Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91299 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91299 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Shit. He’s the one who texted me, but when I came in earlier, he told me to work out first and then he’d get back to me.
Dillon looks at me. “Archer again?”
I shake my head. I’ve been avoiding any run-ins with him. “Don’t know.”
“Sounds ominous. You better go.”
I stand up and shake out my muscles, thinking about hitting the hot tub later.
Coach is talking to someone on speakerphone as I come in. He looks up at me and points toward a seat. “Here he is now,” he says to the phone.
I frown and try to figure out what’s going on.
“Sir?” I ask as I settle in.
Coach points down at the phone as a voice comes through.
“Mr. Watson here. I’m on the board for the Combine.”
My heart stutters, and I lean in. “Yes, sir. Blaze Townsend. Nice to meet you.”
He chuckles. “I like that Southern drawl, son. We’ve got a lot of good guys from your neck of the woods.”
I swallow, my hands tightening in my seat. “Sir, I can talk all day if you let me.”
Another laugh. “Well, Coach Sanders here has been telling me about how fast you are.”
“Best ever,” I say.
“I’d like to formally extend an invitation for you to come to the Combine and let us get a look at you, see you run. I can’t promise a higher rating in the draft, but Coach seems to believe in you, and well, I like an underdog. What do you say?”
“Fuck yeah—I mean, yes, sir! I’ll be there!” I’m standing now, leaning over the desk. My chest feels like it’s going to burst.
I hear him slap his hands together on the other end of the call, clearly excited. “Outstanding, Blaze! I have some papers my assistant will send over for you to fill out. We’re running late on this, so get them back to me in the next two days.”
“Sounds good, Harold.” Coach Sanders takes over, probably because I’m wide-eyed and jumping up and down, fists in the air. “Send the papers to me, and I’ll make sure he gets them.”
After a few back slaps and thank yous to Coach, I leave his office and grab my phone. I want to tell someone.
I realize I’ve already brought up Charisma’s name. Good news and she’s the one I want to tell.
Even though things aren’t right between us, I text her anyway.
Who else would I tell?
Charm. I’m in the Combine. Can you talk?
She doesn’t reply, and I pace around the hall. Shit, shit, shit.
Can I call you? I’ll come back.
Still no reply, and I’m about to call her when Dillon comes around the corner. “Well? What happened?”
I grin and hold my hands out. “You’re looking at a Combine invitee, man, every fast motherfucking inch of him.”
“Hell yeah!” He gives me a quick man hug. “Now, how about some fun?”
I nod and look back at my phone. Nothing. She’s shutting me out. I can’t blame her.
I take a breath. Fine, fine.
“Let’s grab showers and get to Caddy’s. Ready?”
I look at Dillon, seeing the excitement on his face.
I lock thoughts of her away, step by step, carefully folding them up in my head.
In a few months, we’ll be going in different directions. She’ll graduate and leave, and I may be in the NFL.
And that…
That makes my heart shift inside my chest. To think of her miles away…
I take a breath, pushing her further from my mind.
Football. It’s all I have.
“Yeah. Caddy’s. Let’s go.”
19
Our next class with Dr. Cartwright rolls around the next day, and even though I’m riding high on my good news, I’m anxious about Charisma.
Dillon’s talking a mile a minute about the drinking we did last night. It wasn’t much on my end, but he was lit, a girl on either side of him back in the dorm after we left Cadillac’s. I came out at one point to grab some Gatorade and saw three naked bodies on the couch. I laughed and kept on going. I just hope he’s using condoms.
“You’re not listening to my play-by-play,” he grunts as we take the stairs. “You slipped off to bed and missed all the good stuff. Pussy.”
“Oh, I saw your white ass. Ever consider waxing?”
I throw him a look, laugh, and pick up my pace.
He nods. “Yeah, she’s going to be in there and you can’t wait to see her.” There’s a glint in his eyes that gives me pause.
“What?”
“Dude—how long are you going to wait? If you want her that bad, tell her. Go steady, or whatever people call it.”
I look away.
He shakes his head. “You two are driving me bonkers in there. I’m tired of sitting next to you always eye-fucking her. Do something. I’m tired of you moping around.”
“Fuck off.”
He laughs.
We enter, and she’s already in her seat, head bent down.
I tune out the girl who comes up to me, brushing past her to get to the front row.