Upping the Ante

Season 1 – Episode #14

Disclaimer: This episode was created by Peter Berg and written by David Hudgins. All recognizable dialogue is theirs and italics are mine.

Guests: Thank you for the reviews. I love really dissecting each episode. I do think writing an individual story is easier because you don't have to work in the constraints of what was given, but then you have to come up with the actual storyline – much harder creatively.

Natbenson: Thanks for the review.

ICanStopAnytime: The writers did nothing with that storyline of Tami working on the Mayor's campaign. I thought that might have been interesting. I always assume since Tami is so committed to education and how she gets Julie involved in working for Habitat, she had some of her own worldly experiences.

Naguabo: The staying power is tough to keep. I always wish I update more often, but it is really time consuming.

A/N: Please take a moment to review. It is a true motivator.

The alarm sounded, the shrill beeping invaded his no longer peaceful mind. Eric reached with his right hand to silence it, trying not to slam the rectangle button and wake Tami. It was 5:15am and still dark outside. He did not want to get out of bed this early.

Unfortunately, it was Smash who made this unbearable time a reality. Now, because he put his ass on the line for this kid, he was going to make sure he paid. He was not going to give him one pass as they moved forward. Smash let him down and he'd be damned to play the fool for his mistakes.

He removed the covers and swung his legs out of bed. He sat like that for a moment, as he dreaded getting this early of a start to his day. The alarm sounded again and he quick reached over and silenced it. He must have hit snooze instead of turning it off.

He felt Tami's hand on his back. "Why are you getting up so early?"

He peeked over his right shoulder and noticed her eyes were still closed. "Sorry about the alarm."

"I don't care about the alarm. Where are you going this early?"

Eric drew a deep breath annoyed that he had to play this babysitting game. "Smash is supposed to be at the fieldhouse at 6:00am. I want to make sure he is there at 6:00am."

"Or you can just trust him and come back to bed." She suggested.

"I can't trust him. " Eric said. He wondered how long he was going to hate what he did. "I have to treat him like a damn baby, for the cowardly, stupid thing he did."

Tami sat up slightly and rubbed Eric's back, wanting to offer some comfort. She immediately felt the soreness between her legs, as it served as a reminder of last night. Eric turned to face her and her eyes were apologetic. He smirked as he spoke. "I had fun last night. I'll keep my mind on that."

Tami thought about the tugging of clothes, the slow start, but the sudden rush and heat that pulsated through her body. How, for the first time in a very long time, he lifted on the counter top outside their bathroom where she normally applied her makeup and plunged in and out of her. Images flashed through her mind, like paparazzi snapping their cameras.

She didn't feel her lips curve, but Eric noticed they did. "I'm glad you had fun too."

When Eric arrived at the fieldhouse, he thought about Smash and how angry he still was. Logically, he couldn't stay mad forever. He made the decision to not report him. He made the decision to take that risk, but how long was he going to make Smash pay? He didn't think there was enough time in the world to wait for the anger to dissipate.

As Eric opened the door to the fieldhouse, he noticed the lights were already turned on. He saw Smash already at work, paying his debt off to Coach.

"There's two ways to fold a towel. There's my way and the wrong way. Let's do it right." Eric called to Smash as he walked in. That felt good, Eric thought.

"Yes Sir."

"Here's the game plan for Friday. I want ten of them. The binders and notebooks are over by the copier." He dropped the stack of papers where Smash was folding towels.

"Right now?" Smash wasn't questioning if he should do it at all, but was questioning if he should stop folding the towels and do that first.

Eric could have strangled him. "Well, gee, yeah Smash. If it wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience for you. I'd appreciate it." His tone dripped with sarcasm before his voice rose to the level of anger. "Hey! Let me tell you something. You think I rather be here right now with you at the crack of dawn than be home with my family cooking breakfast?"

"Coach. I'm sorry"

"Huh?" Eric took it a decibel higher.

"I'm sorry."

"Are you thinking about that?"

Smash shook his head back and forth, frustrated at the situation he put himself in.

