Without Drake or my dad here, the house was quiet and eerily empty. Silence meant my thoughts are coming full force like a train and crashing into me. I couldn’t go through with this. Whatever this was. After the game Thursday, life would go back to normal. I wouldn’t have to be around Jake. I wouldn’t have to wonder why he’s around. I wouldn’t have to wonder why some random person like Jake Benson would want to be around me when my own mother despised me.
Tired of the trail of thoughts, I push my chair back and walk over to the radio that is installed under the cabinets over the counter. I found one of my favorites stations, Bob 93.3 and turned it up. Returning to my seat, I felt better with some noise.
I finished my homework two hours later. My dad came in the door as I was packing my things up. “Hey hon. How was your day?”
“Pretty good. Yours?”
“Tiring. I’m going to have to work this weekend. Will you be okay here?”
“Of course.” Dad started to get various items out of the fridge and pantry for supper. “Oh, Jake wants us to go to his game tonight. We can just grab a bite later.”
He begins to put everything back, “Alrighty then. What time does it start?”
“In about thirty minutes. We should go ahead and find seats.”
“Okay, I’ll drive. Just let me change out of my suit.” He left me in the kitchen to dress. I went to my room with my bag in hand and dropped it beside my dresser. I checked myself in the mirror…whoa, where did that come from? I haven‘t cared what I looked like in a long time. “Let’s go Emily.”
No time to think about it. With my phone in my jacket pocket, I headed out the door and to the game. We met the chilly air as we entered the rink. “Emily! Over here!” I looked towards the bench and saw Drake waving at me. My dad and I made our way to him. He gave me a hug.
“Hey buddy.”
“Hey Emily. Hey Mr. Mike. Can we get ice cream after the game?”
My dad was the one who answered. “If Jake wins, we can.” Drake smiled a huge smile. “He will win then. I saved you guys a seat!” He pointed to two seats next to the bench and in front of the glass.
The players were starting to come out and skate around the ice. “Well, I have to go.” Drake waved goodbye and went to go to the bench. We took our seats and the game began a few minutes later. Already the Ravens were doing well.
My eyes followed Jake around the ice and when he was on the bench, I tried to focus on the entire team. My dad and I rooted and cheered them on. I was having a fantastic time. There was five minutes in the 3rd period and we were leading 3-1 when I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket.
Who in the world was calling me? Taking it out I looked at the screen and it was as if everything around me fell away. My hands began to shake as I saw the word Mom popping up on the screen. “Emily? What’s wrong,” I vaguely hear my dad say. I show him the phone and I see his face turn to ice with anger. He takes the phone and walks outside.
I plop into my seat and bury my face in my hands. Why does she keep doing this to me? “Emily!” I ignored the voice but it called out to me again. I looked over to where the voice was coming from and saw Jake standing at the glass in the bench area. I stood and walked over. “Are you okay? You’re pale,” his voice is full of concern.
“My mom,” is all I manage to say. His eyes show conflicting emotions of rage and sadness. “Benson! Let’s go! NOW!” He turns to look at his coach and gives me an apologetic smile. Then he was gone. A hand touches my shoulder and I jump, turning to see my dad.
“C’mon. Let’s go outside and talk for a minute.”
I follow him outside and relish the cool air as it brushes over my skin. We walk away from the door a bit and my dad embraces me in a bear hug. “I’m so sorry honey.” I take in the comfort that is my dad.
“She called last night. I should have told you. I just didn’t know what to think. I was just hoping she would leave me alone.”
“You should have come to me hon. But it’s alright. She shouldn’t bother you anymore.”
“I still miss her Daddy,” I barely manage to choke out.
“Oh honey, I know. Sometimes I miss her too. She isn’t the same person anymore so we have to remember that.” He sighed. “I just want you to remember that I love you so much and that I’m always here for you no matter what. You can come and talk to me about anything. If you just want to talk and get something out, you can. I won’t say a word if you don’t want me to. Just know that I’m here for you honey.”
