When Trust is Gone - The Quarterback's Regret

Unwanted Visitor

Chapter 8

Addison’s POV

The sound of someone pounding on the door wouldn’t stop. I finally sat up, confused, as it was dark outside now. I guess I needed the rest for me to have slept this long. I walked over and looked through the peak in the door before rolling my eyes and jerking the door open.

“What do you want, Garrett?” I asked. I didn't even pretend to be courteous to him. He hadn't been nice to me in years, and I didn't want him in my home. We are no longer friends, and I won't even pretend that we are. After what I saw last night, the only thing I am feeling towards him is revulsion.

“Mom asked me to bring over something for you to eat. She wanted to give you time to rest. I'm sorry, Addison, for your loss. Your mother was a very nice lady, and she will be missed. I know how much you loved her. Mom would have come over herself, but she had to call the person your mother had listed as your emergency contact. Mom is trying to get a relative to come and help you make the final plans for your mother. If they don't come to help you, Mom said she would help you with everything,” Garrett said. He didn't wait for me to step back. He slid past me to enter my home and placed a container on the table.

“I’m not hungry, Garrett. I can skip a meal, remember? Isn't that what your girlfriend mentioned just today when she threw my lunch on the floor,” I snapped at him.

“One, she isn’t my girlfriend. Two, you missed lunch, so you need to eat,” Garrett replied smoothly.

“Don’t pretend to care about me, Garrett. I'm not going to fall for it. You shut me out three years ago for no reason. So don’t act like we are friends now. I would like to be alone now, so please just go. Tell your mother I am fine, and I will call her in the morning when I am ready to take my last two finals. Thank you for bringing my dinner,” I told him. That should be a clear hint that I want him to leave. Yet, he didn't leave. What is going on?

I held the door open a little further, nodding towards the door. Anyone else would realize I was letting him know it was time for him to leave, but he didn’t.

“Holden reminded me that it was your birthday today. Have you watched your video yet?” he asked.

“That is none of your business, asshole. Leave,” I opened the door as wide as possible to give him the hint. Why on earth did she send him over here? She knows that we don’t get along. She doesn’t understand why he suddenly decided we weren’t friends anymore. I know this because my mother asked her about a year after it happened. Tandy hadn't known why either. I guess she is more upset at having lost Mom than I realized. She was clearly flustered if she had sent Garrett here to be a jerk. I didn't want to deal with him right now. She and Mom had been best friends. I guess Mrs. Tandy is not thinking clearly now, either.

“I am not leaving, Addison. Sit down at the table and eat. I will go up and grab your disc for you to watch. You don’t have to watch it with me here, but you should watch it. It is something you do each birthday. You probably need some semblance of normalcy today,” Garrett told me.

Garrett knew this was the last video that my Dad had been able to make for me. He had wanted to make more of them but passed before he could. I was a little scared to watch it as there was a finality to it. There were no more of them. I would have loved to have a couple more waiting for me. He gave me sage advice. He imparted wisdom. But most important of all, he told me how much he loved me. That was something that I could never get enough of. He made it the day before he passed. I knew that it was going to hurt to watch. There is something so special about seeing a loved one you miss so much being able to speak to you. I will forever be thankful he made these videos for me.

“Fine, you can go get it, Garrett, but then you leave,” I told him. It was already too late. He was already upstairs.

Truthfully, smelling the casserole he had brought over made my stomach growl. I did need to eat at least a little something. Then, I would study and watch my father's video. I don’t have the strength to go upstairs right now, so I would probably sleep on the couch again. That will be a problem for tomorrow. I would shower, change, and then go to school to take the last two tests. Hopefully, I will be less tired.

I sat down in my chair and took the top off the container. I loved this casserole. It was my absolute favorite and I knew that Mrs. Tandy had done that just for me. A single tear ran down my face at her thoughtfulness and the rest of my tears just followed. I was only a few bites in, but that was enough. I put the lid back on the container and sat quietly at the table. I wasn’t very hungry. Those few bites helped. I guess I was in some kind of limbo. One in which I was awake but not caring about what was going on around me.

