5. Chapter 5

The Boyds know how to tailgate. After weaving our way through many tents, we finally found the Boyds' RV. It's a massive blacked-out motorhome with a silver design on the side. Outside of the RV is a party tent with tables, chairs, centerpieces, a TV, and wait—

"Is that a freaking chandelier?" Macy asks, her jaw dropping open.

"The Boyds don't skimp out," I answer, approaching Mr. Boyd. "Mr. Boyd, how are you doing?"

Glancing up from what I presume is his Old Fashioned, Howard Boyd has a powerful presence. At six feet, four inches tall and two-hundred-fifty pounds, with muscles on muscles, he can be intimidating. While I know they're not my biggest fans, I've learned that Mrs. Boyd has a bigger issue with me than Mr. Boyd.

"Brynn," he greets, stretching his arms out for a hug. "How are you doing?"

Stepping into his arms, I give him a warm hug back.

"I'm doing great. It's the first game of the season!" I pause, taking a look around. "It was so kind of you and Mrs. Boyd to invite us to join you for dinner."

"You're always welcome to join us, Brynn. Abigail always plans way too much food for these tailgates. This week, she hired a pitmaster to do our barbecue. Now, you guys go and help yourselves." He gestures toward the door of the motorhome where I know all of the food is prepared. "Oh, and Brynn, it's Howard and Abigail, not Mr. and Mrs. Boyd," he says with a wink, and I just smile back.

Macy, Gregg, Chloe, Cody, and I make our way inside the motorhome, where we are greeted by the delicious aroma of smoked meat. Spread across the large counters are all of the food—brisket, pork ribs, chicken wings, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, cornbread, and an assortment of cupcakes decorated in CTU colors.

"God, it smells so good," Cody says.

"Thank you," I hear Mrs. Boyd respond from behind us.

I feel my body tense and my butthole clench. I was hoping my run-in with Abigail would be after we got our food and were back outside among the crowd. The more people we are around, especially her friends, the friendlier she is, especially when Quinton is not at my side. Turning her gaze to me, Abigail looks me up and down. The disapproval over my outfit radiates off her. That's fine. I don't need her approval.

"Brynn," she greets me. "Howard said you arrived with friends."

"Hi, Mrs. Boyd, thank you so much for extending the invitation to us. You remember my roommates, Macy and Chloe." I gesture to each of the girls as I introduce them. "This is Gregg, Macy's friend, and this is Cody Jacobs—he's on the baseball team."

Mrs. Boyd, Gregg, and Cody exchange pleasantries. "Go ahead and help yourselves, there's plenty. There are coolers under the tent with drinks."

"Thank you," we all respond, grabbing heavy-duty paper plates.

Rumbling. There's rumbling beneath my feet as I make the long descent toward the first row of the student section. The fans are starting to fill Valor Stadium, and the crowd is getting eager.

Eager for kickoff.

Eager for redemption.

Eager for the start of the best time at Central Texas University.

It's a sea of blue and red. Pump-up music blares through the stadium speakers. The cheerleaders are performing stunts, hyping up the rambunctious crowd even more.

And now we wait. Biding our time to hear the band fire up our fight song as our team comes running through the tunnel.

This is the atmosphere I crave.

It"s chaos, and it's loud.

It sends chills down my body.

There's nothing better than the first game of the season.

We all make our way down the aisle until we get to the first row. Quinton pulled some strings to get these seats reserved, and I'll love him forever for it. In case he enters the draft early and this is his last season, Q wanted me to have the best seat in the student section to watch him kick some ass. I can't help but notice the girls around us giving us dirty looks. Jealousy does not look good on them.

"We need pictures!" Chloe yells over the crowd.

She turns to the person behind us to have him take our pictures. We all turn our backs to the field, and Chloe pulls Macy and me into her sides for our first set of pictures. The three of us take a variety of photos in different poses. Once the three of us have our fill, it's time for others to join in.

