The Pick Page 16

  David turned to her and asked, “Was that who I think it was?”

  Kylie nodded her head with worry, “Justin.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Ally searched all over for the necklace that Justin had given her two years ago. He had commented on the fact that she wasn’t wearing it the previous night on their date. Even though Ally had come up with the excuse that she didn’t think it looked great with her outfit, she really didn’t even know where it was. Where could she have put it?

  The boxes. She had put it in one of the packages from Justin that she had opened before Tyson came home. Kylie had said she would sort through all the packages for her.

  Ally ran out into the living room where David and Kylie were watching a preseason NFL game. “Sorry to interrupt, but where did you put those packages from Justin?”

  “Well there is only one box now and I hid it. Why?”

  “I need to find something and I hope it is in that box.”

  Kylie sighed and hesitated before finally saying, “I hid everything in a box in the back of the pantry. I figured out of sight, out of mind.”

  “Thanks,” Ally said.

  She pulled the box out of the pantry and began her search. After a couple of minutes, she finally found it at the bottom. She felt relieved that it wasn’t lost. She didn’t know how she would have explained that to Justin. She put everything else back in the box, while taking a mental note of the things he had sent her just in case he asked about them at dinner tonight.

  Once everything was back inside, except the necklace, she slid the box back into the pantry and headed to her room.

  “Did you find what you were looking for?” Kylie asked as she walked past them.

  “Ya, I thought I had lost this,” Ally said, holding up the necklace.

  “Holy cow,” David said as he tried to get a better look. “Is that real? Because I have been looking at diamonds lately and that has to have cost a couple thousand dollars.”

  “I think so,” Ally said with a shrug. “Well sorry for interrupting the game.”

  As Ally got ready to go over to Justin’s condo, she reflected on the previous night. Justin hadn’t really changed. He was still charming and handsome. He had made her laugh and showed affection that had taken Tyson months. She had resisted his unexpected kiss on that night two weeks ago, but once she actually let him kiss her, there was no denying that he hadn’t lost his touch over the last two years.

  In the moments when she managed to keep Tyson out of her thoughts, Ally did have a good time. Justin had taken her out to a nice restaurant and finished the night off with a showing of The Lion King at Eccles Theatre. She definitely felt like royalty with valet services and VIP tickets.

  She couldn’t believe that Justin still felt so strongly about her, even with her ignoring him over the last 6 months. He didn’t hesitate to tell her that he loved her last night. He didn’t seem to care that she didn’t say it back. To be fair, she didn’t really have a chance to say anything since he kissed her immediately after telling her.

  She really did enjoy being with him. He made her smile and laugh. Ally felt loved and protected when she was with him. Maybe Justin really could be her future.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Over the next two weeks, Kylie was starting to wonder if Ally even lived there anymore. It was summer, but Kylie definitely thought Ally was spending way too much time with Justin. Ally was usually gone before Kylie rolled herself out of bed and typically didn’t get home until after Kylie had already called it a night. Every once in a while, their schedules would match up and Kylie would get an update on what was going on in Ally’s life.

  Kylie was frustrated with the fact that Ally couldn’t see that Justin was just trying to win her over with the extravagant dates they went on. From parties to expensive restaurants and VIP passes to everything, Kylie wondered if Ally was really falling for this guy and falling in love with the special treatment. Or just filling up her time to avoid thinking about Tyson. There was no way Ally could just get over Tyson like that. Even if someone was trying to buy her emotions.

  Kylie knew that Justin was a smart kid. He had landed an academic scholarship even after his collegiate football dreams had been shattered. But she could also see that he was just a partier who enjoyed the thrill of adventures and always got his way. For some reason, that Kylie couldn’t figure out, Ally was falling for it all.

  Since it was the last weekend before school started, Justin had taken Ally down to Moab to go rock crawling and river rafting. Even though a couple of Justin’s buddies and their girlfriends had accompanied them, Kylie still didn’t like the situation they were putting themselves in. If Justin was anything like he was before his mission, which from what Ally had told her, he still was a very affectionate person. Plus, Ally had to still be hurting over Tyson. Kylie felt like that could turn into a precarious situation very quickly.

  Then there was still Tyson to worry about. Kylie had only seen him a couple times since he had helped David propose. She usually caught a glimpse of him in the back of the chapel on Sundays. He had been slipping into sacrament meeting after it started and leaving before it ended. Kylie didn’t know where he went while he should have been at church, but this wasn’t like him. Even as a teenager, he never complained about going to church.

  David had informed her that Tyson’s schedule was a lot like Ally’s. He would leave early in the morning and come home just to sleep. She also knew that he had been avoiding their parents. He had come up with an excuse every time they invited him, Kylie, and David over for dinner. They were all worried about him.

  Kylie rolled over to check the time on her phone. 12:30 a.m. Ally still wasn’t home and school started tomorrow. She had hoped Ally would have been home earlier so they could make plans to go wedding dress shopping sometime this week.

  Kylie drifted in and out of sleep worrying about Ally. She was relieved when Ally whispered, “Kylie, are you still awake?”

  “Um hmm,” Kylie mumbled as she sat up.

