by Len Webster
AJ: Still feeling horrible. Don’t pick me up at the airport. It’s fine.
Evan: Are you sure?
AJ: I’m sure.
Evan: Then do you want to meet at that café near LAX that has the ice cream you like?
One minute passed.
Two.
Then three.
Ten minutes passed before he got another reply.
AJ: Sure.
He assumed since she was still texting him that she hadn’t boarded. Knowing that he still had almost six hours until AJ landed, he decided he still had time to do something with Hunter before he met up with his best friend.
Evan: All right. I’ll see you this afternoon.
Then he waited, not getting a reply long after Hunter had finished his shower and they left their hotel room to go to Santa Monica beach.
Since AJ’s flight wouldn’t land until later in the afternoon, Evan had changed out of his dress shirt and into something more beach friendly. He and Hunter sat on the wooden steps at the end of the Santa Monica Pier and listened to the musicians for almost a half an hour. The cool, refreshing wind was a godsend under the heat from the sun. After they’d walked the beach, Evan had sat on the sand and watched Hunter flirt with a couple of girls. He had gotten their numbers before they returned to their hotel where Evan had showered once more and put the long-sleeve shirt back on.
Evan glanced over the messy hotel room to find Hunter asleep on his stomach. He approached his bed and made it, knowing that he wouldn’t let his best friend sleep on the floor. The bed was big enough to fit them both, and there was no way he would let her share a bed with Hunter. Although Evan trusted him as his teammate, he didn’t trust him with his best friend—especially since he knew Hunter was attracted to her and had originally planned to ask her to prom.
Prom.
The memory caused him to grasp the sheet firmly in his hands. Evan quickly shook that night from his thoughts.
She had forgiven him.
She had said so herself.
They had moved on.
Evan finished making his bed and then picked up the gift bag containing AJ’s ‘Welcome to LA’ present. He then swiped his wallet and phone from the bedside table, ready to take the elevator downstairs to find a cab.
“Good luck,” Hunter muttered, eyes still closed.
“Thank you?”
His high school teammate chuckled. “Someday, you’re just gonna realize too late. Everyone in Massachusetts seemed to see it besides you.”
“Stop talking so vaguely.”
Hunter finally opened his eyes, pushed himself up, turned over, and leaned against the headboard. “How about you stop living a life of vagueness, Evan? You’ve only got yourself to blame. Tell me something. Is Stanford even your dream school?”
Evan flinched. “Of course, it is.”
“Why is it your dream school?”
“Because it’s AJ’s dream to go to Stanford.”
Hunter pressed his lips into a tight line. “You really don’t know your best friend at all.”
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind,” he muttered. “Just go. I don’t want you to keep Alex waiting there too long on her own. LA is not a city for her.”
It annoyed him to hear his teammate care about his best friend that much and made the jealousy in Evan blossom. But he’d known for a year just how attracted Hunter was to AJ. Hunter, Evan could handle and protect AJ from. His own brother, he wasn’t sure. That was why he was so happy when he and AJ got their acceptance letters. She also received a four-year scholarship. Though she never used her intellect to belittle anyone, AJ was far too smart for their high school. She should have gone to a private school that focused on science and math, but she loved their high school.
As for Evan, he also got a full-ride baseball scholarship. His last season as captain of their championship winning team had scouts coming to their games, and he had offers from a few colleges. In the end, he was relieved when Stanford approached him and made their intentions clear. A sports scholarship made getting accepted a lot easier.
They were a week away from move-in day and a week away from starting clean of their pasts and troubles.
And the very mistake he had made on prom night.
When Evan arrived at the small ice cream shop and sat down, it was almost two p.m. AJ hadn’t called or messaged to tell him that she had landed. He checked online, but no flights from Boston departing around the time of their last texts had been delayed. He assumed she was stuck in traffic on the way to the café that had her favorite mint chocolate chip ice cream. It was the very café that her cousin, Will, had taken them to when they came out to officially check out Stanford. AJ had him promise her that the next time they were in Los Angeles together, they would return for the ice cream.
And here Evan was.
Sitting at the table by the window, waiting for a cab to pull up and AJ to step out.
“Here you are. A chocolate milkshake,” the kind middle-aged woman who worked the front counter said as she set the tall glass down.
“Thanks,” he said as he grasped the cold glass and set it across from him. It was AJ’s milkshake. She wasn’t a big coffee drinker and only ever liked iced tea or chocolate milkshakes on a hot day.
“You’re welcome, love. You waitin’ on a girl?” she asked.
Evan swung his gaze from the milkshake to the ice cream worker. “Yeah.”
“Aren’t you a sweet thing. You let me know when milkshake girl gets here, so I can say hello. And what a man she has who is willing to wait an hour for her.”
He should have corrected her, but he didn’t.
Evan Gilmore was not AJ Parker’s man.
He was her best friend.
There for her whenever she needed him.
Lifelong friends who would finally spend four years together in college.
