Fourth Down and Dirty: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (30 page)

Now it was me who
would be the cause of loud pounding on a hotel room door. After the gravity of
the situation sunk in I tossed my phone aside and stormed over to Hayden’s
suite beside me. I didn’t care one bit what I would have to resort to
now
. It had officially gone too far. As soon as Hayden
opened the door, I shoved him back and stormed in with my face scrunched in
anger.

“What the hell?”
Hayden said in complete shock.

“How could you do
it?!” I rounded on him, hot tears streaming down my face. I was furious and
devastated all at once.

“What are you
talking about?”

“Oh, please!” I
yelled and began to stomp toward him. He stepped back and held his hands in
front of him. That was when I realized what I had just done when I entered his
room, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I stepped away and curled my fists
tightly, resisting the urge to make a mess of his room. “Don’t act innocent.
Just give it up, Hayden. I can’t believe you’d stoop so low. It’s too much,
even for you.”

“Listen,” Hayden
said, quickly trying to calm the situation down, “I don’t know what you’re
talking about.”

I scoffed. I
reached down for my phone only to realize I wasn’t only in pajamas, but I had
left it in my room. I whipped my head around to see his phone on the surface of
the nightstand and without a second thought I stomped over to get it. “What the
fu
–“

“Shut up! Just
wait,” I yelled before shoving the phone roughly into his hand so he could see
the headlines and articles with his own eyes. His eyes were wide and his jaw
dropped when he looked at me.

“Just stop!” I
cried out, “Your game is
everywhere
but you still resorted to this just to gain more publicity. I really can’t
believe you.” My chest heaved with every breath I took.
 

Hayden stared at
me. He was still in shock. “Ali, I really had nothing to do with this. I
swear.”

I took a deep
breath and shut my eyes, replaying his last statements in my mind. He sounded
so honest. And he looked genuinely shocked when I showed him the articles. Was
it possible he was telling the truth? I opened my eyes and met his gaze trying
to pull the answer out from the depths of his light blue gaze. Something in my
gut told me he was sincere. I practically ran out of his suite feeling
completely embarrassed and totally mixed up inside.

I went quickly
back to my room and locked the door before burying my head in the bunched up
blankets on the bed. To say I was upset would be an understatement.
 

I drew in a deep breath
and looked up and out the window to see the most gorgeous view I had ever seen
before. It was the first time I had actually
looked
out of the window. It was a spellbinding mountain view. I
stood up to trudge over to the window and look out at the view. My gaze traced
over the beautiful greenery with the mountain peaks poking out behind. Gorgeous
white clouds peacefully drifted about in the sky.

 
I knew what I had to do– I needed to clear my
mind before coming up with a plan. All of my negative emotions needed to be
mellowed out before I could do anything else. So I got dressed and packed up my
small backpack before walking out of the lodge to go see the ruins of Machu
Picchu alone.

Sometime later,
after struggling to clear my mind, I finally arrived at the Sacred Plaza of
Machu Picchu. The numerous tourists surrounding me made absolutely no
difference in how I felt. I was alone all the same. Every thought I had
came
with an avalanche of emotions I couldn’t sort through.

 
I took a long drink of water and shut my eyes,
trying to focus all my energy on the feel of the air on my skin. I wasn’t on
level land in a familiar place. I was in a historical area, far removed from
anything I knew, completely alone. For once, I thought maybe it wasn’t so bad
to be completely alone. Being alone meant I didn’t have to be stared at for
looking like Via Mace. It also meant I didn’t have to offer any sort of
explanation about anything or try to keep calm during an argument. It was
liberating, really. That was the sort of thing I had hoped for when I decided
to trek to the ruins of Machu Picchu on my own. Although I hadn’t come to the
destination as a tourist, I was still enjoying the sort of magic a place like
this could have.

My eyes roved over
the peaks of the neighboring mountains enshrouding the area. I looked around at
the panorama, clouds hanging low like fog blanketing the peaks of the highest
mountains. The weathered stone structures were a testament to their strength
and age. I felt so small, but so hopeful at the same time. I was placed in the
middle of something so much bigger than myself, but it brought me the
reassurance that I could weather the storm.

