Page 30 of For Three Seconds

Nick looked at me and Gavin, but didn’t comment. He started to walk past me, and I was going to follow, but fuck that. I turned around to catch Gavin still watching me. I took a step closer to him, and he seemed to stand taller.

“I didn’t come here for you,” I said.

His jaw ticked.

“If there’s one thing I’m sure of, Scarlett…” He let my name hang in the air while he hissed at me.

It was a disaster, and toxic, everything I swore I wouldn’t revert to, but I couldn’t move.

“…You never did anything for me.” He looked at me, from my pulled-up hair to my sneakers, and walked away.

In a way, it felt like old times, except the animosity that was between us had turned into something much more hateful. We were still two halves that would never fit, and this was a reminder that we never would.

Eleven

“Hey, man, are you okay?”Quincy asked me before we started to run drills.

“I’m fine,” I replied.

Quincy was a little taller than I was, African American, green eyes, and the number one recruit. He smirked at me.

“I heard what happened at the party.”

“Jeff has a big mouth,” I said.

“So, the fine as hell female that left—”

“Fuck you,” I spat as I pushed him back.

Quincy still looked relaxed. He was easygoing, and nothing fazed him.

“Man, I can have any bitch I want. Just make sure your head is in the game. I need this, and so do you,” my quarterback said.

He was right; we both needed to have our head in the game for this season. Both of us were going to declare for the draft. Neither of us wanted to do it sooner without getting our basic education out of the way. Quincy said he wanted something to fall back on after he retired, and I knew this job was risky and it all could get taken away in the blink of an eye. I’d worked too hard for this, and nothing would stand in my way. Especially not Scarlett or the demons she brought with her presence.

I got lost in the field, pushing my body to its limit. I couldn’t control what went on around me, but I could control my body and my game. My parents wanted me to be successful. They were proud I’d made it this far, but they still thought that shooting all my dreams in football wasn’t smart. They wanted an education, and I agreed. It was the only reason why I hadn’t declared yet. All the chess pieces had to align and, well, they finally had.

“Dunn, get your head in the game!” Coach yelled.

I inhaled, then exhaled and pretended like Scarlett didn’t look like temptation in the field. After scrimmage ended, I headed for my shit and went home.

* * *

The first dayof school felt different this time. It should have been because this was my last year of school or the draft coming up. But no. It all led back to her. It always had since I was thirteen. I walked, and people patted my back or called my name. Girls sent me flirty smiles and waves. Here, I was a god; it wasn’t so different from high school. I played ball, and I played it well. It had girls gagging for me, trying to lock me down for popularity or a secure future—all of them but one.

Here I went again thinking abouther. When she’d given herself to me on prom night, I thought things were finally looking up. That night was the first time I’d felt something in my gut when fucking a girl. It was the first time I hadn’t wanted to rush to finish. I knew Scarlett was in pain, but she’d held on to me like I was her fucking lifeline. With every thrust of my hips, she cemented herself deeper into my being. Every whimper from her lips, and I knew it was something I wanted to hear for the rest of my life. I thought I had more time to dip between her thighs and taste her, to give her pleasure beyond measure as she was doing for me. I woke up sated, and hard, happy, and at the same time, remorseful. There she was: so beautiful, yet so fucking sad. I wanted to make it all better, trying not to think about the fact that she’d almost drowned. I was young, and I’d fucked the girl I’d had a hard-on for the longest time. I hadn’t realized she’d needed help.

When I came back to the house after picking up breakfast for us, Dylan was up waiting for me. He was one of my close friends and a better friend to Scar than Gigi ever was.

“You know, I know you like her. Hell, the whole fucking school can see it except for her. But I never thought you would fuck her over like this,” Dylan spat at me.

It made me angry. He was supposed to be on my side.

“I would never do anything to hurt her.”

Dylan gave me a sad smile. “Gigi walked out earlier, and she was fuming.”

There it was—my biggest fuckup still haunting me. My mistake was not going to look for Scarlett right away.

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