When Trust is Gone - The Quarterback's Regret

My Prized Possession

Chapter 4

Garrett’s POV

I hated running into Addison as I left for school this morning. I felt terrible about what she saw last night. I hadn’t even noticed my blinds were open when I entered my room last night. All I saw was Tammy was ready to go as usual. I just slid my condom on and went to work. Everyone else was hanging out at the fire pit after we ate. It was the middle of May, but it got a little cooler at night, so they were busy for the next thirty minutes. We would be back down there with them before they could even miss us. No one was swimming now that the sun was going down, but they were making s'mores, which would keep them busy until we came back to the group, one at a time.

Tammy had excused herself to use the bathroom in the house, and I used the opportunity to slip away myself a few minutes later. I knew what that look she had given me meant. Tammy usually closes the blinds when she gets to my room so we can get started as soon as I arrive. Tammy was still trying to get me back, using any means necessary, but she didn't know that would never happen. I knew everything that Tammy did, all courtesy of her friend downstairs, Whitley. She was thrilled to spill the tea as she had gone to the frat party with Tammy. She wanted to take Tammy's place and told me everything.

I have been playing along with Tammy ever since. Tammy has been at my beck and call for the last few months after the football season closed. There's no need to end her groveling just yet. I enjoy what she offers, but I won’t take her back. No matter what she happens to think. She is pretty, but she does nothing for me. She is just a means to an end—someone happy to give me a well-deserved release. I don’t care for her, not like that. Tammy was just a bedwarmer, a placeholder. But she was not the person I would want to marry. She could go right back to those frat boys to get with them if they were willing to take her back. I am sure they got what they wanted and sent her on her way. She is grasping at straws now, but I am finished with her as a girlfriend.

I had someone I liked, but they were not the person I thought they were. That discovery hurt me to my core. Three years later, and to tell the truth, I am still not over it. I don't know that I ever will be. Seeing her daily and remembering our shared past made the lines blur, but I can’t forgive her. She never apologized, and she acted like she did nothing wrong. How could I let it go? She valued hurting me over our friendship. There was no way I would let it go without sending some punishment to her. I knew that I would never be able to trust her again, and because of that, she earned what was coming to her.

I hate that Addison caught us in the act. That was not lovemaking. It was just s*x—a release and nothing more. I don’t make love. I was waiting for marriage to do that. Tammy got around a lot and was willing to toe the line to get me back. She threw herself at me all the time. I was only with her because we had dated, she was the captain of the cheer squad, and I knew how much it hurt Addison to see us together.

Addison has always had self-esteem issues. Tammy knew exactly where to hurt her the most with her hateful comments, so Tammy served a purpose. I could indirectly hurt Addison in two ways. I would have stopped Tammy if Addison had just apologized to me or returned my football. I would have kept Addison by my side until college or even later if she hadn't stolen from me.

Tammy ditching me just to go to that frat party embarrassed the hell out of me. I saw the pictures. She was in the background with two guys. I knew some of their friends, and she let both guys have her. She is throwing herself at so many, just trying to stick to one of us. We all knew the rules. Suit up each and every time. But no one wanted to marry a Jersey chaser. We knew what they wanted from us. We wanted a good girl who we could trust.

Addison had been my best friend my whole life. We did everything together. After her father passed away, my father stepped up. She did everything I did. We were joined at the hip. Once I turned thirteen, I even wondered if she had the same evolving feelings for me as I had for her. Something had changed between us in the last few years. She got cuter with each passing year.

If I hadn’t heard from a reliable source what Addison had done, I would never have believed it. She stole the most valuable possession that I had. She knew how much it meant to me and still took it to her house. I haven’t seen it in three years, but it still angers me. It wasn’t the value of it, it was the principal of it.

I had a football from the nineteen forties. One of the older types that my grandfather had given me. He had been gifted that football by his father from back when he had played in college. They had both autographed it. It had more sentimental value than monetary. I could buy another one, but it wouldn’t be the one my grandfather gave me. That is what doesn’t even make sense about it. Addison knew more than anyone else how much that football meant.

