The Introvert and the Football Player

Chapter Twenty Five

One Year Ago
Nova's POV:

I sat through my English II class with a bored expression on my face. My teacher was droning on and on about subject-verb agreement, and I couldn't care less about it. It had been a year today since Emily had died. I checked my phone and saw that I didn't have service. Nobody would be texting me anyways. Jerome and I got into another fight last night, and I knew he wouldn't be texting me. I looked at Valerie from across the room, and we shared a bored look. Danni would've been in our class too, but the bitch moved last week. I looked over at my friend, Harry, and he was already passed out. It wouldn't be long before my teacher sent him to detention. Valerie was trying to wake him up without disrupting class, but Harry was knocked out. Harry was the new kid at Taylor this year, and he only talked to me and Valerie. He had at least two visible tattoos, a lip ring, and he had an ego the size of Texas. But to everyone else, I was the only one who could keep him calm. "Mr. Crashe, can you tell me why you think it's okay for you to sleep in my class?" Mr. Cook asked Harry. "Fuck off man." Harry said. "Excuse me?" The teacher asked.
"Harry!" I snapped. Harry looked up at me with blazing eyes, and realized what he had said. "Mr. Crashe you can leave." Mr. Cook said. "And Ms. Sparks if you have another outburst like that you can leave as well."
The fuck? Like I cared if he sent me out. I began packing my work up, and he looked at me incredulously. "If Harry's going, you might as well as send me too." I told Mr. Cook.
Harry and I walked out together, and as soon as we got out to the courtyard we burst out laughing. He was still laughing as he put a cigarette between his lips, and handed me one as well. "You are a dumbass Sparks." He told me as he blew smoke out of his mouth. "You're the one who told him to fuck off!" I defended myself. I had nearly finished my cigarette, and he was already finished with his. "We should go somewhere." Harry said, his voice growing deeper. "Where are we going?" I said as he pulled me in closer. "My place or yours. You standing up to Cook was a turn on for me." He told me.
We snuck around the back of the school, and got into his flawless black mustang. The inside smelled faintly of his cologne and marijuana.He smirked at me as he revved the engine. I rolled my eyes at his sudden childishness, and we were flying out of the parking lot. This was my life now. Cussing out teachers, skipping school with the new bad boy, and everything was how I liked it-- fast paced. The only time I slowed down was if I was alone. I liked living fast and never slowing down; having no care about consequences. Harry put his hand on my thigh as we drove to his dad's apartment. Neither of us had to speak about how bad we wanted each other, we could read each other well enough. I stared out the window and smirked. I was never going to slow down.

****
"I hate dropping you off." Harry said between kisses. I was too busy kissing his neck to give a response, and he gave me a moan of pleasure in return. We were currently outside of my house and my parents could drive up at any minute. They had only been gone today because Wesley was graduating from boot camp, and I would've had the house to myself. I pulled away from Harry and smiled at the mark that was already forming on his neck. "Come upstairs." I offered. "Was earlier not enough for you?" He asked me as he laughed. His hands moved automatically to my waist and locked onto them. "Never is babe." I told him. I pressed my lips quickly to his before dropping the seat back. Harry smiled against my lips and grabbed my ass as he deepened the kiss. I could tell by the kiss that we weren't going to make it upstairs in time. "You want to do this in the car?" Harry asked me. "I want you to fuck me. I don't care where and I don't care how. Just do it." I told him. He simply pressed his lips to mine and my hands tangled themselves in his hair, and we were lost in each other.

******
One year ago
Bo's POV:

I stabbed the soda can with the poker thing I was given angrily. This was my last day of community service from last year. I was on the side of the roads cleaning almost every Saturday, and I was glad it was finally ending-- and I was even more glad it's ending a day early. My mother gave me this job as a form of punishment for the party last year. She couldn't have her supposedly perfect son putting her family to shame in the way he had. I don't regret the party, but I regret not telling the police about Emily and the team; I found out why they did it from a junior varsity player. Emily was their form of a lasting mark on the school. Their plan was simple, almost fool proof. They'd each fuck her, record it, and as the seniors graduated, they'd email it to the whole school. They wanted to show them who the Kings were around Taylor High. The only problem with their plan was them not considering Emily freaking out as soon as she saw the camera's red dot light up the dark room.
The hottest point of my day was around lunch time. The sun was at its highest point in the sky, and it beat down on all our necks. I wasn't friends with the people I was forced to work with. On the bus ride here, nobody spoke. We all just looked out the windows and thought about how the hell we got in this mess.

