Trouble From the Start

by Rachel Hawthorne

  I went a little slower. “So how are you liking work?”

  “I like Smiley. He seems like a good guy. But the manager, Don Johnson, seems to think I’m a kid playing around or something. He keeps narrowing his eyes at me.”

  “I think he just has narrow eyes.”

  Fletcher grinned. “Maybe.”

  “Smiley’s impressed with your work.”

  He dug his spoon into the ice cream a couple of times without scooping anything out. “Like I told you, I learned a lot about cars from my dad. The way he was last night . . . he’s not always like that.”

  “He should never be like that.”

  “Like what?” Tyler asked.

  How could I forget that little ears were listening? “Like nosey,” I said, reaching out and pinching his nose.

  “I’m done,” he said, shoving his bowl at me.

  “How can you be done? You had three bites.”

  “I want to play on the slide.”

  “Go on.”

  Rather than asking Fletcher to move, Tyler slid off the bench and waddled under the table until he came up on the other side and straightened. He shoved open the door and went into the play area. It was enclosed. I could see him and the three other kids in there. He was safe. And feeling independent.

  “He’s a handful,” Fletcher said.

  “Yeah, but what else am I going to do with my day?” My cell phone dinged. “Excuse me.”

  I had a text from Kendall.

  Honey getting tickets 4 baseball game Thurs. U in?

  I loved baseball, loved Kendall, but I was so tired of being the third wheel. I looked up to find Fletcher studying me as though he was afraid I was getting bad news.

  “Hey, would you like to go to a baseball game Thursday night? Kendall has four tickets. She and Jeremy are going. She hates for the others to go to waste.”

  It was a little lie, but I didn’t want him paying for the tickets. I also really wanted him to go with me. I could see the battle playing across his face.

  “About last night,” he said quietly, “the kiss. It was adrenaline-induced. After everything that happened . . . I just reacted.”

  “I figured that,” I lied as calmly as I could, while disappointment zinged through me. I held up the cell phone. “This isn’t a date. Just a ticket that needs to be used.”

  He studied me for a moment, a long moment that seemed to stretch into eternity. “Okay,” he finally said. “I’m in.”

  Great. I texted back.

  Me and Fletcher.

  Ding.

  Kendall: Seriously?

  Me: Yes. NBD

  Kendall: We need to talk.

  Me: L8r

  I shoved my phone into my shorts pocket. “We’re on.”

  “I need to get back to work.”

  “You should probably go ahead. It’ll take me a while to pry the munchkin off the slide.”

  “Okay, then, I’ll see you later.”

  Watching him walk away, I wished the baseball game was a date. I wished the kiss had meant something. I wished Fletcher wanted to be more than friends.

  For someone who was so smart, I was suddenly being incredibly dumb.

  “You invited Fletcher,” Kendall said as she flopped across the comforter on my bed.

  She must have been watching out the window to see me go by because she was ringing the doorbell two minutes after I put Tyler down for his nap.

  “He’s living with us,” I told her. “I couldn’t not invite him. It would be rude.”

  “You didn’t invite your parents or Tyler,” she said.

  “Kendall, don’t be difficult.” I was sitting in the slider rocker that I’d inherited from my grandmother. Even though it wasn’t cold, I’d draped an afghan she’d crocheted over my legs. The chair and afghan always calmed me, and I could tell that Kendall was in a mood to be uncalming. “Oh, and if he should ask, you already had four tickets. I’ll pay for his and mine. I just don’t want him to know I’m paying for them.”

  “Oooh.” She pursed her lips. “A relationship should not be built on deception.”

  Her mother’s words no doubt. “It’s not deception. I wanted him to go and I knew he probably wouldn’t if he thought you didn’t already have the tickets.”

  “So do you like him?” she asked.

  “Sure. He’s nice.”

  “Nice.” She picked up her phone and began tapping keys. “Let me look that word up in my dictionary because I’m not sure it means what you think it does.”

  “He’s a nice guy.”

