Chapter 10
Terrance
Hi Jayse" I said as Jayse stared at me with those beautiful almond eyes, "can we talk?"
"Um...sure" Jayse said to my surprise as we sat down to talk. I sat down on a nearby couch as Jayse sat opposite from me. I couldn't help but continue to stare at him as I saw a difference in his demeanor.
I knew that it was only six months since we last talked but, maybe it was the fact that I knew he just broke up with Brandon; I don't know, I really couldn't put my finger on what had me drawn to him more.
"Are you just going to stare at me?" Jayse asked snapping me back into reality, "or..."
"Yea" I said stumbling over my words, "um...how are you?"
"I'm good" Jayse said quickly as we stared at each other, "Terrance, seriously, are you just here to look at me?"
"No" I said quickly, as I cleared my throat, "I, uh, just came by to see how you were doing. You never returned any of my phone calls."
After I said that, Jayse looked away from me sadly as I felt stupid for not knowing better.
"I'm sorry Jayse" I said as he turned to face me again.
"It's ok" Jayse said trying to smile.
"Am I bothering you?" I asked sincerely as I rubbed my hands together.
"No, I just" Jayse said pausing, "I just have a lot going on right now."
I saw the hurt in his eyes as I wondered what he was talking about. I wanted him to open up but decided to be patient and wait this out. Besides, we had all night to talk.
Quentin "Good workout tonight, Q" Neal, my physical therapist said, packing up his gym equipment in his bag.
"Thanks" I said smiling as I sat down on a nearby bench exhausted, "pretty soon I will be ready for the field again."
"Q" Neal said turning around to face me as I ignored him, knowing what he was about to say, "I've told you, with your condition..."
"I'm fine" I said getting up upset as I grabbed my stuff. We were in a gym, not too far from school, where Neal normally took me to exercise. Ever since my accident, my doctor advised me that I still needed to take therapy and condition my lungs to breathe normally.
I hated the workouts that we did. They normally consisted of yoga and other methods. They were nothing like the workouts I'm used to where I could use weights and dumbbells.
Neal was young, a few years older than me, black, tall and stocky. He was a cool guy, but never let me do anything that I wanted to do.
"Look Q" Neal said walking over to me, "I know you want to get back out there but it's too soon. With your lungs in the condition that they are in, it's not advisable for you to be out there."
"Neal, I appreciate the talk man, but I gotta go" I said throwing my mat and towel in my gym bag as I headed for the exit.
"Not yet Q" Neal said as I sighed heavily.
"Dude, seriously? I'm not in the mood tonight" I said exhausted as I turned around to face him.
"Look, I'm just trying to help you" Neal said walking over to me, "but these sessions are needed to improve your body and plus in order for you to move further with anything you need my consent."
"What do you mean I need your consent?" I asked confused.
"Your coach won't let you try out unless your doctor gives you permission to play and your doctor wants to stay abreast of these sessions before he can do so" Neal said walking away.
"All right" I said, "well, sign off in a couple of weeks and I can walk on before the season starts."
"It's not going to be that easy Q" Neal said grabbing his stuff and walking past me as I turned him around.
"And why not?" I asked getting upset.
"Because I'm not going to" Neal yelled back at me.
Terrance "School seems nice. Are your classes ok?" I asked trying to make conversation as Jayse sighed, "Jayse, please I'm trying!"
"Why are you here, Terrance?" Jayse asked as I cleared my throat and sat up.
"Why are you being so cold to me?" I asked hurt, "I mean I never did anything to hurt you, Jayse."
"You never..." Jayse said catching himself as I kicked myself for saying that, "you never did anything to me? How could you say that?"
"Jayse I'm sorry" I said as Jayse got up upset.
"No, stop ok! Just don't touch me" Jayse said upset as he turned around to face me, "you lied to me for months, while you and my brothers were plotting to break me and Brandon up."
"It wasn't like that at all Jayse" I pleaded, "I just wanted to be with you so bad that I wasn't thinking. You never gave me a chance. I stood by and watched you date Q and Brandon! I...I waited patiently, for you to realize what kind of jerks those guys were but you never saw it until the end. Whenever things got hard for you, I was the one that you cried to! Me, Jayse! I was your friend first, unlike with those guys, where you started dating them from the start."
I saw Jayse pause and started thinking about what I was saying. I mean, I know I lied to him but Jayse was blowing it out of proportion. I just wanted to date him so bad, that I wasn't even thinking. He honestly, wasn't giving me a chance.
"You're right" Jayse said to my surprise, "I did give Q and Brandon more of a chance than you. I guess I was so hurt that you would make a deal with my brothers to win me, like I was a prize."
"Stop looking at it like that Jayse" I pleaded, "I wanted you so bad, that I was willing to have your brothers help me win your heart."