Perhaps it was the
clarity that came with the long trek and physical exertion, or maybe it was
being surrounded by such beauty with deep cultural and historical roots, but I
had finally calmed down. I knew going back to the real world, which started at
the lodge, would bring back a lot of my feelings. But now I felt better able to
deal with them. I walked forward and made my way through the ruins of stone
buildings until I felt as if I was on the edge of the world. I stared at the
view from the Sacred Plaza and down into the abyss off the mountain. My moment
of clarity and silence was interrupted by a familiar voice calling my
name.
 

I turned to see
none other than my old college friend Ferris David! His goofy smile hadn’t
changed over the years, but he had certainly grown into his features, fiery red
hair one of his strongest selling points. I waved at him slowly, still
wondering if he was really there. After all, what were the odds?

“Wow,” he said as
he approached me. He was as surprised to see me as I was to see him. “Ali, of
all people to run in to! And of all places! Unbelievable!”

“That sounds
awfully familiar,” I joked, referencing one of his band’s famous lyrics.

His goofy smile
softened into one of someone who was touched. “You remember,” he said.

“Of course I do,”
I responded, finally meeting his gaze. My stomach twisted in knots. I didn’t
know how to take this chance meeting, with Ferris of all people.

He told me his
band The Close Callers had performed there a few days ago as we looked at the
beauty surrounding us. We made small talk on how spectacular the location was,
but it didn’t last long. There was something he wanted to say to me, but he was
holding back. I prodded, against my better judgment.

“You know I
messaged you that day for a reason.” I nodded. I knew exactly what day he was
referring to. “The moment I saw Via Mace I knew it was you.” I looked at him
and made a face of protest so he shook his head and quickly added, “In looks,
Ali. Even you can’t deny she looks
exactly
like you. Then when I saw her dimple, that same dimple you have on your right
cheek, it triggered something. All the old feelings I had for you back in
college came rushing back.”

“Ferris.” I wasn’t
sure how to respond to him. Of course I had known he had a crush on me back
then—we had almost dated, for goodness sake. I never knew how deep his feelings
had run, much less for how long. But he was letting me know now. It was odd,
but I was finding comfort in it. Ferris was someone who had known me for years
and Via Mace had done nothing to taint the way he looked at me. If anything, it
had made his feelings come back to life just as strong or even stronger than
they had been in the past. It was refreshing and touching.

“You don’t have to
say anything to that, Ali. Just that seeing you and being here together, even if
by chance, made me feel like I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to confess all
of this to you.”

Without knowing
why
I was doing it, I stepped forward and hugged Ferris. “It
has been so hard to deal with all this,” I confessed, lips brushing against his
chest.

Ferris drew his
arms around me and pulled me in close. “I know,” he muttered. “You were thrust
into the spotlight without ever asking for it. Me? I chased it, at least in a
sense. Don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly grateful for the success of the band.
Music has always been my passion and we’re one of the lucky few bands to hit it
big. But it is hard to go around never knowing when you’ll be left alone.”

I pulled back and
looked into his eyes. Of course Ferris knew how this felt. Being that we had
kept in touch over so many years I mostly forgot he was in a famous band. I
guess I never registered it fully. We rarely got to hang out because he was in
the studio or on tour. But in my mind, he was just Ferris David from college.
He was the only person I was close to who could understand what I was
experiencing. I could tell him everything I felt about the pitfalls of stardom,
no matter the source of it, and he would get it. He was absolutely right; I had
never asked for any of this. I had been shoved into an incredibly bright
limelight crudely out of the blue and now it had rained down a torrent of bad
news for me.

“What is it?”
Ferris asked, as if he could see my mind racing.

As a single tear
slid slowly down my cheek I realized he couldn’t see the chain of thoughts
racing through my head, but he could see the effects of them. Without holding
back, I told him everything that was on my mind before burying my head in his
chest and weeping silently.

 
It was the first time I had cried since the
whole ordeal had started. I had no idea it would be so therapeutic for me.
After my little outpour, the two of us were locked in a tight embrace for a
while, just taking solace in each other’s understanding.

