Nic's Devotion: An Endless Series: Book One (13 page)

     My fury settled. “Thanks, I’ll see you guys in a few.”
I pulled on my sports coat and jacket. All our gear was at the stadium so I
didn’t need to bring anything but myself…and Carrie.

     “Are we still havin’ that party tonight when we win?” I
heard Evan ask as I was walking toward the front door.

     “Yeah,” they all chorused.

     I slipped out the door. Shit! I forgot about the
party.  

     Jumping in the driver’s seat I peeled out of the
driveway at the same time snatching my phone out of my pocket. I pushed one for
Carrie and someone picked up on the second ring.

     “Hello,” a female voice croaked.

     The mother? “Can I please speak with Carrie?” I asked
with extreme courteousness.

     The phone made a clanging sound like her mother had
dropped it. A second later Carrie’s voice sounded over the line. “Hello.” It
was either the line or her voice was strained.

     “It’s Nic. I was calling to give you a heads up. I’ll
be there in fifteen minutes.”

     “Okay,” she said softly.

     “Hey, the guys reminded me about something this morning
that I’d completely forgotten about.”  

     “What?” 

     “We’re having a get together tonight at the house after
we win. I was wondering if you would like to come over after you were done with
work. I’d come pick you up. The guys really want to see you again. You know the
losers from the restaurant. Well, those losers are my roommates.”

     There was a slight pause before she answered. My palms
began to sweat. “Is there a dress code?”

     Dress code? Was it because her mother was listening, or
had she never been to a party before?

     “Wear whatever is comfortable. It’s casual.” I replied. 

     “All right. Is that all?” She asked tentatively.

     “Yeah, see you soon.”

     She hung up and I pocketed my phone.

     Her conversation on the phone had been stilted like she
had to think twice about her comments. Did she have to be careful about what
she said in front of her mother? And if she did, why? Carrie was an adult
attending college and working. She was away from the house more than she was
there. Was her mother a stickler about her getting out and having fun?

     Driving down Carrie’s road I saw her standing outside
waiting for me. She gave me a wave and walked up to the curb as I drove up. She
was wearing her black hip length coat and her khaki cargo work pants with
boots. Her hair was covered again by her black beanie; although, it was
understandable today since she would be outside in the cold for hours. Her
braid hung over her left shoulder teasing me with the thought of what it would
look like against bare skin.

     And hello woody!

     She opened the door with a smile, her cheeks already
pink from the cold. “Hey.” She said breathlessly. Tossing her backpack on the
floor she climbed in and shut the door.

     “Hey you.” I shot back giving her a grin. As soon as
she was buckled I gassed it. “Sorry about the late notice on the party, I’d
completely forgotten about it. There’s usually a party after every winning home
game, even scrimmages, and certain guys on the team will host it. This time it
ours.”

     A frown of unease marred her expression. “You said a
get together on the phone. Exactly how many people will be at this party?”

     “Most of the guys from the team will be there, and then
whoever they invite. It could be from seventy to a hundred people throughout
the night coming and going.” It was actually that many at one time with more
coming and going. I wanted her to be prepared but not scared away.

     The slight panic on her face was easy to observe. “I’ve
never been to a party before and that sounds like jumping into the deep end.
I’m more of a wading in type of person.”

     I’d been correct about her not having partied before.
Reaching over I wrapped her hand in mine. “With how much you love water I just
can’t believe that.” She smiled around her alarm. “And anyway, I’ll be by your
side the entire time holding your hand.” I held up our entwined hands as
illustration. “You’ll meet the guys again this afternoon when I force you to
come to the after game lunch; they all adored you the last time they met you,
and by the end of the game you’ll be best friends with Noah’s girlfriend,
Amanda.”

     She looked at me with not so hidden flushed delight and
amusement. “You’re forcing me to lunch, are you?”

     “I was hoping to slip that in so it could molder in
your subconscious for the entirety of the game and then by the time lunch came
around it would become a foregone conclusion on your part.” I said
judiciously. 

     “That’s a fascinating theory.” She looked intrigued.
“And now all we can do is wait and see if it works. I’m going to be on tender
hooks the entire game waiting for the outcome. How will I ever pay attention to
the actual game?”

     I grinned. She was a firecracker. “You must have missed
the ‘subconscious’ part of the experiment.”

     “Oh, right, right.” She said contritely, waving her
hand as if to bat away the thoughts in her head. “Uhm…so how long do these
games normally last.”

     “They’re usually around two hours, but they can be
shorter or longer depending on how good the other team is. The number of fouls
and time-outs also make a difference.”

     “You said that you have a party when you win a game, is
this team you’re playing today not very good?” She asked with raised eyebrows.

     “Wesleyan College is Division One like us, and they
have some pretty good players, but their team work is for crap. Our players are
better and have superior team dynamics.”

