Romeo On and Off the Court
Author's Note: Thanks everyone for the well wishes on my new job. It is going really good and I am loving it.
Chapter 24: Sweet 16
The catchy name for the regional semifinal round of the NCAA tournament.
Bella
It was a big deal for Edward and the team to make it to the Sweet Sixteen. From Monday until they left Thursday afternoon, they made each practice count and focused on a different defensive strategy. Their hope was to shut down Auburn's top scorers from the start.
Jessica and my dorm door became more spirited during this time too. This time it wasn't the team Mom's doing, though the wreath still hung on it. I caught the decorators when I ran back to the dorm to get my laptop cord. Emily and Nessie, two of the girlfriends, were standing outside the door, debating which picture of the three they had to plaster on the door. Jessica was standing back laughing at them. They didn't want her help.
"Might I make a suggestion," I said, making my presence known. "Put all three on the door."
Nessie jumped and looked over at me, blushing. "We hoped to be long gone before you got back, Bella," she said as Emily taped pictures of Edward up on the door along with some Sweet Sixteen signs up.
"Not bad," Jessica said.
~~ Romeo On and Off the Court ~~
Edward handed me his spare keys Thursday morning. I looked at him confused. He usually left his vehicle at the arena when the team was away.
His hand came up and cupped my cheek as he leaned. "My mom is inviting the girls over for the game tomorrow night," he whispered before kissing me. "I programmed the address into the GPS to avoid the toll road. I love you."
He kissed me again before sighing. Coach Grouch had come out and yelled for the team to get moving.
I stared after him, too flabbergasted to speak, as he climbed onto the motor coach, not believing he was trusting me with his car.
Alice put her hand on my shoulder, looking me in the eye. "Something wrong?" she asked.
Rosalie and the other girls turned. Some had their heads tilted to the side, while others had their eyebrows drawn together.
Not able to find my voice, I held up the keys.
"Bella, you're going to have to give us more than that," Rosalie said.
I didn't know why Edward giving me his car keys had me at such a loss for words. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw he had parked close. I pointed the fob at it and clicked. The taillights blinked on and off.
"Still not getting what's wrong. Edward gave you his keys, so what," Lauren commented. Her eyes were soft as she continued to look at me.
I glared at her. Not a big deal. It was a huge deal to me. Edward and I hadn't been dating all that long, not even three weeks. I already had a key to his apartment and met his parents. We were planning a trip to Forks so I could introduce him to my dad, for crying out loud. It seemed too fast, yet it felt like we had been dating for months. I loved him and hated that I was questioning his motivations, but to be handed his car keys, I didn't know what it meant, implied. His intentions were clear, and I loved him all the more for it.
I laughed. "I don't know. It's a bit strange having him make sure I can get to his parents' house if I want. Not that I don't have my own vehicle. His just has GPS built in."
The girls all smiled.
"It would be nice to have someone offering me their car," Maggie said. "Unfortunately, Jeff doesn't have a car here. He asks to burrow my car from time to time."
"I suggest telling him how you feel," Rosalie said.
I sighed and wished them a good day.
~~ Romeo On and Off the Court ~~
Once away from the arena, I pulled out my phone seeing I still had an hour and a half before my first class. There was a bench nearby and I sat, debating on doing what Rosalie suggested. Pulling up my text app, I went to the last message Edward sent me.
I love you. Not sure how I feel about being responsible for your car while you are gone. Appreciate the offer, especially with the GPS. Talk to you tonight.
I ended the text with a smiley face with heart eyes.
Edward
Glancing out the window, I noticed Bella staring at the bus, at me. As I continued to watch, the girls rallied around her. Bella held up the keys I gave her. My smile kicked up a notch.
"Dude, did you give Bella your car keys?" Emmett asked, flopping down beside me.
Turning my head, I looked at him. "What if I did?"
He glanced out the window, and I rotated my head back to it. My forehead furrowed when I saw the taillights flicker. Was Bella leaving? I knew she had a class soon, but I wasn't sure of the exact start time.
The bus pulled out and I lost sight of Bella.
"Shit!" I exclaimed in a whisper, twisting in my seat to face Emmett again. "Do you think I overstepped?"
He pursed his lips and blew a breath out through his nose. "Nah, Edward. I've seen you with other girls. Bella's different, you're different."
Reaching up with my left hand, I rubbed my eyes with my thumb and index finger. "How am I different?"
"Seriously?" Jasper asked.
I looked up. Jasper was on his knees, staring at me from over the seat in front of where I sat. "Yes, seriously."
Jasper and Emmett shared a look before Jasper answered. "You didn't feed her to the wolves, Edward. No, you were her knight in shining armor."
"Huh?"
Again, Jasper shared a look with Emmett.
"When Tanya and her friends plastered the dorm with the flyers," Emmett started, "you went charging in to make sure Bella was okay. Even before that, you watched out for her at the party. Would you have done any of that for the girls you dated in high school?"
Sitting back, I thought about my past relationships. About where I was with each at this point. I smiled when I thought of Bella, remembering the first time I saw her. Thought about the bravery she showed in kissing me not once, but twice.
"No," I answered. "The others were clingy. Wanted to be seen with me."
~~ Romeo On and Off the Court ~~
Stretching my right calf, I looked up and out at the fans crowding into the arena. When I talked to Bella last night, I brought up the Trailblazer-Thunder game and how I might not be able to take her. Her reply floored me.
"Edward, don't worry about the NBA game. If you can't take me, that's fine. There will be other games we can go to together. Angela, Jessica, or one of the other girls will go with me. Focus on the Auburn game."
Switching legs, I stretched the other calf. My eyes drifted close as I felt the muscle tighten. My thoughts were on Bella as I straightened and brought my arms up over my head. Before we got on the bus, I received a text from Angela. It seemed Bella was dead set against getting behind the wheel of my car. I thought I had talked her into using my car. It didn't matter Angela was going to drive it to my parents.
"Yo, Edward," Emmett shouted.
He bounce-passed a ball to me when I turned. The rest of the guys started doing shooting drills while I finished stretching. I timed my shoot and popped in a three right after Newton completed a layup.
Five minutes later, the buzzer sounded and ended the warm-up time. I moved over to the bench, listening as Coach gave us final instructions, not that we hadn't heard them before.
~~ Romeo On and Off the Court ~~
Auburn was a tough team, and I had a hard time seeing openings. Somehow we managed to hold them off, Call fouled out on a bullshit penalty that should have sent him to the line. The referee had reviewed the play as I had watched the replay on the jumbotron. There hadn't been enough to overturn it. The Auburn player had stepped on the outbounds line before Call bumped into him. Despite the penalty, Call was awarded the game ball.
No matter we were in the Elite Eight, having beat Auburn 72-67.
Turning on my phone, I smiled when I saw I had a message from Bella.
Elite 8! So excited for you and the guys. The team played great tonight. Tell Embry to shake off fouling out. Love you. See you tomorrow morning.
I rubbed my chin, hiding my mirth at what she wrote. Our flight wasn't until eight in the morning, and with the two-hour time difference, I'd get home around ten.
Tossing my phone back in my bag, I grabbed my shower supplies. I planned on taking another when we got back to the hotel before calling my sweet girl. I owed her an NBA game.