Doorstopper

Sean

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It's been over fifteen minutes since Royal left to the equipment room.

Now I know he's not a fucking robot, but come on. Fifteen minutes?

What the fuck is taking him so long?

I continue to lay on the field, bored out of my mind, tossing the football as high as it could go, over and over.

Should I go over there and see if he needs a hand?

I proceed to debate with my inner conscience when my ears pick up on Royal's desperate voice, shouting my name from afar.

Well, that concludes the back and forth bickering in my head.

Out of boredom and pure instinct, I hoist myself up and head over to the equipment room where he's calling from.

He probably does need my help.

"What's going on?" I issue, now that we are only a few feet apart.

Before I could question his actions any further, he unexpectedly holds me by my shoulders and positions me in front of the wide-open steel door.

"Do not move," Royal instructs, shoving his phone into my hands before leaving.

I stand there agape and confused. I left my comfortable position laying on the field, just to stand here on my own, no questions asked? I came thinking he needed help. He's fucking pissing himself if he thinks that I'd stay.

"What the fu—"

"No, don't!"

I looked over knowing too damn well who that voice belonged to. Haven't I seen enough of this girl today?

"Stay there," Destiny decrees.

I don't know why, but it only took her tone of voice and those two words for me to do exactly as she said. Even if I do feel stupid, posing as a fucking door stopper.

"What the hell?" I say, being careful with my choice of vocabulary.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" She asks, allowing curiosity to take over.

"I have a spare. I was waiting on Royal so we could start setting up the field," I explain honestly.

Now I know what the damn hold up was. Royal let a little girl do his big boy job. That's no way to treat a lady. That's no way to treat his so-called best friend. Eh. To be fair, we do way worse to the guys, but really Grant? Destiny? She's so—

So fragile.

"Guess I know what the hold up was."

She walks past me, rolling her eyes and puts on a cold, icy glare in response.

Well, damn.

Was it something I said?

She places the big ass bag— at least when compared to her— down onto the field and makes her way back inside, no longer making eye contact with me.

Princess.

Because it's all I can do, I watch as she silently begins to unfold the ladder she had previously grabbed from the corner. Without stretching it out all the way, she climbs onto the rungs completely disregarding the risk she just put herself in.

"Be careful with that, Destiny. You didn't even unfold the damn thing right."

Un. Fucking. Believable.

As if something I had said triggered her awareness, Destiny turns her head promptly to respond but is quickly caught off guard when she and the ladder begin to collapse.

"Frick." I push my body off the steel door and immediately make my way over to Destiny, catching her, mid-fall.

Her petite and fragile frame lands right into the security of my arms, fitting perfectly as if she was sculpted purposely for me. I stare deeply into her oddly captivating eyes and she does the same, but this time, she doesn't try to dig any further.

Fuck, what is wrong with me?

If she knew how vulnerable she was making me feel right now, she would've effortlessly knocked down the walls I was trying so hard to elevate the moment I stepped into this steel box with her. Something I had to get used to, every single time she was present.

"I may know a thing or two about ladders," I point out, breaking the silence that was swallowing us whole, avoiding the foreign emotions that grew each second I stared into her eyes.

Is this what it feels like to be vulnerable? Fuck. It makes me feel all wrong and weak and— and all girl like.

As if a wave of panic washes her back to reality, she pushes me away and runs towards the door, pounding it like a crazy woman.

What the fuck?

"Alders open it," I mumble impatiently, crossing my arms.

She stops what she's doing and looks over at me. Stepping aside from the door, she points.

Oh.

There's no doorknob.

"Why do you think Royal and I crowned you doorstopper? The door opens from the outside." She states as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Feeling completely stupid, I instinctively look down and rub the back of my neck.

Well, neither of you told me.

"Where did Royal run off to anyway?" I ask, wondering when he'd return.

There is no fucking way that I'll spend another minute, stuck in here with her princessy little ass, blaming me for the door shutting after I practically just saved her life. Not to mention the part where her and Royal "crowned me door stopper" without letting me know what would happen if I personified myself again.

That's like asking me to stand on the edge of a cliff blindfolded, then not telling me what would happen if I jumped.

"He needed to use the bathroom," she explains. "Can you give him a call?"

Can you?

And where the hell is my thank you?

"I have his phone smart butt." I wave its light in front of her face, and she pushes my hand down, sensitive to the brightness. "He gave it to me before leaving so I could use it as a flashlight."

"What about your phone?" She asks, hopeful.

"I left it on the bleachers," I tell her, getting straight to the point. "I didn't need it's weight in my pockets while I ran around, tossing the football."

I would've brought it if I knew that this was how things were going to play out.

She walks past me making no comment and finally, without any restrictions, I follow, holding the flashlight above her short figure. I ask her no questions and watch as she begins to reposition the ladder that was sprawled still and lying on the floor from the fall. This time, she makes sure the ladder is stable and fully unfolded before climbing onto it, then gathers the items she needs. Just to be safe, I grip the ladder firmly and release my hold, after she safely climbs back down.

She looks up at me.

"My phone is on the bleachers where Saffron and I were seated. I didn't need it's weight in my pockets while I walked back and forth," she explains, mirroring my explanation.

I grab the items from her hands, relieving her from the weight and look her up and down.

"You're wearing a skirt. You don't have pockets," I tell her sarcastically, making sure she knew that my phrases only worked for me.

She rolls her eyes, in clear understanding of what I just did and I make my way back to the door.

This time, she mirrors my actions but dramatically slides her back down against the door, and sits.

That's all?

She's just going to take a seat after having a major freak out, not too long ago?

Every part of me goes on pause while I let my thoughts catch up. This is a little like what happened in English earlier. Seems like the princess has a personality trait.

• • • • • •

A few minutes have passed and for the time being, I remained standing while Destiny remained seated. It was silent, but it was a comfortable kind of silence.

I take this time to examine Destiny. I never really noticed but she's fucking beautiful. Is that weird?

Her golden-brown hair is full and wavy and flows just above her curvilinear waist. Her languid eyelashes sit perfectly above her earthy brown eyes that melt into golden rays, circling an eclipse. Her teeth are heavenly white and are exposed each time her heart-shaped lips form a freely given smile.

How can a complete stranger seem to know me more than my best friends do?

I'm not sure how long it's been but I finally found the desire to sit, so I walk over to Destiny and do just that.

With every second that passes, the silence grew deeper. Enough to hear my own steady rhythm. This pounding, this great pressure, every beat. I couldn't hear it, I could feel it. Her heartbeat echoed my own.

"Why did you come to Luna City?"

• • • • • •

Thanks for reading!