Naomi Black

How is it that there was never you until there was? And then all was you.

I had such a crush on Matti Williams and trying to keep it a secret was the best thing to possibly do. I wanted to stay as hidden from his life as possible even after someone released pictures. I woke up the morning after our Pittsburgh sleepover with the golden boy's arms around me. I was geeking for him.

However, the girls weren't as excited.

Which made sense. I mean all he did was make me cry- but those days are over. Naomi Black wasn't raised by no bitch.

Maybe by a drug addict.

But I wasn't raised by no bitch.

It's been a week since Pittsburgh and since that lovely morning filled with chaos, I have been hitting the books like Pete would hit the opposing team's linemen. Griff and Matti were the only two to stay the night, but getting Matti up in the morning was equivalent to getting a toddler ready for preschool.

First of all, the boys had to be out the door and on the bus by noon. Which was an absolute task because everyone besides myself was hungover. I was on some type of high. I think it's just my brain releasing dopamine because I'm happy, but Finn calls it the "Matti high". Of course, as soon as those words flew out of her mouth I told her to shut up.

Not because it wasn't true.

But because if he were to hear it, I'm pretty sure his head would've gotten so big he wouldn't have been able to fit his way out the door.

I wasn't trying to get attached because everything I had been living for at that very moment changed as soon as I brought him to my mom. I had never done that. I never had visited that corner in Pittsburgh either.

But I did it with him.

And if it went wrong I guess I can just say I gave him a tour before he lived in a mansion there.

Nursing school was getting down to the wire and even I was stressed. The amount of coffee I was drinking was keeping me up all night when I should've been sleeping. When I woke up, I could drink more coffee and study again.

I however kept myself calm with the soothing voices of One Direction and Kacey Musgraves. My bed had become my best friend. Fall break was only a few days but those few days felt like nothing because it was filled with stress. While everyone went home for these past few days, I stayed in Happy Valley because I needed to focus.

I had not seen Matti since he had left for fall break four days ago.

And I'm not complaining because my body needed a break.

The things nobody talks about with mommy and daddy issues were the attachment issues that came along with both of them. And since I had both kinds of issues, I was double fucked.

It was like my ability to attach and detach was as useful as double-sided tape.

I just stuck everywhere and not to the right things.

I was also becoming used to the fact that Matti loved leaving his marks of love on my butterfly tattoos behind my ears. It was his thing.

I looked over to my clock and saw it read 10:52. Which meant the girls were coming back on campus in exactly one hour and eight minutes. Which meant I had exactly that entire time to clean the apartment and myself.

The apartment wasn't dirty because germs grossed me out. Even the idea of splattered toothpaste in the sink disgusted me, so I was not about to be living like a hog on my own for a few days.

I did miss my friends.

And in some annoying way, I did miss Matti too.

This is what I hated. The constant missing feeling. When you feel like you've become so connected to someone that you're constantly longing for the feeling of them or their name lighting up on your phone screen.

And I was in that connection with Matti Williams like a magnet was connected to a fridge.

But it scared me.

I know that it can go just as fast as it came on. And I don't feel like I would be the side that would lose the connection either.

I decided to stop loathing myself and finally get out of bed at 11:00. I changed into some comfy clothes and decided to investigate the house to make sure everything was as clean as I hoped it would be. My bedroom was the only thing that needed tidying, but I wasn't that worried about it.

Around 11:45 I had confirmation from all of the girls that they were about to arrive in Happy Valley.

I lit the candles in the living room and kitchen to get the place smelling like fresh fucking linen. I loved that scent.

It was a beautiful day in the Happiest of Valleys. We were nineteen days from Halloween, twenty-six days from Thanksgiving, and more importantly forty days from my nursing exam.

"Honey I'm home!" The door slammed open against the wall as Finn charged the apartment with her hands filled with suitcases. I raised my eyebrows, she sure did know how to pack a damn suitcase or five.

"Hi Finnegan Wright! I missed you!" I yelled at her with my arms open as she dropped all of her suitcases on the carpet and ran at my open arms to bring me into a big hug. A groan was heard from the door making my head turn, "Are you fucking kidding me, Finnegan? Seven suitcases and you make me drag five while you take two?" Caden bitches at her as she rolls her eyes.

"What? You don't have muscles in your arms? Or is it just your legs because all you know how to do is kick a football?" She bitched back at him. He went to cut her off but he was cut off by another voice. "Actually, he has a love muscle too."

Sloane entered the room as Caden turned bright red. I raised my eyebrows, holy shit. Sloane Beck stood in the flesh wearing jimmy choo wrap around heels and only a black blazer. She had on bright red sunglasses that matched her bright red purse and suitcase set.

"What? I was talking about his big fat juicy heart of course." She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at him.

I laughed, "Sloane. What the fuck are you wearing? It's forty degrees outside." She put her hands up in defense, "Daddies booked us a flight to Paris, and then we flew from there to here. Literally. I'm straight off the plane and I'm hungover on about fifteen mimosas. Holy shit, where are the headache pills?" She asked while ripping off her sunglasses and strutting throughout the apartment.

