Page 6 of Calm Before the Score

7

Violet

What. Just. Happened.

I find myself standing in the middle of the party, completely dumbfounded by the last ten minutes of my life. One second, I was having an inner crisis thinking about kissing someone named Locke, and the next, a familiar black-haired boy swooped in and gave me the best kiss of my life. He’s so much bigger than me, and it was nice feeling him hover over me in that way, almost like he owns me.

No. Stop it, Violet.It was a dare.For you, not for Ryan.

Nothing was real about it, but it felt like it. He touched my hips gently, and my body reacted in a way I had never experienced before. In true Mr. Football fashion, he bolted once he caught my eyes. Hartley warned me about football players since I became old enough to date. He said they’re all players who just want to win every girl, him included. So why am I falling so easily for the tattooed running back after one kiss?

After a few more dares, everyone seems to scatter as the loud music picks up from the corner of the main room, but Liza stays by my side. “Violet, what was that?!” she whispers in my ear,excitement written all over her face as she grabs my shoulders to shake me back into reality. She’s doing a little dance in front of me. I shrug because I’m clearly just as confused as she is, and my feet are still glued to the floor in the same spot Ryan rocked my world in with one kiss.

“Violet, I’m going to need you to tell me what that was all about right now before I have a heart attack! Ryan doesn’t play games with us. He hasneverparticipated in a dare. He usually minds his own business.”

“I don’t know. I’ve met him twice with Hart, but the only other time, he was super rude and blunt with his opinions. He probably just felt bad for me. That’s all. The pathetic girl that can’t get out of her own head to play a party game,” I say reluctantly. I’m always like this. I’m never the prettiest or most polarizing girl in the room. I blend in like a wallflower. That’s what I do best. I wasn’t made to stand out.

Liza scoffs. “Oh yeah, ok. Violet, you are drop-dead gorgeous. Savannah threw that dare at you because she knows you’re hot and can get any one of these Springs U players if you wanted, and she can’t. Even in that slutty outfit.”

“Ok, now I know you’ve drank too much. I am not ‘hot,’ and I don’t date, especially not athletes. Guys don’t notice me.”

“We’ll work on that,” Liza says with a sneaky grin, and I somehow can feel that she plans to break me out of my shell more than I anticipated this year.

Having enough fun for one night, I decide it’s time for me to get back home.

“I’m leaving. Here’s my number, Liza. Seriously, thank you so much for tonight. I can’t wait to hang out again.”

Hartley has been long gone, and I really need his advice on what happened tonight. I think when I came here I expected it to be just like high school with Hartley, but tonight was a reality check. We're not kids anymore, and I'll have to surround myselfwith more girls like Liza. She had my back tonight, and we barely know each other. I appreciate that more than she will ever know.

I walk home from the party in the dark night air, reeling from tonight’s events. Hartley and I share a small used car because I can’t afford one yet, but we both decided to walk tonight. I couldn’t figure out if I wanted to drink or not, and Hartley always goes hard at parties. I walk up the stairs to my apartment and hastily unlock the door.

“HARTLEY!” I scream into our apartment as I slam the door for dramatic effect. It doesn’t take me long to find my best friend making out with a random girl on our brand-new couch.Note to self: bleach the couch tomorrow.

She’s the typical Hartley type: blonde hair, big boobs, small waist, and up for a wild time. I see her pink crop top is dangerously close to coming off. Hartley is in a hoodie and boxers. His hands are gripping her waist, and she’s straddling him, twisted in an intense kiss. They don’t bother to break their raunchy kiss until I’m hovering over the star-crossed lovers. I clear my throat to get Hartley’s attention. He looks up at me calmly and nods. “Oh hey, Vi, how was the rest of the party?”

“We need to talk, Hart,” I say to my best friend with a terrifying calmness in my voice.

“Huh?” blondie asks.

“Look, this isn’t your problem, and I’m sorry for hijacking your night. I really need you to leave, though.” Hartley seems to judge the seriousness in my voice, and he asks the girl to leave after they exchange phone numbers and at least five more quick kisses. My emotions are all over the place, but at least Hartley has the common sense to get this girl out before I break down in front of both of them. The door clicks shut, and I start bawling into my hands. I can’t catch my breath. I’m heaving loudly, and my eyes are sore and puffy within a few seconds.

“Vi, come here.” Hartley grabs me in his arms and squeezes tight. I nuzzle my head into his soft hoodie while he brushes the hair back away from my streaming eyes. He knows that I can’t talk when I’m like this, so he just holds me in silence and lets me cry into his broad chest.

After I calm down, I give my anchor a detailed recap of the rest of the night. I tell him about Ryan kissing me and bolting like I had the plague. I tell him how humiliated I felt in the middle of the party by myself after Mr. Football darted without a word. I choose to leave out the part where I didn’t want the kiss to end. We tell each other everything but now doesn’t seem like the time to dive into my mixed feelings about his teammate.

“Hart, I could have really used back up,” I whine to my best friend. Finding words after sobbing is the worst. I feel pathetic for needing someone like I need him.

“Vi, I’m so sorry. It looked like you were having fun with Liza, and I wanted to give you space to make a new friend.”

“I just panic so easily when something unexpected happens. Liza did try to save me, though.” I smile, thinking about having someone in my corner besides Hartley. The bubbly firecracker did stand up for me, a complete stranger, in front of everyone.

“She’s cool. I trust her. I wouldn’t have left you with anyone else.” I choose to believe him because Liza does seem trustworthy, and Hartley hasn’t ever left me with anyone who would cause me trouble.

“I may get kicked off the team tomorrow, though…” he replies with a scowl.

“No way! Hart, don’t lose your head and do something stupid. It was a kiss. It meant nothing,” I plead with him to keep his cool. He has a tendency to fly off the handle at a moment's notice.

“Vi, you know how I…”

---