In an Instant

by Adrienne Torrisi

  “Yeah, well, it’s not you, so what do you care?” Joel says as he pulls himself up off the ground. I’m impressed by the balls this guy has after what Jake just did to him.

  “What did you say to me?” Jake asks calmly, inches from Joel’s face.

  I know this calm Jake, and it’s not good. This is the calm before the storm. Joel knows he is playing with fire. Jake’s reputation is well known. He is not someone you mess with … ever. Not to mention, Joel is about four tiers below him on the social ladder, so this is like social suicide.

  Marcus walks up just in time with Dax right behind him. Marcus instantly wedges his way between the two of them, and I see relief wash over Joel.

  “What are you doing?” Marc’s eyes are locked on Jake as he pushes Joel back into the lockers with his other hand. “You know Coach won’t let you play.” He doesn’t need to finish that sentence.

  Dax pulls Jake back to calm him down while Marcus takes care of Joel. They are like a well-oiled machine, a perfectly choreographed play on the court, even now operating as a team. They know exactly when one should push and the other should pull. They know how to help each other.

  My eyes finally lock with Jake’s, and he gives me the tiniest smile. There is something about the look in his eyes, his smile. Things have been different with us since the night in the tree house, but what? I can’t read him, and I can always read him.

  Dax pulls him farther down the hall while Marcus finishes his conversation with Joel.

  “Are we clear here?” Marcus asks while he has Joel pinned against the lockers. His anger is different than Jake’s; there is less emotion behind it. He is calm, calculated. It’s more about protecting his friend, the team.

  Joel’s confidence has deflated, and he starts to stutter. “Yea-yeah, we’re good.”

  Marcus raises his eyebrows, as if asking “are you sure?” and Joel wildly nods his head in response. Then Marcus releases him, causing Joel to stumble a little from the absence of force that was there a second ago.

  I look back at where Dax has Jake all the way down the hall. He looks at me before they turn the corner toward the gym, and our eyes connect one last time. I mouth “thank you,” and he gives me a deep smile, revealing his perfect dimples. I swear my heart skips a beat. Then Dax pulls him into a playful headlock. I watch as they turn the corner, and then they are gone.

  I feel arms wrap around my waist from behind. “Hey, you okay?” Marcus’s breath brushes across my earlobe as he whispers.

  I turn so we are facing each other. “Yeah, I’m good.” I give him a smile, cherishing the love that fills his eyes.

  “Good.” He runs his hands over my hair then leans his forehead down against mine. After a few seconds, he pulls back, and his blue eyes lock with mine. Then they shift back to the hallway where the boys just turned the corner. “I don’t know what’s going on with Jake lately.” Marcus shakes his head. “He should be focused on the game tonight, but lately, he’s been off.”

  “Yeah?” I ask as if I haven’t really noticed anything.

  Marcus takes a deep breath. “I’m sure he’s fine,” he says with a quick smile.

  “Yeah, I’m sure.” I return his smile.

  His eyes reconnect with mine, and it’s as if he has wiped his concern away for my sake. “Okay. I guess I better go.”

  “See you on the court. Have a good game.” I step up on my tiptoes to kiss him. Marcus is almost as tall as Jake and a good eight inches taller than me.

  “You, too.” He leans down to return my chaste kiss.

  It’s always safe with Marcus, always gentle. It’s never rough or dangerous. Safe is good when you have nothing else in your life that is secure. At least, that’s what I always tell myself.

  “See you on the court.” He gives me his bright smile before he turns and walks in the same direction the other boys went.

  As he walks away, I can’t help admiring the almost tailored fit his jeans and T-shirt have, even though I know they are straight off the rack. He really is gorgeous. Tall and lean but all muscle, he has straight black hair that hangs just above his bright blue eyes. He truly is perfect. Just maybe not perfect for me.

  I’m shocked Jake hasn’t said anything to him about his parents. I’m sure that’s what is bothering him, why he has been off. He tells Marcus everything, so I don’t know why he has only trusted me with this information.