  She tossed her phone down. “Well, if you’re thinking of liking him, I mean really liking him, you better take him to the public health center and have him tested. Do you know how many girls he’s been with?”

  “Probably not as many as you think.” So much about him wasn’t as we’d thought.

  “A bunch. Get him tested.”

  “Are you having Jeremy tested?”

  “No, he’s not a player. I can’t even get him to play with me.”

  I stopped rocking. “What are you talking about?”

  She sat up, then stretched across my bed. “He’s the definition of nice. He and Fletcher are complete opposites. Jeremy is a virgin. And he wants our first time together to be special, so we haven’t”—she flung out her hand—“you know.”

  “But that’s good. That he recognizes that it’s an important step.”

  “I know, I know. I just . . . I don’t know.”

  “You still love him, don’t you?”

  “Of course I do. More than ever, but sometimes I think a little bad boy might not be so horrible. I mean Fletcher dominated the booth the other night and he didn’t even have to do anything. It’s just his presence.”

  “It’s him. It’s not because he’s bad.”

  “Has he kissed you?”

  I felt my face grow warm.

  Kendall sat up. “He has. What was it like? Is he a slobberer? No, he wouldn’t slobber. But I bet it’s intense.”

  “Focused,” I admitted. “Very focused.”

  “Has he tried more than kissing you?”

  “No. He’s very much aware of what my dad does for a living.”

  “But you’re of age.”

  “Yeah,” I said sarcastically. “Like that’s going to matter to my dad. Besides, Jeremy is right. Something more than kissing should be special. And we’re not there yet.”

  “So where are you?”

  “Edging toward friends.” Maybe more. I didn’t know why I couldn’t tell her that. I shared everything with her, but my feelings for Fletcher seemed too new, too raw. Too confusing. Sometimes I liked him, sometimes he irritated me. Sometimes the like went to a whole new scary level—straight into the stratosphere.

  “Well, I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I’m not going to get hurt.”

  I wondered if I sounded as unconvincing to her as I did to myself.

  Chapter 23

  AVERY

  Thursday night, Jeremy drove us to the stadium. Kendall was in the front seat, of course. Fletcher and I in the back.

  When we arrived, the place was already teeming with people. Fortunately we found a spot near the back of the lot. We began the long trek to the stadium. Jeremy and Kendall held hands and walked so closely together that their shadow appeared to be some creature with two heads. Not touching, Fletcher and I sauntered along behind. I hadn’t seen much of him this week. Apparently we were both honoring the “it was just adrenaline” position regarding the kiss.

  Yet I was so aware of him. A worn baseball cap shadowed his face. His sunglasses shielded his eyes from the sun. With both of those, his fading bruises were barely visible. His lip was almost healed. His stride was relaxed, unhurried. I was paying so much attention to him that I lost sight of Kendall. I hadn’t noticed that we’d hit the mash of people as they funneled into the entrances.

  “I should give you your ticket,” I said to Fletcher, “in case we get separat
ed.”

  “We won’t get separated.” He placed his arm around my shoulders and snuggled me up against his side as though he were protecting me from an alien invasion from above.

  It was a little awkward to move until I slid my arm around his back and hooked a thumb into one of his belt loops. I’d seen other girls do it and always thought it looked cool, like the couple was really together, comfortable with each other.

  Because Fletcher was a little taller than I was, I didn’t have to shorten my stride, like I usually did when I walked with Kendall. Next to him, I didn’t feel like a giant. People jostled us and fought to squeeze around us, as though a limited number of prizes waited on the other side. I didn’t even get irritated when people cut in front of us. I liked where I was, nestled against Fletcher’s side. I knew as soon as we had room, he’d let me go.

  Only he didn’t. We got our tickets scanned, walked farther into the area where the crowds quickly dispersed and there was room to breathe again—and he kept his arm around my shoulders. I saw Kendall and Jeremy standing off to the side.

  “Over there,” I said, pointing.