Ferris and I spent
nearly an hour wandering through the ruins, talking and taking photos of one
another. After some time, we decided to head back down to the lodge. As much as
I was weary to do so, I felt much better about my return to reality now that
Ferris was by my side. It had been completely unexpected, but he arrived right
on cue to provide me with the comfort I truly needed. Now I had a companion and
couldn’t be more thankful for it. The two of us made our way back down as the
sun slowly crept down to hide behind the mountains and the evening took over.

“Are you hungry?”
Ferris asked as we approached the lodge.

I stopped walking
and turned to look at him. “Are you staying here?”

Ferris nodded, goofy
smile back in place. I held back the urge to sweep my hands through his fiery
red hair. He had always been good-looking, but I couldn’t deny he had aged
well. Most of all, he brought a vibe now that had been completely absent back
in our college days. It was more relaxed and confident. I wondered if it had
anything to do with his acquired fame.

The two of us
headed into the lodge to have dinner at the restaurant. I sincerely hoped we
wouldn’t bump into Hayden. I didn’t want to see his face, much less deal with
his shit. All I wanted was to enjoy a wonderful dinner together with Ferris at
the lodge
and revel in my newfound
solace.

The appetizer and main course went off without a hitch. The two of us
talked, laughed, and reminisced about old times without a single hint of
awkwardness. Our chairs had even moved closer to each other’s somehow and I was
completely okay with the way things were going. Sure, it seemed completely out
of left field and it all escalated quickly, but I was glad for it in that moment.

 
It was helping me take my mind off
things and helping me forget Hayden and all the confusion he brought into my
life. If I stuck by Ferris, I wouldn’t have to deal with Hayden– at least not
any of my
personal
confusion regarding
him. I knew it wasn’t going to change any feelings I had for Hayden, but in
that moment I didn’t care. It was the only moment of peace I had found over the
past few days.

As we were finishing up desert, everything went south. I frowned and
Ferris immediately turned to look over his shoulder to see Hayden and Gina
walking into the restaurant. Gina was staring directly at me with a sort of
angry determination. Hayden, on the other hand, was trying to ignore us
completely. The two of them were seated at a table on the other end of the
restaurant, but I could still see them in my peripheral vision.

“Do you want to leave?” Ferris asked cautiously.

“No,” I responded, reaching forward to have a sip of my latte. “I refuse
to let him ruin yet another good thing in my life.”

Ferris smiled awkwardly, like he was unsure what to do, but he still
hoped to be encouraging in some way or another. I would have found it endearing
had I not been preoccupied with Hayden and Gina.

“Did you see who
she was with?” Gina told Hayden in a hushed tone once they had been seated,
trying her best not to stare at me and Ferris overtly. “The nerve she has.”

“What are you
talking about?” Hayden asked, trying to ignore the swell of jealousy in his
chest at seeing me enjoying dinner with another man. He would have given
anything to be in Ferris’s place. Instead, he was having dinner with Gina of
all people while he continued to struggle with his feelings for me. By that
point I had done my fair share of hurting him, but he couldn’t shake his
feelings for me.

“That’s Ferris
David from the band The Close Callers. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of them
Hayden,” Gina said.

“Of course I’ve
heard of them,” Hayden snapped, the swell of jealousy now even more pronounced.
He didn’t want to keep sneaking glances over at us, but it felt like something
beyond his control. I looked to be enjoying Ferris’s company when Hayden had
walked in. Now knowing he was a celebrity, it bothered him even more.

Gina quickly figured
out what was going on as she noticed Hayden’s constant looks over at Ferris and
I. It made her skin crawl it bothered her so much. She didn’t take things this
far to let me take the man she’d been after for so long. Gina took a sip of
water and quickly formulated a plan. It was easy, really. I had practically
done all the work for her.

“She’s a wily one,
that’s for sure.” Gina said. It sounded like an offhand remark, but she knew
exactly what she was doing.

“Why do you say
that?” Now she had his undivided attention.

Gina took a sip of
water to hide the devious grin that curled up her lips before she began to
talk. “She’s made this huge fuss of things, Hayden, to keep you cornered. She’s
made it easier to play you.” Gina paused and looked over at me. “Can’t you see
this was her plan all along? Not that I can blame her, really. If I was in her
shoes and I looked exactly like a wildly popular video game character, I would
also want to capitalize on the situation and use it to catapult myself into fame.”
She took a long, slow sip of water while Hayden ruminated on what she had just
said.