I squeezed him in reassurance. “I know Daddy. I love you too.” He held me in his arms as if he let go I would dissolve and blow away in the breeze. I knew right then that my Dad did love me and he meant what he said. I don’t know what I did to be worthy of his love, but I had it and I would try and try to become a woman he would be proud of. Maybe I could do the same thing for Jake and Drake.
“Emily! We won. We get to go get ice cream now, right?” I turned around to see Drake rushing to me. It seemed everyone was gone or was leaving. “Of course buddy. It won’t be like what we had Saturday, but it’ll still be good,” I tell him.
He’s so excited and it brings a smile to my face. “Emily? Everything okay?” Jake comes up to me and gives me a one armed hug and a kiss on the forehead.
“Yes. Dad and I talked about it.”
“Good.” He visibly seemed to relax.
“Sorry I missed the end of the game.”
“It’s fine. I hear we are going out for ice cream?”
I smile over at Drake, “Yes we are.”
“Jake, can I ride with Mr. Mike?” Drake looks at Jake with pleading eyes.
“If you ride with Mr. Mike, then Emily has to ride with me,” he says pulling me a little closer. I’ve yet to look over at my dad. I’m too nervous to see his reaction.
“Well, let’s go then,” I say. We break away from my dad and Drake and head over to Jake’s Mustang. “You smell good,” I giggle.
Jake chuckles and says, “Of course I do. I took a quick shower after the game once I found out about going out for ice cream.” He opens my door for me, then walks around, and gets inside himself.
The Dairy Queen is about ten minutes from the school. Jake wastes no time. “What did Mike say about your mom?”
“Just that she wouldn’t call me anymore. I hope he’s right.” Jake reaches over and takes a firm grasp of my hand, intertwining our fingers. I look over at him brightly, “So, when is this date we are supposed to go on?”
He grins. “I was thinking about Friday.”
I nod and say, “Sounds good to me. I haven’t told my dad yet.”
Jake looks over at me, “It’ll be fine. I can tell him if you want me too.”
I shake my head and look out the window. “Where are we going to go?”
“It’s a surprise,” he says with a mischievous grin. I groan which makes him laugh. “I’m glad you are excited. I, for one, can’t wait to have you to myself when it’s daylight. This thing at night is killing my beauty sleep.”
I burst out laughing. “You do not need beauty sleep. You are a natural hottie,” I tell him as we park.
He leans over and looks at me with a smirk. “You think I’m a hottie, do you?” His perfect full lips are so close.
A sigh leaks out and that just cracks Jake up. “C’mon. Dad and Drake are waiting,” I say getting out of the car and away from his oh so kissable lips.
Dad and Drake are waiting by the door and Jake is right behind me. We walk in. The tiny space is packed for eight at night. “Honey, why don’t you and Drake find a seat and we’ll order. The usual, right?” I nod and take Drake’s hand. We find a booth near a window.
Jake
I order an Oreo Blizzard and Drake a vanilla ice cream with sprinkles. Mike orders Emily a banana split, her favorite, and a brownie sundae for himself. While we are waiting, Mike asks me a question. “So, what exactly is going on between you and my daughter? I saw that kiss and your arm around her waist at the
game so don’t even think about giving me that look.”
I give him a sly smile and decide on the truth. Mike doesn’t seem to me like the kind of guy who should have someone pulling his leg. “I really like her. She’s been opening up to me about her mom and stuff. I knew she called her last night and I told her that next time, she should just let you talk to her.”
“She told you?” Mike was in disbelief.
“Yeah, and everyday during lunch, I try to make her more comfortable around people. I have her talk to me about anything and have her look at my eyelids.” Mike gave me a questioning look and I continued. “I close my eyes while she talks to me. Soon, she’ll have to look at them. Anyways, she’s doing pretty well. I asked her out on a date too.”
Mike’s eyebrows shot up and he began to look a little uneasy. “She agreed,” I say before he opens his mouth. Then his expression turns to full fledge shock.
He slowly starts to talk, “I don’t know Jake. I don’t want her to get involved just when she’s coming out of her shell. If she gets hurts, she could easily go back to square one and then what if I can’t get her back out?”