  Then there is the fact that Jake has always been protective, but he was ready to kill Joel. I have never seen that look in his eye. Maybe Marcus is right; maybe there is more going on with him. But what?

  Chapter Five

  Present – Hospital

  I see florescent lights above me. I’m moving fast but not sure how. I look over to see a paramedic running next to me, and there is another one in front of me, pushing the gurney. I guess that explains how I’m moving. I am comforted by their urgency and grateful they are here to help.

  “I know these kids,” I hear a concerned female voice that I recognize. “Oh, my God.” The panic is clear now, though I still can’t place the voice.

  “There are four of them. Two critical, two serious but stable,” a paramedic says so matter-of-factly it’s as if he is talking about what he ate for lunch.

  “Two critical” bounces around in my head. I can’t make those words go away. Of course, if they are critical, they are alive, and that gives me a sense of hope. I feel myself start to drift back off to the friendly abyss of darkness. I like it there.

  “Dani. Daniella,” I hear my name.

  I can tell we are still moving quickly when I feel a hand interlock with mine. It’s warm and soft. I want it to stay there forever.

  Then I hear the paramedic’s voice again—I think his name is Danny. I remember him telling me we have the same name in the ambulance. He is talking rapidly, saying a lot of numbers that I don’t really understand. I hear his words and know they are about me, so I try to concentrate in order to figure out what is wrong with me, but I can’t. I don’t know what any of it means.

  “Daniella,” I hear the female voice say again with more urgency. It’s more matter of fact now and stern enough that I open my eyes.

  They land on Mrs. Collins, Nate’s mom. She’s in her white lab coat, morbid concern etched all over her face. Of course she’s here; she is a doctor, although she has always told us to call her Mrs. Collins because she’s just Nate’s Mom to us.

  The smile on her face when my eyes meet hers is so genuine I think it must be nice to have her as a mom. I’m sure my mom wouldn’t be nearly as happy to see me.

  “Dani.” She gently runs her hand over my forehead as she brushes some loose hair out of the way of the bandages I only notice now that her fingers glide across them. “You’re going to be okay.” She smiles. “Okay? Just hang in there.”

  I think I nod my head, but I’m not sure. It’s so heavy. I feel tubes in my nose. I don’t think I can talk, so I don’t try.

  “Honey, was Nate with you?”

  I see her motherly concern, and I want tell her he was in the other car, so I try to talk. I know he’s okay, and I want her to know that, but the words aren’t coming, so I shake my head.

  Relief floods her, but I have to make sure she knows.

  “Other car,” I try to say.

  Her smile tells me she understands.

  I need to ask her how everyone else is. I think I ask it, but I must not have since she doesn’t answer me. Or she doesn’t know what to say.

  Now she is talking to the paramedic, Danny, and he’s giving her all of my information. I’m trying hard to listen, to concentrate. I need to know who is critical. Are they going to be okay? I try to ask again, but I’m getting frustrated because the words are not coming out.

  “The parents have not been contacted yet,” I hear Danny say, and my stomach lurches with relief.

  We are still moving, yet we are slowing down. I glance over to see there are several more doctors waiting for us, all wearing the same whi
te coats as Mrs. Collins.

  She approaches them when we come to a stop right in front of where they are standing. Someone turns on an extremely bright light above us, and I close my eyes to block it out. I hear her giving them orders and updating them on my condition. However, my brain must not be letting me absorb any of the information, because it’s like gibberish. On her words, everyone flies into action, though. Then I hear her calming voice again.

  “Dani?” She finds my hand with her own. “We’re going to take care of you, honey. We need to run some tests, okay?”

  Once again, I try to nod my head. Then I see her give a curt smile to another doctor before I feel sleep pulling me away from her, away from the commotion, the frantic hustle and bustle of the doctors surrounding me. I try to focus on her face, her smile, yet the urge to sleep is too strong.

  I hear loud beeping that lulls me back to my deep dark, safe place. I can’t fight it any longer, and I don’t want to.

