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10
TODD
The clanking of weights and the chatter of thirty guys echo through the high school gym. The majority of the football team is crammed into the gym for our first summer conditioning practice.
It’s always a little weird being here during the summer without the frenetic energy of a school day. It feels like I’m doing something wrong since I’m not in class. It is nice not having the stress of homework or tests, though, so I’ll take the weirdness over the anxiety any day.
It’s hard to believe we’re about to be seniors when it feels like it was just last week we started high school. We’re also going to have to make decisions about our future soon. Luckily for me, I already know what I’m doing.
Cooper and I are going to be police officers after we graduate. I’ll go straight into the academy since it’s cheaper. Cooper is going to UNC to study criminal justice. I’ve debated about going part time after I get a job somewhere, I’m just not sure I could swing both.
“You’re up, Montgomery!” Coach Roberts yells across the weight room. The dude is big, burly, and has a silver mustache to rival a seventies porn star. It’s pretty gross if I’m being honest.
I walk to the starting point of the speed drill we’re running, waiting until Coach yells, “Begin!”
I race through each obstacle, working to beat my previous time to stay on top of the leaderboard. As captain, I have to set an example of how hard I expect my teammates to work. If I’m putting in the max effort, my guys will also put in their max effort.
When I finish the course, Coach yells out my time. I’m just shy of my record, which isn’t too bad since this is our first practice of the summer.
Cooper goes next, doing as well as I did. We high-five, slapping each other on the back to celebrate.
“I’m coming for you, Montgomery.” Cooper points at me as he catches his breath.
“Keep dreaming, Coop. It’s the only place you’ll even come close,” I rib. He laughs, shoving me in the shoulder. We walk back up to the weight room since we’re done with the sprint course and begin on our weight circuit.
“How’s Megan?” Cooper asks, stepping up to the bench to add weights to the end of the bar.
“She’s good, great actually.” I can’t keep the grin off my face as our amazing night flashes through my mind. It was everything I could’ve hoped for our first time together. I didn’t have any expectations for how fast we’d move. I would’ve waited forever for her, done whatever she wanted. It didn’t matter, as long as we were together. Instead, she surprised the hell out of me, surrendering completely. I know I’m the luckiest bastard on the planet to be the one she chose since she’s always been the one I’ve wanted.
I wasn’t lying when I told her she was my first. Despite my reputation, I hadn’t been with anyone because I knew they’d never measure up to who I really wanted. I’m glad I chose to wait for her. It made the whole night even more special.
“You did it, didn’t you?” Cooper asks quietly, looking around to make sure none of the other guys can hear us.
I grin at Cooper, knowing I don’t have to say anything for him to know the answer.
“Ugh, now I’m going to be the third wheel for the rest of my life,” he groans.
“I’d say sorry, but I wouldn’t mean it.”
Cooper chuckles as he lays down on the bench. I step behind him to spot, keeping a constant stream of conversation between us as we lift. Having a best friend like Cooper is one of those things I’ll never be able to fully explain. He’s my brother. He always knows what’s going on with me, even when I don’t say anything.
He knows everything about me—the good, bad, and the ugly. He’s been there for me through all of it. Besides my mom, he’s the only person who’s ever stuck around, which makes me trust him with my life. I don’t know what I would do without him.
With Megan being in my circle, the list of people I trust has grown exponentially. I’m realizing she’s been someone I could count on since we were in elementary school. Having spent so much time with her, I know how big her heart is. The idea of her ever hurting me on purpose is preposterous.
Megan is the kind of person who would rather hurt herself than hurt someone else. It’s one of the main reasons I’m able to trust her with my heart. I know she’ll protect it with everything she has.
And even though we’re young, I know I’ll want her forever. She’s been the one I’ve wanted since I moved here in the second grade. She took it upon herself to help me make friends in class, making sure I wasn’t alone at any point. As we grew up, Megan never changed. She’s still just as kind today as she was back then. I love her with everything I have.
As Cooper and I work through our weight circuit, a commotion behind me catches my attention. The weight room sits above the gym with open windows that look out to the basketball court. The floor is empty now since we’re done with our sprints, letting the cheerleaders take over the space for their practice.
For the first time since Megan joined the team, excitement flows through me instead of dread.
Having to watch Megan flounce around during their practices—and even during games—was one of the hardest things I had to endure. God, the way her tits bounce when she’s cheering is almost enough to send me over the edge. It is not a good look to have a hard-on while you're lifting weights with a bunch of guys.
Now that she’s mine, I don’t have to worry about hiding my stares or making it seem like I’m unaffected. I can ogle her as much as I want, granted a hard-on is still not appropriate, so I should probably keep it to a minimum.
“Yo, Todd!” I hear from behind me. I quickly turn around, returning my focus to the weight room. “Jesus, I wasn’t sure you’d ever come out of your trance. I’ve been calling your name for like five minutes,” Cooper says, smirking at me.
“Shut up.” I shove him in the shoulder, stepping back to the weights. We finish our practice and clean up in the locker rooms. As I walk out into the gym, I hang back for a minute to watch Megan lead the cheerleaders in a choreographed routine. I guess they’re learning a new one because they only do a few moves at a time before starting back over.
One of the girls in the back is struggling to get the moves down, so Megan patiently helps her get it right while the rest of the team moves on to something else.
It never ceases to amaze me how kind Megan is to everyone. It doesn’t matter who they are or even how well she knows the person, she will treat them with respect not many people are able to maintain. She has a genuine desire to care for everyone around her. I hope I’m capable of caring for her as well as she cares for others.
Megan looks up from across the gym, catching my gaze. When a smile stretches across her face, I can’t control the answering grin on my own. She blows me a kiss, and I send her a wink before turning around to head out to my bike.
A buzz of happiness steals over me as I drive home. It’s a direct result of having Megan in my life as more than a friend.
Opening up my heart has been one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, but because Megan is the one holding it, I know it’ll be safe.
