Chapter 8

I woke early enough to make my appointment with the team Doc. I kissed Nikki while she slept and left her a note to call me when she woke up. She called while I was in the car and we talked until the nurse called me back to the examination room. I didn't mention my shoulder largely because it had already been knock out so often, I knew for a fact I would eventually have arthritis in that joint. No point in worrying the Doc with it.

After that, I went home. Billy was there, alone. Finally.

"Bill." I leaned on his bedroom door frame. "Look, about us..."

"There is no 'us'." He said, not looking up from his computer. "If there ever was, there isn't now. I think Viv and I have something going."

I nodded. "Ok. Good. So about Nikki..."

"I don't care about Nikki."

"You don't like her or you don't care who I fuck?"

He stopped and looked at me. "I don't care who you date. Do you have to say the most crass thing possible every time?" I shrugged and he sighed and went back to what he was doing.

I gave him a minute then tried another conversation. "Hey. Next week Thanksgivin'. You got plans?"

"Flying to Atlanta Wednesday."

"Cool. I'm plannin' ta stay out here."

He glanced at me. "Really?"

"First time I been away from home on uh holiday. Figure Ima big boy now. I ought survive it."

"And your family is ok with that." I shrugged. I hadn't actually called them yet. The discussion hadn't even come up. Me coming home for Thanksgiving was a foregone conclusion, engraved in stone. "You haven't told them, have you." He guessed.

"Too much trouble anyhow, me flyin' in fo' uh day then flyin' right back out again."

"Uh-huh."

"My folk'll understand. My Dad will." Billy's face showed his opinion of that but he didn't say anything. "Peter'll explain it. They'll be cool." He nodded slowly. "They will."

"But you haven't told them."

'Ain't uh big deal." Billy managed to squelch a laugh. I stood there; he kept typing. Finally I burst. "Ok, they gonna have uh fit! But I hate flyin' in ta turn 'round an' fly back less-n 12 hours later! Ain't even got time ta eat. I miss church service. It ain't worth it."

"Don't tell me, tell them."

"Fine." I stood for another minute. Then I pulled my cell phone and called home.

There was dead silence on the line for a full minute after I finished explaining why it made more sense for me to stay in Arizona for a major family holiday. "Mom? Dad?"

"We heard you." Dad said. "You sure?"

"Uh, yeah, Dad. It's better this way." I was already beginning to regret the decision.

"OK." He said simply. Mom started to protest but Dad cut her off. "Stacie, boy's grown. He oughta know if he can't make it. He'll come home when he can, right?"

"Uh yeah, Dad. Yeah. Christmas. No matter what."

"Good. Now, how's that foot?"

"All healed. You saw the game yesterday, right? I caught two interceptions."

"I saw 'em."

"Good." Dad was pissed if that's all he had to say.

"Dad. I'm sorry. Really. I'll..."

"Don't worry 'bout it. We'll all be fine. You just be sure an' call."

"Yes sir."

"Stacie, dinner getting cold."

"Give Billy my love." Mom said softly. Then the phone clicked quietly. Dad said goodbye and then he was gone too.

I looked at the phone for a while. "Fuck." I finally sighed.

Billy shook his head.

I went by the steakhouse around 4pm. Nikki, CeCe and another girl were leaning on the bar talking. Nikki perked up and met me about halfway.

"Hey." She slipped her arms easily around my neck and we kissed awhile.

"Hey yo'self." I couldn't help the naturally occurring image of a four-way in the empty restaurant. "How's that ass?"

"Missing you already." she cooed back.

"Is this your new boyfriend?" The other girl asked and I realized that she was younger than I thought.

"What gave him away?" CeCe intoned.

"I'm just asking." the other girl groused. "Since Nikki didn't introduce him."

Nikki pulled away from me and pulled me over to the bar. "Missy, this is Lex. Lex, my baby sister, Missy."

"Nice to meet you." I said.

"Nicer to meet her." she did a classic hair flip. She must have been 16 at best. "You didn't kiss me like that."

CeCe stepped away from the bar. "He doesn't kiss anybody like that." She started to walk past me but I grabbed her arm.

"Anytime you need uh kiss you just say the word."

"Alex!" Nikki pinched my arm but CeCe barely reacted.

"Sorry but I'm immune to your charms." She twitched her arm and I let go. "I'd rather kiss Nikki." she said with a wink.

"See now you just bein' uh tease." I laughed.

She kissed my cheek. "There. See Nikki? Told ya." She headed to the front desk and I leaned on the bar with Missy and Nikki.

"I can't believe you did that in front of me!" She pinched me again.

"Keep it up, you ain't getting no sleep t'night either."

"LEX!" She actually smacked my shoulder pretty hard. "Missy's just uh kid."