  And still he kept his arm around me as we wandered over, stepping out of the way of people who weren’t watching where they were going.

  “So,” Kendall said when we reached them, “why don’t you guys”—she pointed her finger rapidly back and forth between Jeremy and Fletcher—“grab us some dogs and drinks while Avery and I hit the ladies’.”

  “What ladies and why would you hit them?” Fletcher asked, his face perfectly serious. Although I could see the twinkle in his eye.

  Kendall blinked at him. “The restroom.”

  “Ah.” Fletcher winked at me.

  “He’s teasing you,” I told Kendall. “He knew what you meant.”

  “Huh,” she said, giving him a thoughtful look. “You said he was funny. That wasn’t very funny.”

  I thought it was hilarious. “Only because you don’t like to be teased.”

  “True that. We’ll see y’all in a bit.”

  “Sounds good,” Jeremy said. “Come on, Fletcher.” He took two steps, waited.

  I let go of Fletcher’s belt loop, and he slowly slid his arm away from me, before heading off with Jeremy.

  “That looked cozy,” Kendall said as she led the way to the restroom.

  “We were just trying not to get separated. I’d forgotten to give him his ticket.”

  Stopping, she planted her hands on her hips and faced me. “I’m not the dating police.”

  “Really, that’s how it happened.” I lifted my shoulders. “But once it happened, it felt . . . nice.” Even felt like it was how we belonged.

  Kendall let it drop until we were washing our hands at the sink. Then, as she reached for a paper towel, she said, “So are you getting serious about him?”

  “I don’t know.” I leaned toward the mirror, checked my makeup, adjusted my ball cap. “I don’t think he’s interested in serious.”

  “But you like him.”

  I met her gaze in the mirror. “Yeah, I do. But let’s not spend the night analyzing every move. Let’s just have fun.”

  The guys were waiting for us, each of them holding a tray with our hot dogs, peanuts, and soft drinks. We made our way to our seats on the third-base line, close to home plate. I sat between Fletcher and Kendall; Jeremy was on the other side of her.

  I bit into my hot dog, sighed with happiness. “Ballpark hot dogs taste so good.”

  “The best,” Fletcher said.

  Here in the stands, he seemed more relaxed than I’d ever seen him. His attention was on the game, but every now and then he’d lean over and comment on a play.

  It was the bottom of the second. Our team was at bat. The pitch came. The batter didn’t swing. The umpire called a strike.

  “Ump needs glasses,” he said, his voice low near my ear.

  I leaned in a little until our shoulders grazed. It was silly to relish the slight contact, but I did. “I know. What’s your favorite sport?”

  He shifted a little bit, and in spite of his sunglasses, I knew he was looking at me. “Football. Baseball is a close second, though. Never got into basketball.”

  “Same here,” I said, knowing I was reading too much into it, but it was something we had in common. Finally. Something tangible. Kendall and Jeremy had so much in common. I knew it wasn’t fair to compare Fletcher and me to them, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. And because he’d answered so easily . . . “Favorite superhero?”

  “Batman.”

  I didn’t know why but that surprised me. “Why?”

  “Because he doesn’t have any superpowers. Beneath the mask and cape, he’s just a normal guy.”

  I smiled. “I never thought of him like that. I think he may have just become my favorite, too.”

  “Nah, I figure you for Superman. He’s got it all going: speed, strength, the ability to fly.”

  That he’d guessed correctly surprised me, even if he got the reasons wrong. “Actually, it’s got more to do with Henry Cavill being such a super sexy Superman.”

  He chuckled low. “Try saying that three times fast.”

  I was about to when a loud crack of the bat echoed. With a little screech, Kendall knocked into me. Jeremy jumped to his feet—

  And caught the foul ball.

  Kendall clapped. Jeremy sat and handed her the ball. I didn’t think she could have squealed with more excitement if he’d given her a diamond ring.

  She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. When they broke apart, she showed me the ball like I’d never seen one before. “He’s my hero,” she said.

