Sagittarius A-Town

"The fuck you just say to him?" said the burly one on the end.

"Are you deaf as well as inbred?"

I placed my hand on Ryan's shoulder and mouthed it's not worth it. Ryan, sensing the looks of horror that he was receiving from the other patrons, raised his hands to signal he was calm, then turned away from our unruly neighbours.

"That's right, bitch," the big one said. "Listen to your butt-boy before your mouth gets you into trouble."

"Is everything okay here?" Murray asked, appearing from the crowd. He was carrying a tray of drinks, with Riley and Mom following behind him. He placed the tray on the table, then his hands on his hips, his eyes scanning our reactions.

"Of course." Ryan said. "Just having a friendly conversation is all."

"I'm sure." The barman said. "Tony, you're on your final warning in here. Now I already pulled you aside earlier. If I hear any more trouble over here then you're all out, your sons included. And that goes for you two as well, Allen."

Tony, the instigator, nodded his acceptance and Murray left as quickly as he arrived. Riley, with a quizzical expression strewn across her face, slid past me into the inside seat. Mom mirrored her on Ryan's side.

"What was all that about?" Mom spoke first, moving the drinks in front of their respective owners.

"Just some idiots." I replied, "Ignore them."

There was a loud, bellowing laugh from beside us. The youngest of the siblings was whispering into another's ear and pointing at Riley. They laughed again, and the burly one said, "Yeah, she must have climbed a lot of borders to get an ass like that. Or ran through a lot of fields. I wonder if she accepts American Express."

Riley's eyes lowered and her cheeks burned. She looked as if she wanted the ground to swallow her whole. Ryan exhaled sharply, and took a long swig of his beer. His knuckles whitened around the glass and he slammed it into the table with a thud. I felt my blood beginning to boil, and squeezed Riley's knee in support, eliciting a weak smile- her eyes still not leaving the floor.

"Assholes." Mom muttered, "Riley, sweetie, you look lovely."

She looked up at Mom, as though surprised. She placed her purse on the table, straightened up and brushed aside some hair which had freed itself from her hair tie and fell in curls onto her shoulders.

"Thank you." She replied. She was wearing two colors: black and gray. A pinafore dress clung to her body and was held tight around her naval by a belt. On her neck, a locket fell past her breasts.

"So, Jake," Mom said, ignoring the laughs, "Where is Ashley tonight? She never came to the game."

"She's busy." I replied, and saw Riley glance away. "She has important things to deal with right now."

"More important than tonight? What could be more important than something that will determine her entire future?"

"Just leave it, Mom, please."

"Fine, fine. Touchy. I won't bring it up again. Have you at least told her what the coach from Alabama said yet?"

"I didn't want to bother her."

"You haven't told me what he said yet, either." Ryan interjected. "Did he mention me at all?"

"Nope," I said, "he told me I played a great game and somebody would be in contact. That was it. He never mentioned your name."

"Damn, what's a guy gotta do to get a break around here? Look's like I'm going to be selling cars with my father in the near future, huh?"

"There's nothing wrong with that." Mom said. "Your parents are extremely proud of you, Ryan. As am I."

"Me too." Riley finally spoke. "You were scary out there. I wouldn't like you to tackle me like that. You would probably snap me in half."

"Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it." Ryan replied with a wink, eliciting a death glare from my mother and a blush from Riley. He took a drink from his glass and laughed boisterously. "Ah, I still have a some time left, anyway. Maybe I'll hit the books. I'll be fine. That reminds me though, Riley. Are you going to Alabama with our little superstar? Somebody needs to wash his tighty-whiteys and it's not gonna be Goldilocks. She might break a nail."

"Well -- I, uhh, I mean... Jake never asked me to or anything." Riley replied, her cheeks flushed. She brushed a lock from her eyes and Mom looked at her askance, then grinned.

"I think everyone's getting ahead of themselves here." I interrupted. "I haven't been accepted to any college yet. Maybe, I won't even go. I could get injured next season and have nothing to fall back on. Maybe, I'll stay in Texas. Go to Bucksville College. Just like Dad wanted."

Mom beamed a massive smile and held her glass into the air. "Cheers!" She said and we all clinked our glasses. Riley grinned with approval and met my gaze, lingering for a moment before she took a sip of her drink.

"Cheers."