     She laughed. “You looked like you tried real hard for
that humble tone.”  

     She had a good ear because I had dug deep for the
little bit of praise I’d given that other team. My guys were way better than
Wesleyan’s. “It was difficult, real difficult.” I admitted with a sigh. “We
lost some good players from last season, but gained some rookies that have real
potential. Their cockiness is off the charts though and it’s taking the whole
team to knock it out of them, but we’re getting there.” 

     “Did you have to go through a similar knocking around?”
She asked curiously.

     I snorted. “Oh yeah; most everyone does. We all come in
as the best in our high schools. The first couple practices kicked my butt
giving me a little bit of a wakeup call. The workout schedule in college is way
more strenuous than high school. Then there’s the cohesiveness the other
players have already established that you have to integrate yourself into. Some
players expect the team to work around them but it doesn’t work that way. I
love the game and I wanted to play, and the only way to do that is to work hard
as a team.”

     We’d arrived at the stadium and I parked in player’s
lot. Fans from both teams were already arriving so they could get good seats.
It was nine forty-five; I had fifteen minutes to get Carrie seated and me to
the locker room. I could not be late for a game, even a scrimmage. Grabbing the
blanket and cushion I’d brought for her I gripped her hand and made a dash for
the entrance. My athletic pass was hanging around my neck and I flashed it to
get through the entrance to the field. 

     “I’m going to have to drop you off at your seat and do
a quick introduction, but don’t worry, Amanda’s real cool. You know for a girl
and everything.” I teased.

     Carrie laughed as she jogged to keep up. “I’m going to
tell her you said that.”

     “That’s okay, I tell her it all the time.” I saw Amanda
already sitting in her seat, a blanket tucked around her legs. Girls were so
cold blooded. I barely felt the slight chill in the air.

     Amanda saw us and waved. “You’d better hurry up Nic. If
you’re late Coach will rescind your captain position.”

     Carrie looked aghast and gave me a push. “Oh my god,
Nic, go.”

     I laughed. An adrenaline high was already beginning to
flow through my veins and Carrie’s presence hyped it up even further. Without
conscious thought I leaned down and gave her a swift kiss on the lips. I spun
away quickly to head for the locker room but still saw the surprised look on
her face. I could live with surprise. Fear would have gutted me.

     I hobbled down the bleacher isles with an erection that
would hopefully deflate before reaching the locker rooms. 

Chapter Eleven

Carrie

          I stared after Nic’s retreating back in shock. He
kissed me. My first kiss. It had been really quick; more like a peck, but
still…his lips had touched mine. They had been firm, but also soft, and the
feel of them still lingered. I hadn’t been afraid or alarmed. My breathing was
a little irregular, but it wasn’t because I was having an episode.

     I suddenly took note of the girl next to me. She was
smiling, but there was caution in her eyes as she looked at me. My face turned
red. I had to look like an idiot staring after Nic with a goofy look on my
face.

    “You look like that’s the first time he’s kissed you.”
The girl laughed.

     My cheeks reddened more and my eyes skittered from
Nic’s retreating back to the girl’s face.

     Her smile widened and her cautious look turned to
amazement. “Are you shitting me?” She gasped. “You’ve been seeing Nic for a
week and that is the first time he’s kissed you?

     I had no idea what to say. “Uhm, we’re friends,
so…well…” God, this was uncomfortable.

     “You’re my hero. I don’t think there’s been a girl yet
that’s made Nic wait…for anything.” She said

     “I haven’t been…I mean he hasn’t tried…” I trailed off.

     Her expression turned to shock . “He’s the one who’s
been holding off? Oh, he’s got it bad.” Her gaze turned thoughtful as she
looked at me. I was starting to think that coming to the game had been a
mistake when she held out her hand. “I’m Amanda, and I think we’re going to be
good friends.”

     Really!

     I hesitantly took her hand. “I’m Carrie.”

     Amanda smiled as she shook my hand. She was really
pretty with long blonde hair pulled up into a high pony tail and blue eyes.
From her clothes I could tell she had money, at least more than me, but then
most people at this school did.

     “I’m Noah’s girlfriend. I’ve heard you’re acquainted
with him. Come on and get comfortable. We have a half an hour before anything
interesting happens.”

     I sat down next to her on the cushion and wrapped the
blanket Nic had given me under my bottom and around my legs. “I’m not sure
which roommates of Nic’s your boyfriend is.” I admitted. “They were all in a
group and I didn’t learn their names until Nic told me.”

     “Noah is six foot one with light brown hair and amber
eyes. He’ll say their just brown, but they’re not. Guys are so rudimentary with
colors. He probably would have been the one joking around, he thinks of himself
as quite a card.” Amanda said fondly.

     Nic had been right, Amanda was nice.

     “I think I remember him. He said I called him fat, but
I just said he was big boned.” 