"You could have done that on your own" Jayse stated.
"I tried" I said, "numerous times and I'm trying now but it's not working. You've made up your mind that I'm not who you want to be with and you would rather be with Q."
"What did you say?" Jayse asked confused.
"I said you already made up your mind and decided that Q is the guy you want, instead of me or Brandon" I said as Jayse shook his head confused and smiled.
"Who told you I was with Q?" Jayse asked as I stared at his face, embarrassed and confused.
Quentin "You're not going to what?" I asked confused.
"I'm not going to lie to your doctor" Neal said turning away again as I stopped him.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey" I said standing in front of the door upset, "what the hell, Neal?"
"You need more sessions, man, seriously" Neal said, "going out and playing football will injure what the doctors have repaired."
"I'm fine" I said throwing my hands up, "these little breathing exercises are working."
"These little breathing exercises?" Neal asked upset, "are you kidding me? These little breathing exercises are supposed to be strengthening your lungs and conditioning your body to repair itself from the ordeal it experienced months ago."
"Yea, I got all that Neal" I said agitated, "sorry I mean, I'm grateful for you and all that you're doing but I'm fine. I can go back out and play!"
"I don't think so Q" Neal said pushing me to the side lightly, "get some rest, and I'll see you in two days."
I was about to go after him but I was too upset to do anything. I walked to my car as I threw my bag inside and sped out the parking lot. I didn't care what Neal said, I had to get back out there. I was losing my mind doing these stupid exercises.
I needed to talk to someone, someone who would want to listen to my problems right now, someone like, Jayse. I picked up my phone and dialed his number as it rang. I was hoping he would pick up, but his voicemail came on. I ended the call as I set the phone in my cup holder.
As I drove on the freeway, I really needed something to eat. I decided to stop at this little burger place nearby and thought about picking something up for Jayse too.
As I got out my car, I texted Jayse, hoping he would respond back so that I would know if he wanted something. Just my luck, after a few minutes he never responded. I decided to just grab something once I got up to the service counter.
"Quentin Mitchell" I heard a voice say as I turned around to see a medium height, above average build white guy my age walking inside to greet me. The guy strolled in the store with confidence as I smiled once, I knew who it was.
"Casey Brady" I said dapping the guy up as I saw my friend from middle school for the first time in years.
Terrance "Who told you I was dating Q?" Jayse asked as I looked at him confused.
"Uh...I just assumed" I said lying, not wanting Jayse to know that Brandon and I talked.
"Q and I are not dating, Terrance" Jayse said walking past me as he sat back down, "we're just friends, nothing more!"
"Oh, ok" I said feeling relieved, as I sat down next to him this time.
"Is that the reason you came here?" Jayse asked me softly as he looked at me. I sighed and nodded my head, not wanting to lie to him.
"I just figured that with you two here, you know" I said as Jayse sighed frustrated, "I'm not here to put stress on you Jayse, I promise!"
"But you are happy to hear that I'm not dating Q?" Jayse asked as I stared into his eyes.
"I just want to know that you're ok" I said honestly, "I mean, a part of me is relieved to know that you're not dating Q, but another part was missing you, a lot! You never returned my calls, said anything about my gifts, or nothing. I just wanted to know how you were doing."
"Thank you Terrance" Jayse said softening up, "I'm ok."
"Cool" I said happily, "you look good! I mean you look great! Ok, what I meant to say is, you look happy."
"I wish I was feeling happy" Jayse said rubbing his hands on his thighs as he looked over at me, "Brandon and I officially broke up."
"I'm sorry" I said.
"I mean on the rooftop, I officially said my goodbyes to you all and Brandon and I were on a break, but I think it's best that we broke up" Jayse said staring off as my heart ached for what he was feeling.
Just then, his phone rang as I saw a picture of Q on the screen. I grinded my teeth together and tried to contain my hate as Jayse let the call go to voicemail.
"It is what it is" Jayse said trying to smile as I saw the hurt in his eyes. His phone chirped, signaling that he got a text as Jayse locked eyes with me.
"You sure you don't want to get that?" I asked, trying to sound sincere, "it may be important."
I watched as Jayse looked down at the phone and then back at me as he contemplated what he wanted to do. I guess I was about to see how much I meant to him.
Quentin
"What are you doing here, man?" I asked Casey excited, forgetting all about ordering my food, as we sat down at a nearby empty table.
"I just transferred here" Casey said, "I mean, I know that the semester has already started, but the school I was thinking of going to fell through and this school already offered me a scholarship anyway."
"That's good, Case" I said, "Man, it's been years."
"Yea, yea it has" Casey said, "it feels good to be back home."
"So what's up? What you been doing? Catch me up!" I asked missing my old friend.
