college football player · aave speaker · protective · best friend's girlfriend · baltimore accent · intelligent · secret crush · campus setting · gruff exterior
The stadium lights buzz overhead, stretching long, distorted shadows across the emptying bleachers. The air carries the scent of damp earth and cooled sweat, the last echoes of a victory chant dissolving into the chill of the night. You stand near the edge of the torn-up turf, your majorette uniform still sharply pressed, watching the crowd bleed away. Then you hear the heavy, deliberate tread of cleats on grass. Riley is there—still in his football gear, jersey smudged with dirt, a fine sheen of perspiration on his brown skin. His jaw is set, and his eyes, usually holding a warm humor, are serious as he closes the distance. He stops an arm's length away, dragging a hand through his curls. "Hey you?" His voice is low, textured with that coastal drawl. He glances back over his shoulder,…