Chapter 35

After returning to college with Andy and Wes, I made it clear to Knox that we needed to maintain some distance.

Following my emotional unraveling that morning, he was finally starting to grasp why I needed some time to myself before I could mentally brace myself for the public scrutiny. It was early February, and college life was proceeding as usual.

Andy was in Houston, Texas for the Super Bowl, along with Wes and the rest of their families. I was back at school, working on a group project with my friends Tyler and Aaron.

The television was on in the background, broadcasting the Super Bowl. The New York Giants were facing off against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the crowd was massive. Tyler and Aaron pleaded with me to take a break and watch the game. I found myself half working, half watching, typing on my laptop while the sideline reporters chatted away.

“Will Carter lead his team to another victory at the Super Bowl tonight? His performance has been shaky lately, and there’s been speculation about a possible breakup between him and Alex Thompson.

He’s admitted to not playing his best, but insists his personal life isn’t to blame.

However, the media has dug into it and discovered that they haven’t been seen together for a while, which has reportedly upset him and affected his performance.

She hasn’t been photographed with him recently, so could that be the reason for his poor performance?”

“Where do they get this shit?” I muttered to myself, continuing to listen to the reporter.

“Here’s what we know about her and their relationship. She’s a 23-year-old student at UCLA, working on her third master’s degree, this one in Mechanical Engineering.

She comes from a large family, and her older brother has been best friends with Carter since they were eleven, when her mother remarried Eric Reed, CEO of REED Int.

Her sister is engaged to fellow Giants teammate Tyson Miller, who is currently injured but here supporting the team tonight, along with her family.

Their relationship has been rocky, but recently they’ve come out as a couple to their families. Some people say it’s a love that grew over the years between the two childhood sweethearts.

The question is, will Alex be here supporting her man tonight for the big game?”

“No, she won’t because she’s stuck with us two doing a report and project,” Tyler answered, knowing she couldn’t hear him. I snorted at her reference to Knox as ‘my man’.

He is not, and will never be ‘my man’, so the nation of females can chill with the death threats that I know they’re currently writing to me.

I know my family, his family, Wes and his family, Tyler and Brett are there supporting him, along with Andy who begged me to come with her. But I refused to go. I told Knox, and he got pissed.

I tried explaining to him about keeping our distance, but he refused to listen to my reasoning and we ended up having a massive fight over the phone. Since then, we haven’t spoken to each other.

He’s tried to call me and text me, but I’ve ignored him. My mom told me he went nuts and started to throw things around his condo, even breaking his phone in the process.

I honestly don’t know why he got so upset. I mean, I’ve only been to one of his games, so he had no right to get so hot-headed with me.

“It seems as though Carter has noticed she isn’t here tonight. Will this affect his game?” I looked up to see his face on the screen, and it did look like he had noticed I wasn’t there with them.

His face fell slightly, taking on a more serious look as he picked up the football to throw it to his partner across the field. Why was he making such a big deal about me not being there? It wasn’t!

I wouldn’t make him play any better if I were sitting there. I’d just draw unnecessary attention to myself and him, distracting people from the game at hand.

The game had started rough for The Giants. The Steelers were ahead 19-13 at halftime, and Knox was playing poorly. The tackles were hard, and there had been a few fights on the field.

You could see the emotions running high on both sides. The pressure was on for both teams, and they certainly looked like they were feeling every bit of it. There were lots of close touchdowns, but some were not enough for either team.

It was halftime, and the commercials were in full swing. They get weirder every year. Then my ad came on. Damn, I forgot they were showing that tonight.

I had done a surfing commercial for Roxy. They had created a special bikini line for girls, featuring the names of different football teams and players on the backs of the bottoms.

Guess whose name I got? Ding, ding, ding! You guys are good! Yes, I got Carter written on my butt.

The commercial started with the camera panning up the back of my legs until it reached my butt, where ‘Carter’ was written, and then it continued up my back with upbeat music playing in the background.

The music picked up when the camera reached the back of my head, and I turned to the side, smirking seductively at the camera.

I sat at the table, cringing as I watched myself on TV, knowing that others were watching too.

I smiled at the camera, not fully turning around, and jogged off into the sunset with my actual surfboard—the one Knox got me for Christmas—in hand. The commercial showed me paddling into the ocean and surfing.

“Do I really look like that?” I questioned out loud, unable to believe I was watching myself on TV. My nose was scrunched up in disbelief. It’s true what they say about the camera—it does add ten pounds. Look away, look away.

Don’t ask me why I did the commercial. To this day, I still don’t know why I agreed to it. It definitely doesn’t look good for the tabloids. I mean, I have his name written across my ass.

I lay the blame squarely at the feet of my mom and Andy. They were the ones who nudged me into it. I’ll just keep pointing the finger at them.

Tyler and Aaron swivel their heads around from the couch to face me. “Woah! Your body is incredible! I didn’t know you surfed, Alex! You looked smokin’ hot in that commercial.”

“Damn, Alex! I didn’t know you had it in you! Fuck! You looked hot!” I roll my eyes at their outbursts, a blush creeping up my cheeks, and I bury my face in my hands on the table.

I did that commercial and donated 75% of my paycheck to charity, keeping the rest to fund my college education instead of constantly asking Eric for help. A few minutes later, my phone buzzes with a text from Andy.

Andy

You looked smokin’ hot in that commercial! You should see the guys’ faces around me! The look of pure shock on everyone’s face when the camera showed your face!

