Page 11 of Nodus Tollens
There was no other choice. I had to.
“Don’t, Wren. Don’t tear yourself down like that.” She stated under her breath as she gave my hand a tight reassuring squeeze. “You’re gorgeous. Even dressed like a homeless person, you’re seen. Trust me.”
Gorgeous was a stretch, but I didn’t want to argue with her. I knew I wasn’t ugly, but I wasn’t a beauty queen. My eyebrows were a little too bushy. There was an invasion of freckles on my face that covered my nose and cheeks, and let’s not forget my ears. Luckily, they were safely hidden behind my hair, but I inherited that horrible gene from my grandfather. They stuck out too far, and as a young kid, I learned the hard way to never have my hair up or behind my ears. Dumbo was a popular name they liked to call me, or the famous, “Do you get F.M radio with those things?”
Yeah, kids were assholes.
But before I could respond, the earsplitting music that was playing suddenly quieted, causing everyone in the area to go silent. Kate then froze beside me. Dropping my hand, she focused her attention on the stage, where now a large spotlight was lighting up the whole center of it.
“You think you guys waited long enough?” A gravelly-sounding voice materialized over the speaker, causing mayhem in the crowds as they erupted into cheers. “Nah, I don’t think they’re ready for us yet, boys.” He chuckled, causing another burst of screams from the audience. “That all you got for us? Come on now. I’ve heard your moms scream louder than that.”
Rolling my eyes, I knew that right there would initiate a full-blown explosion from everyone, and sure enough, everyone went berserk.
“That’s a little better. Decker? What do you think?” The guy asked, and suddenly every girl in the crowd screeched as if hearing his name sent them into some orgasmic state.
“I think we should give them what they want.” A silky-yet-gruff voice spoke, causing my spine to tingle, same as every other female in the vicinity. Deep, manly laughter rung out through the speaker until another voice appeared. “Give them what they want? Already? Come on, Decker, you know better than that.”
Again, the crowd cheered as if they were now begging and pleading for them to come out and make an appearance. Shaking my head in disbelief, I’m astounded by what’s happening. How could a group of men have such an influence over a crowd? Every soul out on this grassy field was captivated, and I couldn’t for the life of me understand why. Honestly, it was quite comical to hear and watch just how pathetic and insane people were getting.
“I don’t know, man. The crowd really seems to be begging for us.” Another masculine voice took shape, causing Kate to stiffen beside me. Peering over at her, I noticed her bottom lip was trapped beneath her teeth, and a slight flush had broken out across her face. It was blatantly obvious who that voice belonged to. Even a stranger would be able to notice by her facial expression that she was head over heels for the man. Stars could be seen in her eyes as she searched the stage for any sign of him. For a moment, my mind went back to the day at the hospital. When I came face to face with a stranger that I, to this day, couldn’t get out of my head.
Vending machine guy.
I couldn’t help but wonder if my eyes were filled with the same bright stars that were currently shining in Kate’s. It couldn’t have been love that was I experienced in that moment, but what if it was something close? What if it was something that needed to be explored but being my worrisome and obedient self, I just gave it all up. Would I one day regret not giving him my name? Or was I saving myself from heartbreak I knew I couldn’t handle? Questions lingered in the back of my head, until I was quickly pulled from my own thoughts by the sight of a lone person now taking up room on the stage. From where we were standing, it was a bit difficult to make out the person’s features. It was clear he was adorned in the sacred Vipers jersey, a large purple snake on the center that appeared to be in a striking position with its large fangs on display. At first, he just explored the crowd with his stare. A light grin appeared, and then suddenly, his large arms spread out wide, and everyone in the vicinity lit up.
“Cruzzzzz!” The crowd all belted out while hanging onto the “z” at the end. Faintly, I could see pearly white teeth stare back at us as his name continued to be chanted. Narrowing my eyes in his direction, I could firmly identify this self-absorbed man as the team captain. I’ve heard the name bounced around here and there around campus. Mostly from women who’ve been with him or want to be. Even from a distance, you can distinctly make out the features of a swoon worthy man. Dark cropped hair, a nicely trimmed beard, and a thick, athletic body that was currently pacing on the stage while engaging the crowd.
“God damn, look at all of ya’ll!” He purred in a southern drawl that sent the whole crowd into comatose. Finding a spot on the side of the stage, he crouched down low enough to grab what looked like a can of something and cracked it open. Taking the can, he raised it high into the air in triumph and slowly turned it until the liquid began to pour out into someone’s willing mouth below. “Atta girl.” He praised before crushing the empty can and tossing it behind him.
“What the hell are we watching?” I asked Kate beside me, who appeared as captivated as most of the audience was. I hoped for the sake of every woman out in that crowd that they weren’t falling for this crap. Unfortunately, I didn’t have high hopes for my fellow females. Not when they were bouncing around like rabid animals in heat, waiting for the perfect time to pounce on a hockey player and have their way with them.
Ugh. I could only imagine the amount of smug energy that would be emitted when all the players were together. Frankly, it made me sick just thinking about it.
“Another fuckin’ year, yeah?” Cruz began to mouth into the microphone, and once again, the crowd roared. “My last fuckin’ year to bring home another championship. Think we can make that happen?”
Last year, the Vipers had won their Championship game. The only reason why I knew this was because the whole campus went into a week’s worth of celebrations. I’m talking cancelled classes, huge parades, and parties on every corner of every street that surrounded the college. I legit felt like I was living in some sports film, where things you never thought would actually happen happened, and the hockey team you never really knew existed were now seen as celebrities. You couldn’t be seen on campus without a Vipers logo or walk around without being accosted by some over-the-top fan screaming in your face that we were number one. It was safe to say I stayed locked in my room most of that week.
“Boys? What do you think?” Cruz turned slightly on his heel and peered behind him into the darkness of the stage. The volume of the crowd at that moment in time was manageable. My ears weren’t equipped to handle anything much louder than that, but once a sea of purple and black emerged from behind the stage, everything went chaotic. Thunderous, ear-splitting screams broke the sound barrier as the rest of the Vipers took the stage. One after the other, a mixture of men waved their arms and greeted the cheering audience before them.
Jesus, there were so many of them. All dissimilar in height and stature but had the crowd cheering, nonetheless.
“Sweet baby Jesus.” Kate muttered under her breath, but loud enough I could hear her.
“What?” I chuckled, wondering what the hell she was going on about.
“I think I need a new pair of panties.” She explained while her eyes remained glued to the stage.
Rearing back, I grimaced in her direction but couldn’t help but laugh at her words. “What? Why?”
“Because mine are currently soaked from looking at that fucking delicious-looking man up there.”
Oh my god.
“Ughhh, Wren, look at him.” She cried out as her body began to sway from side to side. Reluctantly, my eyes went to scour the stage and finally landed on number thirty. Hendricks. Tall, dark, and handsome. “Why can’t he just notice me? Then we can finally fall in love and get married. Then, eventually we could have ten babies because he can’t stop bending me over our white granite counters, and I “forget” to take my pills. But he doesn’t care because he loves the idea of filling and impregnating me.”
Coughing, I used my palm to hide the redness of my cheeks and the laughter that slowly billowed from my mouth. “Jesus, Kate. I don’t know if anyone has informed you, but those romance novels you read are fiction. Hence, they don’t happen in real life.”
“Hey now, I know plenty of women who are currently with men who treat them like princesses and still aren’t afraid to show them who’s boss between the sheets.” She went on as if she was stating factual information. “Yeah, it may be hard to find, but love can be like what you read in books. You just need the right person who shares the same amount of passion as you do.”