     Amanda burst out laughing. “Yeah, that sounds like him.
I’ll give you a heads up on the others. Seth is the biggest, eats constantly,
and grunts and grumbles a lot. Landon is always impeccable, from his blonde
tipped hair to his designer shoes. Evan’s got brown hair and has the most
energy.”

     I pictured each of the guys as I remembered them from
that night and it wasn’t difficult to sort out who each one was. Amanda had
described them to a tee.

     “How long have you and Noah been dating?” I asked
curiously. She seemed to know them all really well.

     “Two years, since our freshmen year of college and
still going strong.” She said lovingly.

     Envy settled in my heart at what Amanda and Noah had. I
wondered if I would ever have that with someone. Nic’s image flashed through my
head. I wasn’t sure what was going on between us. I knew we were friends, but
he was also always touching me, and he’d kissed me. Did he want more?

     Did
I
want more? And even if I did could I give
him more? When I was with him I forgot that I wasn’t normal; I felt so much
lighter and warmer. He made me happy, and I hadn’t been really happy in a long
time. When I’d had my episode in front of him I’d expected him to be weirded
out and run away from me as fast as he could, but instead he’d been patient and
kind.

     However, emotions and sensations I’d never experienced
before overwhelmed me when I was with him, and this was what concerned me. I
wasn’t sure if my battered heart could take it if I let it out of its cage in a
bid for more only to be rejected again.

     Suddenly screaming and yelling exploded around the
stadium and I looked around to see the Cavalier’s running out onto the field.
At the same time the player’s from Wesleyan College ran out from the opposite
side. Our team was in blue, orange and white, while theirs were in white and
black. The stadium was huge and it was about half-full with fans from both UVA
and Wesleyan. I’d never been to anything like this before. It was hard to
imagine the whole place filled up. It would be complete mayhem.

     I noticed that the Cavalier’s benches were directly in
front of Amanda and me giving us a great view. “Is the game starting already, I
thought they had another half an hour.” I yelled looking for Nic’s number seven.

     “They have a twenty minute warm up and then some
official stuff first.” Amanda screamed back.

     Behind me I could hear some girls screaming specific
player’s names. I ignored them until I heard Nic’s name. Glancing behind me I
scanned the multitude of girls sitting in the stands. Were these the groupie’s
Nic had been talking about? I recognized one girl as the customer who’d come
into the store talking about having had sex with Nic. I whipped back around and
that nauseous feeling I’d had before when I’d overheard her discussing Nic
washed over me again.    

     “What is it? You’ve gone sort of green.” Amanda asked
me in concern.

     Just than the girl, I remember her name was Beatrice,
screamed Nic’s name a second time. I couldn’t stop my flinch and Amanda
noticed. Making the connection she looked behind us and her eyes narrowed.
“Yeah, I vaguely remember her. She’s been stalking Nic some. She hasn’t opened
that big mouth around you has she? Because let me tell you she means nothing to
Nic.”

     I shrugged. “I’ve just heard some things.” I really
didn’t want to go into what I’d heard. 

     Amanda’s face twisted sympathetically. “Yeah, I can
guess what you’ve heard.” Her hand squeezed my arm. “You should know that Nic
has never asked her or any other girl to come to one of his games. Those types
of girls…” She waved her hand behind us with a look of disgust and irritation.
“…they follow him around. They follow all the guys around. Nic doesn’t actively
seek them out. He’s never made an effort for a girl in the two years I’ve known
him, until you. Just try to remember she’s in his past and it’s futile to get
upset about someone’s past. We all have them.”

     Those were words I could relate to. I gave Amanda a
heartfelt smile. “Thanks Amanda.”

     She grinned widely and bumped my shoulder. “And anyway,
you’re way prettier than that girl.”

     I wasn’t sure if I believed that but it sounded like
something a friend would say to make another friend feel better. Because all I
could think was that other girl’s hair wasn’t covered by a hat but was instead
loose and curling down her back, she had make-up on, and the clothes she wore
accentuated her figure. They weren’t a size too big and second hand.

     God, I was depressing myself, and I was missing the
action on the field. I’d come to see Nic play not ruminate on my pitiful looks
and attire.

     Searching the field I finally found Nic among the other
players. He was working on some drills with his teammates, directing them as
team captain. He looked so commanding and larger than normal out there with all
his equipment on. That was saying a lot because the guy was already a foot
taller than me and twice as broad. It was really exciting watching him work out
there, or was it play? To him it was probably a little of both.

     “Which one is Noah?” I asked Amanda.

     She pointed at the field. “He’s number thirty-five.
He’s a midfielder the same as Nic, and so is Landon. He’s number
seventy-seven.” Amanda continued pointing. “Number forty-three is Seth; he’s a
defenseman. Evan is number ninety-nine; he’s an attackman. Are you familiar
with all the positions and what they do?”

