***
I woke up the next day, excited about the relaxing Saturday. I had slept in until noon, and Debbie made delicious pancakes when I drifted lazily downstairs. Dad and Debbie invited me to go with them to the park, but I turned them down politely, wanting to stay home and have a peaceful day.
After I greedily ate an entire stack of pancakes, I headed upstairs to take a shower. I saw Blake’s bedroom door was open. I peeked my head in and saw Blake, shirtless, examining himself in the mirror. Even though I had seen him without a shirt on before, I still felt a compulsion to admire his body. The familiar pang of need burned as I watched him.
I distanced my attraction by thinking about his narcissism, but I blinked when I saw a large, dark bruise beneath his ribcage. I gasped instinctively, forgetting I hadn’t intended to let him know I was there. His head jerked up as I walked in. “Did that happen to you last night?”
“It’s fine. It really doesn’t hurt that bad.”
I walked closer to him and touched the area around it lightly as I examined it. I looked up at him. “I’m so sorry.”
He smiled at me. “Seriously, it’s fine.”
I nodded and looked around, since I’d never been in his room before. It was cleaner than I expected. His bed was made neatly, and everything seemed organized. I noticed a large display case of trophies on the wall. “Wow,” I breathed, impressed. “You have a ton of trophies.”
Blake looked at them and shrugged. “They’re pretty easy to get, actually,” he commented modestly.
I turned to leave. Part of me wanted desperately to stay, but my head protested so loudly that staying was foolish. “Okay. Sorry to bother you.”
“Alyssa?” he called, his voice soft.
“What’s up?” The sound of my name on his lips made my heart skip a beat.
“I need your help with something.” He was practically mumbling, his voice was so quiet, and his gaze was focused intently on the floor.
“What?”
“I’m failing my classes, and if I don’t get my GPA up, I’ll be kicked off the team.” His voice was low and sheepish. “I was wondering if you would… uh, help me study and get my grades up… or whatever.”
I was quiet for a moment. It must have taken a lot for Blake to admit that he needed help with something. “Yeah, totally,” I said, feeling bad for him. “It’s the least I can do.”
Blake looked up at me and smiled. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” My laugh sounded a little shaky as I bolted from his room.
I was angry at myself for agreeing to help him, knowing it would be hard for me to get over Blake if I were constantly with him. Was I being selfish or selfless in my actions? It was the right thing to do—football was so important to him, and it would be unfair if he couldn’t play. More than my desire to help him, though, was my constant yearning to be around him. Would I be able to control myself around him? I shook my head, knowing I would have to keep it together. I was seriously worried that if we had another intense kiss, it would turn into something much more, making an even bigger mess of our situation.
Blake
We were in the school library and Alyssa was helping me study for midterms. It had been a long week full of schoolwork. As if that stress wasn’t enough, the more I was around Alyssa, the more I wanted to touch her, to hold her. I was dangerously close to becoming attached to her—not simply being attracted, but something deeper and more real. My gaze was glued to her beautiful soft pink lips. I watched them move, fascinated, as she talked, reading something out of a textbook.
“Blake! Are you paying attention?” she snapped, annoyed.
“Yeah. Sorry. I was just a little distracted.” I looked back down at the book so she wouldn’t see the need in my eyes.
“Do I have to remind you that I am doing you a favor?” she asked haughtily, and I felt guilty.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized quickly. “I just have a hard time concentrating.”
She nodded, her features softening. “How about we take a break?” She shut the book and grabbed her backpack. I nodded and followed her out of the library, grateful for a break from the distracting proximity.
We walked to the cafeteria, making small talk. We each got a drink, and Alyssa grabbed an apple. We headed out onto the quad, and she plopped down on the grass, munching happily. I watched her as she looked around, grabbing at the chance to admire her beauty. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Brad, one of my teammates, walking toward us. He sat down next to us and started talking.