Daring the Wild Sparks

by Alexander, Ren

  Val steps between them. “Okay, kids.” She gives Crick an apologetic smile. “These two really are friends.” Both grimace and look away from each other like the brats they are.

  He looks at Val, and then at Rod and Morgan. “Really? Wow.”

  I step forward and put my hand out, smiling warmly. “Hi. I’m Hadley Beckett.” I hope he doesn’t think we’re all nuts.

  Val smiles at me and then turns to Crick. “Hadley’s boyfriend is—”

  “Not here.” I glance at Val and give her a slight headshake.

  Perplexed, she asks, “Is he not coming?”

  Rod can’t resist. “He hasn’t all week!”

  Morgan smacks the back of Rod’s head. He pivots and glares down at her, rubbing into his hair. “Shit, Morbid!”

  “When’s the last time you did, Rod?” Morgan taunts him. He opens his mouth and she smacks his stomach, and from the slap, I hear the solid reverb of stomach muscles that Rod claims he doesn’t have. “Don’t answer that!”

  Val puts her hands on her cheeks in helplessness, while Crick stares at them like he’s witnessing aliens square dancing on thin ice.

  Pulling me to the side, Val repeats her unanswered question, “Is Finn really not coming?”

  Shaking my head, I say, “It’s not that. I don’t think everyone remembers that he’s my boyfriend. I only brought him around once and that was three years ago. Only you, Morgan and Rod know. Rhonda does, but she doesn’t talk to many people.”

  “Why don’t you want them knowing, babe? He’s such a cutie. He’s so madly in love with you that he got a tattoo of your name, on his show no less! Why would you want to hide your relationship?”

  “I don’t want to hide it. I just don’t want to flaunt it, I guess. If anyone remembers or finds out, that’s fine. I don’t want everyone thinking I’m getting special treatment.”

  “Nobody is going to think that. Don’t be silly.”

  I look at the patch of grass beneath our feet. “I don’t know, Val.”

  She puts her hand on my shoulder. “Is there something else going on with you and Finn, babe? Why isn’t he here with you? Don’t you spend weekends with him still?”

  I inhale. “We’re taking a small break.”

  Her face falls in concern. “Oh, no. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I told him I need a couple weeks before I move in with him. We’re not breaking up. I’ve reiterated that to him, but he doesn’t listen to me. He’s taking it hard.”

  “He probably is worried that he’ll lose you.”

  “We’ll be okay. I want to take a breather before the next step. That’s all.” Before I possibly give up everything, I want to have to be with him.

  Rod strides over with a smirk, apparently having recovered some of his good humor. “Hadders, your wild thing is here.”

  I scowl. “Wipe the drool from your chin.”

  He runs his hand around his chin and frowns. “Jerk. He’s grabbing shit out of a black truck with Ricky and some chick.” Oh, of course he’d bring Ricky. Best friends forever, no doubt. If I didn’t shower with Finn on the weekends, I’d swear he took them with Ricky. He should’ve gotten a tattoo with his name on it.

  “He’s here with a woman? Must be Ricky’s wife, Shay.”

  “I don’t know.”

  Curious and antsy, I ask, “How’s he look?”

  Looking skyward, Rod recounts, “He’s tall, muscular, rather handsome, Hispanic, looks like a cop…”

  “I meant Finn!” I incredulously glower at him, not in the mood for jokes.

  He squints at me in feign bewilderment. “Shouldn’t you already know what Wilder looks like, even with his clothes on?”

  I snap my teeth shut. “Gregory.”

  He tries to hide a grin. “What?”

  I smack his arm for the second time in 15 minutes. “I meant, does he look happy, pissed off, apathetic or sad?”

  “You do mean Wilder this time, right?” I impatiently widen my eyes at him and he rolls his. “He’s a dashing son of a bitch. I’ve told you that several times.” I hide my face in the hand of my glove, loudly growling into it with frustration. “Pathetic? That’s nice of you to say about the love of your life.”

  My growling turns into whining. “Apathetic, Rod.”

  “I heard you the first time. I wouldn’t call him a pathetic guy. I think he’s doing alright for himself.” He laughs. He’s edging closer to being smothered with my glove.

  Conclusively deciding to give up on Rod, I glance over to see Ricky, followed by a blonde woman, who is not Shay, walking relatively close to Finn. Who is she? I crane my neck and narrow my eyes to see if that helps me recognize her, but it doesn’t. Studying Finn, I notice he’s wearing a pair of his worn jeans, a white Shinedown T-shirt Rod also had found for me, his dark sunglasses and a small, lopsided smile. He is carrying a white mesh bag full of softballs slung over his shoulder and there is a clipboard in his other hand. Ricky has a larger bag, full of bats—I’m going out on a limb and guessing. He’s wearing dark blue jeans, a dark blue Richmond PD T-shirt, a matching ball cap and his usual, charming smile. The blonde woman has on a white peasant top and jeans. She’s laughing at something Finn is telling her, touching his arm. My arm to touch.

  I already hate her.

  I look away and agitatedly bite on my lip. Rod leans down and whispers, “What’s wrong?” I shake my head and move behind everyone gathering. Morgan and Rod flank me, but I step back and push them closer together, so I can hide; however, they repel like trying to force the same poles of two magnets to meet.

  Just arriving himself, Brandon walks over to the three and offers his hand. Finn sets down his bag against the chain link fence of the field and quickly returns to shake his hand. Brandon moves down the line to introduce himself to the other two, as well. I can’t even remember if Brandon had met him three years ago, since Finn had to leave my office’s Christmas party early to go to work.

  Peering between Rod and Morgan, I see Finn raise his sunglasses as he talks to Brandon. His hair is heavily blonde-tinged in the afternoon sun. I imagine this is the last place he wants to be right now. Finn’s hair is sticking up from behind the glasses on his head, causing his hotness factor to skyrocket; thus, making me want to run over, kiss him mercilessly and beg him to take us to my apartment.

  Rod needs to do a better job of reining me in.

  From here, I can also tell he’s hungover, despite his smiles. His movements are stilted and he has circles beneath his eyes. Regardless, he still is the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.

  Brandon leads them to our group and I unexpectedly begin to feel nauseous. Why am I so anxious? He’s still the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Nothing has changed. Have they?

  Thank you for reading “Daring the Wild Sparks.”

  “Igniting the Wild Sparks” coming soon!

  About the Author

  Ren Alexander lives outside Detroit, Michigan with her husband, two daughters, and two cats. Originally from Wheeling, West Virginia, she has a degree in criminal justice from West Liberty University, where she also took a creative writing course. She always dreamed of being a writer, but never thought she could actually do it.

  “Daring the Wild Sparks” is her second novel.

  You can visit Ren @:

  Facebook: facebook.com/RenAlexanderAuthor

  Twitter: @wild_renalex

  Blog: http://renalexanderauthor.blogspot.com/