"Did you bring those test results from the clinic?"

"Yes, sir."

"Let me see them."

Smash handed the paper over. "Coach, I didn't mean…."

"You didn't mean what? You didn't mean to risk my reputation? My career? Is that what you were going to say? I've got the chairman of the district executive committee – you know what he's doing – he's calling me at home. So you're not the only one with your ass on the line, Smash!"

"Yes, sir." It was the only thing he knew to say that wasn't going to get him in trouble.

Eric handed back the paper and the sarcasm returned. "That's good. Congratulations."

How was he going to let this anger go?

The week continued along the same path. Eric was gone in the mornings before Tami and Julie were out of their rooms, leaving them on their own for breakfast. Without Eric present, Julie thought Tuesday morning was the perfect opportunity to ask her mother about going out with Matt during the week. Julie was smart enough to know Eric could be unreasonable about these things. She knew her mother would hear her out and understand her needs better. She hadn't figured out if it was because Tami was once a teenage girl or if she just had more capability to understand because of her educational background. Either way, Julie knew this was her best opportunity.

To Julie's disappointment, Tami's initial response was not what she hoped for. "No, you are not going to a concert on a week night."

"It's not just any concert…" Julie began, making her best case. After a few questions, Tami eventually relented with a few rules.

"And don't tell your father. Let me break it to your father." Even Tami knew how unreasonable Eric could be at times when it came to his little girl.

During her free block of time during her day, Tami made her way to Eric's office. She leaned against the door frame of his office. He was sitting at the computer, clicking the mouse, studying something puzzling to him. She watched him for a few seconds, admiring how good he looked in deep concentration.

His voice broke her thoughts. "What brings you down here?"

She pushed her body off the concrete slab, walked over to where he was sitting and leaned against the desk. "It's weird not seeing you in the mornings."

He didn't look away from the screen. "During summer camp, I'm not there in the morning."

"Yeah, but our school routine is out of whack when you're not there." Tami stared that the screen too, trying to figure out what he was looking at, but then she remembered why she really came down. "So, Julie asked me if she can go to a concert on Wednesday night with Matt. I told her yes, but she has to be home by eleven."

This got Eric's attention. "She can't go to a concert on a Wednesday!"

"I figured you were going to say that, but if she's home by eleven, I don't think it's too bad. Plus she came out and asked me. I want to trust her, Eric." Tami could see Eric was wavering. "She could have lied to us. She could have made up something, but she didn't. She came out and asked if she could go and I rather have it that way."

"I don't want her running around this town unsupervised. She's fifteen years old."

"Eric, she could have lied. Matt could have asked her to lie, but he didn't. Not like what you used to make me do."

"That's different. You weren't allowed to do anything."

"Julie's going to start to think she's not allowed to do anything. And to be honest, I'm not proud of the relationship I had with my mother. I felt like I had to lie to her. I don't want Julie to feel like that. I want to give her this chance. Let her come home on time and be responsible so the next time she asks, the decision won't be this hard to make."

"Fine." He got up out of his chair a lightly pecked her lips. "I miss our mornings too." He winked, knowing it wasn't just the breakfasts he was missing." I'll walk you back up to your office." As he waited for her to exit in front of him, he felt the need to defend their actions as kids. "For the record, I never asked you to lie to your mother."

Tami rolled her eyes at him.

Tami told her fair share of lies to her mother while she was dating Mo. Her mother was overly protective and Tami assumed it was because of the tough life her mother led. Mrs. Hayes always wanted better for her girls, but more importantly she wanted them to want better.

Tami didn't remember the exact moment her father left, but her mother constantly reminded her how important it was to be independent. Her mother made no secret of the fact that she didn't like Mo. He was too showy and the fact that he didn't work hard for his money annoyed Mrs. Hayes further.

So when Mo broke her heart, Mrs. Hayes tried to be sympathetic with Tami, but hoped Tami would now go away to college and not look back at the rich boyfriend who thought more of himself than her daughter.

