Page 104 of Hits Different

“I was asking about training. I see no broken bones or black eyes, although this is a superficial examination”.

“No black eyes. Not on me anyway”, I pull him on top of me. “Unless you want to look closer”.

“I’m looking pretty closely”. Okay, we’re kissing again. Long, searching kisses. “What were you saying about someone having a black eye?”

“Jack. One of the kids there. He’s in a pretty shitty situation”. I relay his story. Brandon listens thoughtfully.

“Sounds like he needs someone to look out for him”.

“Zara’s got her hands full with one reprobate already”.

“I meant you”.

I almost choke on my chicken breast. “Me?”

“Who better?”

“It’d be like the blind leading the blind. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing in my own life, let alone someone else’s”.

“Sounds like you made a connection with him”.

“Brandon”, I shake my head. “I gotta focus right now. This match, it’s everything I’ve been working for”.

“I know”, he rubs my shoulder, “I’m on your team”.

”I know nobody thinks I can do it. My mom. It was always my dad’s thing. But now it’s mine as well”.

Brandon stares at me. “People think you can do it. I don’t think anyone’s comparing you to your dad”. He has to say that. He’s my boyfriend, after all. I don’t bother disputing it. “Your family love you. Almost as much as I do”.

The world spins around me.

“You know that I…”, I say, blood pounding in my ears. “I mean. I feel the same about you. It’s not that I don’t want to say it, it’s just that whenever I do, someone leaves. But the thing I can’t say? I do. I really fucking do, Carter”.

“I know you do”. We’re kissing again. It’s so comfortably that I don’t hear the footsteps until the car engine starts. I break off. “What was that?”

“Nothing”. A car door slams. Brandon glances round. “Who else would be here?”

“I don’t know. I’ve got this feeling. Like someone’s watching us”.

“Special contribution to scaring the shit out of me”. We both rise to our feet. I start moving quickly towards the fence. Brandon’s hot on my heels. A red mustang spins its wheels and zooms off in the distance. “What the hell…?”

“Paparazzi don’t normally come out here”, I say slowly. Brandon chews on his lower lip, eyes fixed on the space vacated by the car. “Do you think someone was following you?”

“Not me”, His hand drops from mine. “Us”.

Chapter 40

Splinters

Brandon

The 443: #1 locker room gossip from college soccer

The Wolves may be touring Europe but benched striker Brandon Carter isn’t wasting time howling at the moon, if recent pictures are anything to go by.

Photographs of Carter and an unidentified male pal larking around in a public field emerged over the weekend, and they’ve caused quite a stir online. Our sources inside the Wolves locker room report that Carter is tight lipped about his personal life, and is focused solely on improving his game ready for pre-season scouting.

We’ve always been fans of Carter here at The 443, but hope that he continues to keep his private life where it belongs. Private, and out of sports.

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