  “Good,” Ally said as she climbed onto Kylie’s bed. “I need to talk to you.”

  “I need to talk to you too,” Kylie said.

  “You go first.”

  “Okay, well I was wondering if you would be able to go wedding dress shopping with me this week. I made a couple of appointments and I want to find a dress before school gets too crazy. Your last class get out at 3, right?”

  “Ya, just let me know what time and I will be there.”

  “Good. I was worried,” Kylie admitted.

  “Worried about what?”

  “Well, you have been spending a lot of time with Justin and I didn’t know if you would have time. Or if it was something you wanted to do anymore.”

  “Kylie, I promise, as your maid of honor, I will be wherever you need me to be. It’s my job.”

  Kylie smiled. “That’s why I picked you to be my maid of honor. Anyways, what did you need to talk to me about?”

  “I know you are getting married in January, so I promise I won’t steal any of your thunder. I promise that my focus will be solely on your wedding until every little task is complete. Then you can help me plan my wedding,” Ally exclaimed.

  “Wait, what?” Kylie asked completely confused. They couldn’t be engaged. Justin and Ally had only been dating for a little over two weeks.

  “I’m engaged,” Ally said and held out her hand to reveal an emerald-cut diamond with a halo and diamonds down the band. It was gigantic compared to Kylie’s engagement ring, well any normal person’s engagement ring for that matter.

  “Wow,” was all that Kylie could muster as she tried to digest what was happening.

  “I know,” Ally said as pulled her hand back in to look at the ring. “Apparently all the diamonds add up to 2 carats. I feel like someone will try to chop my finger off so they can steal it.”

  “It definitely is big.”

  Kylie listened, not knowing what to say, as Ally described her ev
ening. Justin had insisted that they go to dinner when the rest of their group headed home. That’s why she had been late getting home. It seemed like a normal dinner, until Justin had started talking about their future together. As Justin got down on one knee, he had explained to Ally that even though they had just started dating again, he loved her and he knew that he wanted to spend forever with her. They could continue to date for a while and get married sometime next year, but he wanted to make it official now. Ally had said yes.

  “Well, anyways, you are probably tired. I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be taking away any of the spotlight.”

  With that, Ally crawled into her own bed and Kylie laid there sick to her stomach, trying to wrap her mind around what just happened. All she knew was that Tyson could not find out about this turn of events from someone else. It was a conversation she dreaded having with him. Somehow, someway she had to get Tyson and Ally to both realize that they were still meant to be together. Maybe there was still hope that Justin would turn back into that 10-year-old jerk, too.

  The next morning, Kylie went over to David’s apartment to discuss the situation while Ally was off doing who knows what with Justin. They had both agreed that they needed to intervene if they were going to save their best friends from being miserable for the rest of their lives.

  To set things in motion, Kylie sent Tyson a text telling him that he needed to come back to his apartment right after practice. It was an emergency.

  Tyson was out of breath when he stepped into his apartment. Lately, running was an easier way to keep Tyson’s mind off of things. He didn’t drive his truck unless it was too far away to run to. He had picked up the pace since Kylie had said it was urgent that he come home, but it also made him worry about what could be wrong.

  “Is everything okay? Are Mom and Dad okay? Is the wedding still on?”

  Kylie smiled but it was forced. “Nobody got hurt and yes, the wedding is still happening.”

  “Well that’s good,” Tyson said as David got up from their living room couch. “What’s the emergency?”

  “You should probably sit down first,” David said as he pointed to the couch.

  “Okay?” Tyson said as David sat in a nearby chair and Kylie sat down next to Tyson on the couch.

  “Ty, I don’t know if you already know this, but Ally’s kind of dating someone,” Kylie said.

  Tyson stared at the ground in front of him. Did Kylie really just say that Ally was dating someone? His Ally? The Ally that he was going to ask to marry him only a month ago? That would make sense since she had stopped texting and calling him. Why hadn’t the thought ever crossed his mind that Ally would eventually date other people? Suddenly it felt harder to breath. Sure, he had just been on a good run, but had this pain in his chest always been there?

  As Tyson felt the anger melt away to sadness, he realized that he really did believe her and he had since that day at Temple Square. He knew Ally. She was his best friend. She wouldn’t have betrayed him. Why didn't he realize this sooner? He knew he needed to talk to her right away. He needed to let her know that he still loved her. And hopefully, it wouldn’t be too late.

  “That’s not the worst part,” Kylie hesitated as Tyson froze. What could be worse than Ally dating someone else? “She’s engaged.”

  He sensed who it was before Kylie said it, “Ty, she’s engaged to Justin Hawthorne.”

  Tyson felt like he had just been kicked in the stomach. He was too late. For the first time since the night that he had planned to propose to Ally, he allowed himself to truly feel the emotions that he had fought so hard to suppress. He quickly thanked Kylie and David for telling him and excused himself to his room.

  As he sat down on his bed, he realized that he had messed up. Ally was right. He was being the stubborn one. He felt hot tears escape his eyes. He didn’t hate Ally. He missed her. He still loved her. But now it was too late. He had pushed her away. Right into the arms of the guy who always got what he wanted.