After that, I refused to speak to her. As far as I was concerned, she was dead to me. I didn’t even discuss it with her, no matter how often she asked me why. She knew why. I don’t even know why she would play dumb with me like that. She hurt me first, so I didn’t stop Tammy or any of them when they bullied Addison. I encourage her to do it now. It is what Addison deserves.

My grandfather had passed away after he gave me that football. He would be heartbroken to hear that I no longer had it. He gave it to me because he knew I loved the game. He knew I would take care of it. I am just thankful that no one else noticed it was missing. That is as far as my kindness would extend to protecting Addison from my parents. Dad would be upset if he knew she had taken it. It was something we all considered to be a family treasure.

The problem is, I still liked Addison. I wanted Addison. Well, I wanted the Addison I once knew. I don’t even know how she got it out of my house. I had it in a plexiglass case on a shelf to keep it dust-free. Addison had never even entered my room in all the years I knew her. She would come up to my door, but she never entered. She would blush when I teased her about it. Addison was a rule follower, and her mother had told her not to enter a boy’s room. She took that literally, even when we were just best friends.

I went to a football training camp when I was fifteen. I was gone for five days, and when I returned, it was gone. I found out from my younger sister Valerie that Addison had been the one who had taken it. I couldn’t believe it, and Holden argued with Valerie about it, but Valerie insisted that was what had happened. A month later, Holden came to me and told me to talk to Addison about it. He was only thirteen then but insistent that Valerie was wrong. He told me he knew that Addison hadn’t taken it, but I knew that Valerie wouldn’t lie to me. Plus, Holden had a thing for Addison, so he was backing her despite the evidence against her.

Two weeks later, while I was on a first date with Tammy, she told me she had been there the day in question. She had seen Addison leave with a transparent box but hadn’t known what it was then. Tammy had been there that day helping Valerie practice some cheers to try out for the team. That was how she saw what happened. She told me that if she had known what Addison had taken, she would have stopped her. That was it for me. Two people had seen Addison take it. I didn’t need to know anything more. I was done with Addison.

After that, I drew a line between us. I ensured she knew we were no longer friends, and I didn’t want to speak with her again. I knew I hurt her; it was written all over her face, but she had hurt me first. Why did she feel the need to take it? Mine had a sentimental value for me. I would have gotten her one of her own because Addison meant a lot to me. But obviously, I didn’t mean a lot to her.

Seeing her snap her blinds closed had me lose all my enthusiasm for Tammy. I pulled out and removed the condom, tossing it in the trash. Tammy was furious because I hadn't finished.

“Why did you stop, Garrett? Addison is a big girl. A really big girl. She’ll get over it,” Tammy whined.

“I'm done, just go,” I replied, still seeing Addison’s hurt expression. I just want to shower and go to bed now. I will finish in the shower after Tammy leaves.

“Baby, come on, let me give you a blow job so you can finish,” Tammy said in what she thought was a seductive voice, but it wasn’t.

“Leave,” I told her in a louder tone, pointing at the door.

“Fine, I will see you tomorrow at school,” Tammy pouted as she stalled to see if I would change my mind. I wasn't going to. She slid her bottoms up and left, slamming the door after her.

Seeing Addison this morning brought all of it back to me. How in the hell did Addison have the right to be hurt by anything I did with Tammy? Addison would have been with me if she hadn't stolen from me. Seeing her turn her head away from me this morning as her mother backed out of the driveway had hurt. She had no right at all to be mad at me over this. She was the one who broke my heart. She was the one who didn’t value our friendship. She was the one who took my most prized possession away just to hurt me. She started this war, and until she returned my football to me, I could never forgive her.

The only problem is that all I can see now is Addison’s face last night, right before she closed her blinds. She was hurt, really hurt. She wouldn’t have been that hurt if she hadn't cared about me, which makes my heart ache. I don't understand how, if she cared about me, why did she destroy everything between us? I will never understand why she did that to me. I hardened my heart as I would never allow myself to be swayed by Addison again. I will do who and what I want when I want. This is the last week of high school, and I will enjoy this and my summer thoroughly.