I wanted to bite into my tongue until it hurt. Why was I confiding anything in Jayden? He was only going to tease me about it. That was the last thing I needed right now.
“Wow, that sucks.” He stretched his long legs out beneath the announcer’s table, his cleats resting against the wall. “I’m really sorry.”
I looked at him from the corner of my eye, searching for a hint of irony. Nothing. He simply stared out the window, wearing a deep frown. I found myself relieved that my sudden confession wasn’t going to cause me any more trouble.
I’d honestly never taken the time to study him this closely, so I took advantage of his solemn stare. He had the perfect masculine jawline, sloping and strong, with the beginnings of some stubble. His lashes were longer than I’d realized and there was a little ring of yellow around the pupil of his blue eyes. I didn’t really have a type, but I’d be lying if I said Jayden wasn’t attractive. Maybe that was what made everything about him so much more confusing.
“Want to know what I do when I’m in a bad mood?” he asked suddenly, turning toward me.
I was pretty sure he’d caught me staring at him. My cheeks burned and I tried to maintain a neutral expression. “What?”
“Go get Coach Morgan’s chewing gum.” He grinned excitedly, his eyes taking in my face. “He can’t run practice without it. It’s like his brain doesn’t work unless he’s chewing Big League Chew. He’s nearly out of it now. Want to make a run with me?”
I pulled back my head and smirked. “Gum? What’s so fun about gum?”
“Nothing.” He shot out of his chair, cradling his water bottle in his left arm, and offered me his free hand. “But the Pump N’ Go is the only place in town that sells it and Coach lets us drive the Gator. It’s better than therapy. And easy on the ankles, too. Trust me.”
The imaginary string was back, tugging me toward Jayden’s outstretched hand. Against my better judgment, I slowly reached up and closed my hand around his, fighting against the delicious shiver that shot down my spine.
“Fine.” I let him help me up out of my chair, then promptly dropped his hand. That was enough flesh-on-flesh contact for one day. “It can’t be any worse than hanging around in this spider-infested room.”
A teasing glint entered his eyes. “Gee, thanks. You sure know how to make a guy feel good about himself.”
I covered my mouth with my hand and held in a giggle. Already, I could feel myself starting to come out of this depression. Jayden was pretty good at this.
He led me down the stairs and toward the little green two-seater vehicle parked near the dugout. Coach Morgan drove the Gator in every day from home. It had bright yellow seats and a small bed for hauling equipment. All Jayden had to do was jog over to Coach Morgan, who was currently critiquing the players on their swinging techniques, mouth something to him, and Coach produced the keys from his jean pockets.
I crossed my arms over my stomach as Jayden came running back toward me with a victorious smile. A voice inside of me demanded to know what I was doing. Going off on some adventure with the guy that I constantly clashed with probably wasn’t going to end up well. And it definitely wasn’t going to help with Audrey’s accusations that somewhere deep inside I liked him. But I couldn’t stop myself. And when he jangled the keys in front of me, I slid willingly into the passenger seat of the Gator.
“Let the gum run commence,” I said.
He dropped into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and grinned at me from beneath his baseball cap. “Got to love the sound of a motor running.”
“Tell me you have a license for this thing.” I eyed him suspiciously. “Or that you passed your driver’s test in the first place.”
“Nah,” he said, holding back a grin. “Just warn me if you see any cops and we’ll be okay. Hold on tight.”
I groaned and he put the Gator into drive, shooting us forward through the grass. My hands held deathly tight onto the bar next to my seat as we went over a large bump. The sudden sensation of weightlessness made my stomach drop. I wasn’t sure if I liked it, but by the time Jayden took the next hill, I couldn’t hold back my smile. And on the third dip, I threw my hands up as if we were in a roller coaster.
“See?” Jayden yelled, the wind swallowing up most of his voice. “Told you that it would help.”
I inhaled the breeze washing over us and tilted my head back. “You were right! I needed this.”
When I looked over at him again, I found him watching me with a small smile on his lips. A spark of electricity went off in my gut, adding to the sensations of the Gator rolling down the hill. Jayden immediately turned his attention back to the grass, his neck reddening.
Nope. Those kinds of feelings weren’t allowed when it came to Jayden. Period.
Determined to quash any further accidental sparks, I kept my eyes glued straight ahead until we pulled up at the gas station and Jayden turned off the engine.
“Three packs of Big League Chew get him through a week of practice,” he said, jumping out of the Gator. “Four gets him through a game.”
I slid out of my seat and laughed. “Sounds like we’ve got a real addict on our hands.”
Jayden froze, his lips pressed together in a line. He stared at the ground, his cheeks flushing. “No, it’s just a distraction for him. And he could quit anytime. A real addict doesn’t let anything get between him and his addiction.”