I don’t know how long Garrett was gone, but I finally heard him returning downstairs. He stopped short at seeing me crying at the dining room table. Why would seeing me crying bother him? He didn't care. He had shown that time and again. He had turned his back on me. He had seen me cry many times over losing our friendship. It had never bothered him before. It shouldn't now. I didn’t need him here. He needed to go back home. After all he has done to me, I can’t think of a single reason for him to pretend he was still my best friend from childhood.

“Addison?” Garrett’s voice was low and careful. He was trying to help me stay calm, but I didn’t want him here anymore. I wanted to return to the couch and study wrapped in my mother’s throw. Her calming scent was my only comfort now.

“Please leave. I want to be alone now,” I told him coldly.

“Addison, did you even eat?” he asked as he looked at the container. He could see that I had only taken a few bites. It still looked full.

“I already told you I’m not hungry. I will eat the rest tomorrow,” I told him emotionlessly.

“Addison, look at me,” Garrett came over and knelt beside me. I could hear the concern in his voice, but I was not going to look at him. What would be the point?

“Please leave, Garrett. You have done your duty. You brought my food. You got my birthday message from my father. You have gone over and beyond what your mother forced you to do. I don’t feel like talking. Just leave me alone,” I told him before I started sobbing.

“I am not leaving you like this. You are not yourself. Someone needs to watch out for you,” he said. I could tell he was upset and worried, but it was three years too late for that. I will get through this without him, just like I had with every obstacle I've faced since he decided I was not good enough to be his friend.

I couldn’t hold the scoff back, “My mother died, and suddenly, you are willing to talk to me. I don’t need you anymore. You have done nothing but allow your girlfriend to hurt me for the last three years. You don’t get to be my friend again now, Garrett. You hurt me. We are nothing to each other. You sat there and let her embarrass me in front of the whole lunchroom just a few hours ago. Your brother was the one who defended me today. He was the one who remembered my birthday. I know Holden would have brought my dinner over for me. He wouldn’t have barged into my house and demanded to stay. Just go, Garrett, leave me to grieve. We are nothing to each other anymore,” I snapped out.

At that point, I didn’t care if I hurt his feelings. He had shown me that he had none, especially towards me. I was not going to look at him. I closed my eyes to suddenly remember what I saw him and Tammy doing last night. That allowed my pain to ease and my anger to start to simmer.

“I'm not leaving you here alone. Can you call Kate over to spend the night with you?” Garrett asked.

“I am not a child, Garrett. I am eighteen years old now. For the last time, I don’t need you here. If people are here, then they will want to talk. I don’t want to talk; I just want to rest. I will not do anything stupid if that is what you are afraid of. I will study, watch my video, and go to bed. Your work here is done, Garrett,” I told him, trying to hold back a sob. He has got me so worked up I can’t even think right now. I can't remember when I have ever been this angry in my life before.

I felt my chair turn as he turned it towards him. He wants me to look at him badly, but I will not. I just closed my eyes tighter. Which then pushes more tears out as I turn my face away from him. I just don’t want to look at him. The sooner he realizes that the sooner he will leave. I don’t need him to be my babysitter.

I could feel his hand on my chin. He was trying to tip my face up so I could look at him. I doubled down on keeping my eyes shut. I would not open them until I heard the door shut after he left.

“Addison, please, look at me. You are hurting me too. I am sorry. I care about you. I really do. But you hurt me first,” Garrett said, sounding like he was in anguish. That causes me to look up at him.

He took the opportunity to gently hold my chin in place as I stared at him in shock. Did I hurt him first? How? I don’t understand what he is saying, but I see emotions swirling in his eyes that I recognize. He is hurting too over us not being friends anymore, which causes my heart to skip a beat. He would have to care about me if he was hurting over losing me.

“How did I?” I started to ask him, but his lips suddenly cut my sentence off. The kiss begins as gently as a feather on my lips before it gets much more intense. He is taking my first kiss from me, and the way his mouth is moving against mine drives everything else out of my brain. All I can think of is the man I love is kissing me passionately. This is a dream come true for me. My brain is setting off alarms, but my heart is exploding with joy.