“What’s that?”
“Earlier at the game…those two guys? Were they bothering you?”
She smiled. “You mean were they hitting on your girlfriend?”
I kind of shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. But Jayden didn’t say anything. Was there a problem? She seemed a little… I don’t know… It was just something one of them said. What happened?”
When she asked what was said, I told her, and Cali sighed. “Get used to it. She has to put up with a lot of crap from guys. Obviously she’s gorgeous and she’s very sweet—she gets hit on everywhere she goes, especially if she’s not part of a large group or doesn’t have one of her guy friends around,” she smiled. “It’s not enough for her to nicely say she’s not interested. Certain guys just have to be jerks. So…yeah, the ones that don’t take rejection well, they can get a little…mouthy, I guess. He called her a stuck up bitch when she wouldn’t talk to him anymore.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry about it,” she smiled. “Jayden’s sweet, but when the point isn’t getting through, she can hold her own. Besides, I told him her boyfriend could kick his ass. He finally left her alone.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, so he was waiting for me.”
Her eyes grew big. “He didn’t- you guys didn’t—?”
“No, he left.”
“Aw, poor Jayden. Don’t tell her about it. She’d feel horrible.”
“I didn’t plan on bringing it up; I just wanted to know if something happened. And why would she feel horrible? It’s not her fault.”
“It happens all the time. That’s why my brother is so protective of her—”
“Hey!” Jayden’s voice rang.
I was glad to be sitting because the sight of her nearly knocked me over. I really did love the way she dressed, and tonight was no exception. When my legs managed to work for me, I did stand in order to accept a hug and kiss from her.
“You look incredible,” I told her.
“I do?” she laughed, looking at Cali. “Incredible? Is this guy for real?” She took my hand and we sat down.
“This is Jesse, my other roommate. Jesse, this is Jayden.”
“It’s great to meet you,” Jayden said, shaking his hand.
“Great to meet you, too,” he replied.
She narrowed her eyes at him and asked, “Center field, seventh batter?”
He grinned and answered, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
“Do you know his batting average as well?” I teased.
She tilted her head and replied, “Three twenty-something?”
Jesse laughed. “Wow. You got her reporting stats?”
I stared at her and said, “Seriously, how did you know that?”
She smiled and replied, “When I realized how much there was to learn about baseball, I had to start somewhere, so I read your team’s stats. But…I do have a few questions, though. I’m sure there’s someone that could help me out,” she winked at me.
“She could memorize a text book,” Cali informed me.
“Well, I’m very impressed.”
“What’s Ty’s batting average?” Cali asked her.
With a very confident smile Jayden replied, “Four-eighteen.” She looked at me and said, “And I also know that he’s ranked the number one catcher in their division. You have all kinds of awards and records to your name. You are quite accomplished. I’m impressed,” she told me with an unbelievably beautiful smile.
I’m in love, I thought. I almost wished she’d stop being so amazing all the time.
The group talked longer and even more people joined the three tables that were apparently reserved for Jayden and her friends. I did see Aaron arrive with Brian and Jerome, two other friends of ours. He didn’t see us at first and I was really glad, so I spent another half an hour without his interference. But it wasn’t a surprise when they eventually made their way over.
“Is this the VIP section?” Aaron smirked.
Jayden stood up and said, “I think we can fit a few more people if you want to join us.” Before they said anything (or before I could decline for them) she retrieved some empty chairs. She introduced herself and her friends, so Aaron introduced his group of three.
When everyone was talking I quietly told her, “You didn’t have to be that hospitable. Aaron would have slithered his way into some other group somehow.”
She smiled and said, “I try not to judge. Besides, I have you here. I don’t care about anyone else.”
With her close proximity I was able to kiss her easily, but I wasn’t really comfortable doing it for long because Aaron was staring at us. If that wasn’t enough, guess who showed up…
“Hey, Chris!” Stacie hollered over the noise.
I looked up to see him practically standing over us. Jayden said hi to him and she and Cali scooted their chairs to make room, but it was a pretty tight squeeze. Finally Aaron stood and said, “Uh, we’re gonna go mingle. Nice meeting you all.”
There was probably too much testosterone at the table for him.
“It’s hotter than hell in here,” Chris announced, fanning himself with his shirt.
“It is getting hot,” Cali agreed. With a giggle she added, “Jay, you better go up and talk to Chuck. Shawn will have a tizzy if he has to sweat too much.”
“Good idea. Will you come with me?” she asked me.
“Sure.”
She led me away from the table, but not before I noticed Chris say something to his sister with a scowl on his face. It could have been me being paranoid, but I knew they were talking about us—or me, at least.
Jayden brought me in front of an office upstairs and knocked on the door, but she opened it without waiting for a response and peered inside.
“What’s up, love?” a deep voice said to her.
She opened the door further and stepped into the room. There was a man sitting on a couch facing a darkened window that looked out into the club. He had a bunch of papers in his hands, but he set them on the coffee table and stood.
“It’s getting really hot downstairs,” she told him.
