The Way It Used to Be

44

Author's Note:
Short but sweet flashback for some break from the intense chapter before.
xx

Sweat stung my eyes. It ran down from the hair smushed under my helmet and into my eyes. I wanted to rub them so bad, but I couldn't pause long enough to work my hands under the face mask.

The quarterback was calling plays already, and I took one second to glance into the stands at Beau. She sat next to Jack, wearing a black Hammond T-shirt with a paw print painted on her face. "Let's go, Colt!" she yelled. I could pick her voice out of any crowd.

"Your little girlfriend's cheering for ya," Noah taunted from the line.

"Shut up, asshat," I snapped just as we took off running.

Girlfriend?  Yeah right. Beau was thirteen. I was seventeen. There were times I thought I might be in love with her, but then I reminded myself that she was only thirteen. There was something about her. Something about her had always called to me. My whole body seemed to buzz when she was close by. My heart beat faster. My mouth went dry. I felt almost a magnetic pull to her.

Even with Sarah in her little cheer skirt on the sidelines, I couldn't help but think about Beau. Even when Sarah had her tongue in my mouth in the seat of my truck, I couldn't help but think about Beau.

I was thinking about Beau when I felt the huge player from our rival school crash into me and send me to the ground.

I was stunned. In the next moment, I couldn't breathe. The wind was knocked out of me, I assumed, and I made this weird gasping noise as I heard the refs blow the whistle.

I rolled slightly then yelled out, feeling the intense pain in my shoulder. I twisted my head, searching the stands for Beau. She was on her feet, her hand over her mouth, staring at me.

Coach ran up, kneeled down, and started talking. "Talk to me, Caine, what's wrong?"

I made that weird gasping sound again, and the EMTs from the sidelines that showed up at every game ran over. They were all kneeling around me.

My eyes shifted from Beau to Sarah, who was standing on the side lines, surrounded by a group of girls rubbing her arms. She looked concerned, as if on the verge of tears. I knew her well enough to know it was all a show. 

My eyes moved back up to Beau, who was now scrambling down the bleachers. My crazy, wild girl.

She descended the steps down to the grass and scaled the fence to the field, Jack calling after her as she did. 

The EMTs were pressing on me, and I yelled out again as they touched my shoulder. They said something about a dislocation to my coach and backed off.

Sarah had noticed Beau, and her face had changed into a scowl. Beau was sprinting toward me, and Sarah was yelling after her, "You can't just go out there!  Hey, middle schooler!  Are you listening?!"

I watched as she rolled her eyes, and then I found Beau again. She was feet away. "Colt?" she breathed as she sank down onto the grass by my head.

The EMTs and the Coach turned to look at her and Coach yelled, "Someone get this girl off my field!"

She ignored him, and I raised the arm didn't hurt up and reached for her hand. She locked fingers with me, and I smiled at her, "I'm okay, Beautiful." 

"Jack Caine!" Coached yelled, "Come get her!"

She squeezed my hand as if I was an anchor keeping her in place, and Jack appeared in minutes to gently pull her up.

"How did you not see him?" he asked me, and I just smirked. I wanted to tell him I was thinking about her, but I knew Coach would make me run laps until I puked if I said that.

Coach waved them both off, and he led her away. I knew they'd meet me at the hospital. I knew that's where I was going once they lifted me up onto a stretcher.

Jack was helping Mama down the bleachers, and Beau was still staring at me.

She looked physically hurt, as if she could feel what I was feeling. Her eyes never left me. I tried to wave, to let her know I was okay, and the EMTs told me to stay still.

I mouthed "I'm okay, Beautiful," to her over and over again, and she just shook her head at me before wiping her eyes.

I could live a hundred lives and never deserve a love like hers.