More Than Enough (Enough #2) (14 page)

I leaned in and gave her a hug and kissed her hard one last time. “I
’ll see you after the game, Red. And thanks for helping me relax. Everything you did worked wonders for my nerves.” I winked at her as she blushed and headed out the door. I grinned the whole way to the parking lot as the picture of her blushing face stayed in my head.

Chapter 12

Athena

I can’
t believe that I just did that for Keller. It was amazing to have him in my control and to make him feel that good. I’ve got to thank Carter for all the encouragement she gave me on that. I’ve been intimidated to go farther with Keller due to my inexperience. But she’d urged me to take control of the situation, and it definitely worked. I know I made him feel good, and I liked doing that for him before the game. I’d felt extremely sexy and empowered.

I walk into where the dance team gets ready af
ter I get to the stadium and spot Rachel and Carter getting ready together at the mirrors. They’re chatting away about the game, and  our chances of beating the Gators. Carter gives me a wave as I walk up and says slyly, “Well, I know when I left Bray, he was nice and relaxed and not tense at all about the game.” She winked at me in the mirror so Rachel wouldn’t see, and then asked, “What about Keller, Athena? Did he seem really tense about the game when you left him?”

I let out a nervous laugh at her question which I could tell was filled with sexual innuendo. Rachel didn’t seem to catch on to any of that though. She said, “Well, Brant, was going out of his damn mind, he was so nervous earlier. I couldn’t even stand to sit with him at lunch because he was so
freaking jumpy.” I tried to give her a sympathetic look and then told Carter, “Keller seemed completely relaxed and just in a good place when he left for the stadium. I don’t think he’ll be feeling any nerves tonight.”

Carter gave me a proud look and said, “I know Bray seemed good, but I’ve got to admit that I’m going t
o be a mess this game. It’s such a big one, and there offensive and defensive lines are huge. I just want them to win, but I’m also terrified of one of them getting hurt. The size of these guys makes the teams they played in high school look like toddlers. It’s just frightening to think one bad hit, and they might never walk again.”

I nod in agreement, and Rachel looks at both of us in annoyance. “We’re in college you two. You both are dating the two best looking, most talented, richest guys on the team. I think you need to just be grateful for all of that and leave the worry to your grandmas. Every other girl in this school would kill to
be either of you.”

Carter just responded with, “I know you’re right, Rachel. But when you have everything you want in the world, losing it is the most mind-numbing terror you can think of, but I will try to focus on the positive.” She went back to doing her makeup and suddenly her phone went
off. She checked it and said, “Bray has a minute to meet for a quick kiss before the game. I’ll be back in five.” She’s heading out the door when Rachel is still yelling, “Just don’t make it more than fifteen because you’ve got to be here for lineup.”

She’s already gone, and I take her place at the mirror and say, “So are you and Brant doing good then?” She stops what she’s doing
and turns to me. I look back at her and see her eyes are shining with distaste. I go to open my mouth and ask her what’s wrong when she starts in on me, “Athena, I thought we were the same type, you and me. I thought we played the game the same way. We were honest with each other about wanting to find an athlete that would take care of us. We never hid that from each other or judged each other for it.” Her voice has gotten harsh and grating as she spits out her words in anger as she continues. “But then all the sudden, you start only exclusively hanging out with your boy toy and his crowd. I can see that you’re pretending to really care about him, and you have them all fooled. But you don’t fool me. I know what your plan was since freshman year, and now that you think you’ve got it on lockdown, you’re not even giving old friends the time of day.”

I can tell that she’s livid about me being with Keller. I know that it’s probably a mix of jealousy, confusion, and resentment that I’m with him and haven’t spent hardly
any time with her. She’s just seemed angry and bitter every time I’ve been around her lately, and I don’t want to deal with that when I don’t have to. We both hung out when it suited us, but we hadn’t really depended on each other for a real friendship. When she’d started seeing Brant, I just didn’t want to be around both of them cause they were such an awful combination.

Now, I was just scared that she was going to tell Carter that I was just into Keller for what he could give me. I knew the three of them were very careful about who they let in because they didn’t want to just be used
for their money or connections.

I decided to just tell her the truth, “Rach, I’ve always had a huge crush on Keller. Since I first saw him play as a freshman. I’d just never said a whole lot because I thought he was way out of my league. I didn’t want to like Carter at the beginning cause she was just so beautiful. But she’s one of those people that you can’t help but not just like but love. She’s the sweetest most giving person I’ve ever met. And the loyalty that I’ve watched in the three of them
towards each other is amazing. I want the kind of relationships that they’ve got with each other. I guess that’s why I haven’t tried to hang out with you a lot this year. I’ve just felt like we had a more superficial friendship, and after watching the three of them, I wanted to feel like I had some true friends.”

I looked up, and Rachel wasn’t even looking at me. She was looking behind me at Carter, who was smiling with tears in her eyes.
As I met her eyes, Carter came up to me and reached her arms up to hug me. She pulled me in and just said quietly, “What you said about me and the guys was beautiful, and I’m so happy that you’re dating Keller. I love you, Athena.”

My eyes filled with tears when she told me that. Nobody had ever told me that before, and it was the most wonderful thing to hear. Especially when it came from a person that was so genuine. I squeezed her tightly in a hug and realized that no matter what happened between me and Keller that I had Carter now. I was no longer completely alone.

