“Shoot, shoot, shoot!” She walked in circles around the bench, trying to gather all her things before she went to change.
“Whoa there.” Romeo stepped in front of her and made her stop in her tracks. “Whatever it is, it ain’t worth having an aneurysm. We need you alive for tomorrow. Breathe, McCloud.”
“Sorry, it’s just Greg’s play starts in probably two minutes now, and I still need to shower off and change and go get flowers somewhere before I can get there.”
Romeo turned his head slightly, staring at her sideways. “He got you scared?”
“What? No. I just don’t want to disappoint him.”
Romeo nodded, then looked over her shoulder. “Chris! Come talk to ya girl. She’s acting crazy.”
Chris sauntered over and stood next to Romeo, facing Jess. “Come on, Jess. You can either hurry out of here, show up late, and Greg will probably be mad at you for that, and you won’t even get to have a nice juicy burger, or you can forget about his performance tonight, go see it tomorrow night, and come stuff your face with us at Gordon’s.”
Jess leaned her head back and groaned. “Ugh. When you put it like that …”
“Ah, so you’re finally seeing the light,” Romeo said. He flashed an exaggerated smile.
She wanted to protest more, but she didn’t have it in her. Gordon’s burgers were just too delicious.
She sighed and laughed lightly. “Damn you.”
Romeo flinched like he’d just taken a hard fist to the rib cage, stumbled back a step, and grabbed his chest. “What the …”
“Oh gosh, are you okay?” She lunged forward, reaching for him to keep him from falling over.
His lips parted slightly and he looked her up and down through wide eyes. “Do me a favor and don’t say that ever again.”
“Sheesh. Sorry. Yeah, I didn’t know …”
He back away from her a few steps but didn’t stop clutching at his heart.
She glanced over at Chris who grimaced and shrugged his shoulders.
Okay, add that to the list of ways I could accidentally kill someone.
Probably a good thing to know, since she was fairly certain Greg would not be okay with her missing opening night. But she’d made up her mind, so she took a deep breath and accepted the fact that a burger tonight likely meant even more problems in her love life tomorrow …
But Gordon’s was just that delicious.
* * *
As soon as Jess bit into her double with extra cheese, she knew she’d made the right choice. She couldn’t help but tune out the conversation at the table while she devoured her meal and a mixture of grease and mayo dripped down her hands.
The place was busy, which was no surprised, so the six of them had been forced to squeeze around a four-top booth. She was sandwiched between Chris and Quentin on one side, and on the other sat Romeo and the two best safeties on the team, Colton Brooks and Eddie Hernandez.
Jess finished her burger and began grazing on her fries as she slowly tuned back into the conversation.
“That burger call your mama a name?” Eddie asked. Jess looked up at him and he laughed. “I’m not hating. I’m actually impressed. I can’t remember ever seeing a girl go to town on a burger like that before.”
“You probably haven’t ever seen a girl kick a sixty-yard field goal, either,” Jess said through a mouthful of French fries. “The list of things you haven’t seen a girl do could probably go on for a while.”
Did I just trash talk?
She couldn’t remember ever having done it before, but she was just on edge enough that it came naturally. And it felt amazing.
The table was silent, each boy staring at her in various states of shock; then suddenly her teammates erupted with laughter.
Eddie was the first to speak. “Aw, shit, girl. You gonna play it like that? Alright. Alright.” But he was laughing, too.
“Can I be real with you for a second, Jess?” Romeo asked.
“Sure.”
“I been hearing things about you and this Greg guy. Why you letting him treat you like that?”
Weren’t guys supposed to talk about other things when they got together? Namely, sports. And more sports. And maybe food.
“Um, first of all,” she said, “I don’t know what you heard. And second of all, I don’t know why you care.”
Romeo didn’t flinch. He leaned forward across the table. “I heard he’s pressuring you to do things you don’t want to do. And I heard he’s been giving you the silent treatment. That’s cold, Jess.”
“Wha— where did you hear all that?”