  Chapter Six

  Three months ago – December

  I’m on the sideline of the basketball court with the rest of our varsity squad, building the excitement of the crowd with our cheer, not that we really need to with the boys currently on the court. They are their own cheerleaders; watching them play builds its own excitement. The crowd is already on their feet, and the stands are filled with homemade signs showing their love for the elite five and the entire team.

  The energy in the room is intense whenever any of the five of them are on the court together. They move as one, can read each other perfectly, and they know when to take advantage of each of their individual strengths. The rest of the team is talented, but when the elite five work together, it’s magic.

  Nonetheless, we are out here to keep the crowd going, so that’s what we are doing. Although, we are all more interested in the actual game than doing our cheers.

  “Let’s go, Knights; let’s go!” we all shout out to the crowd.

  The score isn’t even close; we are officially killing the other team. This is the game that will get us into the district championships and one step closer to state.

  I should watch Marcus, but I can’t take my eyes off Jake. He commands the court, pumping up the crowd. The sound is deafening with just one motion of his arm directing them to cheer more loudly. The wooden bleachers are practically shaking from the entire student section jumping up and down, screaming for our team.

  There are fifty seconds left, and Jake has the ball. He passes to Marcus who takes his time bringing it down the court, running down the clock until they have to shoot. Now they are just toying with the other players.

  Our skill level is so far above theirs it’s almost not fair. It’s like a cat and mouse chase, and the mouse is running the show. The other team reacts, but our boys are always five moves ahead of them.

  Marcus passes to Dax who sends it back to Nate, and without the other team noticing, Jake has positioned himself perfectly. In the blink of an eye, he has the ball again, and there is a perfect swoosh as it flies through the basket.

  The crowd erupts, and whoever wasn’t standing is now. Everyone starts pounding their feet on the wooden bleachers in response to this epic win. The score is 102 to 89, and there is no way the other team can come back. They are no longer trying; instead, they just let the last few seconds on the clock run out.

  When the buzzer sounds, indicating the end of the game, the echo of the entire student section’s feet banging on the wooden bleachers drowns out all the other cheering and shouting. The excitement is palpable.

  In all the commotion, Jake finds my eyes, and he gives me a sweet smile, revealing his dimples right before he is lost in the crowd of the team and students swarming the court.

  I look over and smile at Mel who is just as in awe as the rest of the student body. I pull her back while the rest of the girls on our squad line the wall of the gym to avoid getting trampled by everyone else swarming the court.

  “D.” I feel hands around my waist and turn toward them. My eyes land on Marcus, whose hair is soaked with sweat. “We won!”

  “I knew you would,” I tell him, which is true.

  I’m not sure why he is always so cautious when it comes to games. He never thinks they are going to win when they always do. His lack of confidence given his tremendous ability is endearing and the complete opposite of Jake and the rest of the boys.

  Before I can say anything else, he is pulled away by his teammates.

  ***

  “District, here we come!” Dax wraps his arm around Em as we enter Lucas Miller’s house, which is like Architectural Digest type of enormous and designed specifically for entertaining.

  Lucas’s dad is a big time lawyer who is always out of town on a big case or doing research. His mom is on wealthy husband number seven, so she is also not around, which equals the perfect party house.

  It’s become routine. Every Friday night after games, we go to Lucas’s house. It’s not discussed; it’s a given.

  Dax pulls Em into him, and she giggles. Clearly, they only have eyes for each other tonight. I wonder when they will just get it over with and start to openly date each other.

  I feel Marcus intertwine his fingers with mine as we push our way through the crowd, and I tell myself to stop thinking about Jake. Stop thinking about his smile at the game or about what Marcus said earlier—that he has been off.

  What is going on with him? I’m worried, though I shouldn’t be. He’s a big boy and can take care of himself. Besides, I’m here with Marcus, my boyfriend.

  We all find our usual place around the fire pit, and I nuzzle into Marcus while I try to discreetly study Jake.

