by E. M. Moore
I smile at him, then my stomach dips. If they’ve claimed me in school, does that mean we’re involving parents and families and—?
Lake stands abruptly. “Rhonda’s waiting for me, so…peace.” He throws up two fingers and leaves the court out the glass doors.
“Isn’t Rhonda…?” I look at Ryan.
He shrugs, a slow smile coming over his face. I’m not sure exactly what it means, but it looks sexy.
The rest of the day goes by without an issue. I text my mom I’m going to be late since I didn’t get to see her that morning. I was right about her staying out late for drinks with the girls.
After school, I meet the Ballers just outside the front doors. Ryan, Lake, and Hayes slip into a car with some girls. Sloan starts walking toward his Jeep, but I reach out to hold back on his hand. “You’re not driving. We’ll go in my car.”
He doesn’t fight me on it, but when we turn to go around the side of the building, he doesn’t let me pull my hand away either. In fact, he slips his fingers through mine and holds on with a firm grip, his thumb passing up and down my thumb the whole way to my car. When we get there, Sloan gets in the front and Shawn and Matt get in the back. We’re not two minutes into the twenty-minute ride when Sloan is passed out. I’m a little surprised. I wasn’t sure if Ivy could calm down enough around someone to let him do something as vulnerable as sleeping in front of others.
When we pull into the away team’s parking lot, he’s still asleep. I tell Shawn and Matt that we’ll be right there. They shut their doors politely as I hit the button to put the roof back on. Taking my seatbelt off, I angle myself toward him, watching his eyelids flutter. He’s always been the uptight one. It always seemed like he had everything in place, but that wasn’t it, was it? I feel bad for him. His parents fighting all the time.
Sloan shifts, and then moans. The sound makes my cheeks blush a deep red, but what he does next makes the area between my legs heat. “Mmm, Tessa,” he says, drawing out the s’s. His words are barely discernible, but I hear it. I sit up in my seat, biting down on my lip. He’s having a dream about me. He moans again, shifting a little more. I touch his shoulder, trying to wake him up, but he’s out cold. So much of what Sloan does is on his terms. Making them claim me. Kissing me in front of everybody just because he wanted to show everybody that I was his. Right now though, he’s out.
I climb over the center console and place my knees on either side of him. Then, I press into him, kissing his neck first like he always does to me. I breathe him in deep, smelling the musk of cologne he put on that morning. Once I start kissing him, I can’t stop. I kiss around the front of his throat, and then up to the area behind his ear.
“If this isn’t happening, I don’t want to wake up.”
I smile. “Stop talking, Ivy.” I take his lobe into my mouth and gently bite down. Then, I work my way over his jaw and to his lips, pressing a chaste kiss to the corner. When I pull back, he blinks at me. Then, I lower myself onto him until we’re nestled together.
His hands move up my thigh and then around my waist. “I’m really sorry for acting that way earlier. I don’t know what got into me.”
“I think it’s because you have a dick. It’s pure science.”
He chuckles. When he looks at me again, his face is soft. “I mean it Tessa. I’m sorry. I should never have kissed you like that.”
“Shh,” I tell him. Then, I cuddle in next to him, keeping my head on his shoulder as his hands come around me. “Let’s take a nap.”
“What?”
“I’m serious. You said you can’t sleep at home. Let’s sleep right here.”
“But Alec—”
“Alec will understand. Text him. Text Ryan, too.”
I move so Sloan can take his cell phone from his pocket. I don’t see what he writes, but when his phone buzzes, he tosses it onto the driver’s seat, then moves his seat to recline more. I go with him. Before long, his breaths have evened out, and he’s sleeping again. I’m surprised when my eyes get heavy, too. Soon, I’m sleeping on top of him, my hands and head on his chest as his breaths rhythmically put me to sleep.
We both wake to a loud cheer. I push off Sloan dreamily until he runs a hand through my hair. He checks over my shoulder, his lips thinning. “I don’t think we won.”
I look over to find a few people wearing the other team’s colors, hands in the air, running toward the parking lot. “I guess not.”
