The lights darkened, and I glanced at the empty chair next to me. The rest of the auditorium was full, and I shifted to the right so I wouldn’t be blocking the view of the woman behind me. Just as someone came out to make a speech about donating to save the theater, the door to my right opened and a sliver of bright light filtered in. A girl walked in, but with the backlight, I couldn’t make out her face.
That was, until she was close enough to ask me what seat I was sitting in. Serena Gates.
“Is this row HH?” she whispered loudly. Recognition popped into her eyes as she saw my face, and I think panic caused my heart to skip a beat.
I opened my mouth to respond, trying to force a yes out, but nothing came. I finally nodded my head, which was easier.
She looked down at the chair, and the seat number must have been the same as her ticket because she pulled the bottom seat down, sliding into it and sending an apple-cinnamon cloud my way.
It took a moment for me to realize I’d been clinging to the armrests, and I let go, folding my hands in my lap. How was I going to concentrate on the show when Serena was sitting next to me? I’d had a hard enough time focusing the past couple of days after bumping into her in the hall, but that wasn’t anything like sitting next to her for over two hours.
Four
Serena
I arrived late to the theater, and luckily I was able to beg my way into the auditorium. The next show was a matinee at ten on a Saturday morning, and I knew I didn’t have a chance of making that one with a tournament starting at seven. There was no way I was going to miss even one game for extra credit when it came to volleyball.
Seeing Ben Clark sitting there set my insides turning. I wished I could see his crystal-blue eyes, but it was dark. For only having been as close as we were now once before, my mind and body shouldn’t have been reacting to him like that. And then I remembered I wasn’t looking to date or even have a crush on anyone until I was at least twenty-one. Maybe eighteen.
I’d never given the guy a second look, especially when James had been in the picture. But there was something about him that kept my mind replaying the interaction we’d had by the art room the other day. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn’t arrogant, walking around with a swagger like he could do no wrong. Or that he was a pretty big deal when it came to the baseball team and yet he acted like everyone else had all the talent.
He seemed tense, and every time I accidentally bumped into one of his extra-long limbs, it felt as if we were playing freeze tag.
At intermission, I stood to stretch, grateful I’d been able to somewhat focus on the play.
“How are you liking it so far?” I asked Ben. I tried to hold back a laugh when I saw his expression turn to shock, his eyes going wide like he was about to be hit with something.
“Good. It’s good.” He stood and turned his eyes to the stage.
I tilted my head back in order to see his face, noting the sharp angles of his jaw and cheekbones. But that wasn’t something I was going to dwell on because I was done with boys, especially athletic ones. They always managed to rip my heart out. But I could always be nice to Ben.
“I’m going to get some snacks. Do you want anything?” I asked, smiling at him. When he turned toward me, my heart pumped against my rib cage, and I worked to keep eye contact until he answered.
He shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “I can get—uh, that sounds, um. Maybe, uh, I’ll go with you.”
I rolled my lips in at his painful delivery. Did he have some kind of speech problem? I smiled again, hoping to reassure him somewhat. Nothing made me feel worse than someone trying so hard at something and failing. I moved out of the row so he could follow.
“Mr. Kendall’s class, huh?”
Ben turned his head to me. “Yeah. What class, uh, period do you have him?”
“Third.”
“Ah, so you’re a sophomore, right?” He opened the door for me, and I watched as his eyebrow went up with the question. We both squinted at the brighter lights outside the auditorium. As I walked by him, I could smell a clean scent of a cologne I couldn’t place.
Shaking my head, I reminded myself I did not need to be attracted to every guy who said more than two words to me.
“Yep. You’re a junior, right?” I asked, already knowing the answer. It seemed like everyone but Brynn and I were juniors.
He nodded, pulling out a wallet from his pocket. When he opened it, I caught a glimpse of the front. I tugged his hand away, and a small shock of electricity flew up my arm. Ignoring the tingles, I turned the wallet so I could see the picture more clearly.
“A Disney wallet? Aren’t you a little old for cartoons?” I asked, laughing.
With a small smile, he shook his head. “You’re never too old for Disney. It was a present from my brother a few years ago. He loves it when I pull it out and reminds me that he was the one who gave it to me.” No stutter. Relaxed shoulders. And the smile on his face as he talked about his brother was bordering priceless. It made my status as an only child seem like I’d missed out on some great event.
“Do you have just one brother? I mean, is he your only sibling?” It sounded like an awkward question, but I was suddenly curious. I’d never met someone who was so secure that he wasn’t fazed by owning something people would think was childish. Then again, my mother had been trying to dress me up like an adult from the time I started eating baby food. I’d stopped allowing that three years ago, wearing just about the opposite ever since.
He stepped forward, ordering a large popcorn and some gummy sharks. “What do you want?” he asked over his shoulder.
“I’m good. I can get my own.” I waved my hand at him, hoping he would just pay and be done.
He turned to face me, his bright blue eyes wearing down my defenses. “I’m paying for it. If we have to suffer through this play, I might as well make it enjoyable for both of us.”