Romeo’s eyes flickered to Chris. She turned to him and smacked him on the arm. “You’re gossiping about me?”
Chris leaned away from her as much as he could in the small space. “Whoa. No, I just happened to mention that Greg was a dick when he passed us in the hallway, then Romeo asked me why. And then I told him.”
“That’s the last time I talk openly at lunch,” Jess said.
“This guy does sound like a dick,” Quentin said from the other side of Jess.
“Wait,” Colton said, “is that the guy, kinda tall, curly hair, jaw bones he doesn’t know what to do with?” He gestured demonstratively with each descriptor.
“That’s the one,” Chris said.
“Aw, dang, Jess. You’re dating him?” Colton shook his head disappointedly. “Does he know you’re the daughter of God?”
And there it was. The elephant in the dining room of Gordon’s. And in the locker room. And on the field. While the news had addressed it and their game plan was basically built around it, no one on the team, outside of Chris, had ever mentioned her demigod status aloud before. At least not to her face.
She scanned the others at her table, trying to read their expressions. “You guys … actually believe that?”
All of them nodded, and Quentin and Eddie said, “Yep.”
“It’s true, ain’t it?” Colton asked.
“I mean, yeah. But it kind of sounds crazy.”
“Please,” said Quentin, “it doesn’t sound any crazier than a little white girl like you coming out of nowhere and kicking hundred yarders. I couldn’ta gotten a clearer sign from God Himself if I’d specially ordered it.”
“Yeah,” Eddie added. “When Chris vouched for you as God’s daughter, man, it all made a lot of sense. I mean, I’d heard weird rumors and stuff, but never thought much of them. Seems like everyone around here thinks they have special God powers. But it was kind of a relief to hear you actually did. Mis padres were asking me why I couldn’t kick like that. Now I don’t feel so bad about myself.”
Jess leaned back in her seat and folded her arms. “Huh. So you guys have known it was literally a miracle for a while?”
They nodded.
“Why haven’t you gone and told … everyone?”
Colton shrugged nervously. “It feels a little like cheating, ya know?”
“Huh,” Jess said again.
“Greg doesn’t believe she’s the daughter of God,” Chris added.
The table exploded with outrage.
“He calls you a liar and still thinks he deserves a piece of that?” said Romeo.
Eddie said, “Dude’s going to Hell, man.”
Quentin said, “That’s cold, Jess. Cold.”
And then Colton finished with, “Sounds like he doesn’t respect you.”
It was the last bit that struck a chord with her. “No, it’s actually the opposite,” she explained, trying out her self-justification on others. “Because he doesn’t think I’m the daughter of God, he sees me for me, like, who I am as a person.”
She waited for a response, but there was none. Then finally Quentin jumped in. “Eh … nah. I’m not buying it. Who you are as a person is Jessica Christ, the amazing field goal kicker and who knows what else.”
“I dunno …” She hated how much sense he was making. How much sense they were all making.
“It’s true,” said Colton. “Jesus did all kinds of
miracles, and he didn’t get started Jesus-ing till he was thirty. You’re already way ahead of that.”
“Point is,” Eddie said, gesturing at her with a French fry, “you deserve someone who worships the ground you walk on.”
“All women do,” Romeo said, correcting Eddie. “But you especially, Jess.”
The rest of the table nodded in agreement and Jess half expected to see Jesus walk through the front doors of Gordon’s, because surely this wasn’t real life. Guys didn’t actually talk like this.
“I’ll take that into consideration. Thanks, y’all.”
She felt the booth vibrate underneath her and reached in her back pocket to pull out her phone. “Well, look who it is.”
“Greg?” Quentin asked.
“Don’t answer it,” Chris said. “He’s just going to make you feel bad for missing the play.”
She waved them off. “It’ll be fine. He lied about being at the game Friday, so he can’t get mad at me for this.”
“He what?!” Romeo yelled just after Jess answered the call.
“Hey, Greg.” She smiled at the guys as they sat silently, trying to pick up tidbits of the conversation.