My lungs deflated, pushing the air out of my chest. These serious moments with Jayden were catching me so off guard. I wasn’t sure how to respond. But Jayden didn’t seem to be expecting any type of reply. He shot me a quick smile and then tilted his head toward the gas station.
“Ready to go in?”
I nodded and followed him. We loaded up on the chewing gum, plus various flavors of sunflower seeds. Jayden bought me a sparkling water after he found me gazing into the soda coolers, insisting that it didn’t count against his man card qualifications. And when we got back to the Gator, our arms were full of goodies.
“All right, I’m officially past the Adele hormonal phase,” I said, dropping the bags into the bed of the Gator. “Got anything in that bag of yours to heal a sprained ankle? If so, you’ve just solved all of my problems in one trip.”
Jayden’s eyebrows raised. He reached into the Gator to grab his water bottle and held it out for me. “Actually, try this. It might help.”
I took it from his hand, eyeing him suspiciously. Did he have some kind of miracle water in there? Or was this some kind of prank? Unscrewing the lid, I put it to my lips and tilted my head back. The first swallow went down my throat like a glob of glue. I sealed my lips together and tried not to spit out the second mouthful until I could force myself to swallow it.
“What was that?” I stared at him accusingly. “Do you always drink watered-down grass?”
He threw his head back and laughed. “It’s not grass. It’s an anti-inflammatory green smoothie. There’s fruit in there.”
“Not enough to keep it from tasting like grass.” I wrinkled up my nose. “You’re secretly a health-nut, aren’t you? You’re one of those people who willingly eat kale.”
His lips twitched as he looked at me. “Maybe.”
I couldn’t help my tragic tone. “But why?”
With a shrug, he lifted his shirt to reveal an impressive six-pack and V-cut just above the belt line. “This is why. Abs are made in the kitchen.”
My mouth bobbed open and shut as I stared at his naked and tanned torso. The sudden and powerful desire to run my hands over every one of those muscles raged through me. It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen him shirtless before. He’d been shirtless at the Cascades just a couple weeks ago. But I’d never allowed myself to look at him like this. The way my heart was thumping painfully in my chest, I was pretty sure I was having a cardiac event.
“Um...yeah,” I said when I could finally make words again. “That makes sense.”
My eyes darted up to his face where I saw his self-satisfied smirk.
He’d caught me staring. The effect was like a splash of cold water in my face.
What was I doing? Earlier, I’d been admiring his face. And now I was drooling over Jayden Paul’s abs? It didn’t make any sense. I shook off the shock and slid back into my seat, staying silent as Jayden began to drive us back toward the baseball field.
“Feeling better?” he asked, turning his head slightly to look at me. He’d stuck to the roads, making the trip back a lot smoother than the drive over.
I nodded. “Yeah, at least for the next hour. Then, I get to go home and stew in all my anxieties about the rest of senior year. Will all of my scholarships be pulled if I don’t heal in time? It’s a really great way to waste a full night of sleep.”
“You’ll be back on the track in no time,” Jayden said in a firm tone. “I know it.”
For some reason, it felt nice to have his vote of confidence. I settled back into the cushion, letting my worries take a temporary back seat. That was, until we crested the final hill and the bleachers came into view, where my sister once again sat with Sarah and her friends.
There were a lot of reasons I needed to get my act together, and she was one of them. I couldn’t let Charlotte, my parents, or Coach Padilla down. They were all counting on me.
I had to get it together.
Chapter Twelve
As if I didn’t already have enough on my plate, the school had officially gone crazy with prom just five weeks away. Prom posters plastered the walls as Trina, Audrey, and I made our way to lunch on Thursday. The theme: Roaring Twenties. I could already picture the mocktails, live band, plush red carpet, and gold splashes everywhere. It was a good theme.
For the people actually planning to go.
“Are you guys really going to this thing?” I asked, as we turned the corner to the cafeteria and came face-to-face with yet another poster screaming about the upcoming prom.
“Yeah, if Mason asks me.” A dreamy look passed over Trina’s face. “I never expected I’d have a boyfriend during prom season. I can’t wait to see what he looks like in a tux.”
Audrey gave me a knowing smile from the other side of our friend. No matter how much I resented the whole prom thing at the moment, it was nice seeing Trina happy. Mason had helped her see that she didn’t need to put so much pressure on herself and that she could still follow her dreams. I loved him for it and supported their relationship in whatever way I could.
My phone buzzed and I dug it out of my pocket. Speaking of boyfriends, Collin and Mason had been texting me all week with odd sorts of questions. Like Trina and Audrey’s shoe sizes and favorite love songs. So random. It was getting sort of nauseating. Their final request had been to make sure that we all ate lunch together in the cafeteria today. It was top secret, so I wasn’t supposed to spill the details. Not that I knew much anyway.
