Jackson was my brother's best friend. They'd been inseparable since my brother was nine. Jackson was two years older than we were. I glared down at him ready to burst into tears. Hold it back, I thought to myself. He picked on me any chance he could, and there was no way I was going to give him any more ammunition than he already had.
“You're such a jerk,” I yelled, as I clutched his shirt in my hands.
“I just wanted to come down and make sure you girls were okay,” he said innocently.
“You were not,” I snapped. “You came down here to mess with us.”
“You?” he asked. “You're the birthday girl.”
“Why aren't you up there with my brother?” I asked.
He smiled, and I could tell he was holding back a laugh. It took all I had not to punch him in the stomach.
“I didn't mean to scare you. I was just trying to get your attention,” he said.
“Sure you were,” I said, as I narrowed my eyes and puffed my lips out.
He reached up and wrapped his arms around me.
“Do you want me to make it up to you?” he asked.
All of my friends were standing there watching us. I was so embarrassed.
“Really?” I asked. “How would you do that?”
He puckered his lips up with a smirk on his face and made a kissing sound.
“I could give you a birthday kiss,” he said.
“What?” I asked.
“Come on,” he said with a laugh, as he continued to make kissing noises.
“Would it be your first kiss, Tiny?” he asked.
“Don't call me that, Jackie,” I yelled, as I pushed off of him and got to my feet.
“You could see how a man kisses,” he said with a wink.
“You're no man. You're only fifteen. Don't be gross,” I said.
“You know you want to kiss me,” he teased.
I could feel the tears stinging the backs of my eyes. Why did he have to be so mean, I wondered? It was my birthday, and he was making fun of me in front of my friends. That boy was such a punk.
“I don't,” I said. “I wouldn't kiss you if you were the last boy in the world. I wouldn't kiss you if you had a million dollars. I will never kiss you, Jackson.”
Just as I finished my statement my brother came down the steps.
“What are you doing?” Tim asked.
My parents named us Tim and Tina since we were twins. I guess it could have been much worse.
“I thought I heard a scream and just came down to check on the girls,” Jackson replied.
“Get back upstairs,” Tim said, as he pointed up the stairs. “My parents will make you guys leave if they find out you're down here bothering Tina and her friends. We were just getting ready to start a new game and need you up there.”
Jackson looked right at me and puckered his lips, as he got to his feet and turned to walk away.
“In case you change your mind,” he said. “One day you're going to want these lips.”
“Get away from my sister, Jackson,” Tim said.
“I'll never want those lips,” I said.
He rolled his eyes and let out a sigh, as he started up the stairs.
“Bye, Tiny,” he yelled back from over his shoulder.
“Bye, Jackie,” I said sarcastically.
Chapter 1
Tina
I'd just gotten off the plane from Vegas and was exhausted. My body felt like it wasn't going to last one more second. I could feel my feet throb and my arms felt like noodles. There was no way I was complaining though. I'd gone with my friends Rachel and Jen. Rachel's divorced was finally over and she needed a day of freedom. Her ex was a total asshole, and I was so happy she was finally done dealing with his shit. The day she walked in early and found him doing his secretary was it for her. I was happy that she never looked back. We couldn't believe it when she met a man at the pool in Vegas and spent the night with him. I was proud of her. He was the first man she'd been with since the asshole. Her sexy, Vegas hottie was named Cliff. We were shocked when we got to the airport to find that our seats had been upgraded to first class by Mr. Hottie himself. Did I mention that Mr. Hottie ended up being the asshole's boss and the woman he was doing was the boss' sister? I couldn't believe it myself. What a small world, right?
That was honestly the best flight I would ever have in my life. I wasn't rich and knew I never would be. I enjoyed every single bit of that flight home and took advantage of all of the extras that came along with it. Rachel laughed at me the entire time. There was no way I was passing up my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
By the time I found my way into my apartment, I couldn't wait to sit down. My bags landed just inside my door. I grabbed my phone and fell onto my couch. Maybe I shouldn't have stayed out so late at the clubs with Jen, I thought. It could have been the drinks on the plane too. Whatever it was, I was so damn tired. My eyes were fighting to stay open, and they were definitely winning the war. Just as I drifted off, my phone rang and flew out of my hand when I jumped. I reached my hand out and caught it just before it hit the wood floor. When I looked at the screen and saw my brother's goofy face, I knew I had to answer it.
“Hey, Tim,” I mumbled. “What's up?”
“Not much,” he answered. “How was your trip? You snag any good looking men while you were there?”
“Very funny,” I said. “I didn't, but Rachel did. You wouldn't believe what happened?”
I grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and pulled it over me as I told him the story. He burst into laughter.
“Guess it bit that guy in the ass, didn't it?” he asked. “He'll get what he deserves for what he did to that poor girl. I bet he never saw that coming.”
“What's new with you?” I asked.
“That's the other reason I'm calling,” Tim said. “I wanted to make sure you were okay, but I also have something to tell you.”
“Okay,” I said.
“I'm getting married,” he said. “I asked Renee to marry me.”
“And she said yes,” I joked. “Maybe I should call her.”
“Shut up,” he said. “We want you to be in the wedding.”
“When is it?” I asked.
“In two weeks,” he said nervously.
“What?” I yelled into the phone. “Don't mess with me like that, Tim. You totally had me believing you.”
“It's not a joke, Tina,” he said. “We are getting married in two weeks, and I need you to be there.”
“Um,” I began.
“Don't say a damn thing,” he said. “You will be there. You're my sister and one of my best friends. I need you there. I don't know what's had your ass running from here for the last ten years, but this is important. I've come to visit you so many times. It's time you came home for once. I'm not taking no for an answer. If I have to, I will come and get you. Whatever your beef is with Florida will have to be put aside for one weekend. It's not like whatever it is will be at my wedding. You can come straight here and go straight back.”
I sat silent for a moment.
“Tina,” he said softly.
“I'm not sure I can get the time off,” I said.
“You don't work the weekends, dork,” he said.
“Why do I tell you so much about my life?” I asked in a sad tone.
“I need you, Tina,” he said. “Say you'll be there for your big brother's wedding. This is important to me.”
“Big brother by ten minutes,” I said with a snicker.
“Tina,” he said sternly.
“Fine,” I said.
“Really?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered feeling defeated.
He was right. I hadn't visited at all, and he'd come to see me so many times. Renee had even come with him several times. They'd been together a little over a year. I was surprised they were getting married so soon. We were close to thirty, so I guess it wasn't soon in that way. I just figured he'd date her longer or at least have an engag
ement, but who am I to say what's right. I didn't know the first thing about relationships. I'd been able to avoid anything serious my entire life. One man had managed to ruin all of that for me.
I wanted to ask Tim if Jackson was going to be there, but I didn't want to give the jerk the satisfaction if my brother told him I'd asked about him. Of course he'd be there. He was the only person closer to my brother than I was. There was no way he'd miss my brother's wedding.
I hung up the phone and pulled the blanket over my head. It had been ten years since I'd seen Jackson. He'd been stuck in my head ever since my thirteenth birthday when he walked up behind me and scared me worse than I'd ever been scared in my life. That was the day I knew I had a crush on him.
My stomach twisted in knots, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. All I could think about was how I was going to face him after all that time. I only had two weeks to prepare myself for what I was about to walk into.
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Playing Hardball: Part 5 Page 14
