Grayson Reid Jansen

"Good practice, boys. No practice tomorrow-"

"Yeah, because Coach Jansen will be hungover." LJ cackled from behind my back, making all my players laugh and snicker.

I cut my eyes at my immature friend and then cleared my scratchy throat.
"Again, thank our special visitors; LJ, Andrew, and Jordy. Don't forget to WASH your jerseys, and be safe this weekend!" I then blew my whistle, assembling the players in a huddle surrounding me. They did their closing chant and broke apart, running across the field to hit the locker room.

Mugging the shit out of Jordy, I swung the bag of balls over my shoulder and made my way across the field myself, the three of my friends following close behind.

At my truck, I slammed the trunk shut and continued glaring at Jordy.

LJ laughed and said,"I can't take this. First to five wins." He suggested we play a game like we did in college, kind of like slap-boxing but with punching instead so, regular boxing?

"No, he always wins! And besides, he's not really that mad. A-are you?" Jordy objected, throwing his arms in the air.

"You made me say 'I love you'!" I seethed.

"No I didn't, I prompted you to tell the truth about you cheating-"

"WHICH MADE ME SAY I LOVE YOU!"

"Boys, boys. Settle down." LJ got in between us.

"I'm not even mad at you, Jordy." I shocked them.

"You're not?" All three of them chorused. I shook my head and leaned on the Jeep.

"No. Oh, God no. Gray, don't tell me you really love this bitch." LJ slapped my cheeks repeatedly, thinking I'll snap out of a trance or something.

I shooed his hands away and stood upright. "Watch your mouth. And, so what if I do?"

"If you did, you wouldn't have cheated." Jordy mumbled, making my cock my head at him.

"He has one more time. One more or I swear to God, I'll fuck him up." I raged, talking to LJ though who pushed Jordy out of my face.

"It has been a few years, right? I mean, she was like, your side piece since freshman year." Andrew added his two cents.

He had a point there, except she was NOT my side piece, everyone else was.

"Bro, you only twenty-three, if you settle down now you might as well put a chastity belt on. The 'L' word? I mean, what's next, you gonna get your name tatted? Oh yeah, right across your forehead."

"L, I know you get tired of all the running around. We're twenty-three, not sixteen."

LJ dramatically gasped and held his hand to where his heart is. "I can't believe the words that're coming out of your mouth right now. You think you're better than me because you have a girl that you cheated on with someone your mom's age?"

I laughed and pushed him in his chest. "She's not that old and no, I don't think I'm better than anyone here but Jordy,"I said but wasn't serious. Jordy kicked a rock and laughed under his breath. I continued,"I just like Brea and I don't see why I can't be serious about her without you calling me whipped."

"Eww, he's gone soft." LJ pretended to be disgusted and poked his finger in my bicep.

"Alright, alright." I had to shove him away from my body again.

======

"—Hey babe. So, I'm in the store and you know, this would've been a lot easier if you just came for me." I spoke to Brea on the phone after dropping the boys back at my place.

"Hush, it's not that complicated." She snapped back.

I chuckled and pushed the cart through the messy aisles.

"How about a pirate?" I asked her what she thought about that costume idea.

"Boring."

"Uh, a mummy?"

"Lazy."

"Bob Ross?"

"No, Grayson. You don't even watch his videos with me, you said they put you to sleep."

"So, doesn't mean he's not a good painter. Hey, I appreciate good art."

"Since when? You took one art class in college and dropped out of it because you didn't get to paint any nude models." I couldn't help but laugh, she was right.

Ah, those were the days.

I stopped harshly mid-aisle and laid my eyes on what I thought was a great costume.

Instead of telling Brea about it over the phone, I shot her a picture and waited for her to respond.

She was busy talking to the clients she was working with when she gasped and said,"Perfect! I always call you Steve Rogers."

"No, you always call me Captain America."

"Same difference, Reid." She called me by my middle name.

"No, Cap wears a suit."

"Oh my God, it's the same person underneath! You know, I think he's so strong because he's a hundred-year-old virgin."

"Interesting theory. Or, he was just mutated?"

"You just take the fun out of everything, don't you?" She nagged jokingly.

I stayed on the phone while I grabbed the right size costume complete with the shield, and threw it into the otherwise empty cart.

"Babe, what else is on this list?" Brea didn't answer me, she was talking to other people in the background.

"BREANNA!" I shouted to get her attention.

"Oh," she giggled,"huh?" Shaking my head, I laughed through my nose and turned into an aisle of decorations.

We started talking about how Civil War was by far the best Captain America movie, Brea even suggested it was better than any other Marvel movie except for Black Panther, Infinity War, and Endgame.

I was bent down, checking out something on the bottom shelf when I felt a presence looming over me.
Cautiously, I stood and sucked my teeth in disappointment when I saw who it was.