Hesitating, I pinched my lips between my teeth, trying to decide if I should cave and let him pay for me. Like a date. But not a date. Just two people who were doing extra credit for English.
“I’ll take some of those chocolate peanuts.” I pointed to the yellow box in the window display and kept my eyes there so I wasn’t tempted to look back into those pools of blue that looked like they could be from the Caribbean.
Ben ordered those and paid for the treats. We walked back in the direction of our seats, Ben opening the door for me again.
“I just have one brother,” he said, returning to our conversation. He threw a few kernels of popcorn into his mouth, chewed, and then swallowed before speaking again. Big points right there for not talking while he was chewing. I shook my head. This was not a checklist of boyfriend material.
“My parents tried for a long time after having me, but they had troubles with secondary infertility, I think they call it. My mom miscarried a lot and then finally was able to make it all the way with Daniel.”
I liked the ease in his voice as he spoke about his family, making it so he didn’t stutter. All the tension in his limbs seemed to flow away as he talked about them, and I wanted to meet them for some reason. My parents barely told me anything about what was going on in their lives, and the fact that he knew such intimate details about his parents trying to have more kids seemed foreign to me.
The smell of the popcorn caused my stomach to rumble, and I laughed, feeling a little awkward. We took our seats, and Ben moved the popcorn box in my direction. “Have some.”
I took a few kernels, knowing if I refused he’d probably be stubborn like he was at the register. They hit the spot, the perfect amount of butter and salt. I’d only made a quesadilla before heading to the theater since Liza, our cook, had left earlier than normal.
“Thank you,” I said, popping two more pieces into my mouth.
“No problem. What about you? Any siblings?” He tossed a piece of popcorn into the air and caught it in his mouth, turning to me with a near-perfect smile.
What was wrong with me? I was supposed to be avoiding all boys and any feelings for them. I’d chased James for months, and when he finally noticed me, it lasted for all of a week before he’d moved on to some perky girl on the drill team. James wasn’t the first guy who had done that either. I was an expert at picking the wrong kind of guys, but for some reason, I couldn’t see those signs beforehand.
And now I’d let Ben buy me some candy. Great. I was giving out vibes when I should be like ice. But he made it difficult for me to say no.
“No siblings here. My mom almost died when she had me, so I think that was enough excitement for my parents.” I focused on the deep-red curtains on the sides of the stage below us, waiting for the pity statement most people usually gave.
“That was my life for ten years, being an only child, I mean. It was a change when Daniel came home, but it’s more fun now, having a brother.” His body froze, his eyes widening as he looked at me. “I don’t mean that against you. I just—”
I raised my hand. “You’re good. There are definitely perks to being the only child. Like I can pretty much do whatever I want whenever I want. But there are times when I wish I had someone else to at least talk to about my dysfunctional family.”
Ben focused on opening the gummies, avoiding my gaze as he asked, “Are your parents divorced?”
I blinked a few times, reviewing my words to see if I’d given that impression. “Um, no. They’re just really busy with their jobs. My dad, well, he’s at the gym pretty much from morning until night right now. And my mom is designing her clothing line for next fall.” I could hear the bitterness in my words, but Ben didn’t notice. He handed me the package of gummies and turned toward the stage.
The lights had turned down, and I heard him say, “Finally,” under his breath.
A flood of embarrassment poured through me. Was he bugged to be talking to me? He was the one who’d asked so many questions. And bought me treats.
I flashed back to the last time James and I hung out. We’d been watching some show that had another agenda behind the storyline, and I kept pointing it out. I didn’t realize it until I analyzed the whole situation later, but it was one of his favorite movies and he hadn’t liked me calling attention to all those things. When I noticed he wasn’t reacting to my answers, I’d sunk into the couch and kept quiet.
I could still see the hardness of his eyes as he glanced back at me and whispered, “Finally.”
Was I just an annoyance to all things male? Or was it the fact that other than my small group of friends, I didn’t have many people who listened or cared about what was going on in my life? Heat burned in my cheeks and ears. I was glad it was so dark in there so Ben couldn’t see my embarrassment.
But I shouldn’t even care. Rule number one of the new Serena was to stay away from the boys. It was better this way. Don’t worry about talking to the opposite sex and get this lame assignment over with.
I glanced down at the box of unopened peanuts in my lap, trying to decide what to do.
As the first actors came out on stage, spouting things about their town, I set the box on the armrest. I’d make it through the rest of this dumb play and not worry about Ben from here on out.
Five
Ben
I thought we’d made some good progress at the play. I’d only stuttered a few times at the beginning, but I felt at ease with her, something that had never happened when I’d had a crush on any other girl.
My hopes leaped as she let me buy her candy, although she didn’t even open the box. But as soon as the intermission ended, she stiffened, and all the courage I’d built up during our conversation deflated like a balloon.
Once the show was over, she gave a curt goodbye and hurried out the door, leaving the candy on the armrest. I’d actually been more focused on formulating a good plan to ask her out on a real date than watching most of the end of the play, meaning I’d have to do some more research online to get the gist of it for the paper.