"Jesus Christ!" Tony said, obviously eavesdropping on our conversation. "That is some pussy shit, boy. Grow a backbone. Stop hanging out with illegals. Maybe you'd play like a man then- like your daddy did."

'What the hell is your problem?" I replied. "We won the fucking game. What more do you want from me, you racist piece of shit?"

"I had five grand on a half-time lead." Tony spat. "If you played like a fucking man, I wouldn't be up shits creek right now."

"Shut the fuck up." I cut him off. "If you didn't marry your sister you wouldn't be up shits creek right now. Don't blame us for your shit life-decisions. Nobody gives a damn about your opinion. Or your dumbfuck sons' opinions for that matter."

The smash of glass and Mom's shriek occurred simultaneously, and in a flash, Tony's burly son was out of his seat, rushing our table. Ryan, anticipating the reaction, rose to his feet and collided with the hulking brute, driving his shoulder deep into his massive torso. The brute stumbled back, and came again, swinging a right hook that was destined for Ryan's jaw. The crack of the blow was drowned out by the screams and roars of the innocent onlookers as they desperately attempted to avoid the commotion. Ryan retaliated with a swing of his own, finding it's mark, and knocked the stocky aggressor from his feet.

The second of Tony's sons leapt from his seat, and I surged to meet him. He threw three punches - two lefts and a right -- that smashed into my face, reopening the wound above my eye. I staggered back, the taste of blood filling my mouth, and rushed him. My fist crunched hard into his jaw. A tooth fell from his mouth and bounced on the beer-soaked floor as his eyes filled with rage. I swung again, and again- the first blow glancing off his shoulder and into his ear, the second into his nose.

"Jake, behind you!" I heard Riley shout.

I whirled around to defend myself but was too slow. Twinkling lights filled my vision as the bottle smashed into my face. I felt the searing pain first, then the thud of my head on the floor, and then nothing but Riley's screams lullabying me to sleep.

_____

"Jake? Jaaaaaake."

An ethereal melody graced my ears. Beautiful, white clouds surrounded me; a seraph watched furtively amongst them. She sat in silence, her features soft and comfortable, but also distorted and alien. She was strange enough that I did not recognise her, but also familiar and welcoming and loving and kind. Her presence brought a quiet tranquillity and a calming grace that bound me instantly to her.

In time, the angel sang to me. She flittered down from above, humming her celestial tune, and placed a tender kiss on my forehead. Her topaz eyes burned into mine and I smiled. She flashed me her brilliant, white, shining teeth and placed her lips on mine. The searing pain that once governed my senses wholly vanished, and was replaced by cool air running along my bare torso.

The angel touched my face, bringing an itchy, stinging sensation above my right eye and I groaned.

"I'm sorry." The sprite whispered. "But it's for your own good."

"Why are you hurting me?" I replied, as the angel watched me; frowning, motionless, enigmatic.

"I don't want to hurt you. But if you don't stop moving it will hurt!"

"Riley?"

"Yes?"

My eyes attempted to open and the pain came crashing back. Every fibre of my being cried out in complete and utter agony. White hot coals scalded into my forehead. The taste of blood -- now more familiar than any other -- swam along my tongue. The smell of apples and medicine seeped into my brain, and for the briefest of moments I thought of Dad. My body was cold and bruised, and the goose bumps prickled my skin and hardened my nipples.

"What happened?" I croaked. "Where am I?"

"You almost got yourself killed. That's what happened. " I heard Riley say. "And you're in my room, getting blood all over my sheets."

I smiled. The blood had hardened on my face, causing every twitch to be painful, and almost fusing my eyes shut. I ran my tongue along my teeth, thanking God that they were still there as I did. Every breath caught slightly in my chest, and the tenderness around my ribs caused every breeze to scald like acid. I raised my hand to rub my forehead but was caught mid gesture.

"I said don't move!"

A soft, wet cloth ran across my face, washing the grime and blood from my skin, and allowing me to finally crinkle my nose. Sweet, minty breath warmed my face, and the cloth began to dab at my forehead. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and once again, I raised my hand to my forehead, eliciting a slap on the wrist from my caretaker.

"I just stitched that!" Riley said. "If you keep touching them, they'll burst."

My mind was still foggy. "What happened to me?"

"You got hit with a bottle. The little guy smacked you with it right in the face. You don't realize how lucky you are not to be blinded. Or killed, for that matter."

