We Come Alive 3

A complete relief

Monday afternoon, some of the shifts had just changed at The Dallas Rolling Rock Country Club. That's why Stephen was spinning his house keys around in his hand as he walked down the sidewalk. He was on his way back home since Ethan had dropped him off at a local store that Stephen needed to go to. He spent some time there talking to the store owner before deciding to walk home since they didn't have what he was looking for in stock yet.

As Stephen walked, he looked up and saw a familiar Native American girl. A natural beauty with not an inch of makeup on her face. Her tanned skin matching her slightly darker freckles that he could from the 10 yards away she was from him. Her light brown hair, a copper color more than brown, in French braids over her back. Her petite body in a maroon bralette with black leggings and white sneakers. She had her phone in her hand with the bright pink phone case nearly blinding Stephen in the sun. A girl he tried to forget. No matter how much he checked her social medias, no matter how much he looked through their old texts, no matter how much he looked through their old photographs, no matter how much he remembered their old stories, he didn't want to forget her.

Jessica looked up to Stephen and her near permanent smile slightly faded and he could see her heart break in her eyes, he knew she could see the same look in his.

Stephen stopped in the middle of the sidewalk so she had no other choice but to stop in front of him. He had his hands in his black basketball shorts and his arms flexed from how tensed he was in his white muscle shirt.

"Hey." He breathed. "How are you?"

Jessica gave him a small smile. "I'm good. How are you?"

Stephen nodded slowly as he looked away from her for a moment before looking back down to her. "I'm good. I heard about you and Carson. Sorry it didn't work out."

Jessica shrugged. "It's fine. We weren't meant to last. It was a mediocre relationship. A mistake." She admitted, looking away from him for a split second before her hazel eyes landed on him. Jessica felt her heart flutter as she looked at him. His usual slightly tanned complexion was darker from him being in the sun so often now. His brown eyes scanned her face as she admired him. His brown hair was flopped down on his forehead and the sides of his hair was growing in meaning he needed a haircut to have the buzzcuts on the side to have his signature undercut. His tattoos still looked good on his arms and he was still in good shape but wasn't as buff as he would be during football season.

"How's your girlfriend?" Jessica asked, worried about the answer to her question.

"Nonexistent." Stephen answered, knowing what she was doing by asking him that question. "I'm single. Haven't gone out with anyone since we broke up. Not a single date. I know you can't say the same."

"Stephen." She sighed. Jessica put her hands to her cheeks as she looked away from him. "I regret everything with Carson. Okay? I made a mistake, despite what he says, or what anyone else says. I never slept with him. Ever."

"I know." Stephen spoke. His facial expression hadn't changed throughout their entire conversation. He stood over her looking down at her with a cold hard expression, his jaw clenched and his eyes never leaving her. Jessica just stood a few inches from him looking back at him feeling like a small animal compared to him.

"What do you mean you know?" Jessica challenged. "Footballers stick together. I know you'll believe Carson before me. I know you think I'm the worst person on either. Worst than any terrorist."

Stephen shrugged. "You're not half bad. But I believe you. Carson's a liar, narcissistic, and doesn't care about anyone else but him and maybe his two friends. But he'll still throw both of them off a cliff to make him look like a good guy. So, I know you didn't sleep with him. If you say you didn't, than you didn't."