Obviously, we've gotta do it for the ‘gram.

Kickoff is about to start. The mini photo shoot took up enough time to run down the clock.

The announcer comes on over the speakers, and we turn our attention to the big screen. A hype video fills the screen as "Humble" plays. The crowd goes wild. As the video ends, the CTU band fires up with the fight song. Next to the tunnel, flames shoot up in the air, and the team comes running out with Quinton, Will, and Tyler—our three Captains—leading the way.

The student section erupts when the team starts running out. It's mayhem. I'm jumping up and down, screaming. I already know that I'm not going to have a voice tomorrow, and I'm perfectly fine with that. Sundays are recovery days, especially since I don't have a class until Monday afternoon.

The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" fills the stadium as the Eagles line up for kickoff. All around me, students begin to jump up and down on the bleachers with that all-too-familiar chant as our kicker runs to kick off the football.

Game one of the season is underway.

At the end of the first half, the Eagles are down by a touchdown, and it's fourteen to seven. Quinton scored our only touchdown on a thirty-seven-yard run.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom and grab more beers," I announce, standing to make my way into the halftime crowd.

I don't know why I wait until halftime. It's always packed, but I just can't bring myself to miss any of the game.

"I'll come with," Chloe says.

The line to the bathroom is forever long. I stand there, nursing the remaining beer in my bottle, and listen to the chit-chat surrounding me.

There are girls in dresses, talking about parties and who they want to hook up with tonight.

Older women are eyeing the younger girls in disgust over their conversations about who's sleeping with who. I chuckle to myself, because these women would have a heart attack if they knew what actually goes on in college. Hell, they'd die if they knew half the things that I've done in my three years at CTU. College is all about experiencing life before the real world sinks its claws in us and drags us down to a lifeless nine-to-five job and endless responsibilities.

I say "hell yeah" to these girls embracing their sex lives. Women are held to such a high standard. Manners always, and heaven forbid we have sex.

News flash, women have needs too, Linda. It's not all about pleasing our men. Women deserve to be pleased too, dammit. And not by our battery-operated friends. I'm talking about being pleased by a guy who knows what the hell he's doing down there, and not one where you constantly have to remind them "a little to the left."

"Excuse me, are you Brinley Wilder?" a girl asks from behind me.

"Hi, yep, that's me!" I respond, eyeing the girl, and trying to put a name to her face.

I don't recognize the blonde. While I meet a lot of people at parties, I can usually remember a face, even if I can"t remember her name.

"Ohmygosh, I thought that was you." With a smile, brighter than the sun, she introduces herself. "I'm Monica. We have psych together with Professor Peters."

Moving with the line, I return her smile, mine more fake than hers. "Oh, hi! I'm sorry I didn't recognize you."

"It's totally fine. I usually sit a couple of rows behind you," she says. "This might be a little bold, but are you dating Cody Jacobs?"

I laugh because, seriously, what is it about being seen with a guy that people immediately think that you're dating.

"Nope, Cody and I are just friends. Why? Are you interested?"

She blushes and places a strand of hair behind her ears. The girl is shy, but it almost feels like an act.

"Um, yes. We've had a few classes together, but I've never talked to him before. I wasn't sure if you two were together, and I didn't want to step in."

Okay, wow, there are not a lot of girls who would have the respect to do that. While I can't grasp how I feel about her, I decide that it's not my decision. Just as I'm about to carry on more of this conversation, a stall opens up.

"Monica, come sit beside me next week, and I'll introduce the two of you!"

Finishing up, I glance at my reflection in the mirror. I tug on my ponytail to fluff it up and give it some more volume. This humidity is killing my hair. Sweat glistens from my face. Thank God glowy skin is in. Making my way out of the bathroom, I find Chloe waiting for me. The two of us make our way to the beer garden to grab more Coors Lights, the classy beer for college students.

