→ introduction: carter
“ i can’t escape the way i love you. “
“ i don’t want to, but i love you.”
→ carter lucas anderson | age 24 | english teacher and football coach at the local high school.
→ carter was one of the boys that had it all. one of the starters on the football team, a gorgeous best friend, exceptional grades, and his whole future ahead of him
→ carter wanted to graduate with a scholarship to play college football. he even had dreams of making it to the pro-level in the nfl, but those dreams that were built since he was in the 8th grade crumbled quickly. at an after school practice during the fall football season, carter was tackled by one of his teammates in a scrimmage game. when he landed wrong, carter ended up suffering from a major hip dislocation that ended his high-school football career as a senior with six more games left in the season. he was never scouted by any teams and was urged by his doctor to lay off of the sport if he didn't want hip surgery when he was only in his thirties.
→ carson was beyond devastated. all he had known were his dreams of becoming a pro-football player. with those dreams completely wiped away, carter grew to be very bitter and angry with the life that he had been dealt.
→ the only person that could really help him through it was his best friend, ainsley bright. ainsley was just as her surname labeled her to be -- bright. she was the only source of light that he'd known in the following year since his injury. she'd tag along with him to physical therapy, skip a friday night football game to do something else to take his mind off of not playing, and did what she could to try and chip away at the hardness he built up around his heart.
→ once they graduated, while everyone else drifted apart, carter and ainsley were a dynamic duo. the two of them stuck around town while everyone else traveled as far as they could for college. while any other teen wanted to get away from town, carter and ainsley saw nothing wrong with being the two that stayed. carter received a degree in education at the nearest university and became a teacher at his alma mater.
→ more importantly, he was hired on as an assistant coach by the man who coached him. he was even promised to be the next head coach for the school. while it was no pro football career, at least he was able to spend more time with the sport that was once his passion.
→ while it was easy to call ainsley his best friend, anyone who knew them believed that there was more than that. anyone but themselves. anytime someone tried to entertain the thought that the pair were soulmates, they scrunched their nose and tried to change the topic. "no time to date", "we're just friends", "it would ruin what we have" were the many excuses the pair used to try and stifle the feelings that were growing deep in their gut. instead of dating, though, the pair found themselves slipping into a pattern of being a source of affection and comfort. one week, you would find them as the best friends that they've always been. the next week -- well -- if you were a night owl, you might find them laying on a blanket in the park....and you might find them stealing a kiss or two.
→ what would they say if you called them out on their "kissing" tendencies? that it was no big deal. they were all that the other had known. they were comfort and safety. and they kiss a little? so what? and maybe carter can't keep a girlfriend longer than a month because they always grow jealous of ains -- there's nothing to it. all he needed to get by was her.