“Hey, so where the hell are you?”
“Whoa. Chill out. Is the play already over?” Had they really been chatting at Gordon’s that long?
“No, it’s just between my scenes. Why aren’t you here?”
“I’m sorry,” she said, trying to keep a calm face with her teammates watching. “The interview ran long, and I thought I’d just come tomorrow and let everyone work out the kinks tonight.”
“Of course. The interview. Typical. When did you start being so selfish, Jess?”
Jessica made a scooting motion toward Quentin so he’d let her out of the booth. He arched his brows at her and shook his head, not budging an inch.
“I’m not being selfish, Greg. I couldn’t help that it ran over, and I didn’t want to come in late. I’m sorry.”
“Sometimes sorry doesn’t cut it, Jess.”
Something snapped, and Jess’s ability to apologize any further disappeared completely. “Oh, don’t you even start with me on that! I know you lied about coming to the game on Friday. I didn’t play a single second, and you’d have known that if you were there.”
“So I missed one stupid football game. Who cares?”
“And then you accused me of cheating on you with … with someone else and now you’re lecturing me on how sorry doesn’t cut it?” Her rage left her dizzy, and a streetlight exploded outside the diner. She glanced up at Chris, whose expression of frozen horror said it all. She needed to reel it in and quick.
“Jesus Christ, Jess. Stop trying to turn this on me. Where are you right now?”
She took a deep breath and let it out. “Gordon’s.”
“You’re missing opening night to go eat burgers? Who are you with?”
“None of your damn business.”
“How is it none of my damn business who my girlfriend is going out with?”
“It’s none of your damn business because I’m done being your girlfriend, Greg.” Romeo cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled “Whaaat?!” into the phone. Jess had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. “We’re done, Greg.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m breaking up with you. We’re done.”
“Who are you with?”
Jess hung up the phone and exhaled, trying to let go of the tension balling up in her shoulders. Somehow she’d just gotten through her first breakup … and had a smile on her face.
“Get it, Jess!” Romeo yelled, and held out his hand. She laughed and high-fived him.
Chris wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in. “Way to tell him what’s up.”
Then Quentin hollered, “Back on the prowl!” and grabbed her firmly, a hand on either side of the head, before planting a cartoonish kiss on her lips. The table erupted after that, and Jess laughed along with them.
“I can’t believe he accused you of cheating,” Colton said once the ruckus started to die down. “I mean, you didn’t cheat, right?”
Jess chuckled. “No.”
“Who’d he think you cheated with?” Quentin asked. “Was it Romeo? Is he scared a black guy’s gonna steal his woman?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time I did,” Romeo said. “I gotta get some practice in for those college girls. I gotta up my game.”
“No, not Romeo,” Jess said. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I bet it was ol’ Long Dick over there, wasn’t it?” said Eddie.
Jess shook her head vaguely. “Long … Who?”
Eddie nodded at Chris, and Jess turned to look at him. He stared right back down at her and suppressed a smile as he nodded what’s-up.
She looked away and could feel her face redden. “Oh gosh …”
“It was him, wasn’t it!” Eddie demanded. “Ha! Greg thought you were getting it with Chris!”
Chris chuckled but otherwise stayed silent and kept his arm slung over the back of the booth.
Eddie couldn’t leave it alone. “You know there’s a reason why Chris never gets naked in front of other people.”
“Yeah,” Colton added. “It’s ’cause he doesn’t want all of us to feel bad about ourselves when we see what he’s packing.”
Quentin nodded. “It’s true. Don’t no black guy want to be shown up by a white dude.”
“What do you have to say for yourself, Riley?” asked Eddie.
Jess turned toward Chris and leaned back to see him better.
He shrugged and grinned. “A lady never tells.”
The conversation moved on after that. It was still about penises, just not anyone’s in particular. And not long after, it was time for everyone to head home.
