Marry Me

Chapter Nine

Lexie

Dixon Academy is probably like no other high school out there. Most of the kids here have passions for art and that's what decorates the halls. Artwork covers every square inch of the walls and walking in there is like walking into a colorful museum. This school is also extremely prestigious, therefore it was hard to get into. You had to have some of the best grades in the country.

Right now, this my old high school looks like a dream, a dream that I never want to wake up from. In contrast, this place used to give me high anxiety and stress of always trying to be perfect. It was the only way my father would notice me.

See, I was never the best at sports, but that didn't mean I didn't play them. Back in the day, I played soccer on the girl's varsity team and I was on the school dance team. I was never the spotlight though like Jordan. And my dad found a way to make it to every single one of Jordan's games.

Jordan was already getting MLB scouts coming to his games and at this point, he was still a freshman. He was the best pitcher this school has ever seen, and possibly the best high school pitcher in the state. Throughout high school, he'll get even better.

I remember that not too long ago I saw a game of his on TV. He plays for the Texas Rangers now. He was signed to them before high school even ended I heard.

I walk to my locker and grab my books for my first period class. When I shut it, I see Tommy leaning against the locker bank and I jump. He bites his lip, trying to look sexy, but it makes me want to run in the opposite direction.

"Hey beautiful," He says while I'm wondering what I ever saw in this guy.

"Hey, I have to get to class." I walk away from him.

As I'm leaving school at the end of the day, I see something that I never expected to see. My dad and a woman making out in a car. What the hell?

I blink once. Twice, hoping the scene playing out in front of me will go away. It has to. I close my eyes and will myself to believe that it was a hallucination of some sort and when I open my eyes it'll all be gone. I was wrong.

The man that I know is my father is kissing a blonde haired slut in front of me. I can't handle this. This never happened before. My dad didn't cheat on my mother before.

But as I walk home, I realize that at fifteen, I was completely in my own world, not giving a damn about anyone but myself. I was so self absorbed that I didn't realize that my own two parents were drifting apart.

I need to find Graham. He's the only one that can comfort me right now.

I decide to go to his football game tonight. I know it's breaking the pattern of us meeting, but I really do need to see him.

An hour later, I'm standing outside of the entrance of the football field. Should I go in? I'm kind and f scared that he's going to be mad at me for ruining our fist meeting. You know what? Never mind, I need to talk to him so he's just going to have to deal with it. I pay to get in and step inside the stadium. Memories come rushing back of me cheering him on every game after we met. We had so many good times here it's hard to believe that I forgot about them until this moment.

Our fist kiss was over there, on the football field. He had just played a very good game and was super excited. I was excited too that I ran onto the field to give him a hug. When we slightly parted, I looked up at him and his eyes were hesitant so I stood on my tippy toes and kissed him. The moment was kind of ruined by a sudden rainfall, but we laughed and kissed again. I remember his teammates gave him crap for weeks about that, but he just grinned cheekily through all of their taunting.

I look at that place now and it gives me a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. It's the kind of feeling that you get when you are happy and mad at the same time. I'm feeling that as a group of roust teenagers rudely push past me. And then I remember, that I'm supposed to be one of those roust teenagers right now.

I walk up the bleachers and stand at my old spot. The one that Graham always knew I'd be standing at. He used to make eye contact with me multiple times a game. He called me his good luck charm, but the truth was, he didn't need luck. He was an amazing athlete.

I find his number as he takes the field, his classic number 11 jersey. I made a shirt that read his number and last name at one point. I wore it to all of his games senior year, before everything hit the fan.

Watching him play was amazing. Even though I could tell that he was obviously rusty from not playing for a long time, he still moved with grace. He played like football was made for him and that became even more apparent through high school.

I know that he loved the sport, that's why it was so hard for me to watch him give it up. In the back of my mind I knew that he was making a bigger sacrifice than I was because he actually had a plan for his life. I, on the other hand, had no idea what I wanted to be, so I was forced to go into what my father wanted me to, law.

I think back to my father. The image of him with another woman was still fresh in my mind, eating at my sanity. Should I tell my mom about it? Should I tell Jordan about it? Should I confront my dad? All of these questions swarm in my mind, making my eyes tear up.

It's at that point Graham looks up to the stands, right at me, standing in my usual spot. I guess it's just his habit to do that and when we make eye contact, surprise fills his features. He blinks a couple times, as if he thinks I'm a mirage. When he realizes that it is me, his face turns to concern. I shake my head and motion that I'll talk to him after the game. I can't have our plan messing up more than it already has.

He plays a little bit off after that. I'm guessing that it's because of my sudden appearance, but they still manage to win the game, him scoring the final touchdown to break the tie.

I walk down the stairs of the bleachers and as soon as his coach is done talking to the team, Graham runs towards me. We go underneath the bleachers. It's the only area that's not surrounded by people.

I stand about three feet away from him, staring into his eyes. After a few seconds, I break. The tears that I've held in since the moment I saw my father this afternoon, finally pour out. I feel Graham embrace me, my small frame fitting perfectly with his.

He strokes my straightened hair. I actually hate it like this.

When I've finally gained enough composure to speak, I pull away slightly, but I stay in his arms. They're probably the only thing keeping me standing right now.

His blue eyes are flooded with question and his facial expression is soft, wanting to comfort me.

This is the first time I notice his eye. It's black and blue and swollen shut. I bring my fingertips to it and he slightly winces, but allows me to touch his face. My hand moves down to his cheek and I keep it there.

"Graham, what happened?" I whisper. My voice is hoarse from the crying.

He shakes his head and smiles a small smile. He used to say that he loved that I always thought of him before myself, but he also hated it at the same time because deserved a little bit of selfishness in my life. The truth is, it had always been my instinct to care about the people I loved and worry about myself last.

"Lexie, I think you have a bigger problem right now than I do."

I sigh, "I saw my dad cheating on my mom." The statement just goes out. The bandage was ripped right off.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry." He says. I know I shouldn't be complaining to him about this because he went through bigger issues with his parents. His mom died when he was only four.

Still, he's so sympathetic. He pulls me in for another hug. I find comfort in his touch, like I'm at ease, but only for a short while.