“Hey Trent,” I say when he’s close. “How’s it going?”
“Pretty good.” He and another player share a look that I can’t interpret before he glances back at me. “The guys and I… Carl didn’t say you were coming to meet him. You guys are dating, right?”
“Oh, sort of, yeah,” I reply glibly. I don’t want to give too much away because Carl and I haven’t technically had the Talk. “But I didn’t tell Carl I was coming because I wanted to surprise him with Subway.”
“Oh. Well, that’s real nice of you, Pepper. But you know, it might be a little while before he gets out. Coach wanted to talk to him. You know. About the game,” says Trent in a halting voice.
“Thanks for the heads up, but I don’t mind waiting.”
“Right.” He looks like he wants to say more, but then shakes his head. “I’ll see you around, Pepper.”
“Yeah. See you, Trent.” I watch him get in his car and drive off, unease creeping into my chest. What is going on? Why are all of Carl’s teammates so jumpy when they see me? There’s obviously something going on. Is the coach thinking of cutting him from the team? Or did a recruiter already see some videotape and cross him off the list? I have no idea.
I hold my hands to my chest as my anxiety worsens. I want to barge into the men’s locker room right now, but that’s the problem: it’s the men’s locker room. I have to be patient. Carl will show himself soon.
But one by one, more of the players leave until there are only a few cars left in the parking lot. What is going on? It’s been half an hour already, and it’s getting late. Why hasn’t Carl come out?
Looking around, I realize that it’s probably only my boyfriend left in the locker room at this point. What the hell? I walk towards the door, intent on just poking my head in and calling his name. But as I get closer, I hear weird moaning sounds. What the hell is that? Does someone need help?
I pull the door open, and the air turns from cool to muggy and warm from the steam. The moaning sound comes again, louder this time, and there are some rhythmic grunting sounds as well. What the hell?
I open my mouth to call Carl’s name, but then my mouth snaps shut. I already sense what’s going on, and my heart drops to my feet. I step further inside, and then there’s the unmistakable sound of skin smacking against skin, as well as a girl’s soft squeals.
Oh no. Oh no, no, no. My feet are frozen to the ground. I don’t want to take another step forward. There’s no denying what I’m hearing although my brain feels frozen with shock. There’s no denying that I recognize the grunting tones because those are the noises that Carl makes when we’re together. I think I might burst into tears even before I confirm my worst fears.
But like a magnet, my feet are pulled forward, and I round the corner to come upon my worst nightmare. Sure enough, Carl is sitting on the benches, naked as the day he was born, with his back to me. The person bouncing up and down in his lap with her strawberry blonde hair spilling over her shoulders is Karly Shields, one of Prescott Community College’s star cheerleaders. She’s currently got her head tossed back in ecstasy as Carl moves her up and down his dick, shafting her so that she squeals mightily with each deep penetration.
Oh my god. I stand there with horror frozen on my face. So this is why the other players were looking at me with such pity. This is why Trent was trying to get me to leave. It’s because he didn’t want me to find out.
But the horror show continues. I watch Carl run his hands up and down Karly’s creamy back. I see in those motions what Carl never does with me. Instead of perfunctory caresses, he smooths his palms over her skin like he worships her. He clutches her to him like he never wants to let her go. And by the look of things, this isn’t the first time they’ve fucked. It seems they’re quite familiar with each other’s bodies, and in fact, I’d say they’ve been together for a long time.
Then, Karly twines her legs around him and throws her head back in an open-mouthed gasp before letting out a wail of ecstasy. Her eyes literally roll back in her head as Carl explodes too, spraying her with his seed as he lets out a full-throated roar. But their sounds of ecstasy are drowned out by my own because I can’t stand it anymore. This horror movie has gone on long enough, and I open my throat in a full-throated scream.