After our emotional moment, Carter sat down and started quickly doing her makeup before we had to line up to go out on the field. She wasn’t shooting Rachel any weird glances so she must’ve arrived just for my part of the conversation. Rachel still seemed pissed with me cause she shot me a dirty look as she walked by to make sure the rest of the girls were ready. I still didn’t trust her, but at least Carter had heard what I’d said to her. So now she knows how I truly feel and would be less likely to believe or listen to Rachel’s poison.

Carter just finishes getting ready as Rachel calls us to line up. Carter is always first as she dances in the center with Rachel and me on either side of her. The rest of the team spreads out from there sometimes making a diamond or block depending on the dance routine.

We hear the music that’s our signal and go out there and perform our routine. The crowd is pumped up tonight and louder than I’ve heard them all year. As we dance, I can feel us all just feed from the energy in the stadium, and the entire routine just felt almost alive and pulsing with energy. We strike our ending pose, and I’m gasping for air as we gave everything we had to the crowd tonight.

We’re walking off to the sidelines when I’m grabbed to the side suddenly. Before I realize what’s happening, lips are on mine, kissing any breath that I had left out of me. I kiss back until Keller reluctantly pulls away. He just grabs my face in
his hands and says, “Sorry, Red, just needed that. You looked fucking amazing out there, and I had to get my hands on you after that performance.” I just looked up at him, and I knew my adoration was shining through, but at that moment I just didn’t care.

He and Carter had filled
me up tonight with their attention, and I just loved to be cared for and needed. He looked down at me and said, “I’ve got to go.” He gave me hug and said, “See you after we win.” He walked away but had his head turned so that his eyes were burning into mine with desire.

We couldn’t wait much longer to have sex. I know he had to be going crazy by now with how much time we’ve spent together. I just had wanted to know that he cared at least a little before I took that final step with him. But I feel like he’s shown me that he does, and I know that I don’t just care but love him. It was time to take the step that was going to bring us even
closer together and could help him forgot about the way he’d felt about Carter. What I wouldn’t give for him to love me the way I love him.

             
We line up in our form and perform during the commercials and half-time. We are winning 33-26, but the offensive line is playing really rough. I’ve been worried about Keller all game. He’s made tackle after tackle, but the other team has been able to play pretty rough with him too. I’m not used to seeing him physically matched during a game. It makes me nervous, and I just want it to be over.

We’ve got four minutes left when the Gators hike the ball. Keller starts to move around the offense and gets ready to tackle a receiver that
it looks like the quarterback has spotted. Out of nowhere comes an offensive lineman that slams Keller to the ground. A foul is called on the offense for that play, but as the offensive lineman rolls off Keller, I see that he hasn’t moved. The team’s physician and the head coach rush over to where he’s laid out. The team’s physician checks him over and tries to wake him up, but Keller doesn’t wake. My insides are going completely crazy, and I feel like I’m going to throw up and cry all at the same time. The man I love is not waking up, and that hit looked awful even from off the field.

I try to keep breathing and spot Brayden rushing out on the field to get to Keller, and the coach talks to him. He nods and looks to Carter. He points her way to the coach, and the coach nods. He starts sprinting over to where we are. Carter meets him at the front of our group with tears in her eyes. They start talking
quietly, and she calls me to them.

I get to her, and she squeezes my hand. “Hey, I thought you needed to hear anything they know too! You’re his girlfriend.” Even though I desperately need to know Keller’s going to be okay, Carter, with just that effort to include me, makes me feel less alone in my worry. I look back and forth between them both and ask, “Do they know anything right now?”

Brayden looks serious and explains, “They’re just hoping he got hit really hard and is just knocked out. That’s best case scenario. Anything else, we just don’t want to even have to contemplate right now.” I nodded in understanding and agreement.

Carter pulled me into her and said, “You and I are heading out to be with Keller at the hospital, Athena. Bray has to stay and finish the game, and then he will head to us immediately.” I nod and look across the field at Keller who is being loaded onto the stretcher right now. His beautiful face still looks just as perfect
and strong as always, and I can’t believe that he might not be okay. I just start praying that he’s just been hit hard and will wake up. He’s just too forceful and strong not to recover from this.

They’ve loaded him and start leading him off the field, and Carter pulls me with her. “I love you, Bray,” she says and hugs him with the hand not holding me. He strokes her hair and
tells her, “He’s going to be fine, baby, don’t worry. Just go to the hospital, and I’m coming to you in less than an hour. I love you so much.” He leans down and kisses her forehead. After that he heads back to the team, and we head out the exit. We reach the ambulance, and an EMT approaches us and asks, “Who’s riding with him?”

I wasn’t expecting that either of us would be able to ride with him, and I don’t know how this is going to go. But Carter immediately says, “She is.” And pushes me towards the ambulance
, I look at her torn because I want to be able to go but also know that she might bring him more comfort if he wakes up than I can. I open my mouth to argue, but she cuts me off, “This is how it’s supposed to be, Athena. You are his girlfriend, and he needs you right now. Go with him. I will meet you at the hospital.” She pulls me and gives me one last hard squeeze. “Remember, I love you, kay, and so does he. He just might not know it yet.”

With that, she walks away, and I hop in the back of the ambulance. The male EMT is still staring after Carter as she walks away. I get settled in beside Keller
and watch his face for any movement. I ask the EMT, “Can I hold his hand.” He replies, “Yeah, just don’t move him around at all.” I lightly grab his hand and start to just try to talk to him just in case he can hear me. I tell him, “Keller, you got hit hard, but you’re going to be okay. I’m right here with you, and Carter’s meeting us at the hospital. We both are just ready for you to wake up.”