The Anti-Crush by Harper West

18

Nathan

I ranmy fingers through my hair.

It was soaked in sweat. I usually loved practice. And, right now, I needed it. It gave me an opportunity to work out all the nervous energy in my system. God, I was such a fucking idiot. What the hell was I thinking? We hadn't even been dating that long, and I went ahead and blurted out that I loved her. Geez, of course, she was spooked. If I could go back and change things, I'd do everything differently. Well, maybe I would have waited for her to say it first.

"All right, Nathan," my coach called, pulling me back from my thoughts. "One more run, and then it's back to the lockers."

I shoved my mouth guard back in, crouched low, and readied myself. As the coach blew the whistle, we ran the play. I slipped as I sprinted across the damp grass of the football field, but years of training, allowed me to recover quickly. Duncan tossed the ball and it flew through the air, sailing straight towards me. I sprinted through the clearing and jumped, barely catching it with the tips of my fingers. I pulled it to my chest. But, my feet went out from under me as I landed and I crashed to the ground, my helmet hitting the grass.

My mother's words rang in my ears. Football is such a a dangerous sport. You’re already lucky enough to be handsome and intelligent. Why risk your brain cells for a few minutes of glory on the field? She never understood the rush, but that was okay. I lived for moments like this.

Picking myself off the ground, I held the ball high. Everyone cheered. It was a spectacular catch. I mean, that moment was something straight out of a movie. I felt like I was walking on a cloud as practice ended. I wasn't ready to go back to reality yet. Elizabeth was avoiding me. I jogged across the damp field, suddenly feeling pain and soreness from that fall.

"Christ, Nathan, that was a hell of a save there. Too bad it's not a real game. Can you imagine if the NFL recruiters were to watch that?" Duncan said, clapping my shoulder.

I nodded at my teammate. "Thanks, you weren't so bad yourself."

"Eh, football’s okay," he said with a shrug. He shook his head and sweat droplets flew everywhere. "Don't get me wrong, I love it. It got me to this college in the first place. But I'm not interested in the NFL."

"What are you gonna do after graduation?" I asked, curious now. I realized that Christopher Duncan and I hadn't spent much time talking.

“Well, my major is economics," he said.

“That's cool. What'll you do with that?" I asked.

"My grandfather said he'd let me intern at his company. I want to be a financial risk analyst," he answered.

“Wow, man. I had no idea you were into that world. I didn't really know anything about you outside of football.”

Duncan laughed, but it was short-lived. Kyler passed by, glaring a me. And I definitely didn't miss the way he balled his fists and clenched his jaw.

Clearly, he still hadn't forgiven me for kicking his ass at that party, but what the hell was I supposed to do? He treated girls like crap. Did he really think that he'd be able to do that for the rest of his life without someone's boyfriend getting in the way? Thinking about him putting the moves on Elizabeth that way, like he was totally entitled to touch her and talk about her like she was an object, had my skin crawling. I was itching to grab his stupid face and punch his lights out all over again.

I know a lot of people would ignore Kyler's behavior. It's be written off as boys will be boys or something like that. I knew that men had a terrible reputation for objectifying women and getting away with it. Athletes were some of the worst of the bunch, especially in prestigious colleges like this. They could do anything for four years without consequence, then would go on to coveted internships and high-powered careers. And, at the end of the day, daddy would protect them from everything. Well, not me. And I certainly wasn't going to let anyone else be treated that way, girlfriend or not.

Kyler turned and faced me. His expression was hard. "What are you looking at?'' he asked and squared his shoulders.

Immediately, I rose to the challenge. I was only a couple inches shorter than his six-foot-five frame, but I was no less ready to tackle him to the ground. It would be a little harder now that there wasn't alcohol involved. But I felt pretty damn certain that we were equally matched.

"Whoa, what's happening over here?" Tanner asked as he strode over, helmet in hand, and stood between Kyler and me. "We got a problem?"

"Back off, Tanner," Kyler growled. He placed a large hand on Tanner's shoulder and shoved him off.

To Tanner's credit, he only stumbled back a foot. But it was enough of an incentive for me. I doubled over into tackle position and barreled hard into Kyler’s chest, shoving him back against the lockers as the metal clanged and echoed.

Coach barged into the locker room, scowling. "What the hell is going on in here? ”he shouted. His ruddy face dripped with sweat. "Tanner, Nathan, Kyler. My office. Everyone else, get the fuck out." Everyone in the crowded locker room rapidly dispersed.

Irritated, I shoved my fingers through my blond hair as the three of us shuffled into the coach's office. He shut the door and I was pretty sure we were about to get our asses handed to us.

"Now, does anyone want to tell me what's going on?'' Coach asked as he narrowed his cold ,gray eyes.

"They started it!" Kyler shouted.

"No, we didn’t!" I got in Kyler's face, practically nose to nose with him.

"All right now, knock it off!" the coach yelled as he shoved us apart and stood between us. "Tanner, what the hell's going on with these two?”

"I think this is about the fight from a party earlier this year," Tanner said as he glanced at me. "Kyler came in here looking for a fight. And well, Nathan was happy to accommodate." Tanner shrugged. Tanner was always honest with coach. I was mad he didn't take my side, but I couldn't fault him for telling the truth.

My fists clenched, ready for an opportunity to collide with Kyler's smug face.

"That's a fucking lie!" Kyler shouted as he took a step toward me. His chest bumped against the coach's shoulder.

"Back down, Evans, or I swear to God I'm going to bench you. I don't care if the NFL scouts are coming or not," he said to Kyler, who clenched his jaw. "You need to get your act together. This team is not going to fall apart over a girl and a few beers. We’ve got scouts coming this week and if you guys tear each other to pieces, we are going to look like idiots.”

