The Best Days

Chapter 11

I don't know why it had seemed, totally in the moment of course, as though Gavin moving out would be this huge deal. It was great sharing a room with a girl for a change and I quickly adjusted. I didn't have to change in the bathroom and I could sleep without pants on like I used to do. Plus I didn't have to worry about Cody keeping me up at night playing COD or obnoxiously flipping on lights. She was a human after all. I'd almost forgotten what it was like to live with one of those.

But things sure did get quiet sometimes. Cody had her own friends and it didn't seem like she was too interested in making any new ones. The few times I'd tried to be friendly and engage had been passive aggressively shot down. It was okay I suppose I could just walk to the cafeteria alone. I didn't need to eat with anyone either...

Yep, I was doing quite well in life sans roommate Strauss. And just because we didn't live together didn't mean we wouldn't see each other anymore. We lived on the same floor and we still played on the same flag football team, we were bound to see each other all the time. It would be like nothing had ever changed.

At least that's what I'd hoped.

Before our game on Thursday I'd stopped by Gavin's room to see if he wanted to walk to the football field together but his new roommate informed me that he'd already left. For the past couple of months we'd walked together. The games were played late at night and it had been safer to go as a group. But he'd just left me. I tried not to let it get to me as I hurriedly made my way over trying to not to get kidnapped or something. He probably just forgot, was what I told myself.

At the field the team was already huddled in a group going over strategies. Ryan called out for me to hurry as soon as I touched grass so I barely had time to give my bag to my friends who were there from earlier. They hardly ever missed a game, especially Erika who always had a spot front and center to see her new boo Ryan play.

Ryan and her were officially unofficial. She said she didn't want to be tied down but I think that just meant that Ryan wasn't ready to commit.

I didn't blame him.

A little while later the ref blew her whistle and the game started. In our first play I fumbled a pass. That was okay since it was just the start of the game. But by the third time I'd allowed a pass to be intercepted my teammates had grown a bit less forgiving. Ryan took me out the game and put in the alternate girl who I don't think ever played once the whole season. She managed to complete a pass in the end zone. Better than I'd done the whole night. However we were already down by too many points and ended up losing for the first time in weeks. The energy amongst the team had been strange, we'd never played so out of sync before.

Honestly the whole day for me had been off. From I woke up I'd had this weird nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. Gavin was playing too but he hadn't looked my way the whole game. Not that I'd been waiting for him to. But he could have at least acknowledged me.

He said hi to all of my friends and then as if out of obligation gave me a half hearted smile and knod before gathering his things and heading off with Patrick and JT. Usually after games we'd head straight to Solaris for a late night celebratory meal. But because of the loss no one felt like celebrating.

I said bye to my friends and apologized again to the rest of the team for playing so badly. We couldn't lose again or else we'd be dropped from our bracket and then we'd be done for the rest of the season. I felt like a loser who'd let everyone down.

It would have been nice to have Strauss tell me I was still important to the team even if I would have had to go through a few rounds of insults to get the compliment.