Page 50 of Brick Wall
No. My Annie.
“Yeah, Annie Moore,” I confirm. “You’ve met her, I think.”
He definitely met her at the bar the night she cussed me out and told me I should join the defensive line. Cal got a good chuckle out of that one and took an instant liking to her. He often quotes her in the locker room, wearing a shit-eating grin.
“You may want to switch positions, because you really excel at defense.”
He says it so often that some of my teammates say it now too, even if they don’t know the context. Although he’s trying to piss me off, I kind of like it, because it reminds me of her and how awesome she truly is.
Calvin stalls but then utters, “She’s great. Are you trying to set me up with her?”
What? Fuck no.
“No…” I hesitate. “I was thinking for me?”
He struggles for words for a second. I feel like I caught him off guard somehow.
“For you?” he clarifies.
“Uh, yeah.” Now, I’m not so certain. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought this conversation up. I’ve rarely talked directly to Cal about women before. We mostly talk about football and food. We don’t really get into the deep stuff, even though I consider him my closest friend.
“I think she’d be perfect for you,” Calvin says while slapping me on the shoulder.
“Yeah?” I question, wanting more from him.
“Yeah, man. I don’t know her too well, but she seems great. You should go for it.”
“And you’re not interested, right?” I question because I need to check.
“Nope,” he says, popping thep. “Like I said, I don’t know her well enough, plus I think she has eyes for you.”
Really? Will she say yes then?
Okay. I’m not sure why I’m asking Calvin in the first place here. I guess I’m looking for confirmation that asking Annie out is the right move.
My love life has been lackluster at best. When I was a senior in college and a new rookie in the league, I definitely had fun. It was a new experience for me. Women who had never paid attention to me before were finally looking. It was nice to be noticed.
However, I started to realize that women were attracted more to my paycheck and position than they were to me.
Athena was the catalyst for me. I brought her to a pool party with many of my teammates, and she spent much more time flirting with my friends than me.
She was using me to get in, and then she upgraded.
She started dating a teammate who was much more fit andattractive than me, and in her words, someone she could shine with and who was an “actual athlete.”
I apparently have no shine or polish, whatever that means.
After that, I dated a little more but found a similar experience. No one was actually interested in me, you know, that fat football player who was a boring brick wall. They wanted an in, and then they’d level up to a better player who was funnier, fitter, and more fun than me.
When I first met Annie, I worried she might be the same—only interested in the prestige, not the player itself. However, the more I get to know her, the more I like her.
I think it’s time for me to officially let my guard down, and I want to do that with Annie.
That’s why I asked Calvin for his opinion. I need backup to ensure that I’m correct. I don’t always date the right person, so I wanted to get a second opinion on this one.
“I haven’t seen you date in a while. I’m glad to see you getting back out there.”
It’s true. I can’t tell you when my last date was or with whom. It’s been a while…years, really.
