After I shower, change and leave the stadium, I stop home and pack a quick bag before catching a cab to the airport. I manage to get a flight that leaves the same day, but I have to wait a couple of hours. And I'm anxious the entire time.
During the flight, I'm more excited than anything else, though. Soon I'll be with the only girl I want. I hope she'll be happy to see me. Because if not, I’ll never be able to get my head back into the game, and my new coach will kill me!
***
It's evening when I arrive at the airport back home. I'm in a hurry as I grab my luggage and hop into a cab, which I ask to take me straight to Bella's house.
"Wait here," I instruct the driver, once we arrive.
I get out of the cab and walk to her front door, where I ring the bell and wait.
I'm so excited to be here, but I surprise myself by feeling anxious about how Bella might react. This isn’t like me— I’m usually so sure of myself and confident. But now I won’t feel like my normal self until I find out what Bella’s been thinking.
To my shock, it's Derek who opens the door.
"Oh! Hey Dude, I wasn't expecting to see you," he says in shock.
"Yeah, I got some time off. So, you're home! Is, umm, Bella home too?" I ask.
"No. She left for college already. Why?" Derek asks.
He sounds a little upset and suspicious as he crosses his arms and sort of glares at me.
I'm not sure what to make of his reaction.
I don't know if Bella told him about what we did.
I’d assumed she hadn’t, but they’re very close, so maybe it ended up coming out.
Fuck!
What if he knows something happened and that's why he seems mad?
I should probably play it cool and leave.
"No reason. Just wanted to talk to her and see how she's adjusting to school and if she likes her classes. It's really no big deal. I can call her and ask her about that. I don't need to see her," I respond.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I’m fumbling my words more here at their house now that I tried to see Bella than I was fumbling the football on the field during practice while I was missing her!
"Uh, huh. That's one way to go," Derek says.
He definitely doesn't sound too pleased by the idea of me coming here to talk to Bella. That has me worried.
Bella and I used to talk about everything, so he shouldn’t be that suspicious.
But maybe she told him about us, and he disapproves.
If so, I can’t help but feel hurt.
Was I really that much of a player in the past for him not to trust me?
"Okay, well, I need to get a room somewhere and unpack. I'll call you and we can have a bite layer?" I offer.
"Yeah…. sure," Derek responds.
His voice is cold as he shuts the door. Shaking my head in confusion, I walk back down the sidewalks and then get back in the cab.