When Tami started to date Eric, she loosened the reins a bit. Enrolled in a college far away from him and leaving in a few short weeks, Mrs. Hayes didn't see Eric as a threat. Tami grew strong from her heartbreak with Mo. She wasn't going to let Eric be the focal point of her future.

It wasn't until their first semester of college was in the books and they were home for winter break that Tami started lying to her mother on a regular basis. Eric would ask her to stay out later with him, ask her to hang out his house with no adult supervision and ask her to spend the night with him.

It was New Year's Eve and everyone was home from college. He wanted to take her to a party, hang out with their old friends and more importantly, he wanted her to spend the night at his house.

He gave her his best sell. ""My parents are away Tami. We can spend the night together with no worries of being interrupted. No college roommates walking in, no being quiet in fear that someone will hear us."

Eric had a point. Their sexual relationship had not really had the opportunity to flourish. Before they left for college, their physical relationship was not at that point and in college there were always other obstacles to deal with. Eric played football over Thanksgiving so this was their first opportunity to be alone and uninterrupted.

"What am I supposed to tell my mother?"

"Tell her you are spending the night at Melissa's house. You do that often enough for her to believe it. Tami, I want to be with you all the time. And not in a twin bed with a sock on the door."

He melted her. The thing she quickly realized about Eric was that he often said things like that not to coerce her into doing things she didn't want to do, but because he really felt them. He expressed his deepest feelings with no other motive than to let her know how he felt about her.

He could tell she was indecisive about it. "You know what? I'm sorry. I shouldn't be doing this to you. I'll take any amount of time with you as I can get."

She smiled a genuine smile at him. "I'll tell her I'm sleeping at Melissa's."

On the walk back to her office, she gently reminded him of that New Year's Eve and once again explained why they needed to let Julie loose a bit. He eventually came around and agreed with her. As he leaned in for a kiss goodbye, a smile spread across his face.

"What?"

"We could have saved ourselves that entire conversation. I just realized that I have to do a TV appearance thing and I think it's going to be important that Matt goes with me."

"Don't do that."

He kissed her quickly and started down the hall. "I'm definitely doing that!"

Wednesday night, after practice, Eric came home to an empty house. He had about an hour before he had to pick Matt up and go over to the television studio. He was so annoyed. He didn't want to do this. Why did Buddy always rope him into this crap?

He took a shower and as he was stepping out, Tami called from the bedroom. "Hey hon. Sorry I'm late. I pulled out your suit and your tie. It's on the bed."

"Thanks." He called back. "Where's Julie?"

"She said something about going to Matt's house to watch his grandmother while you are at the studio." Eric stepped out of the bathroom with the towel tied around his waist. Tami couldn't help but notice how good he looked. She tried to focus her attention back to what she was saying. "She didn't seem too happy about it."

"About helping Matt out? Why?"

Tami should have known Eric wouldn't understand. "Because not only did he cancel their date, but now he asks her to do this? She's probably feeling a bit let down." Although Julie was his daughter, Eric still thought like a football player at times.

Eric slid the towel off and started to dry his body. He felt Tami's eyes on him, and as much as he liked when she gawked at him, he knew he didn't have time for what he envisioned. "Which tie did you pick?" He said as he towel dried his hair, pretending like he actually cared about his attire.

She brought a red dotted tie over and when he was done with his towel he tossed it aside, leaving him standing completely naked in front of her. He grabbed the tie from her hands and looped it around her neck. He tugged both ends and pulled her close to him. "You like what you see." It wasn't a question, but more of a statement. This was the confident Eric Tami fell in love with. "You like what you see. I know you won't admit it, but you like what you see." He gave her a sexy smirk, and leaned in to kiss her. He opened his mouth and closed it before their tongues met. He knew if he deepened that kiss, he would never get that suit on in time.

"I like what I see." She admitted.

"Good." He said, as he felt a bit of satisfaction. "It's good to hear sometimes, when I don't have to drag it out of you. You always like to play these little games."

"I'm not playing any games, sugar."

"I'd love to play a game with you right now…" He teased. "…but I have to go."

