short crush / love stories

Part 2 it gets physical in PT: I need to stop having a crush on her!

POV: Owen

TIME>>>JUMPS 5 months later

Riley has been flirting with me all this time. Maybe it's because I'm attractive, a football guy, or she just knows she can get attention from me. She was smart like that.

I keep it on the down key during PT and she tries her best. When we are at school, I try a little. I'm not going to lie, I think she's hot and I like her—but me dating isn't really my thing. I don't know how to deal with it.

Also, Riley says she likes my quarterback. So that's where shit goes weird. I am now about 9 months post op, back on football, and she's about 6 months—almost there—but she still wants me there.

She tells Carlos I motivate her. And during her hour session I try. But she constantly flirts with me, when he isn't around. To be honest it gets me. And at school it does too.

She comes to my games, some of my practices. Not for me, but for our quarterback, who smells like cucumber in the locker room.

To be honest, now thinking about it, she probably wants to get into the quarterback's pants. And she's using me for it. I might as well. Just let me set her up for it.

Now she was coming up to me. Damn. Riley is hot. But I can't say that. I just chew on my words and in a way I bit my lip. Don't ask me I have too much testosterone and I get horny at times. Nobody has gotten me like that either. But she knows how to dress, and its making me sweat, which probably smells like cucumbers.

"Hi, Owennnn...." She croons my name like Frank Sinatra in the hallway.

"Hey..." I check her out.

She notices me checking her out. It's almost as if I taught her nerdy ass to flirt. I felt like I was her instructor with that. Maybe because I didn't comment nor do anything, so I was easy to practice on. I wasn't attractive, so she could easily do it to me and practice her confidence. I didn't know what to think about it, but I didn't want to be a dick. And frankly-- I guess-- I was a simp in that way.

Maybe I was taking it the wrong way. I felt like she was trying to egg me on-- but at the same time, that showed insecurity. She was insecure about something and I definitely knew it. She didn't wear noticeable fishnets usually, so to think she was trying to impress somebody, wasn't a wicked assumption.

"Riley? What's wrong?" I ask.

"What do you mean?" She asks, "Is there something wrong with me?"

"No," I say, "But you don't wear clothes like this. What's up?"

"Well, your senior night is today...so I wanted to impress Connor y'know...because I'm going to be competing with a bunch of girls."

I wanted to say she was beautiful either way. But I was just some big, fat dude to her who looked disgusting. It became apparent.

"You haven't talked to Connor at all," I say, "and promise me you are not his type."

"What the hell does that mean?" She gets infuriated and I didn't want that.

"Owen?" She cries.

"He just wouldn't like a girl like you--" She cut me off, before I could say something.

"Well I'm sorry, Owen because you are fucking ugly and fat so don't attack me. That's why you are so easy to flirt with. Any guy would be lucky to have me."

Knew it. I knew what she thought. I already knew I was out of her league. Ugly. Fat. Too big for her. Connor was perfect. Athletic, not built like me--a big ass. I was built as a bigger runningback and utilize more so my body. I had speed, but to be honest, my whole family were built like squares. Literally. My twin sister. She's center on the basketball team and bullied for being tall and bulky. It's a curse.

"What are you going to say to that?" Riley said.

"Riley...this isn't you. You would never call me names or anything. What's wrong?"

"And you would never say rude shit like that."

"Riley--" I continue, "What's wrong?"

"I just wanna know your damn problem. You come here telling me I'm not his type. Trying to say something. But look at you." She motions her hands to my stomach and touches it, implying I'm fat.

"That's it," I'm infuriated, "Riley. You aren't his type. You are my type on the dot. I always thought you were beautiful and nice. Sweetest on the planet earth. I just don't know whats going on with you. And you know what you don't have to like me. I knew you were out of my league. But I don't have to do this anymore. I let you flirt with me, thinking I have a chance but its all to practice and I'm tired of it. I was trying to protect you from Connor. He got 3 girls knocked up in the past year and they needed fucking abortions. He's a douchebag. You deserve more and I hate to say it because you treated me like fucking dirt. I'm tired of it. Get somebody else like me to flirt with. Football player and tall, right? So you can get some practice for fucking Connor when you try to approach him. Even though you are just a number to him."

"I don't deserve your rudeness at all."

"Owen..."

"Stop, I don't want to hear it." I turn away. "I don't."

"I'm sorry..."

"Even Connor knows. What I think. Everybody did. Why else would I go to your drama play? Take you out to your first homecoming? I planned everything Riley. A sign, to teach you how to dance with me--. How could you not notice? I mean last February I gave you chocolates and reeses for fuck sake. Not because you didn't have a valentine..."

"I can't do this anymore."

I left and didn't want to deal with the heartbreak. She could reject me-- but to call me ugly and fat-- trying to make me unlovable, I wasn't going to have it.