"I know about sex, Nikki. You've had enough."

I tried not to laugh too hard while they squabbled about that. Mostly, I tried not to imagine doing both sisters together. Missy wasn't as endowed as Nikki was but pussy was pussy.

Nikki went suddenly back to hitting me. "Stop laughing, Lex. And stop flirting with my friends."

"Ok, Ok. Who can I flirt with?"

"No one! You're supposed to be flirting with me."

"Not yo' sisters?"

"No!"

"Oh, com'on. 'K. How 'bout only girls I meet at the stadium." She shook her head, laughing. "Cheerleaders? Oh, com'on! Gimme somethin'! I'll let you flirt with teammates."

"Ok," She laughed, kissing me, "You can flirt with teammates."

"They all guys, you know." I pointed out - without mentioning that wasn't a problem. Also, which wasn't technically true since one of our orientation speeches was a big thing on how the whole Cardinal organization and the fans were one big 'team'.

"Teammates." She said firmly.

"Ok." I sighed exaggeratedly. "I guess you gonna have ta join the team." I tackled her against the wall - more or less gently and she screamed with surprise and laughter.

"That's it!" Missy groaned. "I'm going home."

"Wait. Lex, stop!" she slipped out of my arms. "Are you sure you don't want to wait for the bus?"

"It's like another hour. I'll walk."

"Lex and I will stop." Nikki offered.

"No you won't." she shrugged. "Anyway, I got homework."

"You sure?"

It occurred to me that I was just there to kill time anyway. "If you need uh ride, I got my car." They both made the polite protests that people who want a ride make. "It's all good. I drop her off an' come back an' eat."

"Lex!" Nikki giggled. It was damn cute that she blushed like a virgin. "Thanks."

"Com'on, Miss Missy. I'll be back, Cutie."

"Oh, brother!" Missy grabbed her coat and bag and I lead her out to my car.

"Very cool ride." She said getting in. As she buckled her seat belt, she arched her back unnecessarily. I had to look away to keep from laughing. Subtle. "So you an' Nikki been doing it long?"

I glanced at her. When did teenaged girls get this direct. "You gotta tell me where I'm goin'."

"Turn left at the next corner then go straight til we hit the highway." She flipped her hair again. "I've had more boyfriends than Nikki has."

"Yeah. I can see you fast."

"Most boys my age are pretty dull."

"you seem kinda wild." This was the last conversation I wanted to have. Young as she was, Missy seemed rough and freaky. I stopped wondering what she'd tried and wondered what she hadn't tried yet.

"Nikki said she bit you."

I glanced at her again. "She told you that?"

"Well, she didn't mean to. She was telling CeCe and I overheard it."

"So you ain't suppos'd ta know 'bout it."

"I'm not supposed to know a lot of things I know."

I wanted to ask 'like what'. I wanted to ask badly. I wanted to ask but I knew absolutely that if I asked, she'd show me and likely I'd end up wreaking the car. Or fucking the teen. Neither would be good.

"You're supposed to ask like what." she said seductively.

"Only if I wanna know." I shook my head. "I ain't wanna know."

"Where are you from?"

"Virginia. Chesapeake Bay. Tiny little town called Reedville. Why?"

"Your accent's funny."

"Ya'll the ones talk funny out here."

"Is it true you play for the Cards?"

"Yeah."

"Did you go to college?"

I looked at her; fast and rude as shit. "Yeah. George Mason. Why?"

"Nothing."

"Why? 'Cause I sound stupid I must be?" She shrugged. "Look here, I graduated with uh fuckin' 3.5. Business Management with a minor in English fuckin' Lit."

"You have a degree in Literature?"

"Yeah. Despite my accent, I can read."

"I didn't mean..."

"Yeah, maybe you wanna hit on yo' sista's man you ought not piss him off."

"I wasn't trying to..."

"Bullshit."

"If I wanted to hit on you, I'd hit on you. I've stolen guys from Nikki before."

"Telling me you uh slut ain't helpin' yo' case."

"I'm not a slut." She smacked my shoulder. "And you missed your turn."

"Fuck this." I pulled over. "What's yo' address?" I glared at her and finally she told me. I plugged into my GPS and let it find her house for me.

We rode in silence for awhile which was fine because she was pushing all the wrong buttons for me. The desire to stop the car, throw her on the ground and teach her what fast meant was killing me.

"Nikki said you liked it when she bit you."

Don't go there, I thought, Jesus God do not let her go there.

"She said you have a tat. I got one. Wanna see it." I shook my head. I didn't want to know where it was. She lifted the edge of her shirt slightly. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." She sang softly.

"You playin' uh real dangerous game, girl."

"You're not dangerous."