Downfall [h.s]

↞ Chapter 6 ↠

Getting out of bed Thursday morning was difficult, especially since I had been sleeping so well. Somehow I managed to drag myself out of bed, get dressed, and hightail it to school. The first week of school was dragging by, a bad sign for how the rest of the year might be.

Thankfully, it was easier to get in a good mood once I was actually at school. Everyone was buzzing about the upcoming football game. Tyler and Asher were practically bouncing off the walls, undeniably excited for their big game. They were both sporting their home jerseys, maroon and white with black accents, with their last name Mitchell spelled out across the back.

"Looking good boys!" I complimented as I approached their lockers.

"Not so bad yourself, Red!" Asher shot back, giving a nod of approval at my chosen attire. I was sporting a jersey identical to his: number, name, and all. Asher was a running back so his number was 22 and Tyler was a wide receiver so his number was 12. Mack, wherever she was at, was dressed similarly in Tyler's matching jersey. All the players got extra jerseys as a backup in case their's ripped or got lost. The boys usually lent their extras to us to wear on game day, and I had dressed it up in honor of their first game.

My hair was in two, tight Dutch braids with maroon and white ribbons weaved through. I had kept my makeup simple and light, save for two white and maroon lines on either cheek. And since Asher's jersey was so huge on me (at 6"2, I was almost an entire foot shorter than him) that I wore it more like a dress with dance shorts than an actual t-shirt. I was also wearing maroon knee high socks with two white strips and white converse. I had gone all out for my boys.

"You look like every football player's dream," another voice added. I glanced behind me, where the voice was coming from, to see that it was Toby. Like Asher and Tyler, he was wearing his jersey, a big number 3 splayed across the front. He swung his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his side. "Maybe I should lend you my jersey for our next game."

"Hey get in line, James. My shirt is next," Tyler protested, shooting Toby a warning glare.

He leaned in close to whisper, "I've got an extra shirt in my locker. Stop by later and I'll sneak it to you."

I laughed and nodded as he shot me a wink and walked off. As much as I tried not to, I couldn't help but stare as he walked away. Man was that boy blessed with a beautiful ass.

"I think our star quarterback has a little crush," Asher teased, tossing his arm like Toby had done a few minutes before. After a quick goodbye to Tyler, the two of us made our way to class.

"He does not," I denied. "He was just being nice."

Asher's eyebrows shot up into his hair as he gave me an incredulous look. "Daisy, he told you point blank that you looked like his dream and then asked you to wear his jersey. If that isn't a clear sign that he's into you then I don't know what is."

"You and Tyler have asked me to wear your jerseys and clearly neither of you are into me."

"That's because you're family. We've grown up together, it's hard to think of you than anything other than a friend. But Toby definitely doesn't have the same type of relationship that the four of us have. Trust me, he's into you."

Before I could further deny Toby's intentions we had reached the classroom and our conversation was cut short. That didn't mean I wasn't completely over thinking what Asher had said. Toby and I barely knew each other, there was no way he was crushing on me.

I spent the rest of the day lost in my head over this morning's interaction with Toby. Things only got worse when Tyler confirmed what Asher had said. He too believed that Toby was interested in me as more than a friend. I couldn't tell how I was feeling about it, especially when I couldn't stop at Mr. S all through out math class.