  She was smiling brightly, so happy. I loved that he could make her so happy.

  After that, Fletcher returned his attention to the game. No more questions answered. No more comments. Not even between innings when some silly little skit was going on.

  Then right before the top of the fifth inning, kiss-cam flashed on the giant screen. People yelled and clapped. The camera zoomed in on an older couple, who laughed before giving each other a peck on the mouth. It moved on to another couple who kissed, then waved. Couple after couple smiled at the camera and kissed. The audience laughed, encouraged them.

  The camera zoomed in on four people.

  Kendall screeched, “That’s us!”

  She kissed Jeremy.

  Embarrassed, not sure what to do, I turned to Fletcher. I shrugged, knew the heat of mortification was turning my cheeks a bright red. The camera wouldn’t move on. I leaned in to give him a quick buss on the lips—

  His hand snaked around the back of my neck and he planted a kiss on me that I thought might melt the camera lens. His other hand came up and cradled my cheek. Somewhere I heard cheering and hooting, but mostly I was just aware of Fletcher, his mouth, his hands, holding me captive. I didn’t want to move away, I didn’t want to break off from the kiss.

  I just sank into it. I let it absorb me. I tuned out everything else until there was only the two of us. I heard the clearing of a throat, but I didn’t care about anything except this moment.

  Finally he drew back, held my gaze. “My favorite part of baseball,” he said.

  With a laugh, I realized my hand had knotted in his T-shirt. I didn’t remember doing that, but I could have probably run around the bases during that kiss and I wouldn’t have remembered it. I unfurled my fingers, tried to flatten the wrinkled material. “I’ve never been on kiss-cam before.”

  “Me either.”

  I liked that, liked knowing it was something unique for both of us. As I settled back into my chair, I noticed Kendall staring at me. “What?” I asked.

  “You know the kiss-cam came back to you three times during that.”

  With a self-conscious laugh, I placed my hand over my mouth. “Really?”

  She leaned in and whispered, “That kiss was so intense that I could feel it over here.”

  Scoffing, I tossed a peanut at her. “You’re funny.”

&n
bsp; “Seriously. I thought they were going to have to call for the fire department.”

  “Now, you’re just being ridiculous.”

  She was looking at me like she didn’t know me anymore. “Just be careful,” she warned in a low voice.

  Sighing, I turned my attention back to the game, but I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. Sliding my eyes to the side, I saw that a corner of Fletcher’s mouth was curled up, as though he’d gotten away with something.

  We were supposed to be just friends, but what could you do when the kiss-cam was pointed at you? You made the most of it.

  I told Jeremy to just go to Kendall’s house. Fletcher and I would walk home. I wanted a little more time with him and I knew as soon as Mom heard a car pull into our driveway that she would be expecting me to come inside shortly afterward. It wasn’t all that late, a little after eleven, so she wouldn’t be worried if we weren’t home yet.

  Fletcher and I ambled slowly along the sidewalk. We didn’t hold hands, but every now and then our fingers brushed.

  “So how much do I owe you for my ticket?” he asked, his voice a low thrum in the night.

  “I told you they had extra that they didn’t want to go to waste.”

  “Yeah, that’s not exactly how Jeremy explained it to me.”

  Okay, so Kendall didn’t pass the memo on to her boyfriend. I thought they shared everything. Apparently not.

  I sighed. “What can I say? I wanted you to come and I thought you wouldn’t if you knew they hadn’t bought the tickets yet.”

  He swung around until he was standing in front of me. “You’re always so open, so honest, I didn’t think you had a deceptive bone in your body.”

  “Deception makes it sound so bad. It was just a little white lie.”

  “And that makes it okay?”

  “Didn’t you have fun?” I asked, trying to ease my guilt.

  “I was miserable.”

  I felt like he’d slapped me. “I’m so sorry. I thought you’d enjoy it. I thought—”

  He touched his fingers to my lips. “I was miserable because all I could think about was kissing you. If it weren’t for the kiss-cam, I might have gone crazy.”