"What happened to Ryan? And Mom?"

"Ryan beat two of the guys half to death when you got hit with that bottle. The cops came and broke the fight up sometime after. I don't know what happened after that. I didn't really see much. Beth went to bail him out."

"How did you get me home?"

"The owner helped me. Murray, I think? He helped me carry you out, then he drove you home. You're really heavy, you know that? It was so tough to get you up the stairs."

"Why didn't you bring me to the hospital?"

"The nearest hospital is seven miles away. It made more sense to bring you home. Besides, I have everything I need right here. Unless you're brain damaged, that is."

I half laughed, half groaned. "I don't think so. Doesn't feel like it, anyway. It feels more like I got hit by a freight train. How about you? Are you okay?"

The cloth paused it's movement for a moment, before continuing. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"The stuff those guys said about you."

"Trust me, I've heard worse. I'm a foreign, transgender woman. In Texas."

The blood finally separated from my eyelashes and my eyes flicked open. Riley's face was no more than six inches from mine. Her makeup was smudged, and her mascara was after running down past her cheeks. Her shining topazes were trained on my lacerated forehead, as she continued to tend to my wounds. They glistened in the light and were swollen and red, and looked quite painful.

"I'm sorry." I said quietly.

"For what?"

"For everything."

"Don't be stupid." She said with a feigned smile. "I'm just glad you're okay. I had to get Murray to help remove your shirt, okay? It's covered in blood. It's gonna have to be tossed out, I think. You have so many bruises on your body. Your ribs are black and blue. What happened?"

"Football happened. I'm like this every day."

"Well, at least let me clean them up a bit."

Riley reached to the floor and lifted a first aid bag onto the bed. After rooting through the contents for awhile, she pulled out a tube of ointment and squeezed it into her hands. "This is going to be cold." She warned, as she smeared the ointment into my aching ribs. She was not wrong. The biting cold was matched only by excruciating pain, causing me to groan in agony.

Her soft hands rubbed into my body, and the pain slowly, but surely, started to subside. She began to work the ointment into my chest, my side and then my stomach, taking an extra moment to rub it into my abdomen. Every movement of her hands brought a mixture of pain and pleasure to my senses. And, in spite of my battered, broken body, I could feel the blood begin to divert into my cock.

Riley laughed softly as my rising erection flicked off her elbow. The blood was rapidly pumping in, causing it to bounce and bob and tent my pants, and the more I tried to control it the more it became uncontrollable.

"Down, boy." Riley said, still chuckling.

"I'm sorry." I said, covering my face with my hands. "He doesn't seem to notice how beat up and ugly I am."

She grinned, "You're not that bad. No worse than usual anyway. I mean, that cut above your eye will probably leave a scar. But, take it from me, some girls find scars hot."

I smiled meekly. Her hands were digging deeper and deeper into my flesh. My cock was like titanium, and with my left hand, I reached down and moved it to the side, so it was no longer bouncing off her elbow. She pursed her lips and looked me dead in the eyes. "Jake, we can't do this."

"Do what?"

"You know what I'm talking about. You have a girlfriend."

I sighed, "I know."

Riley swallowed hard. "Well, say that to him then." She said, nodding toward my cock.

"He has a mind of his own. He never listens to me."

She giggled, then squirted more ointment into her hands. The entirety of my torso was covered with cream, and Riley was now redoing spots she had already finished. She was staring unwavering into my chest, not blinking once, as if caught in a trance. She turned her body until she was sitting cross legged and facing me. I shifted slightly to my right, allowing her more room on the bed.

"Riley, there's something I need to tell you."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Ashley's pregnant."

"Oh."

Her hands shot from my chest, landing in her lap. She picked at her nails nervously, the color slowly leaving her face. Her puffy eyes flickered in the light, and I wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold her.

"But I don't love her."

"But you have sex with her?"

"Yes." I said, my voice wavering slightly. "Well, no, actually. Not really. Not in like, almost two months."

"But she's pregnant?" She asked, looking askance.

"Apparently."

"Is she going to keep it?"

"I don't know. We haven't talked about it."

"Oh. So, what are you gonna do?"

"I have no idea."

Painstakingly, I lifted myself into a seated position, my back flat against the headboard. The effort of moving took a far greater toll on my body than expected. I coughed into my arm, ice filling my lungs with each spasm. Riley's thick, raven hair fell past her shoulders, shielding her face from view. She brushed it behind her head, never looking directly at me.