Andy

Jaws are on the floor right now! And a lot of grunts are going around the stadium. So fucking proud of you girl! Surfer hottie xxxx

Alex

Hah! Thanks Andy, it’s a little weird when you watch yourself on TV though. Enjoying it? xxxx

Andy

Having the best time here! Wish you were with us! Enjoying the memories here. It’s amazing, although Knox isn’t playing well at all! Think you can help him out with words of encouragement? xxxx

Alex

Words of encouragement? I’ll try but I’m not very good at this kind of stuff. He probably hates me right now but....Hang on! xxxx

I retreat to my room and slip on Knox’s jersey. I ask Tyler to snap a picture of me in it, his name emblazoned on the back, as I turn my head and flash a smile at the camera.

He takes the photo just as the halftime show wraps up. I catch glimpses of Beyoncé on stage, strutting her stuff... in six-inch heels, putting the rest of us to shame on a night out.

I shoot a text back to Andy with the picture and ask her to show him.

Alex

*picture* Get your shit together Carter I’m not watching you get trashed and I’m not buying another players jersey xx

The players sprint back onto the field, readying themselves for the second half, and I see my family and his frantically waving, trying to catch his attention.

They finally succeed, and the commentators are left wondering what’s happening. He jogs over to the sideline, the high-pitched screams from the girls in that section reverberating through the speakers of my TV.

Andy grins down at him and hands him her phone. He looks up at her, confusion etched on his face, then looks down at the phone in his hand, reading the message I sent her.

A slow grin spreads across his face as he looks back up at her. He shakes his head, chuckling, and I see him start to type a response. I watch the three dots on my phone, waiting for his message to come through.

Andy

I wish you were here for this! This is for you baby doll, thank you :) xx

Andy

P.s. Nice commercial by the way! ;)

After reading the message, he hands Andy back her phone and jogs back to his team, a smile playing on his lips.

I feel a surge of happiness knowing I helped him maintain a positive mindset for the second half of the game. Hopefully, they can pull off a win. I find myself praying for their victory.

The second half is a nail-biter, but The Giants manage to match The Steelers 25-25, then start to pull ahead, thanks to Knox’s on-fire arm.

He nails every throw, pushing the score to 25-36 with just a few minutes remaining. The Steelers fight back as hard as they can, and boy, do they put up a fight.

But in the end, The Giants’ dominant defensive play prevents any further touchdowns from The Steelers. The whistle blows, signaling the end of the game and The Giants’ victory.

My eyes widen as I sit at the kitchen table, my feet propped up on the table, still clad in the jersey and tight gym shorts.

The boys spin around to face me, jumping up and down on the couch, nearly breaking it, chanting, “They won! They won! They fucking won! Yeeeeowww!”

I can’t help but laugh at their excitement, and I feel a surge of happiness for the team. They pulled it together in the second half and won the Super Bowl. They truly deserve it.

I watch as Knox’s teammates hoist him up, celebrating their win and his MVP title. They begin to commiserate with their opponents.

Surprise, surprise, he would’ve gotten it despite his poor performance in the first half. A reporter approaches him, camera trained on his sweaty face.

“Knox, that was an incredible play in the second half! What a historic comeback! Were there words said in the locker room to psych each other up before hitting the field?”

“Well, I got a kick in the butt from someone. It was exactly what I needed to get my act together! I couldn’t have done it without them,” he beams into the camera.

“Care to share who this special person is so we can thank them too?” The question prompts him to laugh, his laughter echoing around the stadium through the microphone.

“No, I don’t share when it comes to her!” He grins, excusing himself, and runs over to his family. He pulls himself up to hop over the barrier and hug his mom.

She’s crying on his shoulder, and his dad pats him on the back, pulling him into a man hug. His two brothers join in, and he makes his way around to everyone until he reaches Andy.

The camera is still focused on his every move. I watch as she pulls out her phone and hands it to him. He puts it to his ear, and then my phone starts to vibrate, Andy’s name flashing across the screen.

I swipe to answer the call.

“Congrats! Well deserved, Mr. Big Shot!” I start, knowing who it is.

“Thanks, baby doll, can you still see me?” I can see his lips move on the screen in front of me.

“Yes, why?” His smile widens, and he blows me a kiss, prompting a hearty laugh from me.

“Thank you, thanks for giving me the kick in the ass that I needed, baby doll. I wish you were here to share this moment with me. Because if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be this happy right now.”

“Knox, you worked hard, and it paid off! You and your teammates did this. Not me. Now go out and celebrate! Let loose! Enjoy it!”

“No, baby doll, this is yours—” he holds up a trophy to the camera and smiles, “That second half was for you. I wish I could see your face right now. I miss seeing you, baby doll.

Without your words of encouragement, I wouldn’t be standing here a happy man! I owe you, I owe you a lot!”

“No, Knox, please, that was all your hard work. I just knew what to say for it all to click into place for you. Well, I’m happy for you right now, and you owe me nothing! It was all you and your teammates!”

“Pass along my congratulations. You guys really outdid yourselves tonight! But go on, enjoy your night! We’ll catch up soon.”

“It’s for us... God, I wish you were here right now, baby doll! Oh, we will! Don’t you worry! So, you’re proud of me?... Will I see you soon? Can I come and visit? I miss your face!”

“Thanks, Knox! You’re too kind!” I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I rolled my eyes at him, a grin spreading across my face as I watched him on the screen, a matching smile on his own.

“Yeah... I think all of New York, especially the females, are proud of you, Knox! Just give me a heads up on dates! Now go get wasted and find some girls to dance with, we’ll talk later!”

“Baby doll, don’t say that! You know I’m not like that anymore. And I only care that you’re proud of me, nobody else... But I’ll call you later! I looooovvvveeee youuuuuu,” he teased.

I burst into laughter at his antics, covering my mouth to try and contain it slightly. He’s been acting so strange lately, like hot and cold. Complimenting me then insulting me. Making me laugh and annoying me.