When I could finally go home, I had to watch Lauren. My mom and dad wanted to go out tonight, and they said watching Lauren would be the last part of my "community service". I didn't turn the radio on in my truck as I drove home. It had been a year today since that party where the team killed that girl. A whole fucking year. Most of the boys who had really been involved had graduated in the spring. All that were left were the "go-alongs" who went along with the murder, and the people who left the team after Emily's murder. The coach called everyday over the summer trying to get me back on the team but my mom told him my summer was going to be too busy for football.
I texted her and asked if I could take Lauren to the football game tonight and she said I could as long as I watched her. Lauren would never admit it, but she loved going to the football games. She used to go to all of my home games before I quit playing. When I walked into the house Lauren and her sitter were watching tv. I could hear Lauren talking excitedly about what happened at school today. My mom told her I went on a field trip today, so that's why I didn't go to school.
As I stood in the kitchen memories from a year ago hit me like a ton of bricks. I can still hear her hysterical cries as she ran out of the room, I still hear her scream as we fell, and I can still hear Nova Sparks accusing me of being on the staircase beside her and Emily. I called her a pot head for that too. If she thinks I killed her best friend then she's wrong. She was too high to remember me because every time I see her around school, she doesn't look at me with disgust.
I chose this time to walk into the living room and tell Lauren to get ready. "Come on Laur, we're going to the game tonight." I told her. Her face grew bright when I told her that. "Can Ashlee come too? Please please please Bo?! She's never been to a football game before!" My baby sister begged. Everyone was going to think I dated Ashlee, and that would piss Bailey off. "If she wants to. But hurry up and get ready so you can talk to the coach!" I told her. The coach loved talking to Lauren when she came to the games. She told me the coach was her best friend, and I wasn't going to change that.

Ashlee stood by me as the coach walked around with Lauren. She didn't make any move to talk to me and I didn't try to talk to her. I could see the cheerleading squad staring at us, and I knew Bailey would be out here at any second. "Do you want a soda or something?" I asked Ashlee. "A Pepsi would be nice." She told me sheepishly. She was shy? This girl babysat my wide open sister, and she was too shy to ask for a Pepsi. "Coming right up." I told her with a smile. I saw a uniform moving my way out of the corner of my eye and before I knew what was going on, Bailey had her glossy lips pressed up against mine. The kiss was sloppier than usual but I grabbed her waist like she preferred. She was marking her territory, and pulled away with a smirk. "Hey baby cakes!" She chirped. "Hey Bails." I said. I was still in a lip glossed daze. "That girl needs to know you're mine and mine only." She said, her voice still perky. "She's my sister's baby sitter and my sister invited her. Everyone knows I'm yours." I told her. Bailey kissed me one more time, and skipped off to join her squad.
"Good evening sir, what can I get ya?" The cashier asked me. "Uh yeah, let me get two Pepsis and a bag of popcorn." I told her. "That'll be 6.07!" She said in a peppy voice. I gave her the money and walked back to Ashlee. She wordlessly took her soda and refused to eat any popcorn. "Are you mad or--" I began. "Bo Smith your sister is here! If she saw what your little girlfriend just did--" Ashlee started. "Hold up. You don't get to tell me how to behave. You're Lauren's sitter. Not mine. And if I want to kiss my girl and grab her waist, I will. Now go find Lauren and babysit her. Not me." I snapped, dismissing Ashlee. Bailey looked over at us and smirked. I knew she had told Ashlee something, but I only had enough anger for one person right now. Ashlee walked off to find Lauren and the coach, and I just walked back to my truck. I was seriously considering leaving them here and coming back later, but Ashlee and Lauren would tell my mom and dad, and I'd be right back on that bus every Saturday.

"I didn't see you at school today Bo." The coach said. "That's because he had a field trip!" Lauren told him. The coach looked confused and Ashlee whispered something in his ear. "You gonna join my team again?" He asked me. I smiled when he brought up joining the team. "Maybe next season." I told him. "I can fit you in tonight Bo!" The coach joked. We both knew I was out of shape, and I was no where near ready to play our biggest rival tonight. "I got you next season coach." I told him. He nodded and walked off to the team. It was game time.