Tanner looked anxious for a minute. Of the three of us, he was the one most likely to be drafted and I knew it meant the world to him.

Suddenly, we heard footsteps coming towards us. All four of us turned to face the office door as whoever it was let himself in like he belonged here.

"What's going on?" Alexander Evans, Kyler's father, strolled in, wearing a pristine suit and blond hair slicked back. He was the carbon copy of Kyler, except twenty-five years older.

"Are these boys harassing my son?" Mr. Evans asked as he strode over.

"More like the other way around," I muttered.

Mr. Evans's eyes flashed to mine. "What was that, boy?" he barked.

I squared my shoulders, not caring. Who the hell did he think he was? I was nobody's boy.

"I got a handle on this, Mr. Evans. Thank you so much for coming today to show support to the team. You know how much we appreciate your donations," Coach said and gave me a look that told me to shut my mouth before I lost funding for the football team.

"Of course," Mr. Evans said, his voice curt, as he looked me up and down. "Anything to support my son.”

I rolled my eyes. Football dads have been the bane of my existence since elementary school. I was just glad that my dad wasn't that way. Whatever Coach said to Mr. Evans seemed to appease him and he left the office.

"All right, then. Let's have everyone clean up and get back in here,” Coach said as he let out a heavy sigh. I could all but hear his voice in his head. I'm getting too old for this.

I yanked open my locker and pulled out my phone. It was a pisser of a day. God, even the most mundane text from Elizabeth would make a world of difference right now. Despite everything that had just gone down, I smiled when I saw that she’d replied.

"6-4-3-2," I mumbled as I typed in the four-digit passcode. But, then I read the message. The I don't think we should see each other anymore one. I stared at the screen as my heart sank to my stomach. How could she?

"What is it?" Tanner asked as he stood behind me and clapped a hand on my shoulder.

"Elizabeth broke up with me," I said, breathless. Tanner yanked it from my hand to read it for himself

"Holy shit, man," Tanner said as he handed it back to me.

I stared down at the screen. How could she do that? All I did was tell her that I loved her. Tanner swallowed hard, and I could tell he was searching for the right words. The locker room grew steadily louder as the guys came back in.

"I have to get out of here," I said and turned on my heel. I was still in my practice gear, sweaty and unshowered.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" the coach said as he grabbed me by my jersey and whirled me around to face him.

"I have to go talk to Elizabeth" I said. “This can't be how it ends.”

“Are you kidding me, Nathan. The goddamn NFL is about to be here." He reminded me of a Southern drill sergeant in some war movie my dad used to watch. “You leave now and you blow your shot at the big time."

"Wait. What?" Kyler demanded. His eyes were still full of fury, "You seriously want to choose a girl over football?”

"No, not just any girl. Elizabeth," I said. "Not that it's any of your fucking business." I was already riled up but didn’t want to waste any more time on him.

"You can't go. You're the quarterback," the coach said, his voice desperate. "If you leave, we're all fucked."

"You got Tanner," I said and gestured to my friend. "He is a second QB, isn't he?”

Coach grumbled, but agreed. We all knew Tanner could handle it and would relish being the hero. This was a golden opportunity for him and would secure his chances to go pro.

I didn't wait around. I jogged out of the exit and sprinted up the stairs, my shoes slapping against the concrete. As the cool fall air chilled my skin, I looked up at the gray skies. It was probably going to rain tonight.

I looked at the clock on the bell tower as I raced to the campus square. The game was going to start in less than ten minutes. If I wasn't there for the coin toss, I wouldn't be allowed to play. There was no way I could get to Elizabeth and still get back in time. But I chose what mattered most to me in this life. And that was Elizabeth. I didn’t care about the NFL scouts anymore. I had to find Elizabeth and get her back. She was the opportunity of my lifetime.

Dodging students who were making their way toward the football field, my heart pounded in my chest. I peered inside of the medical studies building and I saw her there, through the window, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. Her pencil was balanced in her hands the way it always did when she was studying.

I knew she was taking the MCATs today and she had worked so hard for this. There's no way I could run in there and interrupt her. I'd just have to wait. So, I did. I sat outside the building in my football gear waiting for the woman I loved and missing the big game to do so.

I paced back and forth as the rain began to fall and soaked through my jersey. Goose bumps popped up along my forearm. I shivered. But I didn't leave.

"What are you doing out here?" I whirled around at the sound of a familiar male voice. “You're supposed to be on the field."

"Dad?" I asked.

My father was strolling forward in a tailored black suit and holding an umbrella, one hand in his pocket "I was just walking over to the stadium. Sorry, your mother couldn't make it. But she promised to throw you the most divine graduation party," he said, laughing at my mother's frequent use of the word divine.

I laughed and shook my head. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Of course I was. Did you really think I'd miss your last game?"

"I don't know," I said with a laugh and then felt a little guilty. “I mean, I'm missing my last game."

“I see that. But... why?" he asked as he stepped forward and let the umbrella shelter the both of us.

"A girl," I said and nodded toward the window where Elizabeth sat and flipped through the pages of her test book.

"She looks familiar," he said.

"That's because she is familiar," I said. "We went to high school together. I think her mom went to a couple of your banquets. We’ve reconnected after all this time and... I don't know. I can't help but think she's the one. But, she broke up with me.”

"And is that why you're here instead of at the game?" he asked with a raised brow.

"It is. I love her, Dad. I can't let her get away. She means more to me than anything."

I braced myself for my father's reaction, completely expecting him to tell me I'm being reckless with my future. That's I'm an idiot for foregoing my chances with the NFL. That he's ashamed of me or something. But, to my surprise, he says none of that. He just smiles and nods, supportively.

“Go get her, Son," he says.