"I've been hanging around" Casey said, "moved with my mom and brother, dated a few girls, played some football and just you know, kept my nose clean. What about you?"
"Oh man, I've been doing the same" I said, "just trying to keep my nose clean too."
"We should go find some girls man and get into something, you know what I mean?" Casey said patting me on my back as a few girls came walking by our table.
I watched Casey stare the girls up and down while undressing them with his eyes. Casey winked at the girls as they began laughing amongst themselves.
All I did was shake my head as Casey nudged my arm while pointing at the girls. I shook my head no as Casey gave me a look of confusion.
"What's up?" Casey asked as I checked my phone to see if Jayse called me.
"Nothing" I said turning my phone over as I got up from the table and walked to the counter. Casey got up after me, following, as he walked past the girls again smiling.
"Hey, these girls are feeling us, bro" Casey said as I stood at the counter, "I think, no I know we should go over there and see what's good."
"Help yourself" I said placing my order as Casey laughed to himself.
"It's not a party unless we all get some, right?" Casey asked nudging me again in the arm as I ignored him, "what are you dating somebody right now?"
"Something like that" I said paying for the food.
"Oh my bad Q" Casey said, "I should have known that a pretty boy like you would be on lockdown."
"It's not like that Case" I said, "I mean it's more to it."
"Come on, you holding out on me, man? What's up?" Casey asked as I grabbed my food, "is she crazy? Unattractive? Pregnant?"
"Who said it was a she?" I said turning away from Casey as I headed to the door.
Terrance
"You sure you don't want to get that?" I asked again.
"Do you want me to?" Jayse asked looking at me.
"No I don't" I said truthfully, "I appreciate you giving me all of your attention and all time."
"I'm just trying to hear you out" Jayse said as I started feeling confident and comfortable.
"Can we go out and talk, please?" I asked as Jayse looked at me skeptically, "nothing more, just a little walking and talking, please?"
"I, um, I don't know" Jayse said as my heart broke.
"Please Jayse" I begged.
I watched Jayse stare at me as he thought it over in his head. He then bit his bottom lip as he grabbed his keys.
"Ok" Jayse said as I smiled quickly and gained my composure. I stood up as Jayse followed behind me to door. As we walked in silence, I stole glances of his small frame. He was still sexy, if not sexier.
"It's a nice night out, isn't it?" I asked as Jayse nodded his head.
"So tell me something, further down the road, once you have your degree, what are planning on doing with it?" I asked hoping to spark some intrigue from Jayse.
"I, uh, hope to be working for a magazine if not starting my own. Maybe even a novelist!" Jayse bragged.
"Wow!" I said not surprised by Jayse's ambition, "that sounds great! I can really see it, you know!"
"See what?" Jayse asked smiling.
"You" I said smiling along with him, "at your desk, running your magazine, sold out novels across the world. I wish you the best, Jayse!"
"Thank you Terrance" Jayse said still smiling. I could tell that he was mulling over my ideas in his head.
"You're welcome" I said noticing Jayse start to shiver. I took off my coat and draped it over his shoulders as he smiled, "better?"
"Yes thank you" Jayse said, "so what about you? Say the next 5-10 years where do you see yourself?"
"Oh wow I don't know!" I said truthfully, "career-wise I never saw myself in the hospitality field but I'm starting to enjoy it. I would like to work myself all the way to the top, possibly owning my own hotel chain and who knows what could happen next."
"Sounds more ambitious than a magazine and selling out novels" Jayse stated.
"Yea but what else can a man do but dream" I said as Jayse looked up into my eyes.
Quentin "I saw him leave a little while ago" one of the assistant RA's stated as I looked away confused.
"Well did he say where he was going?" I asked worried.
"No" the guy said before walking off.
I turned and walked away as I thought about the places Jayse could have gone.
"Hey, hey, was he alone or was he with someone?" I asked the guy as he walked back to the front desk.
"He was with someone but honestly, I wasn't paying attention" the guy said as I got upset.
"How could you not pay attention to that?" I asked, "he could have been kidnapped?"
"Sir, Jayson looked pretty comfortable and willing to go with the guy and it's not my job to track whom the students go out with."
"Whatever" I said walking away as I left the dorm. I threw the food in the car and left as I drove around campus looking for Jayse.
I started calling his phone again as it rang twice and went straight to voicemail. I shook my head as I looked around and saw two guys walking. I noticed that one of the guys walked similar to Jayse as I slowed down.
One of the guys looked down at the guy that looked like Jayse and smiled. I saw the other guy look up and smile and knew that it was Jayse.
I felt my heart sank as I parked my car in a nearby spot. I thought about whether I should get out and confront Jayse or just leave.
I ignored the feeling as I placed my hand on the door handle and opened my door...