You can do it.
I know I can.
My heart slams against my chest as the ball is snapped in my directions. My fingers perfectly wrap around it and then I’m running back, looking for the perfect throw. But then I realize there’s no perfect through, but a close one. So I spring my arm back and let the ball slip from my fingers and soar away.
I let it all soar away as I breathe freely for the first time, waiting for it to happen.
The ball climbs higher and so does my pulse. I swear the crowd is holding their breaths, but maybe that’s because I’m holding mine as I watch the ball reach its peak and then drop.
It drops.
And drops.
And drops.
Then it lands perfectly in the receiver’s hands.
Perfect.
Touchdown!
The crowd starts cheering and so do my teammates as we win the game. And this time I join them, cheering and happy as I look up at the crowd where I know Callie is watching me with pride. But only part of my celebration is because I kicked ass and played my heart out. The other part is because I’ve finally left my inner demons behind and found my love for the game.
Epilogue
A little over a year later …
#595 Make You Happy After Official (because it’s about damn time)
Callie
Life is great. Not perfect, but life never is. But perfection would be boring anyway. For the most part, things are good, though. Kayden and I are still living together, and plan to stay that way for a while. Our walls are covered in photos of us as a couple, with family, with friends. It shows how whole our lives are and how far we’ve both come.
There’s been a lot of talk about him getting drafted next year, though, and we did have the talk even though it’s early. It only took us like two minutes of him laying out all the reasons why he needs me to come with him if he leaves Laramie, and it took me like half a second to sputter that I’d follow him anywhere, that I can write anywhere since that’s what I’ve been doing and plan to keep doing. That a life without him would be a sad life I never want to have.
We have a little routine now where we alternate holidays between my parents’ house and his brother’s in Virginia. I got to meet a sober Tyler about six months ago and that was nice. And Kayden hasn’t cut himself in just over a year. The sadness in his eyes is gone, except for on occasion, like when he gets a random call from his mother. He never answers her, though, or calls her back, and her voicemails are anything but persuading.
But other than the occasional sadness and silly fights, Kayden and I are going strong. He tells me every day that he loves me and I tell him every day how important he is to me. Our happy after is working quite well for us and seems to only get better in time. It makes me excited for what the future holds – our future. Makes me excited that we have a future.
‘Writing again, I see,’ Seth interrupts my thoughts as he strolls into my living room without even knocking. He doesn’t bother to shut the door either, even though it’s freezing outside and a light gust of snow blows in.
‘What if I hadn’t been dressed?’ I joke, closing my journal. It’s filled with so many pages of my pen that ink is seriously starting to stain the edges.
He rolls his eyes. ‘Yeah, right. You would never be naked in your living room.’ He pauses then gets this scandalous look on his face. ‘I, on the other hand, make it a daily ritual.’
Now I’m the one rolling my eyes. ‘Oh, whatever.’ I toss the journal on the coffee table as I get to my feet. ‘So are you going to shut the door or are you trying to add to my heating bill?’ I grin at him.
He shakes his head, but is amused. ‘Actually, it’s time to go to the game.’
My forehead creases as I glance at the time on my phone. ‘But it’s super early.’ Like hours early.
‘I know,’ he says, picking up my coat from the armrest and tossing it to me, ‘but I was instructed to take you there early.’
‘By who?’ I ask as I slip my arms through the sleeves of my coat and zip it up.
‘It’s a secret.’ Then he winks at me and heads out the door, leaving me utterly confused.
I follow him outside, locking the door before I trot down the stairs behind him. There’s a light frost on the ground and the air is nipping, but the sun is shining and the reflection of it against the snow makes everything sparkle. I can’t help but breathe in the magicalness of the air before getting into the car.
Seth’s grinning by the time I shut the door as he starts up the engine and then backs out.
‘You’re acting weird,’ I tell him as I buckle my seatbelt. ‘What’s up?’
He shrugs as he turns the steering wheel and we head toward the street. ‘Nothing.’
I know Seth enough to know that he’s lying. ‘You’re so full of it. What’s going on …? Why are you taking me early?’
‘It’s a surprise,’ he says, pulling out onto the street.
‘Please, pretty please, tell me,’ I beg with my hands clasped in front of me.
He shakes his head. ‘No way. Not this time.’
‘I won’t tell anyone.’
‘It doesn’t matter, Callie. I’d be mad at myself if I ruined this one for you.’
I pout as I slump back in the seat. ‘Oh, fine. I’ll play along.’ I fiddle with the stereo until I find a good song then I try to relax, but as we pass by a bookstore something dawns on me.
‘Oh, crap.’ I put a hand to the base of my neck. ‘I forgot my necklace.’ It’s the one Kayden gave me for Christmas that has a book pendant with my name on it.
‘You’ll be fine for one game, Callie,’ Seth brushes me off.
‘No way. We have to go back. It brings him good luck whenever I wear it.’
Seth chuckles as he turns off the main road toward the shiny, steel stadium. ‘You two and your superstition.’
‘It’s not a superstition,’ I say, which isn’t quite the truth, but Kayden says that whenever I wear it, it brings him good luck when he plays. Growing up with a father for a football coach, I know enough to tolerate these superstitions.
‘Relax, Callie,’ Seth tells me as he parks the car near the entrance of the stadium. ‘I have your necklace.’
‘Why do you have it?’ I wonder.
There’s a pause and I feel the shift in the air. Something’s happening. Something important.
Seth looks like he’s about to cry as he reaches over, takes my hand, turns it palm up, and drops the necklace into it. ‘Don’t look at it until you get into the stadium.’ He closes my fingers around it then sits back in his seat. ‘Now go.’