An arm jostles me as it’s tossed around my shoulders, “Fuck, man! We did it!” Gavin yells into my ear, his voice hoarse with overuse. Gavin played a great game tonight and his hit in the seventh inning helped us win the game.
Grinning up at him, I smack his shoulder. “Fuck yeah, we did. How are you going to celebrate?” I already know what I would be doing.
“Trevor’s throwing a party at the house. Word’s already getting out and tonight is going to be lit. You gonna come?” Hetosses his bag over his shoulder and sneaks a peek over at me. “Let me guess,” he shakes his head, “You’ve got a girl to see?”
“She’s not just a girl, Gavin,” I chastise, grabbing my items without looking back at him. “Don’t do anything stupid!” I shout over my shoulder as I bound up the stairs of the dugout ready to get to my girl.
Weaving through the crowds still hanging out in the parking lot is no easy task. Everyone wants me to stop while they mention how great of a game we played tonight and how excited they are that we beat the shit out of Liberty. I’m excited too, but my celebration comes in the form of a tall, gorgeous brunette who tastes like sugar.
Sliding into the driver’s seat of my car, I pull out my cell phone and hit the speed dial for my mom. She lives two states away and can’t always get away from work and make the hours-long trip to my games, but I know she watches the live stream for every home game.
The phone rings through the speaker several times before she answers, her loud cheers punctuating the silence. “Baby boy! You didsowell tonight. I can’t believe I missed being at this game.” Her voice fills with regret at not making the journey here. It’s one of the downsides to choosing Rosewood, but she damn near forced me to go with the full-ride scholarship Coach offered.
“Thanks, Mom. But don’t feel bad that you weren’t here, you were able to watch it anyway.”
“I know,” she admits, “but I still would have liked to have seen that double play in person. How in the world do you throw the ball that fast? It never ceases to amaze me how you do that.”
Growing up, Mom did her best to get me to all the practices between her busy work schedules. It wasn’t until I was in middle school that she was able to stop waitressing and work one job at our local Family and Youth Services as a receptionist. Even then,she wasn’t able to pay for private practices, so I made sure to work my ass off whenever I could.
Cracking a smile at our running joke, I say, “It’s all in the wrist, Ma.” Her bright laughter mixes with mine as we continue to talk about the game and how practices are going. We talk weekly, so there isn’t all that much to catch up on, and we end the call several minutes later.
Finally turning the key in the ignition, I drive through town and back to campus. I have to stop at my room before heading to see Candi, but I can shower quickly. There’s nothing I want to do more than spend time with her.
Breaking the record for the fastest shower, I quickly leave Thorn Hall and take the shortcut through campus to Candi’s dorm. When I reach the steps of Stone Hall, a large group of girls is walking down the steps all dressed up, no doubt heading to Trevor’s for the party.
“Oh, there he is!” A high-pitched voice drawls, and I can’t control the cringe that crosses my face when Clara’s arm loops through mine, making me stop just inches away from the door. “Jaxon, you played ah-mazing tonight. Aren’t you going to come and celebrate with us?” She bats those too-big eyelashes at me, making me huff a breath in frustration. Will this girl never get over me?
“No, Clara, I’m not.” I’m proud that my voice isn’t full of disdain as I work to free my arm from her grasp. “I’ve got somewhere better to be.”
She only grips me tighter and leans in close, whispering, “If you come with us, I can make it worth your while.” Her voice drops low in an attempt to be seductive, but it’s no use. The time of being polite has passed.
Wrenching my arm free, I look her dead in the eyes and rip off the band-aid. “Clara, I have a girlfriend—one I’m completely loyal to. I’ve tried to be nice, but you need to stop with theseadvances. I’m not interested in dating you, going to parties with you, or doing whatever it is you just offered me. I’m sure you’ll find someone who feels for you the same way I do about Candi, but you’re not the girl for me.” Her blue eyes widen in shock, but I don’t wait for her to respond before pulling the door open and jogging up the stairs to see my Sweetness.
By the time I reach her door, I’m near breathless from taking the steps two at a time. Their door is usually unlocked, but with recent events, I take a moment to knock and wait for a response before entering. Except there isn’t one. Knocking again, I wait, but yet again no one answers. That’s strange.
Creaking open the door, Polly and Candi’s room is pitch black except for the string lights blinking on Polly’s wall. She would have told me if she wasn’t going to be here, right?
Pulling out my phone, I send Candi a text and stand in the doorway waiting for her to reply. When I hear the faint buzz coming from her desk, I know that she left her phone here. Where would she have gone?
A smile crosses my face. I know my girl.
Sure enough, my Sweetness is sitting at our bench—the one that will forever belong to us—her hair dangling over the armrest as she lays there, the bench lightly swinging back and forth. “There you are, Sweetness. I thought you were in your room.” Rounding the bench under the dim lamps I can see her red-rimmed eyes as she wipes away the tears that are streaming down her cheeks.
She sits up quickly, startled by my sudden appearance. “Sorry,” she sniffles, the blanket covering her legs dangling on the ground from her movements. “I just…needed to think.”
The bench is still warm from her legs when I sit. My mind immediately goes on high alert when she says those five words. Whatever is on my girl’s mind has me worried. Candi is not one to cry, at least I’ve only seen a tear one time, but I get the sensethat she doesn’t cry if she can help it. My arm settles across her shoulders, pulling her closer and offering her my warmth. “Sweetness, what’s wrong?”
Candi heaves a large, shaky breath, her knees pulling up to her chest as she wraps her arms around them. “Me,” she releases with a sigh.
Who the fuck made her feel this way?
My free hand cups her face, pulling her gaze toward me. “Sweetness, tell me what you’re thinking because right now I’m thinking that I’ll hurt whoever made you feel this way,” my voice is soft but laced with the promise that I would follow through with my threat. Her brown eyes overflow with tears making my heart ache.
“I’m the problem,” she scoffs, “I’m not good enough for you.” Candi turns her head away from me, her arms gesturing down her body. “Look at me!”
“Sweetness, Iamlooking at you and there’snothingI see that I don’t like.
“Oh right, like you wouldn’t rather have a tiny, busty, blonde, peppy cheerleader who isn’t riddled with anxiety, and doesn’t headbutt you when someone walks through the door. I’m just not that girl, Jaxon. I’m not the one that’s going to cheer the loudest or wear the most makeup. I’m not the girl with the perfect figure who likes to party. I’m not the girl you should be with.”