“But I won another way,” he says. He brings my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles. “My parents are having a formal dinner with some friends on Friday. Will you be my date?”
My eyebrows rise. “Really?”
He nods, his lips grazing my last knuckle. “Please?”
The way he asks me, so innocent-like, I can almost forget he’s done anything cruel to me before. He’s looking at me now like he wants nothing more than to take me to this dinner party at his parents’ house. I gulp. His parents will be there, and I already know so much about them. I bite down on my lip. “I will,” I tell him. “I’ll go to the dinner with you.” If only to see what Sloan’s life is really like, but I know that’s not even true. Already I’m planning on making this the best dinner party for Sloan. I can imagine they suck for him.
His hands come up to run just under my lips. “I hate to be the guy with the dick again, but I’m going to need you to get off me, so no one looks at you like I’m looking at you.”
When I look out the window, I realize exactly what Sloan means. People can just see me, not him, but it’s obvious I’m lying on something.
“And if Shawn so much as breathes in your direction again, he’s off the team.”
I sit up, my hips rubbing against his. He immediately grabs me. I place my hands right over his. “Don’t say that.”
“I can and I will.”
I lean over, nipping at his lower lip before I push the car door open and get out, stretching to my full height. Sloan comes out after me, the passenger seat already moved back into an appropriate position. Shawn and Matt won’t dare say anything even though I’m sure they’re plenty thinking it. When Sloan sees Ryan and Lake walking up with their girls, he meets them at the corner of the lot. Shawn and Matt are right behind him, so they make their way toward me. “What was the score?” I ask.
“Five-two,” Shawn says, not even meeting my eyes.
“Ouch.”
“Yeah,” Matt says. “Alec had a good game, but no one else did. It was sad.”
Sloan moves into my peripheral, so I look up to find Ryan and Lake already gone. My phone goes off, so I pull it out of my pocket as Sloan puts his arm over my shoulders. The first one is Ryan, thanking me for taking care of Sloan. I blink at that one, reading it several times. I decide to just ignore it because I don’t even know what to say. The other is from Alec asking me if there’s room in my car. “Tell him yes,” Sloan says.
“You’re reading my texts?”
He just smiles in response, but I do what he says. Then, I look up at Shawn and Matt. “Alec’s riding with us. We just have to wait until he takes a shower.”
We all fall into easy conversation when Sloan asks about the game. I’m shifting from foot to foot until I see Alec emerge around the side of the team bus. I hold myself back as long as I can from going to him, but then I just can’t stand it. I walk over and put my arms around him. “I’m sorry about the game.”
His free hand comes around my shoulders as he kisses the side of my head. “There’s always tomorrow.”
We walk back to the car together, and I open the trunk, so Alec can drop his bag in the back. When we come around, Sloan doesn’t look upset that I hugged Alec in front of him. It’s just kind of…different than how I think normal relationships are supposed to work. Shawn, Matt, and Sloan go to get in the back, but they’re squished. “I’m not sure this is going to work,” Sloan says. “I’ll drive, you get in the back, and Alec will ride shotgun.” Alec makes a noise, so Sloan looks over at him. “On second though
t—”
“You’re not driving,” I interrupt, giving him a look so he knows I don’t want to say how tired he is in front of Matt and Shawn.
“Fine,” he grinds out. “Alec, you’re driving.” Alec plucks the keys from my hand and is already headed toward the driver’s seat. “Shawn, you take shotgun, and Matt, Tessa, and I will sit in the back.”
Matt stays where he is as Shawn gets in the front. I get in the back first since I’m smallest and will most likely have to ride the hump, but then Sloan gets in. As soon as he sits, he drags me onto his lap. “You belong here,” he whispers into my ear.
I settle in, dropping my feet to the center of the car and letting Sloan’s long arms envelop me. Soon, Alec is pulling out of the parking lot and pointing us back toward Rockport. Sloan falls asleep for a little while longer, his head on my shoulder. I revel in his deep, easy breaths until Alec drops off Matt and then Shawn. He looks at me through the rearview mirror. “His car’s at the school, right?”
