Chapter 10 of 16

Chapter 10 of 16: The four attend the celebration event. It’s filled to capacity and Trevon and Ryan are surrounded by people, leaving Hanna and Erin alone for a time. Ryan starts talking with an ex-girlfriend named Julia, which makes Erin upset. Hanna notices a woman that Erin tells her is attracted to Trevon. She tells Hanna to have Trevon introduce her. Trevon introduces Hanna to Karina. The four leave the event, go to a restaurant, and the women learn of a house party later in the evening.

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I had Trevon drive my car with Ryan in the passenger seat while Erin and I rode in the back. We hugged - with Erin resting her head on my shoulder, occasionally dozing. Trevon would look at us through the rearview mirror, admiring our affection towards each other.

It was the senior year for both Trevon and Ryan. Winning the national championship would mean they would be thrusted further into the national spotlight, and most likely become first round picks in the draft. When we got to the practice facility, it was filled to capacity with players, coaches, their wives and girlfriends, talent scouts, sports agents, reporters, the media, parents, fans, and groupies. A large crowd started to gather around Ryan and Trevon and soon Erin and I were separated from them. We grabbed something to drink and made our way to a quiet spot, away from the frenzy of people around us.

I said to Erin, “The lives of our men are going to change drastically after the national championship. Win or lose, they will be led into a life of fame, fortune, impulses, temptations, and all the excesses that go with it. I’ve seen it with the players Chuck coached in his day. A few seem to get through it just fine. Most didn’t.” “I understand what you’re saying Hanna,” Erin said. “I love Ryan so much and want to make him happy. But also, I know I need to take care of myself. If Ryan leads this new life, it may not include me, so I need to be prepared for it.” Erin shocked me. It was words from a woman with wisdom well beyond her years. I hugged her and said “Oh Erin, that is so true and so well said. I need to be that way too.

I gave her another piercing look into her eyes and said “Erin, if I’m no longer with Trevon after this, I’ll be sad. If for any reason, I’m no longer with you, I’ll be devastated. She smiled at me with tears starting to well in her eyes. As I was leaning over to kiss her, Trevon came to us from behind.

“I was looking for you,” he said. “I’m sorry babe,” I said. “Erin and I were a little overwhelmed with all the people here, so we found a quiet, out of the way place.” “Well,” he continued, “Come with me. Erin, I’ll take you to Ryan. We want to introduce you to people.”

Trevon took us to meet-up with Ryan, who was talking to an attractive female – a student I assumed. Both were standing unusually close to each other, smiling, engaged in discussion. After Trevon put his arm on Ryan’s shoulder, he disengaged him to join us. I looked at Erin and clearly she was concerned with what she saw.

We were introduced to players, coaches, their wives and girlfriends. Along the way, scouts and agents would come over, introduce themselves, tell us how talented Trevon and Ryan are, and that they’ll be even bigger stars once they become professional. I couldn’t help but wonder where – or even if - Erin and I would fit into this new world our men would now be entering.

We continued meeting more people and Ryan soon wandered off, leaving the three of us together. An agent introduced a member of a professional team to Trevon and the three were in a conversation, leaving Erin and I alone again, this time in the middle of the large gathering. I looked through the crowd and saw Ryan speaking again with the female student. I pointed this out to Erin. I asked, “Who is that woman with Ryan?” “Oh,” she said, with a look of disgust, “That’s Julia. Ryan was dating her for a while and she broke up with him. He still craves for her.” I sensed Erin was feeling hurt, perhaps angry, but I said nothing, hoping Ryan would come to his senses and realize who he came with to this event.

Trevon finished his conversation, rejoined us, and apologized for not giving us his full attention. What a gentleman. He was the most sought-after person at this gathering, but still wanted to let us know we were the most special.

Throughout the event, I notice a young and very attractive woman staring at us a distance away. While Trevon was off speaking with another admirer, I asked Erin about her and why she kept looking at us. “Oh, that’s Karina. She’s one of those white girls that likes to have sex with black guys. I heard that she’s hooked up with several of the players and has the hots for Trevon.”

Erin then turned and looked me in the eyes. In a low voice, for only me to hear, she said, “Hanna, you need to know that Trevon likes Karina as well. I’ve seen them hang out together on campus. You need to control the situation. She could take your man from you. You need to let Trevon have sex with her, and you need to be there when he does it.” “What! Are you crazy? That won’t happen,” I said. Erin replied, “Hanna, it can happen and it will. Trevon is the most sought-after person. Woman want to be with him and have sex with him.” I stood there, stunned by what Erin was telling me. “Hanna, go to Trevon and have him introduce you to Karina. You need to know your enemy,” she said. I was still in disbelief. This couldn’t be right. I was madly in love with Trevon, and he with me. There couldn’t possibly be anything or anyone that could break that.

After a few more moments, Trevon returned and Erin went off to speak with a friend. I looked up to lock eyes with Trevon. “Hey babe,” I said, “I want you to introduce me to Karina.” Trevon eyes widen and he gave me a blank look. “Karina,” I said, “The woman over there who keeps looking at us.” Trevon looked over at Karina, then back at me. He said, “Why do you want to meet Karina?” “I understand you two are friends. I’d like to get to know your friends,” I replied.

He stood there, motionless, staring at me. After great hesitation, he brought me over to meet Karina. Like Trevon, she’s also a senior, tall, close to six feet, slender, and strikingly beautiful – runway model material. We had a pleasant 15-minute conversation. As we started to get more comfortable towards the end, I could tell both Trevon and Karina were attracted to each other. Erin was right. She was right about everything she told me so far. I would need to do some extraordinary things to keep the man I love.

We finished the conversation and rejoined Erin. Ryan was still speaking with Julia which made Erin feel abandoned, hurt, and angry. Trevon was also disgusted with Ryan’s behavior. He went over to Ryan to separate him from Julia and brought him over to us. The three of us were disappointed with Ryan’s behavior, but he seemed unfazed by his actions.

I sat in the front with Trevon who was driving, with Ryan and Erin in the back. There was a quiet tension in the air with Erin still angered by Ryan’s behavior. I tried to make light conversation about how much I enjoyed the event we attended on our way to the restaurant for dinner which seemed to help. By the time we arrived, everyone was speaking and the mood seemed to lighten a bit.

We sat at a table in the back of the restaurant that was somewhat secluded. We had a nice dinner, and our men told us of a house party we’d be going to thereafter. It was something they found out about at the event. As we left the restaurant, there were a large group of fans and well-wishers who were in the parking lot to greet us.