"I don't play any games." She repeated.

"Okay." He said, making his way over to his dresser to get dressed.

Julie came home first which probably meant that Eric went out for a beer with Buddy after the taping. Julie was in the kitchen and rummaging through the refrigerator, looking for something they probably didn't have in there to eat.

"How was your night?" Tami called from the couch.

"It was okay." She made her way to the other side and took a seat at the counter.

Tami got up and went into the kitchen so she could face her. "You mad that Matt asked you to do that tonight?" Tami never beat around the bush. "Watch his grandmother?" She clarified.

"No." Julie said looking at her spoon. She decided on yogurt. "Yes." She said sadly. "I don't know." She was having trouble digesting it. "He called me his girlfriend. The other day, he slipped and called me his girlfriend. And girlfriends are supposed to do things for their boyfriends, right?"

Tami knew better than to interrupt. She did hear the front door open and shut down the hallway, but she wasn't sure if Julie heard it. "But Tyra keeps telling me that Matt is going to have girls falling all over him and that I should lie and let him know that I have options."

"Is that what you want to do? Try to make Matt jealous?" Tami interjected. She knew that was not normal behavior for Julie.

"Not really. But even Lois has been telling me that Matt is just going to turn into one of those typical football players and I am going to end up getting hurt."

"What do you think?" Tami wanted to say football players have a reputation for a reason, but she was keenly aware that Eric was listening to their conversation. "Do you trust Matt?"

"It's not that I don't trust him. I just felt like tonight, he took a little bit of advantage of me."

Tami hoped Eric made the correlation to how Julie felt at that moment to how he treated all those girls in high school. The only difference was that their Julie wasn't afraid to admit it and speak up for herself. "You should tell him that. He's never going to know how you feel if you don't tell him."

"Do you think I am making a big deal out of nothing?"

"I think you can't help how you feel."

"Okay. Thanks mom." Julie retreated to her bedroom and after she heard the door close, she peered down the hallway and saw Eric leaned against the front door.

"How much did you hear of that?"

"What did he do? Matt? How did he take advantage of her?"

Tami could sense the anger in his voice and Tami knew he assumed it was something physical. "Honestly, she is feeling a little insecure. She'll be okay."

Eric started to walk toward the hallway the led to her bedroom. "Maybe I should talk to her?"

"You are the last person that should talk to her." When he gave her a questioning look, she continued. "Do you know how many girls from high school you made feel that exact same way?"

"That's not true. Don't say that."

"Come on, Eric." She said surprised that he could be so dense. "You treated girls like crap and they let you."

"I never did anything hurtful. I won you over, didn't I?"

"That's because I didn't let you walk all over me."

"Give me one example." He challenged. "Tell me one time where you recall me not treating someone well."

"Just one?"

Tami was headed to the bathroom between classes, and when she opened the door she saw a group of rally girls comforting one of their own. She pretended not to pay attention, but her heart broke for this girl.

"I did what you told me." The inconsolable girl said. "I waited for Eric to have a few beers and I flirted with him. I even used the line you gave me, asking him if he was curious about me and he took the bait."

"I'm sorry." Another rally girl said. "Eric is such a player."

So we were making out and he was telling me how much he liked what I was doing. He was complimenting me like crazy."

Tami knew they must have been speaking about Eric Taylor. She knew he was a playboy and broke hearts often.

"He asked for a blowjob. He just came right out and asked."

"He didn't force you, did he?"

Tami laughed, accidentally letting the sound escape her lips. She knew Eric through Mo and she knew Eric would never force anyone to do anything. The girls all turned and looked at her, annoyed with her presence. "I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you. Eric could be a jerk." She conceded.

The girl continued. "I didn't know what to do, but he had this smug look on his face like he just expected it." The girl looked at Tami, afraid to say too much in front of her, but Tami feigned ignorance and the girls continued. "So when I didn't do it, I saw him an hour later taking Laura upstairs. She's his rally girl so I am sure she did it."