"Wait. I'll help, don't take a blood thinner." I chased after her as the door slammed open again. "Blood thinners? I'm in if it makes me lose about twenty pounds!" Nat yelled as she kicked the door open.

I rolled my eyes.

I walked into the kitchen to the medicine drawer to grab her a Tylenol as my front door slammed open again.

Holy shit.

The next person to slam that damn door open is getting the mace to the face.

"That's fine babe! Don't worry! I'll bring all your shit in! Even if I should be resting for practice tomorrow!" Griffin yelled as he brought in boxes. What the hell did these girls buy on break?

I peeked my head around the corner to see Griff and Caden sitting on the couches.

"Hello Mrs. Williams," Griffin smirked at me as I chucked a pillow that was sitting on the recliner at him. "Hello Mr. Regan," I laughed at him as he chucked it back.

Caden nodded his head at me, "You know, I'm kind of like your older brother and I have to say. I disapprove of every relationship that is taking place between my team and my group of little sisters."

I leaned close to him and whispered in his left ear, "You must not approve of yourself fucking Miss Beck then," He coughed.

Checkmate.

My three roommates finally came back from their bedrooms and decided to join us in our now box and suitcases filled living room. "It's Sunday. What are the moves since we don't have class tomorrow?" Griff asks while throwing his phone in the air and catching it with the same hand.

"What are the captains doing on this lovely Sunday?" Nat asks walking over to sit on top of him. "I was planning on doing absolutely nothing since nobody is back on campus yet," Griff said and Caden nodded in agreement.

Griffin turned towards me, "What's Williams doing?" He asked. I shrugged as he mocked me in return. "What? I don't talk to him every hour of the day," They all looked at me as I threw my hands up in defense.

"I don't! I haven't talked to him since yesterday. Thank you very much." I laughed at them. I curled up in a ball on the chair and was deeply engrossed in a game of Temple Run while everyone else talked and played on their phones.

There was a knock at the door and everyone was too into their damn conversation to go answer the door so of course, I purposely died to get up and go to answer it.

"Where are you going girl," Griff called after me as I walked past him and Nat on the couch. "Someone's at the door," I responded while walking down the hallway.

Opening the door, I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't a delivery guy with a bouquet.

"Uh. Can I help you?" I asked as the poor guy looked so confused. I mean, he's delivering a bouquet in the middle of a college campus. One of the biggest college campuses too.

"I have an order for Miss Naomi Black," He handed me the bouquet and fucking booked it down the hallway towards the stairs.

"Uh, thanks!" I yelled down the hallway at the guy and turned around to walk back into the apartment with this huge flower bouquet of roses. It was so big that you could cover my entire head with it.

I kicked the door shut with my foot and walked back down the hallway to put them on the table.

"Woah, mama." Nat whistled as she saw them. "Holy shit. Who got you those?" Finn yelled from the other couch as I shrugged.

"We'll look for a card," Sloane suggested while getting up from sitting near Finn to come to look at the pretty roses. Indeed there was a card. A fancy white envelope with my name on it.

I opened it and immediately smiled.

"What does it say! Who is it from?" Nat asks as she leaned over the couch with Griffin.

I cleared my throat, "Dear Miss Black, I hope you had a lovely fall break. I hope that you didn't miss me too much either. I sent these roses to you because you deserved them. Also because fun fact there is every color of rose except black. And you're Naomi Black. So I decided the roses needed a hint of black in their life. And just like the roses, I need my Black in my life too. I'm personally inviting you and the girls over to the captain's house tonight for a lovely slumber party. It would suck if you don't accept this invitation because we don't have classes tomorrow so that means I wouldn't be seeing you until Thursday. I hope you and the real housewives of happy valley decide to accept this invitation. I know you will. See you tonight. Xoxo Matti Williams. P.S. Condoms included." I finished reading the white letter with a smile on my face.

The girls cheered while the guys groaned. "Did he sign his name on it?" Finn asked while walking over and I nodded. She snatched it out of my hands, "How much do you think I could sell his autograph for?" She asked Griffin as he busted out laughing. I snatched the card back, "You drive a damn Audi and you want to sell Matti's autograph? Sell your brother's autograph! If anyone is selling William's autograph it's me. I should get hazard pay for the hazing I'm about to receive from this slumber party tonight," The girls laugh as the guys stand up from laying down.

"We're going to head back to the house later," They nodded towards me as I smiled at them. I grabbed my phone and walked down the hallway towards my room to make a phone call.

I laid back on my bed and hit the call button on his contact. After the third ring the lovely voice I annoyingly missed spoke, "Matti Williams speaking." I laughed, "There is no actual way you answer your phone like that."

"Yes, I do. I'm a very serious athlete." I chuckled. He continued, "You know what I'm also serious about?" I hummed in response. "You are coming over tonight. One word, slumber party." I giggled. "That's two words genius."

"Not when you're Matti Williams. When you're Matti Williams you make the dictionary your bitch." I let out an ugly laugh at his response. "Yeah we'll be there but on one condition," Suddenly my phone beeps.

He was trying to facetime me.