“It’s simple,” I said. “I don’t plan on hurting her.”
“Just because you don’t plan on it, doesn’t mean you won’t.” He sighed. “Just please be careful with her. I don’t want to lose her again.” I nodded just as our ice cream was ready. We headed to the booth where Emily was cracking up over something Drake said.
I sat beside her leaving Mike to sit beside Drake. Ice creams were handed out and we dug in. Emily moaned, “It has been way too long since I’ve had one of these. Drake, you’re a genius.” Drake smiled and continued to lick his ice cream, getting sprinkles stuck to the side of his mouth. It would be useless for me to say something about it until he finished it.
“I have another game tomorrow; you guys coming,” I ask looking over at Emily who glances over at her dad who in turns shrugs.
“I have some papers that are due Thursday and I haven’t done them yet. I was planning to do them tomorrow. Sorry Jake.”
“It’s fine. What are our plans for Thursday?”
Mike spoke up. “We’ll probably leave around five to be there by seven. That way we’ll have a little wiggle room from rush hour traffic. You can meet us at our house a little before five or we can pick you up; either way is fine with me.”
“I’ll meet you at your house. What do I owe you for the tickets?”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s on me. I’m just happy to take Drake to his first game.”
“Mike, I can’t let you do that. Just tell me.”
Emily put a hand on my shoulder. She looked at me (yes!) and said, “You might as well just let him. Once he has decided to pay for something, you can’t convince him otherwise. I can’t wait to go and see Crosby play again.”
“She used to say that she was in love with him and that she would marry him one day,” Mike says with an evil grin.
“Dad!”
I look over at Emily and try not to laugh. “Emily Crosby, huh?”
Drake chirped in before I could tease her more, “Emily and Sidney sitting in the tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”
Her cheeks were a bright red. “You guys are horrible! Sidney Crosby has to be one of the hottest players and one of the best, especially for his age! There’s nothing wrong with liking him.”
“You don’t like him Emily. You love him,” I say laughing. She elbowed me in the ribs. “That hurt Emily!” I was still laughing. Her expression was priceless.
“Well, I’m sorry I have a thing for hockey players,” she bursts.
Mike is laughing too. “Now that you mention it, I guess you do. Her previous boyfriends were hockey players…all of them. She’s attracted to them like a moth to the light.”
I look over at her with a raised eyebrow “How many boyfriends have you had?”
“Just a few.”
“Emily, don’t lie to the boy.”
“Yeah, Emily. You aren’t supposed to lie!” Drake gives her a pointed look while I wait for an answer.
“Six is a few. There was Gregory, Trey, Derek, Conrad, Aaron, and Zachary.”
“Ah yes. Conrad. That break up was hard on you. They were inseparable,” Mike adds.
“You’ve had six boyfriends, Emily? I can’t even get one girlfriend,” Drake exclaims. We all laugh. Six boyfriends? And she was inseparable from one? Was that the bad break up she mentioned? Emily’s quiet demeanor returns for a second as if she’s missing something. Or someone. A wave of jealously washes over me at the thought that she misses Conrad. This was dangerous territory and I was ready for a subject change.
“Jake hasn’t had that many girlfriends,” Drake laughs.
I give him an evil glare. “That you know of little brother.”
Emily chirps in, “Well, how many Jake? I had to spill, and so do you.”
“Four. Mike, how many girlfriends did you have in high school?” He gives a hearty laugh and says, “Too many to count. I was what you kids call these days a player.” We all laughed.
It was getting time to head home. “Drake, wipe your mouth. We should probably get going.”
“Thanks Drake. Ice cream was exactly what I needed,” Emily says as we leave wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
“Next time, we should go to Cold Stone’s,” he says.
A beautiful smile breaks out on Emily’s face. “Cold Stone’s it is. Maybe we’ll go this weekend, if Jake says you can come with me.”
I wrap an arm around her shoulders and say, “What? I don’t get to come?”