Tami knew it was probably true. Eric always turned to Laura when he was out of options and Laura was always there. It was like she reserved herself for him.

Tami exited the bathroom having heard enough and there he was. He had his books in his left hand and his right hand was palm flat against the lockers. He had a pretty blonde girl pinned with her back against the cool blue metal. Eric was flirting with her relentlessly and she giggled and touched his chest.

Just then the girls bathroom door flew open and the rally girl who was sobbing saw Eric there too. She just ran back into the bathroom.

"You don't remember that?"

"Are you serious? You're asking me to remember something that happened over twenty years ago?"

"You asked me for one example and there it is."

"You're making that up!"

She gave him an incredulous look.

"Okay. Maybe you're not." He couldn't hide from his younger self. "Julie's smarter than that and Matt better watch himself."

At practice the next day Eric rode Smash relentlessly. He just couldn't let the anger go. He was slow and unsure of himself. It just served as a reminder of what he did. Eric didn't have a clue how to put this behind him other than to keep punishing him until he felt he had enough.

When he pulled into the driveway, he saw Tami unloading groceries. He put the car in park, got out and wordlessly grabbed two bags and walked ahead of her into the house. He rarely did that. His father taught him better. "Never walk in front of a lady, Eric. It seems simplistic, but it's so important. It shows her respect and it shows her you care."

So, when Tami followed him into the house, she could sense the anger he was holding on to. "Honey?" She spoke up. "Not for nothing, but you are tied up in knots right now." They crossed into the house and made their way toward the kitchen. "You're wound up like a drum."

"Wound up?"

"Yes you are. And you know what? It's where Smash is getting it." Tami knew him well enough that it was Smash causing the stress.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I think that style filters down."

"Style filters down?" He questioned, putting the bags on the counter.

"Yeah."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I know he made a mistake. I know it really pissed you off. It really pissed me off too. But you know what? He's a boy. He made a mistake and he's trying so desperately to get back in your good graces."

Eric looked away from her. He shook his head, knowing she was right, but not ready to let the anger go.

"It seems to me that you are being so hard…" She clenched her fists, shaking her arms to get her point across to him. "…you're so hard on him that he's losing his confidence. He's losing his passion."

Eric was looking at her now, trying to grasp her point.

"And that's not going to help you one bit on Friday night." She handed him the paper towels. "Put those over there." She continued to unload the groceries. "I think you need to talk to him. I think you need to turn that around." She handed him more stuff. "Put these in the back pantry, please?"

Eric was silenced. Tami got it. Tami understood why he was feeling what he was feeling, but she gave him the ability to see it from a different perspective. He needed to see it from Smash's perspective, even if for a minute.

When he came out of the pantry, he leaned against the counter as she finished putting the groceries away. "Thank you."

"Uh-huh."

"Maybe you're right. I'll talk to him."

"I'm always right." She joked.

"And you're right. I am wound tight." He moved a little closer without touching her. He watched her reach for an upper cabinet, his eyes taking in her smoking hot ass. "Maybe later you can unwind me."

She turned and eyed him up and down. "Seems like I should do something."

"Maybe…" He took it a step further. "…tie you up in knots later." It had been forever since they did anything like that. They used to experiment with all sorts of sexual things after they got married. They were both afraid to let the physical part of their relationship feel routine. But this seemed out of their realm as of late.

She couldn't help but laugh. "Go talk to Smash."

Eric did exactly what Tami suggested and he did feel better. He told Smash that sometimes he forgets why he loves the game so much. He really hates to admit it when he is wrong, but it needed to be done. He needed to forgive Smash.

When he got home a little before dinner, Tami could sense immediately that Eric felt better. She was just about to put dinner on the table when he stopped her. He grabbed her hands, laced his fingers through hers and spoke softly. "Thank you for pointing out my shortcomings in a way that makes me want to be better. I needed to let it go. I needed to forgive him, but I wouldn't have seen it without you. Thank you." He lightly kissed her lips.

"Unwind later?"

He felt guilty about saying this because it was rare, but he was drained, emotionally and exhausted physically. "Can I take a rain check?"