  When Tyson woke up the next morning, he felt horrible inside, but continued his regular routine. His coaches had notified him that he would be starting in the game on Thursday. Now was not the time to slack. At least he had control over one thing in his life.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Ally woke up Thursday full of excitement. It was the first football game of the season and she couldn’t wait to feel the energy from just being in Rice Eccles Stadium. Ally and Kylie had been able to obtain season tickets in the student section, also known as the MUSS, on row 8. She had been excited about that since it was the closest her seats had ever been. However, things had only gotten better when Justin informed her that he had secured tickets for the two of them on the first row. Ally wasn’t sure how he had pulled that off, but it worked out great because David could then use Ally’s ticket to sit next to Kylie.

  4:30 p.m. couldn’t come fast enough for Ally. She was out the door before Justin even got out of the car. They decided to leave his car at Ally’s apartment since it wasn’t too far of a walk to the stadium. He had gotten tickets for a tailgate where they enjoyed some sandwiches and a variety of salads. Then they walked over to the MUSS tailgate, where a bunch of Justin’s friends were.

  Ally noticed Kylie and David inside the MUSS tent and waved at them. Justin and his friends started playing some tailgate games, so she slipped away to chat with her friends. She picked up some more food on the way to their table. Red Robin was catering and there was no way she could resist their BBQ burger.

  Once she sat down, they talked about the upcoming game and Kylie mentioned that Tyson would be starting somewhere in the mix. Ally knew that it had been Tyson’s goal, so she was happy for him. But just then Justin sat down.

  “Hey, Kylie,” Justin said, then turned to David. “I don’t think we have met yet.”

  “That’s David. Kylie’s fiancé,” Ally said as she took another bite of her burger.

  “Oh ya, you told me they were getting married too. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks,” Kylie and David said at the same time.

  “Still hungry?” Justin asked Ally. “Didn’t you eat enough at the other tailgate?”

  Ally shrugged, “It’s a BBQ burger. I couldn’t resist.”

  “Don’t you think it’s a little too much? Don’t you want to look your best in your wedding dress?” Justin said with a smile on his face, but a touch of disapproval in his voice.

  “We aren’t getting married for like a year,” Ally said as she set down her burger.

  “Well there’s no harm in starting now, Sweetie.”

  Kylie and David looked at each other with concern on their faces as Justin picked up Ally’s burger and said, “We are going to head over to the stadium. It was nice to meet you, David.” With his other hand, he grabbed Ally’s and off they went.

  When Ally and Justin reached the stadium, there was still about 45 minutes before the game started. They went up to the suite that Justin’s father and a couple of his friends had purchased for the season. Ally had never been up in the Tower before. Other football games were playing on the flat screen televisions. To top it all off, there were complimentary drinks that Justin and Ally helped themselves to.

  “The best part, is when it gets cold we can come up here and not have to freeze our butts off,” Justin said as they walked over to talk to Mr. Hawthorne.

  Ally had only met Justin’s dad a couple of times, but every time she always felt like he was scrutinizing her every move. Justin and his dad talked about the game and Ally pipped in every once in a while. In the end, Ally felt like she had made a good impression, but she was still relieved when they headed back down to their seats. She couldn’t help but wonder if she would ever feel comfortable around Justin’s family.

  The band finally took the field as the pregame traditions began. It was the first football game that she had attended with Justin. He seemed a little surprised realizing that Ally wasn’t joking around when it came to how much she loved footbal
l and being a Ute fan.

  Soon the football team took the field as Ally and the rest of the stadium cheered. Their opponent was a division II school, so Ally wasn't too worried about the outcome of the game. The Utes had won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The defense ran out on the field and Ally quickly spotted Tyson wearing the number 32.

  She tried to keep her focus on where the ball was going, but no matter how hard she tried Ally found her eyes drifting over to where Tyson was. At halftime, the game was closer than expected and Ally hoped that Utah would look better in the second half.

  Ally loved how she could always catch people off guard with her football knowledge. She was able to participate in the conversation Justin and his friends were having about the game so far and the injuries that were making an impact, especially the center who had to be carted off the field right before half. Ally always felt bad for players who got hurt, but it just meant that the next guy in line had to step up.

  With 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter, the Utes needed just one more stop to be sure that the opposing team wouldn’t be able to come back and win. As the MUSS participated in the traditional “3rd Down Jump”, the stadium was roaring. Ally screamed along with those around her as the quarterback was ready to hike the ball. As the football left the quarterback’s hand, she could see Tyson cut toward the receiver the football was intended for. The crowd silenced as they waited for the outcome. Ally felt as if everything turned into slow motion as Tyson and his teammate both went for the tackle. In that moment, Ally heard the crack of helmets hitting and watched Tyson and his fellow defender drop to the ground.

  Her heart dropped to her stomach as Tyson’s teammate got up and waved frantically to the sideline. Tyson wasn’t moving.

  “Please move something,” Ally whispered, as she grasped the rail in front of her. “Ty, please.” Tears quickly built up in her eyes as she willed Tyson to wiggle his foot or lift his hand.