When Trust is Gone - The Quarterback's Regret

A Nasty Surprise

Chapter 3

Addison’s POV

Was he seriously screwing Tammy with a house full of guests?

She was bent over, holding his desk to support her, and he was pounding into her. I don’t know how she noticed me. Knowing her, she was probably waiting for me to show up. She knew finals were tomorrow, yet she was inside his room instead of studying. She immediately turned to look at me. Her smile said it all. She was glad I had caught them together. It was clear that she probably set this show up for me to see. He didn’t stop or even notice that I was standing there. He had just slid his swim trunks down, and her bikini bottom had also been pulled down. His hands were on her hips, and he was focused on what he was trying to do.

I knew I probably had a deer in the headlights look on my face, but now that she had an audience, she bent down lower and pushed herself back towards Garrett. She was obviously egging him on. I can see him get even more aggressive with his thrusts. I don’t know what she said to him, but whatever it was, he was encouraged to go even faster than I thought possible. Tammy grabbed one of her breasts and cried out as he continued to thrust into her. She wanted me to enjoy the show, and that knowledge broke me out of shock.

She wanted to embarrass me, but she was the one who should be embarrassed. I quickly closed my blinds, but I guess Garrett noticed the movement himself, as he seemed to stop mid-stroke and gape at me as I approached my window. I snapped my blinds closed and headed to my bed. I bit my lower lip as I tried to calm myself down. There was a vast difference in knowing they were sleeping together, but seeing them in action together was jarring. I had caught them before, but my brain could make excuses for him unless they shoved it in my face. I know Garrett was stunned to see me at my window, but I doubt it stopped them. They are probably back at it again. I am not going to look. I honestly don't want to know.

I always knew Tammy was a snake. From the first moment I met her, she had shown me who she was. She was always speaking her ugly comments in my ear to keep others from hearing her and seeing who she was. She was the vice principal's daughter, and he doted on her. He had to, as she was his daughter, but I saw nothing good in her. She cheated on Garrett every chance she got. Even going to frat parties without him, and ending up in bad situations. There was a lot of proof, as pictures would get leaked, and she would be hooking up with some guy in the background. This last time around, she was hooking up with two guys.

The worst part? Garrett always forgave her. I guess she had a gold-plated v****a or something, as cheating was always a deal-breaker for me. I wanted the man I loved to love back just as much. I wanted him to want to take care of me, just like I was going to take care of him. I wanted our love to be just like the wedding vows stated, ‘Forsaking all others.’ That is what I wanted, what I have always wanted. To feel adored, to be cared for, to be protected. For me to be above everyone else as far as my husband was concerned. Or is asking my husband to show me how much he loves me too much to expect? That is all that I've ever wanted. I am beginning to suspect that it may not be easy to find anymore.

I got up early. I could not focus last night, so I will study this morning before the tests. That way, it will be fresh in my mind. I grabbed my book bag and headed downstairs. I had my usual outfit on—a pair of jeans and an oversized hoodie. I started wearing them, even in the hotter months after Tammy arrived. I got sick of her calling me out about my "horrid" auburn hair color. Both my mother and I have the same auburn color. Tammy started calling me the McDonald's mascot name, and that nickname followed me around for years. I hated it, so, of course, it stuck.

I loved our shared hair color, but being the only person in school with this auburn color made me stand out. That was not a positive for me, at all. I had even thought about coloring it just to get Tammy and her friends to stop. Thankfully, my mother talked me out of it. I covered it up, only taking the hood off during class and eating lunch. Amazingly, for the most part, it is out of sight, out of mind, and that worked out well for me.

“Happy birthday, Addison! I made your favorite breakfast. I will be driving you to school today. I need to pick up a few things for your birthday. Do you want me to pick up a cake? Or would you rather I bake you one?” she asked.

“If you have the time, I would rather have your famous strawberry cake,” I replied with a smile. I dove into my scrambled eggs before grabbing a few slices of bacon and a piece of toast. I knew that I needed the protein to get through the day. Mom was always a big help in understanding that on test days, I needed complete focus; I didn’t need to crash.