I accepted the call and suddenly his masterpiece of a face popped up on the screen. He was shirtless in a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and he was shaving his face. I was propped up on his bathroom counter. "Miss Naomi Black, please tell me the condition you have," I nodded.

"About those condoms..." I started speaking as he dropped his razor. "Oops, I got butterfingers today," He says as I laugh.

"It's a good thing that doesn't happen during the game," I responded as he started wiping his face off. "Haha. Funny. Well, usually during a game I don't have a hot ass brunette talking to me about condoms. I usually have three hundred pounds of man muscle pounding on me." He responded as I chuckled towards his last sentence.

"We'll be there tonight. What's the attire?" I asked as he smiled, grabbing the phone bringing me towards his face. "Wear the comfiest pair of pajamas you have Black," I smiled at the camera.

"Thank you for the flowers," I look down at my bed picking at my blanket. He chuckled, "Anything for you." My cheeks turned red as I looked back up at the camera.

Matti Williams was looking at me with the cutest smile ever.

"I'll see you later tonight in the comfiest pajamas ever. You better bring the sour patch kids." He nodded before blowing me kisses and hanging up.

As much as I said I annoyingly missed him, there was a bit of me that couldn't wait to see him.

I jumped off of my bed.

In some fucked up way Matti Williams had touched me emotionally in a way that no man had the chance of doing. I didn't want to let anyone in because everyone was just such assholes. They made me feel like I was a bad person.

But Matti understood me.

I went to put the envelope and card on my desk but stopped as I realized there was something else inside of it. Opening up the envelope and looking at the bottom, I pulled out the object and smiled.

It was a moon ring.

And just like how I felt comfort in looking at the moon, I felt comfort in looking at Matti.

Matti Williams

I couldn't stop thinking about her.

Fall break with my parents was miserable, I don't think I could survive another break with them alone. The only time I got to escape was when I was texting her or when I was talking to coaches about draft and plays.

The roses idea was absolutely out of pocket. But when I went to the store to pick up some mint chocolate chip ice cream there was a special something that caught my eyes. I knew it would mean the world to her.

The moon ring was something that was a first time purchase for me.

But I knew she would be happy with it, so I had to get it.

These past few days without her were boring. Nobody to pick a fight with, nobody to tickle, and nobody to laugh with. I had my dogs, but I obviously couldn't make out with them. Some people are into that shit though.

Not my fortay.

Naomi Jade Black, however, was my fortay and she was coming over in about fifteen minutes. The girl I had missed for the past few days would finally be within reach and I couldn't wait.

I was dressed in my damn attire, which consisted of blue and black flannel pajama bottoms and I was going topless. "Put on a shirt, you look like a tool." Blake said as he walked past my room.

I rolled my eyes, "Can I ask what your problem has been these past few days? You've just been in a pissy mood." I called out to him from my bedroom. I heard his footsteps continue down the hallway ignoring me.

Blake was one of the most misunderstood people. We met in second grade at our travel tournament and it's been history ever since. We went to the same private school together after sixth grade. We won state championships together, we had sleepovers when we were younger, I was the first person to sign his cast when he broke his left arm in fourth grade. He was the Red Power Ranger while I was the Blue one for Halloween one year. Blake and I go way back. Penn State was his dream school to play football at. However, my boy is very smart. He got a full ride to Harvard to study law.

Unfortunately, that's what his father, The Governor of Michigan, wanted for him.

Not what Blake wanted for himself.

In the end he did get to do what he wanted at his dream college no matter what his dad said because Blake would blast him about his alcohol abuse to the media if not.

When I get drafted, that will be the first time Blake and I will have been separated since second grade.

That shit is going to hurt worse than a breakup.

At the end of the day there isn't anything I wouldn't do for Blake Day because he is my boy. I truly loved Blake. He was my sibling that I never had the chance of having.

I walked out of my room and headed down towards the living room that was all decked out in five forts.

One for Naomi and I.

One for Reese and Caden.

One for Sloane and Finn.

One for Natalie and Griff.

And one for Blake.

And before I take credit, I called over Chi Omega to come set it up as long as I let them post a picture of me on their Instagram story.

Working smarter, not harder.

I walked into the kitchen to see all of the boys in their pajamas and I froze.

"We all look like a bunch of whipped pussies and I'm the single one," Reese spoke as he walked into the room. "Uh, technically we're all the single ones here. None of us are cuffed," Griff laughed as Reese stuffed his face with popcorn.

The doorbell rang and Blake groaned. I looked at him as he locked eyes with me, "What is wrong with you?" I mouthed as he mouthed back "later". I nodded and walked towards the front door.

Opening the door I was immediately greeted by the girl gang.

"Hey Matti Boy," Finn was the first to walk in, then Nat who smiled at me, and I nodded towards both of them. "Hey Mattison, tell me. Where did you put your free condoms?"

My jaw dropped and so did Naomi's.

"Sloane. He's nice. Apologize for calling him that." Naomi whispered in her ear like I wouldn't hear but clearly, I did. She smiled at me, "Hey Matti, sorry I mispronounced your name. Where do you keep your condoms?" I smirked at her.

"You should know. You're here almost every other day." Her eyes bugged out of her head. As Naomi saw that as her cue to