"Congratulations, I guess." Riley said quietly. "I'm happy for you. Both of you."

"Are you? You don't seem like it."

"What do you want me to do, Jake? A cartwheel?"

"I want you to tell me how you feel. How you really feel."

"How I feel? How I feel? You might as well tell me since you seem to know so well. Go on then, tell me. How do I feel?"

"You feel hurt, rejected, used. Like you can never trust me. I think a part of you truly hates me."

Riley quirked her head, her expression dripping with disgust. "Five out of five. Maybe you do know me."

"I am so sorry, Riley. I don't want you to ever feel like that. I will never do anything to hurt you ever again. I promise. All I want is for you to be happy."

"You don't get to say that!" She spat. "You can't just say things like that to people. You can't just say sorry and make everything magically better. What makes you think you have the right?"

"Because-"

"No. No more. You talk about my feelings like they matter to you. When have you ever thought about my feelings? Why do you even care?"

"I care about you. More than you know."

"Well, I don't care about you."

"I don't believe you. I think that you do. I think you care about me as much as I care about you."

Riley scoffed. "Don't confuse me stitching your eye with love, Jake. If that's the case every nurse in the hospital is having an affair."

"I'm not confused. I have never felt clearer. I love you, Riley. And I think you love me, too."

She gasped, "What did you just say?"

I looked her straight in the eye. Riley's long, full lashes flicked over her raw eyes, and she returned my gaze. Her lips quivered and her teeth began to chatter. She was nervous. So was I.

"I said I love you. I mean it. I love every beautiful inch of you. Everyday I wake up with a hole deep in my stomach and it's because of you. Because you're not mine. Because I hurt you. Because I don't get to hold you. You're everything I ever wanted, Riley. I love you so much that it hurts. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't focus. I just think of you. I want you to be mine."

"Wow." She said after a long pause - a moment that felt like eternity. "That's- You... I don't know what to say."

"Say that you love me too. Say you want to be with me. Just say that I'm yours."

"I do. You are. I love you too."

Her lips crushed into mine, tears streaming down her face as she sucked my tongue into her mouth. For a brief moment, I pulled away and looked her deep in the eyes. She was perfect, beautiful, delicate; she was the love of my life. I smiled at her and she smiled back, her white teeth shining brightly. I placed my hand on the back of her head and pulled her back into a kiss. Deep, passionate and intense, the hairs on my arm stood on end as electricity statically charged us.

She shifted forward and fell into me, her svelte frame landing on my chest. My arms wrapped around her waist and I lifted her into my lap, never once breaking our fiery kiss. I glided my hands through her hair, knotted my fingers and pulled her deeper and deeper into me. Her fingers scratched fire along my chest and into my tender ribs. The pain had entirely disappeared; I could feel nothing but the burning in my loins and the electricity dancing between our bodies.

I broke the kiss and dragged my lips across her face, taking her earlobe into my mouth and breathing into her ear. She shivered intensely, and a long, drawn out moan escaped her lips. My cock was like tungsten, so hard it was painful. The pinafore dress had slipped up her thighs and only the thin fabric of her panties separated my dick from it's home. She began to rock her hips, trapping my cock between her asscheeks and slid up and down it's length.

Her hands gripped mine and she pushed until they were beside my head, pinned against the bed. She mirrored my previous actions: brushing her lips across my face and biting into my earlobe. A shiver dashed along my spine and into my cock- the pulsing was intense, uncontrollable, fiery. She began to caress and suck on my neck, planting delicate kisses down my body until she reached my chest, her breasts tracing lines down my torso. She shifted her entire body down until she was lying between my legs; still placing soft kisses down my body, eventually reaching my abdomen, going from one hip and back to the other. The tent in my pants was enormous and painful, it needed to escape the confines of its prison fast.

My body convulsed involuntarily each time her lips touched my skin, sending a bolt of lightning into every part of my soul. She placed her hands on the waistband of my pants and pulled them down hard, freeing my cock from its cell. It popped out fast and slapped her on the cheek as it did. She giggled, then wrapped her hand around it; giving it a few tugs, and allowing a dribble of precum to leak out. My breath was becoming heavy and fast, and it crashed into me in waves.