We headed out to the garage, and I set the alarm as Mom opened the garage door and the car. We were a great team. I buckled up and grinned. My birthday had started out great. Well, at least I thought it did until we backed out of the garage. I saw Garrett walking to his truck. Before I could turn away, he glanced over. He flushed when he saw me. I guess he was embarrassed at my having seen the show last night. I just turned my face away from him until we got to the street. Mom drove smoothly down the street, asking a few more questions on the short trip to school.

She lets me drive her car to school on days she doesn’t want to drive. The school is only a few miles from our home, and I am a good driver. When my mom pulled up at school, I went to run off. She grabbed my hand and stopped me before saying, “Addison, I have a present for you before you go. I got this on my eighteenth birthday. I want to hand it down to you now. I will explain it more this weekend. But take care of it. It is precious to me.”

I was surprised to see a box containing a beautiful sapphire ring in my hand. It had two small diamonds on either side of the stone. It was lovely and unexpected, and I already loved it. “Thanks, Mom. I will always take care of it.” It slid right onto my ring finger on my right hand, and it was a great birthday present.

“That isn’t the only thing you have coming to you today. This is a big birthday. I will pick it up and then grab what I need to make your cake. See you at three, Addison,” my mother told me. I leaned over to hug her, and she kissed my temple.

"Love you, Mom," I told her as I ended the hug.

“Just remember this, my sweet girl, nothing these kids say to you matters, not in the long run. Right now, it is hard. High school is tough; just know that five or ten years from now, none of this matters anymore. You did your best, and you made us proud. Your success makes others jealous. You were born to succeed, my angel. I want you to spread your wings and fly so high that no one can touch you. Life can be hard; just know that it will get easier. You have less than one more week of school, and we are out of here. I believe that you can play hooky a day or two before graduation. You won’t lose your spot. Well, at least that is what Principal Carson told me,” she said with a wink.

"Don’t worry about me, Mom. I've got this,” I replied with a smile. I heard loud music playing before I saw Garrett parking his truck a row away from us. I need to get going now. I didn’t want to run into him.

“Bye, Mom. Love you,” I chirped as I got out of the car.

“Bye, Addie. I will see you after school,” Mom told me, waving goodbye as I shut the door. I quickly headed towards school. I could see Tammy and her merry band of followers heading for the same door I was. I changed directions rapidly. They hadn’t seen me yet. Thankfully, their discussion on exactly which color was the perfect lip color was very engrossing.

I didn’t hesitate as I picked another door to enter. It was closer to my classroom anyway. They would hang out and talk, and I didn't have time for their drama. I needed to study. I don’t have time to waste on them. If it was one thing my parents instilled in me, it was a strict mindset. My father mentioned it each year in the birthday videos he made for me. Mom always lets me watch them after school if my birthday isn't on a weekend. It was very emotional to see him, and I would not have been able to focus on my finals if I had watched it this morning.

So, each year, after I got home, we would go to the dining room table, and Mom would light my candles. She would sing me happy birthday, and I would make a wish. Then we would have a piece of cake and then watch my father’s video. Mom transferred them to discs and downloaded them. That way, I would always have them. I knew that my education was important to them both. I wanted to make my mother proud of me. Remembering what she said made me smile again.

I was so focused on studying that I didn’t hear anyone approach. The next thing I knew, my book was tossed onto the floor, and my hood was yanked back off my head.

“Did you enjoy the show, p*****t?” Tammy asked me.

“Do you enjoy putting on a show? You would have shut the blinds if you didn’t want to be seen. Well, that assumes that you are smart enough to operate the blinds. I am, so that is exactly what I did, so I didn’t have such a disgusting view,” I replied calmly. I wasn’t the one in the wrong here.

“b***h, what did you just say?” Tammy asked in stunned surprise.

“Here, let me speak slower so you and your minions can understand. Garrett has the same blinds that I have. They can be opened or closed. When you go to have s*x, I would suggest closing them. I can assure you that no one wants to see it,” I replied with a grimace. I know I hadn’t wanted to.

"You b***h!” Tammy said and reared back to slap me.

Her hand froze in midair when someone yelled, “Stop right there, Tammy. What do you think you’re doing?”