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I turned to look for help to break up the fight and ran straight into Vaughn. He caught me in his arms and looked me over before glancing behind me at the fight still going strong on the ground. I heard someone shout that campus security was coming and Vaughn winced. I could tell he wanted to get his friends away from trouble and I used it to my advantage.
He held up a finger to me. “Wait right here. Don’t move, Ella Rae.”
As soon as he slipped around me to grab Fisher and Booth I ran. I didn’t stop running until I was at my car and I only felt like I could breathe again when I’d been at work for nearly an hour. I’d gone through that whole first hour like a zombie as I replayed the whole thing in my head. I felt violated and dirty. I was glad those two assholes had taken a beating. I just felt wrong that Booth, Fisher, and Vaughn had come to my rescue. They caused the problems. They couldn’t be the problem and the solution. They just couldn’t.
The next day I saw Eric on campus. With two black eyes and tape across his nose, he looked like someone Booth had taken out with a flying tackle. He glanced up, spotted me, and nearly tripped over himself as he raced to go the other way. I noticed more of the same the rest of the day. I didn’t hear any mean comments and I was left alone, even if I was still stared at like a science experiment.
When I had lunch with Natalie off campus, I found out why everyone had backed off. She was eager to share the gossip with me even though we’d instituted a no talking about the guys rule.
“After they beat the shit out of those guys, they did this whole Braveheart thing and announced to the quad that anyone caught harassing you would meet the same fate. It was epic, apparently. I know they’re assholes and we still hate them, but that softens the hate a bit. Right?”
My face burned red with embarrassment as I thought of the spectacle they’d probably created. I didn’t care that what they’d done had seemingly helped. It wouldn’t always. Then people would have even more evidence to use against me somehow. And sure, the guys were taking up for me in that moment. But what about the next? What happened when they decided they hated me again?
“I don’t hate them. I just don’t want anything to do with them.” I could see she had more to say but I just shook my head. “I don’t want to hear anything else about them, Nat. Please.”
She sighed but she nodded. “Sure, Ella.”
52
***Fisher***
Running around campus in our full gear was the coach’s idea of punishment for us getting caught fighting. The fact that he made the whole team do it was almost more of a punishment. No one wanted to run the campus and no one was happy that we were the reason they were suffering. Coach wasn’t in a forgiving mood, though, with the team heading towards a division championship. One fuck up and the whole season could be over. I knew that but I still couldn’t care as much as I should’ve. Football was what I wanted to do. I loved it. If I wanted to get drafted to a good team after graduation, I needed to keep showing off my best work.
Booth and Vaughn were about as motivated as I was. We all knew what was riding on our performance but it was hard to give a shit when we’d hurt Ella so thoroughly.
As captain of the team, I was at the front of the pack as we ran. Despite the cooler weather, it was hot in our full gear. I was tired and I honestly felt a little like throwing myself to the ground and seeing if a full blown tantrum would get Coach to pity me.
Of course, Coach had us running in the middle of the day when the campus was busiest, too. He wanted us to be embarrassed but I wouldn’t feel anything other than satisfied about beating the shit out of the two pricks messing with Ella. They deserved the ass-whooping they got. They deserved another one if I could catch them somewhere private.
Pushing through a side stitch, I let my gaze track from side to side. Unlike the first half hour, I finally spotted the one person I’d been searching for. Ella. I didn’t think twice about veering off the path I’d been on to run towards her. It didn’t occur to me that everyone would follow me until they did.
Ella looked up and saw me running straight towards her with the entire football team behind me and her eyes went wider than I’d ever seen them. I could see the thoughts racing through her mind as she decided what to do.
“Ella! Just-” The rest of my words trailed off as I watched her turn around and sprint away from me. From us. The entire football team was behind me, watching.
I didn’t think. I just ran. It didn’t occur to me in the moment that chasing after her with the entire football team might not be something she wanted because I just wanted to talk to her so desperately. Ella was surprisingly fast but I was faster.
I caught up with her and, running beside her, I tried to apologize. “Ella, I’m sorry. I just need-”
“What are you doing? Stop chasing me!” She looked over her shoulder and before I had a chance to catch her, she tripped over her own feet and went down hard. A pile up of players was imminent as everyone in front stopped to avoid running her over.
I watched in horror as Ella ended up under a few guys. Flat on her stomach, her ponytail was sticking up like a flag of surrender, waving in the breeze. The guys on top of her tried to move quickly, realizing they were going to flatten her. I helped shove them off and knelt down beside her.
“Ella? Are you okay? Jesus, that wasn’t supposed to happen.”
She turned her head to face me and blew a few strands of hair out of her mouth. “Ruining my reputation and happiness wasn’t enough? You want to leave me physically broken, too?”
I yanked my helmet off and grabbed her under her arms to tug her to her feet. “Where are you hurt?”
Vaughn and Booth, both unhappy runners who’d been at the back of the pack, caught up and got the tail end of the commotion. Booth pushed past everyone and stood in front of Ella. “What happened? You’re bleeding.”
My stomach twisted as I saw that her elbows were both bleeding, as was her chin. “Oh, god. I’m sorry, Ella. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m-”
Vaughn moved closer and gripped her head to move it so he could examine her chin. “Fuck. We need to get this cleaned out, Ella Rae. Does anything else hurt?”
A few whispers could be heard from the team behind us and Ella recoiled. She pulled away from us and swiped her hand over her chin, wincing as she tried to wipe away the blood. She lowered her head, moved around us, and, without saying another word, hurried away.
Vaughn tried to go after her but Coach appeared, a dark scowl on his face. He stretched his arm out across Vaughn’s chest and shook his head. “Take a goddamn hint. I’m assuming she’s the one you dumbasses were fighting over? Well, great job! You almost killed her. That’s an extra half hour. Get back to it! And stay on the fucking path this time, Hayes!”