CTU's band is just finishing up when we find our seats. Macy looks awfully cozy next to Gregg. So much for Macy not wanting to get serious with a guy and trying to break Gregg's serial dating reputation. I knew she wouldn't be able to go without a relationship this year.

There's a part of me, deep in the back of my mind, that misses being in a relationship. That misses the comfort of one man. But that ship has sailed and I'm not about to get on another ship. Not today and not ever.

The second half begins, and our defense forces Loganville three-and-out, after Jeremiah Prince, our defensive back, secures his second sack of the game. Xavier catches the punt and returns it fifty-five yards to put us in excellent field position. The adrenaline is pumping through my veins, and I've got a feeling that we are going to come out on top.

"E-A-G! L-E-S! EAGLES! EAGLES! EAGLES!" I chant along with the rest of the crowd.

Thanks to a handoff from Tyler Harris to Quinton for a diving three-yard run, the Central Texas Eagles secure their revenge against the Loganville Raiders. Freaking finally!

"Holy shit! Holy shit!" I scream, grabbing ahold of Chloe. "We did it!"

Everyone around us is going crazy. High fives are given as beer sloshes everywhere. We were down by six points with five seconds left. From kickoff to the buzzer sounding at the end of the fourth, it was a thrilling game that had all of us standing, waiting to see what would happen in front of us. Somehow, we were able to pull off the win. All thanks to a crazy diving run by Quinton. Seeing Quinton dive across the goal line was exhilarating, as it showed off his raw athleticism. He looked like Superman flying over the defensive line.

Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, the fans start to retreat back up the stairs on the way to the exit. Before we have a chance to exit our row, a security guard that I recognize from my visits to the stadium approached us.

"Excuse me, Miss Wilder?"

Turning around I smile at Gary. "Hi, Gary! Hell of a win, wasn't it?"

He smiles. "It sure was. Best one I've seen in a while, and I've been here for ages."

"Oh please, Gary, you don't look a day older than twenty-five," I respond with a wink.

"Now, I didn't peg you as a liar," he says, blushing. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I was instructed by Mr. Boyd to escort you to the athletic hallway."

A shocked expression slides across my face, because I can't imagine that Mr. and Mrs. Boyd would request my presence after our awkward cookout. "Of course."

Turning to look at my friends, I give them a shrug.

"Want us to wait for you?" Cody asks. "I don't like the idea of leaving you behind."

"I"ll be fine, Code," I assure him. Giving him a hug, I whisper in his ear. "Just make sure the girls get back okay. I don't know this Gregg guy."

"I've got ‘em, B." He goes to exit our row as the rest of our group follows, giving me hugs as they pass by. Cody turns over his shoulder and calls, "I'll save a shot for you!"

Gary leads me across the wall separating the stands and the field until we get to a gate. He uses his badge to unlock the gate and escorts me down the stairs, across the field, and into the tunnel. I've been down here multiple times, but knowing I've been summoned has a sense of dread crawling up my skin. Weaving our way through the tunnel, we approach the athletic hallway where a few other family members, friends, and girlfriends wait. The girls spot me first and, of course, are the first to give me displeased looks. Of course, Tiffani, a well-known jersey chaser and campus mean girl, is waiting with her girl gang. I wonder whose bed she's warming tonight to end up in the tunnel. To wait outside the locker room, you have to be on an approved list that the players or coaching staff submits. It keeps the jersey chasers at bay. Well, it's supposed to, but Tiffani is here, so obviously not it doesn't keep them all out.

"Quinton asked me to bring you here to wait for him. Tell him I said ‘good game,'" Gary says before turning away and leaving me standing in this hallway.

There's not one ounce of me that wants to make conversation with parents or these bitches, so I do the universal signal of ‘leave me the hell alone.' I pull out my cell phone.

Will has a reputation on campus. He's a playboy. He hides behind his reputation, putting on this fuckboy personality. Everyone has their secrets and relies on their masks to hide behind.

Me included.