Hotbox

by Delia Delaney

  I was truly relieved to hear that, but didn’t give him the satisfaction of a response. The partition rolled down and the driver spoke.

  “Sorry, Mr. Olevsky, sir, but your meeting…”

  “Yes, yes, the meeting. There is always a meeting,” he smiled at me. “Meetings never end. It is good to see you, Tyler. I’m hoping that your father can keep his nose out of trouble, hmm? I really don’t like it when you have to settle his debts.”

  Yeah, me neither. My father’s addiction to gambling is what brought these people into my life. And to pay off a lot of his debts, he worked on quite a few stolen cars, modifying and repainting them to be shipped to their new owners. It was a sick cycle he was stuck in, and no matter what I did to get him out of the hole he’d dig himself into, he always found another way to the bottom.

  Kristof motioned for me to exit through the door, so I did. The car backed out of the driveway and I cursed to myself as I made my way into the house. My father was standing in the living room at the window with a very ugly look on his face. Drunk and angry wasn’t a good combination.

  “What was he doing here?” he growled.

  “Checking up on me,” I replied bitterly. “And you,” I emphasized.

  “What- what did he want?”

  I shook my head. I didn’t want to talk about it. “Go back to bed, Dad. I’m going to head home; I have classes in the morning. I got you some groceries; try not to let them go to waste. And could you try dumping the garbage once in a while?”

  He seemed to look around the house for the first time. “Did you clean up? Thanks, son. I just… I get busy and stuff…”

  “I gotta go,” I told him.

  He nodded. “Sure, sure. Uh, hey, give your old man a hug, would ya?” He held out his arms, and after a lengthy hesitation, I finally gave him a hug. He patted me on the back and said, “Thanks for helping me out. Hope I didn’t pull you away from anything important.”

  Only the most incredible girl in the world.

  “When’s your next game?” he asked.

  “Saturday.”

  “Home or away?”

  “Home.”

  He nodded. “Saturday… I think I could make that…”

  And so it began again. I didn’t even indulge the conversation and opened the door. “Bye, Dad. Nothing more to drink tonight, okay? Sober up and make it to work.”

  That ruffled his feathers. “Don’t you be telling me what to do, kid—”

  “Oh, and Dad? Lenny’s gonna toss your ass in jail if you come back again.”

  I left before he could say any more.

  When I got home it was nine-thirty. The house was empty and I had no idea where everyone went, but I was glad I didn't have to answer any questions about my father. I did, however, call Jayden to let her know I was home. I was eager just to hear her voice again.

  “Are you going to bed?” she asked.

  “Uh, no, it’s a little early still.”

  “Your first class isn’t until nine, right?”

  “Yes…” Did she still want to see me tonight?

  “Would it be okay…if I came over again?”

  My heart raced, and I was beginning to wonder if it reacted more often to Jayden than it did to any cardio I did for baseball. “Sure, if you want to—”

  “I won’t stay late, but even if it’s just for an hour…”

  “Yeah, that’s fine. I’d love to see you. But I could come there instead. Since you’ve already been here once today, maybe you’ll get sick of my house.”

  “I don’t look at your house. I just look at you.”

  My heart… “Okay, whatever works for you.”

  “See you in a few minutes.”

  She hung up before I could say goodbye.

  I actually went to my room to shower and change. Being around my father and inside his house left me feeling filthy. I barely put my shirt on when I heard a knock at the front door.

  “I’m sorry,” Jayden snickered, looking me over. “Did I rush you? You look like you had to dress while you were still wet.” She ran her hands through my wet hair and kissed me.

  Oh, great. We were here alone with no one to distract me from wanting to take her clothes off.

  “Well, come on in,” I said, breaking away and motioning her further into the house.

  She walked into the front room and sat down on the couch, so I followed and sat a few feet from her.

  “I’m really sorry about…about kicking you out earlier,” I had to say. “It was rude and—”

  “No, it wasn’t. I didn’t want to be here without you anyway. You had something to take care of. I understand.”

  I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her that my father was a waste of a human being and he had done nothing for me my entire life. I knew that she would understand. I truly believed that. But I just…didn’t want to get into the saga.

  She moved closer to me and took my hand. “Ty, you don’t have to explain. If you want to talk about it, I will always be here to listen. But it’s your business and I don’t expect you to tell me. I’m not even going to ask, okay? I just…I just want you to know that I’m not going to pry.”

  I was feeling grateful for her understanding, and that feeling combined with how much I was attracted to her was… overwhelming. I wanted to kiss her, but I was too afraid I wouldn’t want to stop.

  When she moved even closer to me, my heart began to race. With a smile she put her hands behind my neck and slowly brought her lips to mine. It took everything I had to let her take the lead and to only kiss her, but the second my hand felt her skin… It was all it took. I laid her onto the couch and she pulled me close—

  I heard a car door shut, and then another.

  “The guys are home,” I said as I sat up.

  She sat up too and straightened her hair and clothes with a funny smile on her face. It was kind of cute and it made me laugh. When she saw me laugh, she began to laugh.

