. Looking at my phone, I see that it is now 9 p.m.. Practice ran really late. Too tired at this point to do anything else, I shower and go to bed. Alone.
***
AN//
Me again! So this is the second character description, not a chapter. I promise the real chapters will be much longer!
Here's some quick information about this story that might be useful to you:
Ryder and Addison both go to UCLA in California, USA. Ryder has a scholarship for football and Addison has an academic scholarship. Addison is majoring in Journalism and English. Ryder is majoring in Athletic Studies. Addison is 19 and Ryder is 20. Nora is also 19. I don't know if this helps you guys at all, but I thought it might be a good idea to mention it :)
Posting Chapter 1 soon! Alli xx
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Why So Afraid?
Teen Fiction“When you close your eyes, where do you go? Where would you like to be? When you open your eyes, why aren’t you there?”