"On sex or tying me up in knots?"

"Both!" He was surprised she brought that up again.

It was Friday morning and Eric had to go to the courthouse and deal with this damn lawsuit. On game day, he had to miss his morning coach's meeting and his planning period. He was sitting on his bed, tying his dress shoes as Tami spoke of her irritation too.

"It's infuriating. I'm furious."

"I know."

"I mean how can the Streets listen to some lawyer who tells them they need to sue us?"

Right in that one statement, Eric knew how much Tami loved him. She loved him because she said "us". He was never alone with this and he loved her for that.

"You know what you're doing, don't ya?"

"I know."

"You're making it worse."

"I'm making it worse." She said. "I know I need to just calm down. I know I just need to be supportive. I want to go with you today."

"No." He answered adamantly.

"Yes. I can have my appointments changed to tomorrow."

"You know what?" He said as he got up, now reaching for his suit jacket. "There are going to be times when I need you over at the courthouse and times when I don't need you. Believe me, today I do not need you. It's only going to be a hearing. If I did need you, I'd let you know, but I love you very much for suggesting it." He leaned it to kiss her. "But thank you."

She cupped his face, leaned in and kissed him again. She couldn't help but feel a bit rejected. Between last night not taking her up on her offer and now this morning, she had a sad look in her eye.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah." She was lying but he already had too much on his plate.

"Don't pretend."

She smiled, recognizing how well he knew her. "You surprised me last night."

He knew what she was referring to. He recognized the hurt in her eyes. There weren't many times in their marriage when he turned her down for sex. "I'm sorry. I'm saving it all for tonight. Okay?"

"You know…" She teased. "…I might not be in the mood tonight."

He teased back. "It's Friday. You're always in the mood on Fridays."

She knew he was right. There was something about him on that field, watching him in his element that turned her on. After all these years she chalked it up to his partial dominance, partial intelligence, partial passion, but mainly how good he looked when he concentrated. She pulled herself out of those thoughts of him and remembered where he was going. "Good luck today. I love you."

He arrived at the courthouse a little early and he immediately saw Jason. Eric paced back and forth debating whether he should talk to him or not given the circumstances. Earlier in the week, Buddy told him that Lyla accepted Jason's proposal of marriage. Eric would never admit it to Buddy because Buddy was so upset, but he thought Jason was crazy.

He just explained to Buddy that Jason had a good head on his shoulders, that he would make something of himself regardless of what is physical limits were. Eric did believe that to be true, but he wanted to talk to Jason – the boy that was once like a son to him. Eric remembered when during one of his private training sessions how he spoke to him about Lyla and Eric could see how smitten he was. He just didn't want this kid to make a mistake.

"How you doing?" Eric said as he approached, looking around to see if anyone was looking at the two of them talking.

"Doing fine Coach. How you doing?"

"Good." He said, not really expecting Jason to believe that.

"You know, we're really not supposed to be talking right now."

"Screw the lawyers. This is not about the case." Eric put his hands on his hips ready to give Jason his best lecture. "I heard about you and Lyla." He started, shifting from one foot to another, not making eye contact.

"I know what I want. I don't see why it's such a big deal."

Eric should have expected him to say that. It was a very immature thing to say. "I tell you what – it's not a cure-all." Eric assumed that since the accident things between Jason and Lyla could not have been easy. He turned his eyes to Jason. "It's the biggest damn commitment you are going to be making in your life. Y'all are young. You better make sure. You better make damn sure." Eric knew what he was talking about. Marriage was not easy. He knew this from years and years of perfecting his own with Tami. There were bumps and roadblocks and it hasn't always been happiness and laughter. Marriage was work. Eric knew that you had to work at it to make it flourish. It wasn't easy.

"I am sure." Jason answered. He didn't make eye contact with Coach. He didn't know why he didn't want to face him or the decision he made. Maybe it was because deep down he knew Eric was right. "I am sure. "It's her that maybe is not so sure." Eric studied him and he was suddenly reminded of his relationship with Tami. "Seems like she needs some time to work some stuff out."