  I put my arm around her as the front door opened. When the guys came in, Jesse just said hi, but Aaron had to look at us more closely.

  “That couch getting another workout, Ty?” He deliberately looked at Jayden with a smug smile. “Wait, I guess he usually skips the couch and goes straight for the bedroom. What’s the hold up, Mr. Homerun?”

  I was about to react, but Jayden silently stopped me by putting her hand on my thigh. “Don’t even acknowledge him,” she whispered, focusing her attention on me. She leaned her head on my shoulder, completely ignoring him.

  “You’re a jerk,” Jesse said to Aaron, heading to his room.

  “Screw you all,” Aaron retorted as he went to his own room.

  I finally unclenched my jaw, but I couldn’t help but shake my head. I had been so close to jumping off the couch to beat the crap out of him once and for all. But he had done the job; he embarrassed me in front of Jayden, even though his allegations were completely off the mark. She was here with me now to prove a point to Aaron, but I got the sinking feeling that she was going to run the other way one of these days. I wondered if it was just better to not delay the inevitable.

  She rubbed the back of my shoulder and said, “Hey, don’t let him get to you. If you want, I can sic my dad on him. He’d be slapped with all kinds of problems in the blink of an eye.”

  I laughed and ran my fingers through her hair, looking into her eyes. She was amazing. Being with someone had never felt so complete.

  But I thought about what I had done in my life to deserve her, and the answer was haunting: absolutely nothing.

  Chapter Nine

  I didn’t see Jayden until Tuesday night when she showed up at my game during the third inning. We ended up winning 3-1 and it put us into first place. I was a little sore at the end of the game due to a couple of really harsh tag-outs at home plate, but I came out as the victor, so a few bumps and bruises were a small sacrifice.

  The guys had a good time replaying it later that night when we were sitting around the house. Jayden w
as leaning against me and I held her in my arms.

  “I thought Grossman was gonna pummel you,” Jesse said. “He looked pissed.”

  “Did you see how high he flew in the air?” Aaron laughed. “That was awesome. Yeah he looked pretty pissed, but it was his own fault. You just don’t come into home like that. He sure did some damage to your arm, though,” he nodded at me.

  “No, I got this from Mickey Johnson, when he plowed into me.” I had a nasty bruise that covered half of my forearm.

  “Why would he do that?” Jayden asked.

  “Hoping Ty will drop the ball,” Jesse informed her. “It’s not a tag-out if the ball comes loose.”

  “That’s kind of brutal. It’s almost like football,” she said.

  “Only for Ty,” Jesse laughed. “All six-foot-two of him, taking it for the team, game after game.”

  Aaron got up with a yawn, and announced he was going to bed. Then he added, “Oh, by the way, Ty. Coach asked if you’ve been breaking curfew and I told him no.” Then he left down the hall so he couldn’t see my reaction.

  Great. Now Jayden will feel bad…

  “You have a curfew you’re supposed to follow?” she asked, turning to face me. She looked at her watch. “What time was I suppose to be out of here?”

  When I didn’t answer right away she looked at Jesse.

  “An hour ago,” he told her. Looking at me he said, “Sorry, Ty. Coach asked me, too. I just don’t want you to get in trouble.”

  He got up and said goodnight and Jayden stood to grab her purse.

  “Don’t go,” I begged her as I stood.

  “Ty, your coach could easily drive by here and see my car. He probably already knows they’ve been covering for you. Why else would he ask them both?”

  I took her in my arms and kissed her.

  “That’s not going to change the subject,” she mumbled. “But…maybe for a…few seconds.” It made me smile until she pushed away from me and said, “Tell me what your curfew is, so I can make sure you don’t break it again.”

  I sighed, knowing I’d better give in. “Ten on school nights and game nights, midnight on the weekends.”

  “And that includes people out of your house, right?”

  I paused before answering, “Yes.”

  She sighed and reached for her jacket. I couldn’t tell if she was upset with me for being dishonest and breaking curfew, or just not telling her about it. I asked her and she said, “Both.”

  “I’m sorry, Jay. It wasn’t a big deal to me. I’ve never had a problem with curfew until I met you—” That sounded really bad, and the look on her face confirmed it. “What I mean is that I’m not really a problem player; the coaches have other guys they worry about more than me—”

  “Until now,” she replied. “Because of me, your coach is now checking up on you.”

  “It’s not your fault; you didn’t even know.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t want you to start slipping with stuff because of me. I couldn’t… I don’t want you to get in trouble, okay? Now that I know, you’re gonna be more careful, right?”

  She really did look worried and it confused me.

  “I will. I’m sorry.”

  She took a deep breath and gave me a hug. “Okay. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Can’t I walk you to your car?”

  “No,” she said with a half smile. “That’s your punishment.”

  She gave me a kiss on the cheek and headed out the door.

  “I miss you already,” I pathetically announced from the doorway.

  She paused on the sidewalk for a few seconds, looking me over with contemplation. Finally she gave me a relenting smile as she shook her head. Then she made her way back to me, took my face in her hands, and gave me a kiss that almost knocked my legs right out from under me.