“Is it? I’ll take care of it.” He grabbed the phone and made a quick call. Then he turned back to Jayden and said, “There are a lot of people here. You really bring the crowds.”
Jayden smiled but she glanced at me and said, “Ty, this is Chuck. He owns this magnificent establishment. Chuck, this is Ty, my boyfriend.”
He stepped closer to us and shook my hand, seeming a bit surprised. He even looked me over for a second, almost like he was making an assessment. But he smiled and said, “Nice to meet you.” He gestured to Jayden and added, “You are in the presence of royalty.”
“Oh, stop it,” she said to him. “I’m gonna head down; I just wanted to avoid Shawn’s whining.”
He lightly laughed and shook his head. “At least one of us can. Good luck, sweetheart. You’ll do great, as always.”
“Thanks,” she waved, leading me out of the office.
“You’ll do great at what?” I asked as soon as she shut the door.
She groaned and replied, “Don’t remind me.”
“Okay.”
With a laugh she said, “You’ll see soon enough, I suppose.”
I looked at her carefully but decided to let it go. “Well,” I said, stepping close to her as I ran my fingers along her hair. “Then while we’re alone, you have to kiss me to distract me from asking more questions.”
She smiled and looked into my eyes. “That sounds easy enough. I’ve been dreaming about it all day.”
Chapter Six
At ten o’clock, Jayden’s friend and his band took the stage. I was thinking that he was going to be a little start-up act or something, but I was really surprised at how good they were. Jayden’s other friends were pretty rowdy and they supported him like crazy. Shawn was funny and he said a few things to them from the stage, and the rest of the crowd had fun with him as well. I recognized the drummer from the night before at the movies—Jos
h was the one that came with Silvia.
Once Chris stopped being concerned with what Jayden was doing, he actually seemed to be a normal guy with his other friends. I was glad he had moved further away, even sitting at the other table with Stacie and Matt.
After about the fifth or sixth song, I noticed Jayden becoming a little restless. She said something to Cali and I heard Cali reply, “Take deep breaths.” Jayden whispered something back to her and Cali patted her on the back and said, “Think about something happy.”
“Jayden, are you okay?” I asked her.
She looked at me and smiled. “I’m not sure. Uh…”
With a huge smile, Cali said, “Picture Ty naked.”
“Oh, my gosh!” Jayden groaned, dropping her head into her hands.
I was speechless.
“Okay, okay,” Cali said. “How about just thinking about how cute you think he is? Huh? How much you like his butt—”
“Cali!” she hissed. She looked at me, completely mortified. “I’m sorry. She gets very…”
“You like my butt?” I asked her with a smile.
She covered her face again and shook her head out of pure embarrassment. I had no idea what was going on, but I liked knowing that bit of information. But before I could find out what was wrong, the band finished a song and Shawn said the best part of the show was up next.
“Jayden, you ready, darlin’?” he said our way.
Cali screamed a response and the rest of her friends joined in with cheers.
Jayden turned to me and said, “If I don’t die on stage, I’ll be back in a little bit.” She gave me a quick kiss and stood up.
Shawn was introducing Jayden, but I was busy watching her. As she rounded the table, Chris stood up and put his hands on her shoulders. He said something to her and she nodded her head with a smile. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and then she made her way to the stage. If I hadn’t been completely shocked that she was going to play with the band, I may have had time to be a little jealous of the interaction. Chris even glanced my way as he sat down, but his face held no expression, so I couldn’t tell if it was suppose to mean anything or not.
“She has such bad stage fright,” Cali informed me. “It’s so crazy because she’s totally awesome.”
“Does she do this a lot?” I asked.
“Well, not tons, but enough. It’s the whole crowd-thing. There’re too many people for her tonight. But more than half these people know her and Shawn; it’s not anything new to her. She’s been doing this for a few years now, but she still can’t get over the stage fright.”
Shawn was describing the song they were going to perform. I watched Jayden grab a guitar and sit on the stool next to him. Stage fright or not, she looked completely relaxed. She talked to Shawn and they laughed about a couple of things. Finally they began a song and I was entranced. Jayden really could play, but she could also sing and it was amazing. I carefully listened to the entire song and I don’t think I ever took my eyes off of her.
When they were done with that one, they played another. It was a little more upbeat and only Shawn sang, but again, I was so hung up on how talented Jayden was, all I could do was stare at her.
They both switched their guitars and I heard Cali laugh. When I looked at her, she was looking at me.
“Wipe the drool from your mouth,” she snickered.
I shook my head and smiled. “I’m a little surprised, I guess.”
“What do you mean? I thought you knew she played.”
“Well, yeah I knew she played, but I didn’t picture… Well, I guess I didn’t know she performed.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” she laughed.
A loud force of sound came from the stage and the band began another number. If seeing her do the other two songs was surprising, I was even more blown away to hear Jayden play an electric guitar. She was amazing, hands down. I carefully watched how she played; it seemed effortless. You could tell she was having a good time with the band, but her presence onstage was so mellow and relaxed. And yeah…she was hot.
When that song was over I asked Cali, “Can she sing the National Anthem?”
