SCORE (A Stepbrother Sports Romance)(13)
Blake
In danger of getting kicked off the football team and losing my scholarship, I was grateful to Alyssa for offering to study more with me. I hated the vulnerability of needing help. I was so used to being in control and being so needy and exposed went against my usual actions. She had already been so kind and helpful to me, but the more time I spent with her, the more addicted I became. I was so intoxicated by her beauty, her laugh, her smell… And she was so smart. She was all of these things, and she was also forbidden, which made her so much more irresistible.
I was relieved that Alyssa had agreed to help me study and wondered if she felt the same excitement I did about the excuse to be near each other. If I was going to save my scholarship and stay on the team, I would have to work hard and make good use of my study time. I had to focus, despite my anticipation about being with her. But first, working out seemed like a good solution to ease the pent-up tension that had left me feeling restless and angry.
In push-up after push-up, I lowered my body to the ground and back up. I was covered in sweat, and my muscles ached. I had been at the gym for a few hours, trying to work through all my frustrations. I stood up, breathing heavily, angry and frustrated. With a sigh, I walked to the locker room, hoping a shower would relieve some more stress.
I slept well that night and woke up refreshed and relaxed. It was the first good night’s sleep I’d had in a while. I got ready quickly and bounded downstairs. Alyssa sat at the table, already dressed and drinking a glass of orange juice. She looked up and smiled when I entered the room. I grabbed a piece of toast from the table and gave my mom a quick kiss goodbye.
Alyssa looked so incredibly cute. Her hair was pulled away from her face into a high ponytail, and she wore a short pink skirt that revealed her gorgeous legs. She caught me looking at her, and I said, “Do you want to carpool today since we’re staying late to study?”
Over the past few weeks, we had been taking our own cars to school because of our different schedules, but also because of the space we had deliberately put between us. She nodded and said, “Yeah, we can take my car.”
Jumping up from the table, she said a quick goodbye to our parents and grabbed her backpack, beaming at me. I followed her out to the car, and as we got in, the tension immediately raised a few notches and my chest tightened. She hummed lightly while driving, and I wondered if her good mood had anything to do with me.
I smiled, watching her, and she looked over at me with a small laugh. “What are you looking at?” she asked before returning her eyes to the road.
“Just wondering why you’re in such a good mood,” I responded with what I knew was a sly smile.
She laughed again, and I reveled in the light tinkling sound, thinking about how I could listen to it for hours. “I just think today is going to be a good day,” she replied, her voice light and airy.
“Me, too.” I felt as light and untroubled as she did. When we pulled up to the school, I got out of the car and waved, resisting a childish urge to skip to class.
I rushed through my classes, hot energy coursing through me as I walked down to practice. In the locker room, I greeted the other players and changed, my body like a roaring engine ready to take a run down the highway. As I headed out, a voice called out to me, “Yo, Blake!”
Matt, one of the football players, had yelled my name. “What’s up, dude?”
“Hey man, are you going to the after party for the game on Friday?”
“I don’t know. Finals are next week. I have to pass,” I said tentatively.
Matt groaned and said, “C’mon, dude! Don’t be lame.”
I let out a sigh, knowing he was probably right. What was the point of trying so hard to keep my quarterback position if I messed up my reputation? I nodded and said, “Totally. I’ll be there.”
“Sweet,” Matt answered, and in a more curious tone, he asked, “Hey, I see you with that Alyssa girl a lot. Are you guys hooking up or something?”
My face heated, and I automatically responded in a serious tone, “No.”
Matt looked taken aback by my tone and said, “Oh, sorry. I just see you guys together a lot and I assumed.”
I had been too quick to jump on the defense and adjusted my tone of voice. “No, it’s cool.” I shrugged and added, “She’s actually my stepsister.”
The term felt so foreign and wrong on my tongue. Alyssa was so much more than just a stepsister to me. A deep, plunging guilt pushed into my stomach as I realized just how blind I had been so far. Having to say that Alyssa was my stepsister out loud made our whole situation so much more real. It not only terrified me but also made me feel a deep sadness because it reinforced the thought that was always churning in the back of mind: the fact that she could never be mine.
Matt’s voice pulled me from my depressing reality, asking in a casual tone, “So do you know if she’s single?”
My muscles tensed, and my face hardened. “Why?” Matt blinked and took a step back, obviously confused by my behavior. I added quickly, “Uh…I mean, she is. I just was wondering why.”
Matt laughed awkwardly. “Well, you should bring her to the party. She seems cool.”
I let out a low breath and put on my best fake smile. “Yeah, sure, man. I’ll ask her.”
Matt jogged off towards the field for practice. I let out another sigh as I followed, annoyed at the envy and rage in my heart. I felt the need to protect Alyssa after what had happened with Brad. Part of me felt responsible, even though I knew it was an irrational feeling. I wanted so badly to protect her but hated the possessiveness that came over me. The whole situation was out of my control. All I knew was that I never wanted to see her hurt like that again.