I nod. “He’s too tired.”
“Well, we can either drop him home now, though he’ll be pissed if he doesn’t have access to his car, or we’re better off going to the school. I’ll drive his car to his house, and you follow with him.”
I nod in agreement.
Alec pulls the Mustang away from the curb gently. Shawn only lives a few blocks from the school, so we’re there in no time. When we pull in and I start to move, Sloan’s arms tighten around me. I pat his hand. “It’s okay. We’re at the school.”
His eyes open, then he pulls his hands away from me to wipe down his face. “Do you understand how comfortable you are, Dale?”
Alec laughs.
“I’m confident enough to let that slide, Christopoulos.”
Alec opens the door and gets out. I unfold myself from the car, too, and move around to the front. Sloan starts to go toward his Jeep, but Alec stops him. “You’re riding with Tessa. I’m driving your car to your house. You’re following me.”
“I can drive,” Sloan says.
“I didn’t say you couldn’t.”
I place my hand on Sloan’s back. His muscles tighten in response. “It’s better this way,” I tell him.
He groans. “No fair sending the sexy girl to talk me down.”
Alec winks. “See you at the house.” He holds his hand out for Sloan’s keys.
Sloan digs around in his pocket for them and tosses them at his friend. “Thanks for letting me spend more time with our girl.”
“Wait ‘till we drop you off,” Alec calls out over his shoulder.
Sloan freezes. “I don’t think I’ve ever hated him more,” he says, but his tone is teasing.
“Get in the car,” I tell him, giving him a slight push.
I follow Sloan’s Jeep until we pull up to a house on the very outskirts of town. It’s weird because all the houses are close together except for his. It’s like the town just stopped, and then it’s suddenly country with a huge house. The house is old, not new like mine, but it has tons of character and charm. “It’s so pretty,” I tell him.
“It’s a facade,” Sloan says without skipping a beat. He pushes his car door open and steps out. I’m right behind him, meeting him and Alec on the sidewalk that leads up to the house.
“Do you want us to come in?” Alec asks.
Sloan peeks at me. “Not a good time. But Friday,” he says to me. “Friday you can see inside the place.”
Sloan leans over and gives me a kiss on the cheek after bro hugging Alec. Then, he walks up the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets.
Alec and I get in my car, and I turn it around. Alec lives on the complete opposite side of town. “You know why he didn’t want you to come in, right?”
I shake my head.
Alec sighs and drops his head back on the seat. “His parents hate each other. I’m guessing Friday is some sort of dinner party he’s invited you to?”
I lick my lips and nod.
“They’ll be putting on a show that day. Trust me, any other day and it can get ugly. He mostly hangs out in his room with his music on.”
I swallow, emotion trying to crawl its way up my throat. I’d hate to have grown up like that. I can’t stand it now that my parents don’t like to be in the same room with one another. I can’t imagine that being my normal.
27
Even though Alec and his baseball team won the first game at home, they lose the next three games straight. Every day we run drills during lunch and go to Alec’s games in the evening to watch. It’s a mandatory thing the Ballers make us do, but it’s something I would do anyway now. Every morning, I meet Matt at the track and run sprints. Shawn hasn’t showed since the first day when Sloan went off on him, so I guess I’m not surprised at that. A little annoyed maybe, but in some weird way the way Sloan went all caveman on him because of me makes me…happy. It’s so lame. Trust me, I already know. Here I am pushing for more women’s right with the basketball stuff. We should be created equal and all that, and then one guy makes a scene because he doesn’t want another hitting on me, and I’m a pile of goo at his feet. Hormones, man. I don’t know what else to say about that.
Over those days, Sloan looks better rested, or he’s just good at hiding it. We don’t have to sleep in my car anymore even though he texts me good night now. I don’t know if it’s to reassure me that he’s getting some sleep, or if it’s because he actually wants to text me good night, but it’s another win for me. It’s like I’m finally being accepted.
