Page 51 of Breakaway

Travis

Travis walked to his car in the parking lot, the sounds of the club fading into the distance. He unlocked the driver’s door, and sat for a moment. The peace and quiet reminded him of Morgan, and he missed her. Maybe she’d left him a message by now.

He searched his pockets—no phone. Dammit. He must’ve left his phone in the club. Now that he thought about it, he’d been checking for messages from Morgan all night, and he must’ve put it down. He hadn’t had much to drink, but those girls hanging off him had messed with his mind, and in his haste to leave, he must’ve forgotten to pick it up.

With a sigh, he got out of the car and pressed the fob to lock it again. He trudged back toward the club, hoping that his phone was still there.

The club was even more packed and noisier than just before, but he was sure his phone had to be here somewhere. He started to search the tables. “Ben, have you seen my phone?”

“Nope,” Ben said, as he looped his arm around a girl Travis had never seen before.

Travis didn’t know most of the girls flirting with the guys tonight. He glanced around the crowded club. He was surrounded by teammates, alcohol, and random girls trying to get lucky with a hockey player—and yet he’d rather be in Pittsburgh getting a coffee with Morgan.

He liked the way they did things in Pittsburgh. The young guys there were all consumed with the game and staying sharp, versus the Falcons focus on partying.

He regretted not leaving earlier. While he enjoyed hanging out with the team, he just wasn’t into all the drunken hook-ups that went along with the outing once the night was in full swing.

“Yo! Anderson!” JJ called to him from across the room.

A strange girl ran up behind Travis and snapped a selfie, while planting a kiss on his cheek. With a sigh he shook her off. There wasn’t any such thing as personal space where the bunnies were concerned.

Travis retraced his steps, checking each table for his phone. Girls everywhere were snapping photos and taking selfies. As usual, he ducked out of as many photos as he could.

Finally, he spotted the phone at one of the tables he’d been at earlier, coincidentally, not far from where his ex-girlfriend, Mariah, sat. She was busy with Teddy, snuggling up to him, and whispering in his ear. The unsettling thing was that she was also keeping an eye on him.

They hadn’t been serious, at least, not in his mind. They’d hung out a lot, and he enjoyed having a steady girl. But he’d known early on that Mariah hadn’t been right for him, and they’d broken up long ago. He had no interest in her whatsoever, so good luck to Teddy.

“Mariah, is that my phone?” He pointed to the cell next to her.

“I believe so, yes.” She smiled sweetly.

He grabbed the phone.

“Travis.” A random girl whom he didn’t recognize cuddled up next to him, as he slid his phone into his pocket, not wanting to misplace it again.

He dipped his head to her, gesturing a hello.

The young woman started giggling, which seemed to be a common trait in these party girls. “So, Travis, do you have a girlfriend?” She batted her fake eyelashes and pursed her overly puffy lips.

“Yes, I do.” He spoke very matter-of-factly, partly because he was proud to acknowledge his relationship with Morgan, and partly because this girl was clearly drunk and he wanted to make sure she understood. Travis wasn’t trying to be rude, but the games these girls played annoyed him, and he wanted no part of them.

At the table sat a few of his teammates, each with a girl on their arm, except Jack, who had three girls surrounding him, all taking selfies.

The girl who had attached herself to Travis glanced around the table and asked, “Is she here?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“That’s good enough for me.” The girl stood on her tiptoes, lifting her face to press her lips to his. She fell against him and wasted no time, even trying to slip him the tongue.

Abruptly pushing her away, he scolded, “What was that? I said I had a girlfriend.”

The blonde shrugged, unaffected by his actions. “You said she wasn’t here.”

He frowned. “She isn’t, but that wasn’t any kind of invitation.”

“Oh, come on, Travis. It’s not that big of a deal.” She smiled and leaned closer to whisper in his ear. The fumes of pure alcohol on her breath almost burned his nostrils. “Lesh go have a little fun, shall we?” She was slurring now, and Travis wondered just how many drinks she’d had, to have gotten herself into this state.

JJ looked over at him and winked in some weird approval.