“That can’t be,”
he said weakly, staring at me.

“Think about it,”
Gina said, using it as an excuse to slide up next to him. She rested her chin
on her hand and tilted her head, still looking at me. “She plays you so hot and
cold. It’s so you don’t grow tired of her and ignore her outright. She’s kept
you on a leash and you didn’t even know it. All the best con artists have an
art with subtlety and deception, Hayden. You’ve had no clue all along. Hell,
even
I
didn’t catch on right away.”
She spoke so calmly and confidently because she knew he was buying into her
every word.

Hayden excused
himself and quickly walked out of the restaurant, without so much as a sideways
glance at me. Gina sipped on her glass of wine with a smirk as she watched me
look at Hayden as he left. By the time I turned back to look at Gina, she had
screwed up her face to look upset as she took another sip.

She watched me
mutter something to Ferris before leaning in and giving him a kiss on the
cheek. When I walked out of the restaurant, Gina took her time to follow me. It
wouldn’t bode well for her story if she showed up during our fight right away.

I walked down the
hall to my room, but Hayden had already gone into his. I couldn’t work up the
nerve to knock on his door. Had I been able to catch up to him it would have
been an entirely different story.

“Why do I care,” I
muttered before walking to my room and slumping down on my bed, eyes fixated on
the night sky outside the window. Last time I spoke to Hayden we ended up in a
screaming match. I saw no reason why it would be any different now. I had no
reason to ask him what was going on, especially not when it seemed to be a
problem between him and Gina.

Then there was a
knock at my door. My stomach flipped. On the surface I hoped it was Ferris, but
my gut told me differently. I knew deep down—I wanted it to be
him.

 
Sure enough, it was Hayden standing on the
other side of the door when I pulled it open. He was clearly upset, but it
didn’t stop him from barging into my room.

“All along you’ve
tried to make my life impossible by claiming I ruined yours. But the truth of
it all was that you weren’t satisfied ruining my life years ago, right? No. You
had to use me even now until you could drop me when someone more famous came
along. You got your own fame and now you want a partner to match, is that
right?”

I was completely
stupefied. His accusations were absurd and came completely out of the blue. Not
once had I done anything to imply I wanted to get famous. It was quite the
opposite, actually.

“All I’ve done,
from the start, is try to get this situation taken care of so I can get back to
my
normal
life.
You
are the
one being stubborn.”

“That’s the ploy,
isn’t it? Making me believe that is all a big game,” he spat back at me. Hayden
walked up to my window and placed his hand against the wall, leaning forward
until his forehead touched the cool windowpane.

“Where the hell is
this even coming from? It’s not enough we’re at each other’s throat constantly
that now you have to make up some absurd bullshit to throw at me? That’s too
much even for you,” I shot back. I was sick of everything, especially the fact
that I was still confused about my feelings toward him even after times like
these.

“You’re always
saying that and I’m sick of it, Ali. You’re always right. You’re always the
victim. I should’ve known you really were a cruel person back when you ruined
my life.”

 
“Get out!” I cried. “Get out of here! You’re
so beyond being an arrogant, self-involved asshole.
Never
in my life…”

Hayden stared at
me, mouth gaping, but he didn’t protest. Just then there was a knock and we
both turned to see Gina standing against the doorframe, eyebrow arched.

“That was quite a
display,” she muttered, eyes narrowed and piercing through me. She turned to
Hayden, “I think it’s time for us to go.”

As the two of them
walked over to Gina’s room, Ferris came into view. He had finally come to check
on me after I had texted him my room number. As Hayden and Gina made their way
out he stopped and looked toward Ferris, “I hope you enjoy everything she’s
reaping from screwing me over again.”

When Ferris merely
stared at him, confused, Hayden felt the need to insult him. “I guess
you
famous types are never satisfied, right? You’re already
a big name on your own but you still teamed up with Ali on this.” Hayden looked
him up and down with disgust before walking away.

Ferris had
absolutely no idea what had just happened or why, but at that moment it didn’t
matter.

 
“Let’s go,” he said before I had a chance to
speak. “Let’s go back to San Francisco. Let’s go home.”