Finally, Evan’s life was where he wanted it.
Blissful and right.
“I’ll be sure to call you over when she gets here.”
The waitress winked and then headed back to the counter. His smile faded when he realized she said he had been waiting an hour for AJ. He picked up his cell from the steel table and unlocked it.
No new messages.
Evan pressed on her number and called her. He brought his cell to his ear to hear the rings until her voicemail instructed him to leave a message after the beep. Evan called her five more times as the anxiety and concern wreaked havoc over him.
“Where are you, AJ?” he mumbled as he shot her a text, hoping she’d read it if she couldn’t answer her phone. He knew she hated answering her cell when she was in another person’s company. She found it rude.
Evan: AJ, I’m here. I ordered you a chocolate milkshake. Are you stuck in traffic? Let me know you’re okay.
Then Evan waited.
And waited.
And waited.
For hours, he waited.
Until the same woman who served him was by his side and said, “It’s almost eight p.m., love. We’re gonna close soon. Can I get you something else?”
Rage and embarrassment consumed him.
He had sat on that steel chair long after AJ’s milkshake melted.
He had called her.
Sent her more messages.
She gave him nothing but silence.
“No,” he whispered as he got up from his chair, picking up his phone and the gift bag. “Thanks for everything.”
“I’m sorry she stood you up.”
He nodded his appreciation and made his way out of the cool store into the hot LA night.
Evan was hurt and angry that his best friend had not shown up.
It was the first time in their lives that AJ had broken a promise.
8 O
oxygen
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AJ
Senior year of high school
The first five days of senior year had been a blur of excitement, stress, more excitement, and even more stress. Everything seemed to collide as the reminder of what an important year this would be for her hit. Not only did her schoolwork seem to double every day, but she still had the pressure of college applications. When she told her physics teacher that Stanford was her choice, he had blinked at her and reminded her of the first day of her freshman year—when AJ wrote what she wanted out of her physics class. And that was the tools and knowledge she’d need to get into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He asked her what happened for her to forget such a dream, and she stood there in complete disbelief.
Stanford made her forget.
Stanford with Evan had her completely ignoring the fact that MIT was one of the best colleges in the world for physics.
Because that was what AJ wanted to pursue after college.
She wanted the experts to teach her.
She wanted the greatest minds to work with her.
She wanted to explore theories.
AJ Parker wanted to be a physicist.
She wanted to follow in the footsteps of her heroes—Einstein, Newton, Curle, Gell-Mann, and Hawking—and contribute to the science community. She wanted to win a Nobel Prize in Physics for her groundbreaking theory.
Her physics teacher had burst her Stanford bubble.
That night, she went home and stared at her desk filled with Stanford memorabilia and a California postcard from Will. It didn’t feel right. Stanford was a great school, but it wasn’t the school. Not for physics. Not if she wanted to be taught and enlightened by the very minds she looked up to.
MIT was supposed to be the college where she graduated with her Bachelor of Science and then her Ph.D.
Not Stanford.
Mr. Miller caused her to question her future and added another pressure she didn’t need.
A knock had her turning away from her desk and to the door, finding the smile on her mother’s face. In her hands, she held a glass of iced tea and a plate of cookies she had been baking.
Her mother entered the room and set her drink and cookies on AJ’s nightstand. Then she stood next to her, staring at the Stanford-themed corkboard.
“Is something troubling you, Alexandra?”
AJ let out a sigh. “Mum, when I was younger, was Stanford my dream college?”
Her mother said nothing, and AJ craned her neck to find her biting her bottom lip. Then she shook her head. “You always said California was too far away from your father and me.”
“What was my dream school?”
“I always knew you were special, but I didn’t think a trip to the Smithsonian in New York would inspire you to be a physicist. Your dream school wasn’t Stanford, Alexandra. When you said you wanted to apply, you surprised your father and me. He was touched that you wanted to go to his alma mater. He knows it’s not your dream, though; it’s Evan’s sweet talk. Stanford has a great science department, so he knew you weren’t sacrificing your education.”
“But what was my dream college, Mum?” she pleaded.
Her mother turned and set her hands on AJ’s shoulders, twisting AJ to face her. “MIT. That was the college you always wanted to go to since you were a child. The professor who was at the Smithsonian taught at MIT, and that was where you originally wanted to go.”
AJ blinked at her mother. “But I want to go to Stanford with Evan.”
“I know you do.”
“I could do my Ph.D. at MIT.”
Her mother smiled. “You could. How about you apply to do your Bachelor of Science at MIT as well? There’s no harm in trying. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, Alexandra. You’re brilliant, but college admissions are a roulette, my love. You might even get into Yale or Harvard.”
“Maybe,” AJ said, understanding that her mother wanted her to have more options than just Stanford.
But she couldn’t imagine herself at any of those colleges without Evan by her side. They had made a promise that it was Stanford, and AJ never broke a promise. But to satisfy her mother, she would apply to other schools.
