“I’m cool with that. At least I know it’ll be hard for you to take guys back to your room.”
Colleen laughed harder now. “I don’t think that’s something you’ll have to worry about and I’m sure once you see those cheerleaders at school, you’ll forget all about me.”
Teyler sat up and dragged her with him. They had claimed this hidden space inside the Charleston castle as theirs, so they were alone in the dark. The only light coming through the windows was the one from the nearby lighthouse. “Don’t do that. I thought we talked about that.”
Colleen shrugged. “I know. I can’t help it. You see me and my body differently than everyone else, me included.”
“I don’t think so. I think you’re too hard on yourself. I see guys checking you out all the time. Pisses me the fuck off.”
“I wish you weren’t leaving so soon.” Colleen sighed. “I’m going to miss this…us.”
“I’m going to miss this too,” Teyler said with a big smile on his handsome face then kissed her lips gently. “Joking. I’m going to miss you too.”
That’s when the tears started. Because even though no matter where life took them, Colleen and Teyler tried their best to refuse to let the fact they were going in different directions affect their last weeks together, but she couldn’t control her emotions. “I wish we were going to be closer,” she cried.
“Me too,” Teyler said as he pulled his pants up over his hips. “I have a great idea. You can transfer after the first semester. You’d be on campus in Connecticut before the season even started.”
Colleen sighed. Oh, how she wished she could do that. But money was tight. In-state tuition and being close to home was what she and her mother agreed upon, all they could afford. The Hamilton family wasn’t poor by any means, but they weren’t nearly as well off as some of the Falls Village residents, definitely not as wealthy as Teyler’s family. They felt the change after her father died and Colleen tried to not make things any harder than they had to be on Dorothy.
“I really wish I could, Tey, you know that. But I can’t.” She sighed as she straightened out her clothing. “Enough of this sad talk. Let’s head over to the shop. We can eat fudge and taffy until we puke.”
Teyler grabbed her by the waist and pulled Colleen into his body, grinding his hips so she could feel his excitement. “Or we can do that again,” Teyler suggested as he nodded to the bed a few feet away.
That night changed both of their lives forever. They didn’t know it at the time, but two events would change everything.
Colleen and Teyler were heading back into town, walking along the cliffs they so loved when he grabbed her around the waist again to turn her to face him. Colleen was freaking out and Teyler wanted to do whatever he could to make her feel better even though he was ready to lose his shit too. “You said you were on the pill. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“I can’t believe it broke. I thought that was an old wives tale to keep kids from having sex. How can it break?”
Teyler, wanting to lighten the mood, tried humor. “I’m just that big, I guess.”
Colleen sent him a glare, not finding anything funny right then. Annoyed with the situation, she tried to pull out of his grasp and her footing faltered; she slipped on the slick rocks and her and Teyler took a tumble a few feet down.
Colleen heard his pain ridden cry as he hit the cliff to shield her from injury. “Motherfucker!”
“Oh, my God! Tey, are you all right?”
Colleen climbed off him and righted herself back on her feet as Teyler rolled around on the ground holding his knee, blood seeping through his fingers, and swearing. “It fucking hurts. I think I pulled something; I heard a pop. My father is going to fucking kill me. Coach is going to have a motherfucking fit.”
Colleen gently removed his hand, but seeing the amount of blood, she quickly told him to keep applying pressure while she called for help. Diana thankfully answered and was there to get them within ten minutes.
The ride to the hospital was silent except for Colleen’s tears.
When they arrived, the emergency doctors swept Teyler off into the ER, leaving Colleen crying with Diana holding her hand when the Walker’s came in.
“Where’s my boy? Is he all right? I want to see him immediately. No one better have touched him.”
Then Colleen’s eyes met ones identical to Teyler’s. Tears filled his mother’s eyes like hers. The beautiful ebony-skinned woman tried her best to offer Colleen a smile as she approached. “You must be the girl he’s always talking about. I’m Anita, Teyler’s mother.”
Colleen cried even harder as she was forced to face the woman and explain what had happened to her son. “I’m C-Colleen,” she sobbed. “It was an accident. I slipped on the rocks and Tey grabbed me. He made sure I didn’t get hurt.”
Leroy Walker swung his head around and glared at her. Until his wife raised a hand and warned him to keep his mouth shut if he knew what was good for him. The bigger than life athlete turned sportscaster shook his head.
“Roy,” Anita said. “It was an accident. Tey sounded alive when he called us, so you need to check your attitude right now.”
“Titi,” Leroy tried, but his wife cut him off at the pass.
“Don’t Titi me, I warned your ass on the way over here. Our son clearly likes this girl. Do you think what you’re about to say is going to fly with him? Because I’ve known you a long time. I also remember a situation very similar to this. Would you like me to call Daddy so he can remind you of what I’m referring to?”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“No? I think it’s more than relevant and…”
“Mr. or Mrs. Walker?” a man wearing a white lab coat asked as he entered the waiting area. “I’m Dr. Lambert. My nurse told me you arrived and wanted to see your son.”
Anita turned to Colleen and took her hands in hers. “Don’t worry, honey. I’m sure he’s fine. We’ll come out in a second to let you know, okay? You going to be okay here with your friend?”
Colleen shook her head, and Anita smiled, then followed her husband through the ER doors.
“Oh, my God!” Diana said. “What the hell happened?”
Colleen sighed. “So much. I don’t know where to start.”
Diana pulled her down into a chair and turned to face Colleen. “How about what the hell were you guys doing at night, in the dark, scaling the cliff?”
Colleen smirked, and Diana laughed. “Um…we’ve been sneaking into the Charleston castle every night to be together…alone.”
“I knew it! Kim and I knew it! She’s going to die. Oh, my God! How is he? Is it as big as they say it is?” she whispered that last part.
“How am I friends with you? What kind of question is that?” Colleen asked but couldn’t hide her shit-eating grin. “Okay, fine,” she relented. “Yes, it is. That’s not a fallacy. At. All.”
“Wow! Good for you.”
“Why?” Colleen asked as the tears began again. “He’s never going to speak to me again. I mean, if the condom breaking wasn’t shit luck enough, I had to slip and fall. Now he will probably need to have surgery and his scholarship will get pulled and he’ll blame and hate me.”