“I still can’t believe you slept with Jeff,” he replied.
“Can we change the subject back to the matter at hand?” I asked.
“Well, I thought the matter at hand is that you slept with Jeff,” he replied.
“No, the matter is that I can’t concentrate on anything. It’s like being caught in a whirlwind, and I can’t tell which way is up. I used to know what I wanted out of school and life, but now I’m just not sure anymore,” I said in an attempt to explain.
“I don’t really know what to tell you then,” Matt said.
“Well, tell me something at least,” I said.
Matt sat there a moment, not really knowing what to say, or if he did know, he didn’t seem to have much interest in saying it.
“Okay, look,” Matt started, “I didn’t want to say anything, and I was avoiding saying anything at the party, but I think Jeff is only interested in you to get to me.”
I looked at Matt and rolled my eyes in disbelief.
“Why would he do that,” I asked, “What does he have to gain?”
Matt sighed.
“I think he’s trying to use you to get close to me because he’s made it well known that he wants to be team captain. If he’s with you, there’s probably a better chance that he’d get it.”
I laughed at first, but he didn’t join in, causing my laugh to quickly fade. He was truly serious.
“You don’t really think that he’d use me to get to you. He’s a decent guy,” I said.
“Tell that to the last girl that he dated,” Matt added.
“What happened with the last girl,” I asked.
“After they started dating, it wasn’t long before he was moved up to starter. Then they broke up.”
“There must be a reason why they broke up that isn’t related to his moving up to starter, I just know it,” I pleaded.
“Well then, you’ll have to get the truth out of him yourself. In the meantime, you should get back to work. You have a mock trial in just two days, and you need to be prepared for it,” he said, “I gotta get back to my own homework, Holly.”
He leaned in and gave me a hug before taking his leave.
I needed to know what was going on more than I needed to work on my homework. I knew where Jeff would be, and that was exactly where I needed to go.
6.
I called him, but he didn’t pick up, which would only really mean one thing, he was probably working out in the gym. It wasn’t far, and it was a sunny day, so I walked that direction.
Then I spotted him talking with Matt in the distance. I wondered why Matt would be talking to him right now of all times. I thought he said he had some homework that he needed to finish.
The two of them were just barely in earshot.
“Why do you guys keep thinking that I somehow did something wrong to become a starter,” Jeff asked, somewhat furiously.
“You’re the one that dated the coach’s niece for a month to get your position. Now you’re dating my best friend so you can be team captain,” Matt added.
Jeff looked frustrated, and I was glad that neither of them noticed me, it gave me the chance to get a little closer to hear.
“I may have dated the coach’s niece but it wasn’t to become a starter,” Jeff said, “The coach gave me an ultimatum. Either I quit the team, or I break up with her. Sure, I cared about her, but I didn’t think our relationship was anything special.”
“Is that the same way you feel about Holly?” Matt asked.
“Holly is a wonderful girl,” Jeff said simply.
“Well then, I’ll give you the chance. If you break up with Holly you can be team captain, and I won’t say a word to Holly about any of this,” Matt said.
I wanted to jump out and yell at Matt about how absurd his idea was. I wanted to tackle Jeff for even considering the option. I wanted to do a lot of things, but none of them came to me. I just left.
I ran, like I always used to do to clear my head. Except this time, I ran because I couldn’t clear my head at all. There was too much to think about, and I was starting to regret the freedom I had given myself just the other day.
Jeff really was a creep. I knew it in the back of my head all along, but I didn’t say anything. He seemed so genuine.
Then my phone started ringing. I checked the caller ID, and it said that it was Jeff. I didn’t want to answer, but I had a feeling he was just returning my call from before.
I dabbed the tears that were forming at the edge of my eyes and wiped my nose.
“Hello?” I said.
“Hey, you called?” Jeff wondered.
“Yeah, I was just wondering if you wanted to get together for lunch,” I lied.