“I have faith in you. Now, don’t worry about colleges just yet. Kyle’s game is going to start soon, and Evan will be over to take you. For this afternoon, don’t worry about college or your future, okay? You have time. When you come home, your father and I will be here for you if you want to discuss your future.”
AJ smiled as she wrapped her arms around her mother. “Thanks, Mum.”
“I just want you to be happy, Alexandra. That’s all I want. Whatever college you decide to go to, I’ll respect your choice and be excited with you.”
“You’re the best mother in the whole entire world. I love you so much.”
Her mother pulled her back, and AJ saw tears in her eyes. “You have no idea how much that means to me. And I love you, too. So much. Now, go get changed into your jersey. You don’t want to get to Fenway too late.”
As always, her mother was right.
Today’s game was game two in the series against the Colorado Rockies. The Red Sox had won last night’s game by three runs. Evan had practice, and that meant he couldn’t watch the game. Instead, AJ went with her mother and father since they both finished work early. And like every game, win or lose, Kyle would look out at the stadium and point in her direction. She would always smile as her heart did little jumps at his attention. And when the players left the locker room and finished their interviews, he walked to the stands to find her waiting for him. AJ ran into his arms, congratulating him on another win and well-played game.
It seemed with every season, Kyle was getting better and better. He wasn’t the number one pitcher in the Major League for nothing. His throws were flawless and accurate. He was part of the Red Sox team labeled the “Unbeatables.” It was rare that they lost, and if they continued their winning streak, they’d be on their way toward another World Series Championship. And what made this season even sweeter was that if they did win the World Series, it would be back-to-back championships for Kyle and the Red Sox.
It was what Kyle had been so focused on, and another win over Colorado would take the Red Sox one step closer to the World Series.
“I need you to do something for me,” Evan said, breaking through her thoughts of Kyle and college. Her mother was wrong. AJ couldn’t relax and forget college for a simple car ride into the city.
AJ looked to her left to find Evan with a mischievous grin on his face that spelled trouble. And here at Fenway Park, she knew it was most definitely trouble.
“Evan, whatever you have planned, the answer is no.”
“I haven’t said anything.”
“But I know that look in your eye. This is an important game for Kyle,” she reasoned.
Evan rolled his eyes as he reached over to the back seat and then handed her a bag. “Just trust me. You’re never going to live a fulfilled life if you continue to worry about my brother, AJ.”
Sighing, she set the bag on her lap and reached inside, pulling out a black Colorado Rockies baseball cap. AJ frowned as she reached back into the bag and pulled out another larger cap. “Evan?”
“We’re not sitting in our seats today.”
“What?” she blurted out as she glanced over at him.
“We’re Rockies fans today,” he announced.
“No.” AJ shook her head. “No, no, no, no, no!”
“Yes.” His grin deepened. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!”
She set the caps back in the bag. “Evan, I don’t think you realize how well known we are around here. Fans know us. We can’t do that to Kyle.”
Evan removed his seat belt and grabbed the bag from her lap. He pulled the caps out and threw the paper bag in the back seat. Then he set the larger cap on his thighs and s
aid, “That’s why we’re going to be sitting with the Rockies fans. You gotta be more rebellious in life, AJ.”
“We’re going to be the most hated people in Boston.”
“That sounds like a yes.”
AJ sighed. “We’re best friends, right? I can’t let you go and be stupid without me there. And I definitely can’t let everyone hate you. If they hate you, they hate me, too.”
Evan reached out and tugged on her arm, bringing her closer to him. Then he brushed her brunette hair behind her ear as he whispered, “I’d never let any of them hate you, Alexandra. Trust me, I’ll take care of you.”
Oh.
Her heart pounded.
The softness of his voice and the way her full name was filled with so much sweetness left her breathless.
Then Evan put the black cap with the purple Rockies emblem on her head and smiled at her. “Head down at the turnstiles, okay?”
She nodded, dumbfounded at the way he seemed to affect her. “Okay.”
This is a stupid, stupid idea.
I should be saying this out loud!
“This is a stupid idea, Evan,” she hissed as he led her to the stands. AJ’s heart rattled in her chest as the fear of diehard Red Sox fans catching them loomed over her. Her idiotic best friend chuckled as he gripped her hand tighter and led her down an aisle. She kept her focus on her white sneakers, hoping no one would notice them. Underneath her jacket, she was wearing Kyle’s name on her Red Sox jersey. Even though she was so hot she felt like she was in a sauna, there was no way she could take it off.
“We’re almost there,” Evan informed. It felt like torturous hours later before Evan stopped. “We’re at our seats. Relax, AJ. We’re high up. No one is going to recognize us here. It’s mostly Rockies fans.”
AJ lifted her chin to find that they were in a patch of black and purple caps that matched the ones they wore. Relief washed over her as she took a seat. Then she glanced up to find the amusement written all over his face.