     “Nic’s told me some and I looked online too. I found
most of my information under ‘Lacrosse for Dummies’.”

     Amanda laughed. “That’s perfect. It gives you the
basics which will help you a lot. I’ll explain any fouls or other calls you
don’t know.”

     A whistle sounded and the players ran off the field to
their designated sides. Nic raised his helmet and looked up at me as he ran off
the field. He gave me a smile and a wave. I gave him a quick wave back.

     “Go, Nic!” Beatrice screamed behind me. I winced, both
at her screech and because she was there.

     Nic’s gaze rose past me and he frowned. His eyes shot
back to me and even from this distance I could see the troubled look on his
face. I gave him a smile and a shake of my head not wanting him to be
concerned; it might mess up his game. His anxious look passed and a brilliant
smile lit his face.

     Clapping my hands I yelled. “Go Cavalier’s!”

     Amanda clapped alongside me and yelled also.

     The next few minutes consisted of the official stuff
Amanda had talked about and then there was a big boom announcing the start of
the game. Nic ran out on the field along with nine other players and they
positioned themselves around the field. Nic went to stand in the center with a
player from the other team. A referee placed the ball on the ground between
them and they stooped over and locked shoulders. I knew this was called a
face-off and it was where each player tried to get control of the ball for
their team.    

     A whistle blew and it was game on. Nic and the other
guy pushed back and forth against each other aggressively and then a second
later Nic was running…and weaving…and throwing. Oh my god, it was awesome!

     He was awesome!

     The game flew by. I couldn’t believe how much running
everyone did. It looked exhausting. Nic did most of the face-offs during the
game and acquired the ball almost every time. The times that he didn’t the ball
ended up skittering away and another player would run in and scoop it up. He
had some moves out there that were just crazy to watch. Amanda informed me that
his nickname was ninja-man, and I could see the basis on how it had come about.

     UVA had a humungous mega-screen and whenever someone
scored, assisted in scoring, or blocked a goal they would display the person’s
picture and his stats. I got to see Nic up there quite a few times, as well as
his roommates. It was extremely cool and Nic looked incredible all blown up
like that.  

     Half-time came and Amanda and I ran for a bathroom
break and to get something to eat and drink. I just grabbed a pretzel and
water. It was amazing how much concession stand food cost. We dashed back to
our seats but were a few minutes short of the of the games restart.

     The second half was just as fast paced. It was
unbelievable to me that no one was falling down and hyperventilating. The game
finally ended with a score of UVA-12, Wesleyan-5. Nic had scored four of his
teams points and assisted with four others.  

     The Cavalier’s were jumping, hugging and thumping each
other on the backs. Amanda and I were jumping, screaming and hugging each
other. It was amazing how comfortable I felt with her after only two hours, but
it had been a frenzied two hours. It had been an incredible game.

     After a while everyone, players and fans, started to
come down a little from the victory high. The other team had walked off the
field rather swiftly. It wasn’t their field and they probably wanted to be gone
as soon as they could. The Cavalier’s lingered a little and then they too began
filing into their locker room.

     Nic jogged over taking his helmet off. His hair was
plastered with sweat and his face was red from exertion, but the grin on his
face was jubilant. I went up to the railing and looked down at him smiling just
as widely.

     “Congratulations! That was awesome. You were amazing
out there.” I exclaimed leaning over the railing.

     Amanda stood next to me. “Yeah Nic, that had to be one
of the best games I’ve seen you play.” She called out.

     Nic’s bright eyes held mine. “I had some inspiration
today.” He gave me a wink.

     I blushed and couldn’t help grinning stupidly at his
words.

     “Carrie, stay here with Amanda. I’ll be out as soon as
I get a shower. Okay?”

     I nodded. “Alright.”

     He rushed off into the tunnel leading to the locker
room getting more thumps on the back on the way. I smiled watching him. Even
sweaty he was gorgeous.  

     “He has it so bad for you.” Amanda said with a grin as
we sat back down.

     I shook my head irresolute on what Nic and I had. “I
don’t know. We’ve just been hanging out as friends.”

     “Well, every good relationship should start out that
way. He’s taking the time to get to know you. It shocks the crap out of me just
thinking about Nic taking it slow with a girl, but from what I’m hearing and
seeing that’s what he’s doing. It’s great.” She said, sounding excited for Nic
and me.

     “It sounds to me like Nic is slumming it for while
before he moves on to someone more his style.”

     Amanda and I twisted our heads at the spiteful words
coming from behind us. Beatrice stood there with a nasty look on her face. It
took away some of the attractiveness of her features. I was pretty comfortable
with my station in life, but her words still hit me hard.

     “No, he was ‘slumming’ it before, now he’s raised the
bar and found someone worth his time.” Amanda retorted angrily. “It also says a
lot about you that you’re eavesdropping on conversations.”