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Chapter 9

The rest of the school year flew by, graduation came and went and then summer disappeared as well. Freshman year of college started off with a blast. Darrell and I spent almost every free moment together at first and then football season started and Darrell had little to no time for me. Luckily for me Charlotte went to school with us she was my company when Darrell was off doing whatever football players do. After every game Charlotte, Darrell and I would head over to the local gay club and party it was so nice to just be accepted without any odd looks or stares.

Sometime after the first month of school Darrell started staying out all night. Then when he would come home we didn't share a bed. Things were beginning to get odd. Then there was the hickey. He came home one early morning drunk with a hickey. I looked him over he was in no shape to talk, but I couldn't just ignore the obvious love bite on his neck.

“Darrell are you seeing someone else?” I asked honestly not wanting an answer at all. But I had to find out something.

Darrell climbed into bed with me and started kissing me. He eased his hand into my pants and took things a little further. By the time he was finished I had totally forgotten about my question. “I would never cheat on you Martin. I love you too much.” He whispered before falling asleep on my chest.

I don't know why I was satisfied with his answer, but I never questioned the hickey again.

Another couple of weeks went by and then it was homecoming game. Charlotte and I sat in the stands watching the game. Normally Darrell didn't play, but luckily for him this game the teams best running back had a sprained ankle and Darrell managed to get some play time. And he played well. He made two touchdowns and helped the team get several first downs. He was playing like he was back in high school again. I was really happy for him and had planned a really nice celebration for him back in our room.

I waited outside the locker room for him with Charlotte. We watched most of the team leave but Darrell hadn't come out. Impatient I walked into the locker room looking for him and to my surprise I found him. He was standing way in the back with the teams kicker. He had the kicker up against the wall kissing him. I closed my eyes and just eased back outside trying not to interrupt him. Once I was outside I grabbed Charlotte's hand and started walking away.

“Martin, what's wrong.” Charlotte asked sounding extremely worried about me.

I didn't answer her right away. We got to my car and I was about to drop I couldn't breath. I wanted to scream. “I gave up so much of myself to him and for him and he is in there cheating on me. I asked him if he was seeing someone else. He lied. I guess his boyhood crush is over.” I angrily rambled.

Charlotte stood watching me as I went on and on just rambling letting out all my anger. Once she had enough she walked over to me and hugged me. “I am so sorry Martin. Maybe you should talk to him” She suggested.

I shook my head. “No, it's over. He once treated me like I was dirt because he thought I was cheating. Obviously he doesn't play by his own rules.”

And that was it. I moved out of our dorm room that night and stayed with Charlotte and her friends in their apartment for the remainder of the semester. Darrell tried contacting me several times, but I never answered his phone calls and then eventually I changed my cell number. I was hurt but it didn't last long. Eventually I ended up in a relationship that lasted all through college and straight to marriage.

I never really saw my six month fling again. There were times me and my wife (Charlotte) would bump into his mother. She always seemed uneasy around us there was even a time that she apologized. She was aware of what happened because after I moved out the dorm I had to move out of their home too. Other than Charlotte, Mrs Nash was the only other person I told. I figure she must have felt guilty about the whole situation. I didn't want her guilt or apologies at times I just wanted everything to go back to how it was before Darrell and I had our failed relationship.

Sometime after graduation I found out Darrell became a professional football player. I bet the NFL would have had a cow to find out one of the star running backs really loved to handle balls. That was a major joke Charlotte and I had every time we watched or attended one of his games. I would go to the games to see my childhood best friend play not to see my former lover.

A few days before our 10 year high school reunion Charlotte and I sat in our favorite restaurant excited about seeing all out old friends. It was funny how most of them didn't even mention the whole Darrell and Martin cafeteria incident. Most people weren't even surprised to see Charlotte and I together. As a large table of our old friends sat and talked with us somewhere towards the back of the restaurant I heard a familiar laugh. I stood grabbing Charlotte's hand and led her to the dark corner where a few of our schools former football players all sat.

I smiled as I approached the table. “Well damn Char that looks like our schools hot ass running back there.”

Darrell looked up at Charlotte and I he returned my smile and stood and walked around the table. He hugged Charlotte first and rubbed his hand on her very pregnant belly and then he pulled me into a hug. “Charlotte I think you stole my hot ass boy friend away from me.”

“Well if I would have known he was going to knock me up, I would have let you keep him.” Charlotte teased,

We all walked over to the bar and sat and talked. It turns out Darrell married the kicker from college. Other than talking about his marriage we didn't discuss anything else about college or about high school. Finally things felt the way they did before we ever had our relationship. Though the relationship was fun and it helped define both of us some things in life are just better left in the past. We talked until the bar closed all of us went to our class reunion and that was the last time I saw the hot ass running back that held my heart for six very good months.

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