Eric wanted to get his point across because he did believe in Jason. He did believe this kid had a bright future ahead of him. "No one is telling you not to get married. What they're saying is just take some time and feel it out." That was it. Eric always felt that less was more and he felt like Jason heard him. He wanted to lighten the mood. "Who knows though? You make your future father-in-law happy, you might be able to squeeze a damn big ass party out of him."

They had a good laugh at Buddy's expense and it was exactly what the two of them needed.

When Jason's parents came in, Eric walked away. He didn't want to piss them off any more than he already had since the lawsuit. As he waited to be called into the conference room, he thought once again of Tami and those conversations they had after his injury.

They were engaged in their junior year of college. Eric and Tami were both so sure. They knew what they both wanted. Everything changed after he got injured in mid-November of their senior year. His biggest strength and what the colleges loved about Eric Taylor was his arm. And his arm was shot. One bad tackle and his rotator cuff tore.

As a result of his entire future being tossed away, he tossed Tami away too. It took months before he felt worthy of her to even attempt to get her back. It wasn't until he saw her with someone else that he couldn't live without her. The reality that she could be happy with someone else killed him.

So after he did solidify their relationship sometime in the spring of their senior year, Tami just assumed the engagement was back on. They were going to pick up where they left off. Eric was not so sure.

"What do you mean you don't feel comfortable getting married?" She asked, not understanding what he wanted.

"I just want to make sure."

"Make sure what? That I am the one? That you want to get married at all?" She couldn't believe she misinterpreted why he wanted her back in the first place. "Oh, I get it." She laughed at herself. How could she be so stupid? "You just miss the comfort of it all."

"No. Don't say that. I missed you. These past few months were horrible for me."

"Eric, what's the point of doing this if we are not going to move forward? I can't just sit around and hope that one day you will want to be with me forever."

"Don't you get it?" He raised his voice. "How am I supposed to support us? My six figure signing bonus is gone. My millions in the first three years are gone. I don't want to marry you if I can't take care of you. Can you understand that?"

"No. I don't, Eric." She softened a bit when she realized it was more about him than it was about her. "Marriage is taking care of each other. We are graduating in two months. We are going to get jobs and work hard and live like normal people."

"That's not what we envisioned together and you know it."

"I do know it, and you know what? I'm still here. I don't need any of what we envisioned because the only portion I envisioned and deemed important was you."

He wanted and needed to express his concerns. "What if we rush it and you change your mind?"

"I'm not going to change my mind. I'm sure. I am very, very sure."

After the hearing, Eric returned to school for the second half of his day. He was still in his suit when he walked through the main entrance. He didn't normally take that path, but figured he would see Tami to tell her how it went. As he made his way down the hallway, the bell rang and students started to make their way into their classrooms.

He paused his footsteps when he saw Julie at her locker with Matt and she was clearly upset. After overhearing her conversation with Tami earlier in the week, he knew this couldn't be good. He kept his eyes on them, but didn't dare move forward. He wanted to gather as much information as he could without interrupting. He heard Matt say "nothing happened – nothing happened at all."

Why would he hurt his Julie? Then he heard Julie challenge him. "Why'd you lie about it?" Eric could tell Julie was on the verge of crying. Her lips always curved a certain way when she was about to break down. He wanted to rush over to her, but knew he shouldn't. He heard Matt apologize, but then he heard her louder. "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I trusted you. I don't appreciate getting lied to." She was crying now, her breath uneven. He heard her mention rally girls and asked him to leave her alone.

As she walked down the hallway, he made himself visible to her, meeting her halfway. There was no one else really in the hallway so he thought it would be okay. He opened his arms to her and she fell into his comforting embrace. He placed a hand on the top of her head, steadying her. "It's okay. It's going to be okay."

He looked up and saw Matt staring at them. He could see Matt was hurt too. Then he was reminded of his conversation with Tami and he couldn't help but wonder how many girls he hurt the exact same way.

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