Gordon’s wasn’t far from the McCloud house, but Chris offered to give her a ride anyway, and she took him up on it to spare herself the trouble of lugging two heavy bags home for the second time in a week.
They talked about football most of the way, and Chris let her in on some of the team gossip.
“I guess it makes more sense now how Quentin is in AP chemistry,” she mused after Chris had outed him as a science geek. “I just assumed there was some sort of unfortunate scheduling mishap.”
“Nah, don’t let him fool you. You remember that game he missed toward the start of the season?”
Jess nodded. “Yeah, his grandpa died.”
“Nope. His grandpa died like nine years ago. He was up in Boston for a young leader’s forensics conference and he didn’t want to let anyone know. He only told Coach Rex, who let it slip to me.”
“Ha! Never would have thought. Next you’ll tell me Colton got a perfect score on the SAT.”
“If only,” Chris said. “Nah, Colton’s got a record. He was in and out of foster care for years before he was adopted. Almost beat one of the orphanage caretakers to death on his last day there, but he wouldn’t tell me what for.”
“Oh damn. That’s … sheesh.”
“For real.”
“I guess it’s always something, isn’t it?”
“It sure is, Jess. It sure is.”
They pulled into her driveway and she felt like there was more to say, but whatever that was, she couldn’t think of it. She glanced over at Chris and he smiled warmly at her. It had been a fun night, despite the drama. How had that happened? It left her feeling uneasy, so she grabbed her bags, thanked him for the ride, and climbed out of his huge truck.
One way or another, she knew tomorrow would be an eventful day, and she needed all the sleep she could get to keep from messing it up too terribly.
“Just when I think things are starting to turn around …” Jess said morosely, stuffing a dry French fry into her mouth. She stared across the cafeteria at where Greg sat with his back to her and his arm around Sandra’s shoulder.
“Screw him,” Chris said. “It’s a breakup, things always suck in a breakup.”
Mi
randa, who stared judgmentally at the newly reconnected exes, snorted scornfully. “He sure wasted no time getting his hands on Sandra again …” She looked over at Jess, and backtracked. “I’m sure it’s just to make you mad. They’re probably not actually doing anything.”
“Yeah,” Chris added. He shoved a fistful of potatoes into his mouth, stuffed it into his cheek and spoke around it. “That happened to me once.”
That got Jess’s attention. She pulled her eyes away from Greg to study Chris. “When? I thought you never dated.”
“Psh,” Chris waved her off. “Please. I’ve dated plenty. I just don’t date seriously. I let myself indulge for a week or so before I end it, so the girl doesn’t get too attached.”
Miranda rolled her eyes. “Everyone knows junior high dating doesn’t count.”
Chris pointed at her. “Hush you.” He turned to Jess. “Anyway, I was dating Stephanie for a little bit—”
“Stephanie Lee?” Jess asked incredulously.
Chris shut his eyes and shifted gears. “Yes, but before she was a total bitch. Listen. That’s not the point of my story. I’m trying to tell a story!”
“Fine, fine, keep going.” Jess poked her canned peaches with her spork.
“So I broke up with Stephanie, because, come on, it’s Stephanie, and she went around telling everyone I had a small dick.”
Miranda laughed and looked at Jess. “Is that true?”
“Dude!” Chris exclaimed, exasperated.
But Jess just shrugged. “I already told you, I’ve only ever heard rumors about what’s behind that mystery door.”
Chris waved his arm between the two girls to break up their side talk. “First of all, the guys weren’t kidding last night; my dick is huge. It’s almost unmanageable. Second of all, the point of my story is that she went around saying that because she was mad at me, not because she knew.” He shook his head, disappointed. “I can’t believe you think I’d actually show what I’m packing to Stephanie Lee …”
“Why did you date her if you weren’t all that into her?”
Chris sighed. “I can’t remember exactly. I think that was the spring her parents got that sweet-ass pool in their backyard.”
Jess looked at Miranda, who was squinting thoughtfully, clearly trying to do the math as well.
And It Was Good (Jessica Christ Book 2) Page 14