She wraps an arm around my waist and says, “Of course you can.” I grin and kiss her forehead. We reach Mike’s car and they go to get in. I stop Emily and tell Drake to get in my car, a few spots down. I lean in to whisper in her ear, “Will I see you later?”
She nodded. “I’ll come around eleven, okay?” She nodded again. “Bye Jake.” I waved and headed for my car with a smile plastered across my face. I got in and headed home. “Everything okay,” I ask after he’s been quiet for a few minutes.
“Are you and Emily dating?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because you kissed her.”
“Do you not want me to date her?”
“No.”
“Why,” I ask.
“Because if you break up with her then I won’t ever see her anymore! She’s my best friend in the whole world Jake! If you date her and then break up, I lose my best friend! Why would you ruin that?”
I was surprised by Drake’s outburst. I quickly recollected myself and said, “Drake, if we break up, I promise you can still hang out with Emily. I’m sure she would still want to hang out with you.”
“You promise?”
“Cross my heart.” He seemed content with that.
At home, I got Drake into the shower and went to my room to start on homework so I would be finished in time to go get Emily. Thankful that I didn’t have a bunch of work to do, I quickly get started.
“Jake?”
I look up from my work and glance at the clock. “It’s time for me to go to bed,” Drake continues. I get up and follow him to his room. “Did you have a good day today?”
“Yeah. The ice cream was the best part,” he says as he climbs into bed.
“I think so too,” I say. Once he is settled, I tuck him in and kiss his forehead. “Goodnight Drake.”
“Night.”
I turn off the light and close the door. I flop onto my bed once in my room and continue with my work. I finish just as eleven rolls around. I quietly make my way downstairs and check to make sure Dad is in his room. He’s passed out on his bed with an old home video of my Mom playing. I close the door and make my way to Emily’s.
After a few minutes, I text her and let her know I’m outside. Seconds later, she slips out and walks towards me. I hold out my hand and she takes it. She gives me a quick peck on the lips and pulls me towards my house. “Anxious are you?”
She giggles and says, “I’m just cold.” She breaks off in a run saying, “Race you!” I take off after her and soon I pass her. She’s laughing and I hear her coming closer. “OW!” I turn around to see her grasping her ankle. I run back to her and kneel. As soon as I’m down, she bursts out laughing and takes off. That sneaky girl! I run after her but she beats me to my house.
I catch her around her waist and hold her to me. “That was wrong,” I say but I’m unable to keep the laugh from escaping. She takes my hand and leads me up to my door with a smile. I open the door and we sneak upstairs to my room. I check on Drake and return to my room where Emily is laying on my bed, feigning exhaustion.
I plop down beside her on my stomach with my torso on top of her and my elbows propped up on either side of her head. “You are a devious person, Emily.” She lets out a soft giggle and wraps her arms around my neck.
“Well, I felt carefree and full of life. It’s been forever since I have so I’ll take that comment with no problem.”
I give her a quick kiss and say, “Well, I’ll take it back then. Hey, about our date Friday…”
I feel her tense under me as she asks, “What about it?”
“I just wanted to tell you that your dad knows and that Drake knows too. He was upset at first.”
“My dad knows? How? Why was Drake upset?”
“He asked me about us while we were ordering ice cream. And Drake asked me if we were because I kissed you on the forehead and he was upset because he thinks if we break up, he won’t see you anymore. He says you’re his best friend.” At that, she smiles. “I promised him that you would still hang out with him.”
“Of course I would. You’ll pick Drake up tomorrow, right?”
I nod and I push a piece of hair away from her face. She locks eyes with me but they soon drop to my lips. I love it when she does that. I can’t help but smile. “Hey, you owe me, remember?” The girl who I’ve come to learn is full of surprises despite of her past pulls me down to her and kisses me. Her mouth was hot and her tongue slid into my mouth.
Her fingers raked through the hair at the nape of my neck. I hear a creak in the hallway and pull away. “Let me go check on Drake,” I say with a heavy breath. I get up and open my door to see Drake walking towards me. I close my door and pick him up. “What’s up buddy?”
Sweetness (Bold As Love) Page 7