“Oh, yeah, she can nail that puppy. She’s performed it dozens of times. Why?”
I shrugged. “We do it before our games.”
“Oh. You might have to spring it on her,” she laughed. “She gets too nervous if she has time to think about it. And as long as she doesn’t have to stand out on the mound or something,” she added.
After two other songs—including another incredible one that Jayden sang—the performance was at its conclusion. She went off stage with the band and I finally leaned back in my chair.
“She’s got some skills,” Jesse said from across the table. “She should come sing our anthems instead of that one lady—the one that belts it out like an opera singer.” He mimicked how she sang and I laughed in agreement.
But my happy mood quickly faded when Aaron appeared. With a laugh he shook his head. “I’m impressed, Ty. You’ve got yourself one hell of a girl. You know, someone told me she was in a band, but I just thought they had the wrong chick. If she ever becomes famous, you’ll be famous just for banging her.”
I heard Cali gasp. “You’re a pig! Get out of here!”
My heart dropped; I’d been afraid that he was going to do something like this. I stood up to face him and quietly said, “You’d better leave, Aaron. I don’t think you want to do this here.”
He seemed amused when he scoffed and replied, “Do what, Ty?”
“These are her friends, you moron. You’re gonna get your ass kicked.”
He looked around the tables and realized there were several eyes on him. Matt had even stood up and was eyeing him pretty eagerly. The moment became even more intense when Jayden suddenly appeared, carefully watching everyone with confusion.
“What’s going on?” she asked me as she approached.
“Go,” I told Aaron, who was standing there staring at her. From the look on his face I just knew he was about to say something to her, and based on how reckless he could be with his mouth, I also knew how much damage he could cause in a matter of seconds.
Chris got up and stood next to Jayden, subtly moving her a step away. He said something to her and tried to lead her away further, but she shook her head. Aaron returned his look to me and scoffed again, but he turned around and left.
I looked at Jayden, but it was Chris that took a step toward me.
“You let trash like that around her?” he asked in a low voice.
“Hey, you knock it off,” Jayden warned him, pulling him back by his arm. “You are no better than that guy if you’re gonna make this worse.”
“I’m not gonna put up with it, Jay,” he said to her.
She sighed and shook her head, moving around the table to grab her purse next to Cali. “I’m leaving,” she told her. “Call me when you’re heading home.” She waved at everyone and said goodbye. Chris was still glaring at me when Jayden took my hand and asked if I would take her home.
“Sure,” I replied, glancing at Jesse. He nodded his head to let me know he’d get a ride.
“I don’t even know what happened, but I’m sorry,” she began to say as we walked through the club and out the exit to the parking lot.
“What? Why are you apologizing? You’re right; you don’t even know what happened. What are you sorry for? Aaron’s a jerk.”
“This always happens. Always. I’m so tired of it. I can’t even have a stupid boyfriend without there being egos and…Chris every time…”
I stopped where we were, right in the middle of the parking lot. “Now I’m stupid?” I asked with a smile.
She laughed and shook her head. “Ty, that’s not what I meant.”
“I know. I just wanted to see you smile again.”
She locked her eyes with mine and wrapped her arms around my neck. “You always make me smile,” she said.
I leaned down and kissed her. It quickly became mo
re passionate than what I was used to with her so far, and I was a little surprised we were almost making out in the parking lot.
“Okay,” I exhaled, pulling away from her. “I should probably take you home.”
“I don’t want to go home.”
“Where do you want to go?” Based on the way we’d been kissing, I was afraid she would say she wanted to go home with me.
“I want ice cream,” she smiled.
“Ice cream? It’s midnight. What’s open?”
“The grocery store. I want Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie.”
I laughed and took her hand. “Okay, rock star. Let’s get you some ice cream.”
I knew I was breaking curfew again, but being with Jayden took priority over anything. The next day was Sunday, and I could be with her all day if she agreed, but it was just so hard to end the night.
“I really should take you home so your dad doesn’t worry,” I told her. We were sitting in my truck, parked at the river. She was nestled in my arm with her head against my neck.
“My car is at Cali’s, so I’ll probably just stay there tonight. And I’m not sixteen, Ty. Yeah I still live in my dad’s house, but I’m free to have my own life, you know.”
Oh, boy. Did I really want to risk having Judge Adams find out his daughter was not at the Davis’s? How far would he go to hunt me down?
“Well if that’s where I’ll be taking you, then I should probably get you there.”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?” she lightly laughed.
“No way. But I don’t want the entire police force out looking for you.”
She sat up straighter and stared at me. I wasn’t sure what I saw in her eyes through the moonlight, but she looked a little sad. “Well, what are you doing tomorrow?” she finally asked.
“That’s easy. If I can’t spend it with you, I’ll be thinking of you.”
She smiled. “I would love it if you spent it with me. I’m busy in the morning, but after that I’m free.”
“All right, it’s a date.”
I pulled her close again and kissed her. That incredible rush surged through me once more and I found myself completely lost in the moment. She kissed me like she did in the parking lot earlier, but this time my hands probably explored more than they should have. She suddenly stopped.
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