Nineteen

Chapter Forty-Two

I wake up and I'm on the floor. My hand is heavy and I realize I have the hard cast on. I forgot already.

I raise up and my body is tight from being on the floor for so long. I look at my clock and it reads four o'clock.

Right as I stand up and wobble to the bed, I get a text.

"Football scrimmage at 7. Hope you can make it. I'll leave a ticket for you at the gate."

Clark's invitation doesn't entice me, but what else do I have to do. I find it odd that I couldn't shake Collin for days and now I haven't heard anything from him all day. None the less, I begin to get dressed.

My jeans and converse match my Miami t-shirt very well. I cut the neck a little bit to make it hang off of my shoulder--something I would have never done in high school. But then again, I'm not the same person as I was then.

I throw my hair into a messy bun and do my makeup perfect. I like the person looking at me in the mirror right now, regardless of the giant black eye. I hope the giant veins on my eyeball go away along with my black eye in a few days.

I grab my keys and almost run out the door.

They say when you look good, you feel good, and I can totally agree with that right now.

There are people everywhere as I make my way across the grass heading for the football field. It's a pretty long walk, but there is no way I want to fight the traffic to get there.

I start the walk and text Clark to let him know that I'll be there. 

My cast is heavy and I feel as if everyone is staring as it as I pass by, but then I assure myself that they have better things to worry about. 

There are girls everywhere wearing a lot less than me, and I suddenly wish I would feel as confident as them. Shorts and only a bra, painted faces and bellies in spirit for a game.

I know I shouldn't, but I grab my phone from my pocket to text Collin. 

"Hey," is all I say.

I hold my phone for a couple of minutes before I return it to my back pocket.

The stadium is huge. There are a lot of people swarming it, regardless of it being just a scrimmage. On a Monday. I don't know who approved this, but that's beside the point.

I tell the lady at the office my name, and she assured me she had my ticket. I gather it and smile as I make my way to my seat behind the team.

It's only five thirty. I decide to leave my seat and look for something to eat. 

I'm walking up the stairs to the exits when I feel my phone vibrate with a text.

It's not Collin, but Link. 

"Are you at Clark's game? He said he was leaving you a ticket, but I didn't know if you made it."

I reply, letting him know I'm here and he does the same.

"I'm at the entrance," I reply. A couple of minutes later I'm greeted with the sight of him.

"I'm glad you're here," he says. "All of my friends are already drunk."

He smells different, like a pine smell. It reminds me of home.

His eyes gleam a bright blue in the contrast of his orange shirt.

"You want to get something to eat?" he asks and I nod in agreement.

By the end of the game, my voice is almost gone from yelling and screaming. Clark got to play a lot, considering his young age. Link and I wait until most of the crowd moves out before we attempt to leave.

"So, was that the best football game you have ever seen?" I tease.

"Scrimmage," he corrects me. We both laugh.

We walk out of the building when he asks, "did you drive here?"

"No. I didn't want to fight the crowd. Did you?" He shakes his head.

"Nope. Too crowded."

I check my phone to see no new messages and my heart deflates a little. 

We walk down the sidewalk to start the journey back when I happen to spot a group of people huddles behind one of the small buildings. One of the guys lock eyes with me, and that's when I notice them.

A pair of evil eyes, but they are familiar. I stop and I feel my body begin to burn.

It's the guy from the alley.