Alec? Well, since his team stopped winning, he’s been pretty intent on baseball. The Ballers even let him skip out on recruit things during lunch so he can go into the batting cages, almost as if he could singlehandedly bring them back from losing the playoff games. Alec took it really hard when they lost the last game. Really hard. A part of me thought he would be relieved knowing it wouldn’t interfere with basketball, but it was the opposite. I’m chalking it up to someone who’s just so driven he doesn’t ever want to lose, even during a season that doesn’t officially count.
I can’t blame him. I take basketball camp just as seriously as my regular season games.
“I’m going to pick you up tonight,” Sloan says, his hand trails down my arm. It’s the first evening we don’t have to do anything related to baseball, so I half expect Ryan to ruin our plans. I caught him when the last out was made during the last playoff game. His shoulders relaxed. He was relieved even if Alec wasn’t. Ryan Linc is truly the point guard in the Ballers real life, too. He likes to make sure everything is planned out ahead of time and moving along smoothly.
“Yeah?” I ask. He’s walking me out to my car at the end of the day. He told me I can park in the lot now, even Ryan grunted out an agreement, but I don’t think so. “What should I wear anyway? A dress?”
Sloan bites his lip then scales down my body. I push his shoulder. He smiles. “Yes, a dress or a skirt. Something fancy but not too fancy.”
“Your parents know I’m coming, right?”
His face pinches into a scowl. “Yes. They can’t wait to meet Timothy Dale’s daughter.”
“I’ve met them before.”
He smirks. “I know that. You know that. They’re clueless. They like to do this thing when greeting someone where it’s ambiguous if they’ve met the person before. You’ll see.” He leans down and kisses my forehead. “Five-thirty, Daddy’s girl.”
I get in my car and drive home. When I get there, my mom is dusting the living room. I’m glad to see her doing that again. She’s a neat freak, but she let the house go when Dad left. And by let the house go, I just mean that it looks like everyone else’s house in America instead of a place you can’t set a dish down without her freaking out. I walk up behind her and give her a hug. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she says.
I squeeze her tighter. She’s even gained a little weight. Good. Going out for those happy hours is great for her. “I think you missed a spot,” I say teasingly.
She whirls
toward the TV stand, but as soon as she does it, her shoulders slump. “Ha. Ha. Regular comedian.” Now this, this feels natural.
“What got you in the cleaning mood today?”
She shrugs, then plops down in the leather couch. “I’m just trying to get back to my old self little by little. Or maybe my new self but add in the things that used to make me happy.” She always said cleaning made her happy every time my dad suggested we get a maid. I have no idea what’s in her head, but it’s not in mine. Cleaning is the worst. Especially when your mom is the clean Nazi who’ll inspect your bedroom. If it’s not up to standards, she cleans it herself, which a teenage girl never wants.
“That’s good, Mom.” I kind of want to ask her if she’s spoken to Dad lately, but since she’s having this epiphany of moving on, I don’t want to push it. So, instead, I say, “I have a date tonight.”
“Andrew?” she asks, eyebrows raising.
“Ha. No,” I tell her. “Sloan Ivy.”
She tilts her head. “The Senator’s son, right? Plays basketball?”
“That’s him. I guess there’s a dinner at his parents’ house tonight, and he’s invited me.” I don’t know why I’m worried about what my mom will say. Maybe because I also haven’t told her I’m seeing Alec at the same time. She’s going to think it’s weird. Hell, I think it’s weird, but if they don’t care, I’m certainly not going to care.
“Good, Tess. That’s great. You’ve been so involved with basketball lately that it will be good for you to get out and have fun.” She stands up and continues to dust. “I don’t understand why tryouts haven’t even started yet and you’re already so busy.”
I stare up at her, regret setting in. Maybe I’m leaving her alone too much. Dad left her, and now I’m too busy. The only thing is, I don’t see a way out of it. I’ll just have to try harder and encourage her to go out with her friends instead of staying home. “I know,” I say. “I guess it’s just tradition.”
Her shoulders move up slightly. I bite my lip and look around the house. The place seems so big with just the two of us in it. Dad was larger than life, his presence everywhere you looked with loud stories, invitation announcements, and basketball, basketball, basketball.