Had I asked her too many personal questions and that’s why she’d left like there was a fire?
She’d seemed fairly open about her parents and life, but maybe I’d read it all wrong, which was highly possible. But maybe she’d just learned to be polite since her dad was one of the most famous people in our town. The thought that her dad could bend me into a pretzel sent a shiver through me.
I was lying in my bed Saturday morning when I heard a knock at the door. “Come in,” I called, my voice sounding much deeper than normal. With a quick glance at the time on my phone, I groaned. It was only nine in the morning.
“Still in bed?” Dax’s voice caused me to sit up.
“I’m more surprised that you’re in the land of the living at this hour on a Saturday,” I joked, holding out my hand as he swung his forward to slap mine.
He sat on the end of my bed and shrugged. “I didn’t go out with the others. After I ate dinner, I fell asleep and woke up at seven thirty this morning. I figured I’d come over and see what you were up to.”
“More like make me suffer like you.” I chuckled and fell back onto my pillow.
“How was your play last night?”
I froze for a moment, wondering how he could remember that. Lying on my back, I placed my hands under my head with elbows out, staring at the small spot on the ceiling from a leak years ago.
“It was a play. Nothing too exciting.”
“You didn’t find any girls there, huh?” Dax asked, slapping the blanket over my legs. It didn’t shield my skin from the smack.
If blood could freeze inside a living body, I was sure mine had at that moment. But there was no hint of knowing in Dax’s expression, and I blew out a breath. Shaking my head, I pictured Serena again, the way her smile lit up her eyes. But that image was tainted by her storming away.
“I sat by Serena Gates. The play was boring. I think I fell asleep for the last half of it.” I rushed the last two sentences, hoping he wouldn’t catch on to who I sat by like a hound to prey.
Dax squinted. After a few seconds, he said, “Isn’t she one of Penny’s friends? A sophomore, right?”
I threw off the covers and pulled on the sweats I’d worn a few days ago over my shorts. My mom liked to keep the air conditioning on full blast when my dad was gone for work, and even in Texas, I felt the chill. “Yeah, I think so.”
“She’s kinda cute.”
Dax’s words caused me to spin toward him. I tried to school my expression into a natural mask, but from the sly smile he gave me, I knew I was in for it.
“You like her, don’t you? I mean, normally you would have said something like, ‘I sat by some random girl.’ But you know her name.”
I raised my hands and shook my head. “I—no. No, I don’t have a crush on her. I’ve talked to her, like, twice. And the only reason I knew who she was is because of Penny and Jake.”
Dax waved his finger at me, and I turned my gaze past him, lasering in on the trophies on a shelf against the wall. “You definitely like her. You only get flustered when you’re around or talk to a girl you like.”
“What are you talking about? I get flustered around every girl.” I pulled some socks from the drawer, grateful my mom had gotten to my laundry. I’d been on my last pair of clean ones the day before, and even though I was supposed to do my own, with baseball and the internship, and homework on top of that, I was barely keeping my eyes open once I got home.
Dax stood and walked over, resting his hand on the large dresser that stored my clothes. “No, not every girl. You talk to Penny like you’ve been friends forever.”
“That means nothing. I know she’s with Jake and doesn’t expect anything. Besides, she plays softball, and most of what we talk about is either that or baseball. Those are pretty safe topics in my book.” How I wished I could go back and not tell him about Serena at all. Or even start this day over.
“Come on, Ben. Just tell me. I’m like a vault. No secret is getting out of me.”
I chuckled, wishing I had some way to get out of this, or even a good example of him not keeping a secret, but he was good to his word for the most part.
I sat on the bed, slipping on my socks and shoes. As I tied the laces, I looked up at him. “Fine, I might have a little crush on her.”
“Did you stutter when you talked to her last night?”
“No, well, maybe at first. But then we were talking and things seemed to go smoothly. Until the play was over and she kind of stormed off.” I stood and pulled my baseball cap from the post on my bed. Adjusting it so it fit just above my eyes, I said, “Girls. Why do they have to be so hard to read?”
Something passed over Dax’s face, and I wondered if he’d gone through the same thing. He wasn’t the type to settle for a girlfriend, but trying to live in Jake’s former playboy shadow had to get old.
“I don’t know, man. But we should hook you two up. I think you’d make an interesting pair.”
I lightly punched his shoulder. “What do you mean, ‘interesting’? Not cute or adorable like Jake and Penny?”
Dax took a step back. “Does this look like the face of someone who would ever say cute or adorable?”
I laughed, and he continued. “No, it doesn’t. I’m just saying she seems like a spitfire, and you’re like Bashful Dwarf when it comes to women.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, man. That’s what every guy wants to be compared to. A dwarf.” I rolled my eyes at him, taking my Disney-character wallet from the dresser. I thought about the conversation Serena and I’d had about it the night before and smiled as I shoved it in my pocket.
The Perfect Game: A Young Adult Romance (Rosemont High Baseball Book 2) Page 3