  Before I knew it, the rest of the week went by and it was May. My team had a big tournament we were hosting at our school, so baseball was pretty much what I had going on for the next four consecutive days.

  Jayden had invited me to several activities she had plans for that weekend, but when she looked at the tournament schedule, she pretty much knew I couldn’t come. We had opening ceremonies on Friday night, two games on Saturday, one game on Sunday if we were in the winner’s bracket but two if we were not, and hopefully the championship game on Monday night.

  Our school had two baseball fields. Friday night held a game on each field, but first, every team was required to be on the main field for opening ceremonies. As the hosting team, Coach Tucker also wanted us to attend the games for that night as well.

  After arriving early to prep the fields and take care of other necessary things, we began to assemble with the other players for the National Anthem and the introduction of teams. I noticed Coach Tucker grumbling with Coach Farland and a couple of tournament officials below the announcer’s stand. They came our way and announced the ceremony had to be delayed twenty minutes because the anthem singer was running late, and they hadn’t been able to find anyone to replace him right away. Tucker hated it when things didn’t go as scheduled, especially if it made our school look bad, and he was really ticked off.

  I stepped up to him and said, “Hang on, let me see if I can fix this.” Based on what Cali said, this was definitely last minute and I was sure Jayden would do it. She must have left work early to be here; she might regret that now…

  I caught Jayden’s attention and waved her over. With a questioning look she made her way down the bleachers. I met her at the bottom and had her walk with me.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Do you want Tucker forever in your debt?”

  “No,” she smiled.

  “Okay,” I said, trying to make her walk quicker. “Can I be forever in your debt?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Then will you do me a favor?”

  “If you buy me a hot dog.”

  I laughed. “I will buy you hot dogs for the rest of my life. I need you to sing the anthem.”

  She stopped. “Ty…”

  “Please, Jayden. I know you can. We really, really need somebody right now.” I did my best to plead with my eyes and she finally sighed.

  “Fine.”

  “Yes! Come on…”

  The only bad thing was that they really did want her to stand on the mound to sing, and I felt terrible about that. I could tell she was really apprehensive, and she didn’t want her name announced either, but there was no way she could get out of that one.

  At five-oh-five we were ready to go, and each uniformed team faced the flag to hear our nation’s anthem. When Jayden’s name was announced, she received loads of applause from the spectators. Over the last couple of weeks I had come to realize how well known she really was in this town, and I was sure many people in the stands knew her.

  I had a different feeling as I stood there and listened to her sing a song I hear performed twice a week. The singing of the anthem was always a reflective time for me. It gave me the opportunity to appreciate my country and celebrate the great sport of baseball. I always prayed before every game during the anthem, particularly for the safety of the players and the ability to do my best. This time, I found myself thanking God for the incredible girl standing on the pitcher’s mound.

  When she was done, the stands roared with applause. I wished I could go to Jayden and give her a hug, but I was stuck on the field for the duration of team introductions. When we were dismissed and the playing teams went to their dugouts, I walked with my team to the stands to watch the first game that started at six.

  “I owe you one, Ty,” Tucker said on my way to find my girlfriend.

  “No, you owe Jayden a hot dog. I suggest you go get her one.”

  He laughed. “Will do.”

  I trekked the bleachers and found her sitting with Cali again. Jayden slid over and patted the spot next to her, so I sat down, put my arm around her, and gave her a kiss.

  “You were amazing. Can’
t you do that for every home game?”

  She smiled and replied, “I don’t know, that was pretty intimidating.”

  “We don’t normally have people sing from the mound—that’s a tournament thing—but if you hid somewhere…would you do it?”

  She laughed and said, “Maybe.”

  “Come over and sit with me,” I told her, motioning to where my team was.

  “With the elite?” she joked. “Am I allowed?”

  “Of course. This is a free country, right?”

  “Right.”

  “And you said you were going to stay and watch the game with me.” I stood, pulling Jayden up with me. “Come on, Cali, come sit with Devin.”

  We headed for the team and Cali easily took a place by Devin. Megan was also there with Jack, and a few friends of the other guys. I took a detour, though, and led Jayden down a set of stairs to the backside of the bleachers.

  “Where are we going?”

  I dragged her over to the batting barn and slipped inside the door, shutting it behind us and leaning her up against it. She put her arms around my neck as I kissed her. It was all I wanted to do and I was glad for the privacy.

  “Where have you two been?” Cali asked when we returned to the stands.

  Jayden only smiled as we sat down together. Cali looked at both of us before finally shaking her head with a smile and turning her attention back to the field. It was six-oh-five and the game must have just begun.

  “Hey, Ty, remember these guys?” Jack smiled knowingly. “Check out your buddy at short.”

  I looked onto the field and had to smile. Garrett Freeman.

  “Think he’ll say something the next time we play ‘em?” he asked.

  “Nah, I doubt it,” Aaron replied. “I think beating them in regionals last year was enough to shut him up.”

  “I don’t know,” Devin chuckled, “I think he’s out for blood this year. I heard he’s still bitching about what Ty did to him.”