"Can I help you?" I said dryly to the lady.

"Who're you talking to? Is it an employee, ask if they agree that Black Widow is literally irrelevant." Brea chirped in my ear.

Bethany didn't say anything, she just smirked and started touching me.

Quickly, I ripped the costume shield from the cart and covered myself.

She was amused by the challenge of me being hard-to-get and didn't take the hint to leave me alone.

"Brea, I'll call you back." I said and ended the call in a hurry.

"Tell her I said hi." Bethany cackled like she was evil and leaned in as if I was going to kiss her.

This bitch is crazy, I thought.

"Bethany. What. Do. You. Want?"

"You. You haven't returned my calls or texts."

"Yes, because I'm trying to avoid you."

"Oh don't tell me you're playing good boyfriend now? Please." She scoffed and insisted on tugging at the waistline of my Nike joggers.

My eyes rolled.

"I hate to do this but if you keep fucking with me like this, I will Jared-"

"You mean my ex-fiancé? Yeah, broke things off last week, that's what I've been trying to tell you."

"Jesus Christ." I mumbled, discouraged.

"I heard about your party tonight. Am I invited?"

"No! You're not. Are you crazy? I don't want you there, Bethany. I don't want you at all."

"I risked my relationship and reputation for you, you think you're just going to leave me?"

I looked around and then whisper-yelled,"What did you think, we were gonna be together? Hold hands and run off into the sunset? I'm sorry you lost your man, or whatever, but please, leave me the fuck alone."

"She doesn't want you, Grayson. Brea? Yeah, she doesn't know how good you are. She doesn't look at you the way I do or think about pleasuring you. I'm more mature, I can handle you and I'll do whatever you want, whenever and however. She's just another young, dumb, loose girl hopping dick to dick until she's ran through and ready to trap a man into having a baby."

In a split second, I was holding on to Bethany's wrist so tight, it was hurting my own hand.

"Is there something wrong here? Ma'am, is this man hurting you?" A male employee had his hand on his walkee-talkee like it was a weapon. I snarled at his non-intimidating ass and let Bethany go but not before she puckered her lips and started to cackle.

"I must've hit a nerve."

======

As LJ would say, the party was "lit". I was too busy thinking about what all went down earlier to enjoy it, though.

I was at the counter, pouring myself another cup of dark liquor when Jordy approached me. Naturally, I rolled my eyes at him and let out a huff.

"If I let you punch me can we forget how shitty I am?"

"Nah, I can't forget that but I'll take that punch."

"Absolutely not." Jordy curled up and laughed.

We clinked SOLO cups and let out a sigh after a small laugh together.

"I'm sorry, bro, I just think Brea's a great girl."

"I know, you called dibs remember?"

"How could I forget? You get everything you want."

"Not everything," I exhaled, staring at Brea longingly as she danced sensually with some other women in her Pebbles costume from "The Flintstones" that she made sexy, of course.

I should've been Bamm-Bamm, I thought too late.

"You wanna talk about it?" Asked Jordy who was genuinely concerned.

I downed the rest of the drink and crushed the cup, tossing it ahead of me, and laughed at Jordy. No way was I going to tell him anything else, especially not about the bet.

======

"Well, well, well. I wish I could say 'I thought I'd find you out here', but I didn't expect you to be on the roof." Brea chatted with me as she sat beside me under the moon.

"How'd you find me," I asked, throwing a pebble.

"Girlfriend senses," She joked,"so, what's up?" I hunched my shoulders and dusted the debris off my hands.

Brea patted her exposed thighs and said,"Are we going to address the elephant in the room or?"

"We're not in a room," I tried using humor to deflect but she was too smart for that. I sighed and said,"No, I kinda he we would."

"That's not what you wanted to tell me, is it?"

"Why'd you ask that?"

"Oh. Was it?"

"Are you asking me if I meant it?"

"I guess, yeah. B-but you don't have to-" I stopped Brea talking with a kiss.

Laughing faintly, I asked,"Did you feel something?"

Brea grabs hair at the back of my head and cooed,"Every time," in response.

I threw a final rock and then stood up, extending a hand out for her to take. She stands and I admitted in truth,"Then I meant it."

Brea didn't say anything but she smiled warmly.

"Don't worry, I don't expect you to say it back but I thought I'd let you know. Ima get back to the party now." I tried walking away before she said she doesn't feel the same way.

"Can I come with you?" Her words stopped me from leaving her behind.

"Uh, y-yeah.." I answered, starting walking but she caught up only to take my hand and lock our fingers, which honestly made me smile.

"Always tryna hold my hand." I teased, brushing the back of her hand.

"Oh, hush, you love it." She used her foot to kick my butt.

"I wasn't complaining."