  He seems fine. He has his arms locked around Mel as she burrows herself into his lap. Thankfully, our talk in the tree house a few weeks ago convinced him that he belongs with her, and they are still going strong. Therefore, my feelings are safely buried where they belong.

  “That was a hell of a game, boys,” Lucas says as he joins our group.

  Lucas is always welcome, even though he isn’t part of our core group. One, because he is a cool guy who always throws sick parties, and two, because this is his house and we aren’t assholes. We are all grateful to his dad for funding and accepting our underage drinking, whether it’s knowingly or not.

  “Thanks, man,” all the boys respond.

  “So districts then regionals then state, right?” he asks.

  “Yeah,” Cam answers.

  “If all goes well,” Marcus chimes in, followed by immediate groans.

  Cam throws his popcorn at him from across the fire, and we all laugh.

  “Thanks for the party, Lucas,” Jake says as he takes in the entire senior class spread across Lucas’s sprawling lawn. The pool and hot tub are already packed with people.

  We live in the middle of nowhere, Florida, but one positive is it’s almost always scorching hot which lends itself nicely to swimming in December. However, we are truly in the middle of the state, so we are nowhere near the beach, which would be the one perk of living in Florida.

  “Well, this one is thanks to ‘The State versus The Schneider’s.’ ”

  We all laugh. There’s always a different case we should be thankful for.

  “Lucas, one of the kegs is dry already.” Mindy, Lucas’s steady girlfriend, comes up to us in a state of panic.

  I laugh to myself because she’s already practicing being the perfect housewife hostess.

  “Relax, Min. There’s plenty more,” Lucas reassures her then turns back to us. “Catch you later, guys. Duty calls.” He gives us a nod before he heads off with her.

  I already have a beer in my hand. I’m not sure where it came from, but I don’t question it.

  I see Joel across the yard on the other side of the in-ground hot tub that is the size of a small pool and feel my body tense. I hope no one else notices he’s over there. I barely know him, but I know the incident earlier is too fresh for Jake, who is already on edge and looking for someone to focus
his anger on. And now there is no excuse not to—no game, no coach down the hall, no school grounds.

  I decide I need to take things into my own hands. I don’t need these boys to protect me. I can take care of myself. In fact, I’m kind of pissed they feel like I can’t handle it myself, so I need to prove everyone wrong.

  I slam the rest of the continents of my Solo cup for an excuse to get up.

  “Hey, I’m going to refill. I’ll be right back.” I hop off Marcus’s lap.

  “Sure, I’ll take some. Thanks, D!” Cam shouts after me.

  I turn back to him. “I didn’t offer.” I give him my best wicked smile.

  “I’ll go,” Nate says as he gets up to join me. He takes orders from the rest while I figure out the best way to lose him so I can complete my goal of reaming out Joel.

  We start to walk toward the kegs, and I’m about to veer off with an excuse of using the bathroom, but Nate catches me off guard.

  “Hey, I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Okay …?” I ask, unsure where this is going.

  Nate looks back at our group. “What’s going on with Jake? I know you guys are close. Has he said anything to you?”

  I study him for a second, seeing concern in his eyes, but I can’t betray Jake’s trust. However, if Nate thinks something is up, that’s not good. It’s more obvious than I thought. Then again, Nate is always observant, always intuitive. Either way, I need to throw him off track, so I shrug and put on my best aloof attitude.

  “No idea. He hasn’t said anything to me. Why? What’s going on?”

  Nate’s eyes shift to the ground for a second. “It’s cool. You don’t have to tell me.” Then they come back up to find mine. “I get it.”

  “Nate, really? There’s nothing to get. I don’t know.” I almost convince myself. Damn, I’m good.

  “What was that before the game? He would never let that asshole Joel get to him, not before a game. The game is always his number one.” Of course the guys told him what happened. He shakes his head then looks back at our group. “He’s been off, and I know you’ve noticed it, too. We all have. He’s not himself. He’d never jeopardize the team or a game as important as that was. Never.” He looks back at me. “I’m just worried about him.”