Collin: Almost ready...
I rolled my eyes and put my phone back in my pocket. Whatever it was that those two had planned, I’m sure my two besties would love it.
“If Collin wants to go to prom, I’m game, too,” Audrey said as we picked up our trays and got in line for food. “I’ve already got a dress picked out. I’ve been drooling over it for weeks now. It’s kind of expensive, but Mom said that she’d buy it as part of my graduation present.”
I sighed and rocked on my boot. If the two of them were going, that meant a boring night at home...alone. As painful as that sounded, it was better than the idea of showing up at prom as a fifth wheel. There was no one I was even close to considering asking. Not unless...
“Mandy, you’re blushing.”
I looked up, startled by the sound of my name.
Audrey was watching me, her lips pursed. “Why do you look like you just ran a marathon? What or who are you thinking about?”
I giggled nervously and looked around the cafeteria. Thank goodness people couldn’t read minds. I’d been this close to considering Jayden Paul as a potential prom date. It was so strange and laughable. I’d never thought of him like that before. We were definitely spending too much time together. It was clouding the utter dislike I held for him.
“I’m just excited about pizza for lunch today,” I said, slamming my tray a little too hard on the counter near the food. “It’s my favorite.”
She gave me a look that told me she didn’t believe a word coming out of my mouth, but there was no time to discuss it further. The lunch ladies served us and motioned for us to move ahead. We each grabbed a drink at the end, paid, then headed for our usual spots at the table nearest to the doors.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I checked it again, happy to have something other than Audrey’s curious smile to look at.
Collin: Is everyone in their seats?
Mason: We only get one shot at this. Let’s make it a good one.
I looked around the cafeteria for a sign of them, but didn’t see anything. Mason and Collin were usually in class during our lunch period and ate in the second shift. I typed into my phone, assuring them both that their girlfriends were digging into their meals.
Collin: Good. Cue the music. Cut the lights.
Mason: On it.
I wasn’t sure what that meant, but the moment the lights in the cafeteria dimmed, I had the sinking feeling I was about to find out.
“What’s going on?” Trina asked, putting her slice of pizza down. “Did the power go out?”
A few seconds later, her question was answered when a song began to blast out of the speakers in the wall. It was “Can't Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Vallie and The Four Seasons, a song I had recommended to the boys because of Heath Ledger’s epic performance in Ten Things I Hate About You.
In that moment, I was very much regretting my participation in their plans.
“Is something happening?” Audrey stood a little from her chair to look around. “What’s going on?”
Ten girls dressed in cheerleading outfits marched into the room. I held in a groan as they began to dance a coordinated routine to the song. All those texts should’ve prepared me for what was coming, but I’d been totally blind. And when Audrey’s gorgeous cousin, Savannah, came marching toward us holding a giant sign with reflective silver letters, I sank deep into my chair.
“Every Prince needs a Princess,” Savannah read aloud from the sign, tossing her long dark hair and flashing a smile. “If the shoe fits, will you be their prom dates?”
Audrey and Trina both squealed as Collin and Mason entered the cafeteria dressed in white suits and wearing golden crowns on their heads. They each carried a plush, satin pillow with a single high-heeled shoe on top. I could tell from Mason’s expression that he was highly uncomfortable with all the attention they were getting from the cafeteria crowd, but Collin was eating it up. He threw a thumbs-up at some guys from the football team and grinned as if he were a celebrity greeting his fans.
And when they finally reached us, they got down on one knee and each presented their girlfriend a shoe.
“May I?” Mason asked in a steady voice that didn’t betray the nerves in his eyes.
Trina nodded her head and held her hands over her mouth, not quite hiding her grin.
He tugged off her pink ballet flat and put the heel on. It slid on perfectly and Trina squealed with delight.
“For the record,” he said in a low tone, “this was all Collin’s idea. I think he planned it this way as a special kind of torture for me. But with that in mind, will you go to prom with me?”
She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. “I’d love to!”
By the time my attention diverted back to Audrey and Collin, he had her shoe on her foot and they were already locked in a similar embrace. I played with my pizza, trying to avoid the gazes of the kids around us still staring. Prom-proposals were officially not my thing—not that I had a boyfriend to ask me.
The reassuring thing was the fact that Collin and Mason going to this length—getting the cheerleading team involved, including Savannah, of all people—meant t
hey really did care for my friends. It was yet another checkmark in the list of reasons why I could root for their relationships.
I was truly happy for my friends, but that grumpy feeling was back. And so was the ache in my ankle.
Collin slid into the seat next to me and elbowed me softly. “You know, Mandy, we didn’t forget about you.”
The lights came back on and the music faded. The cheerleaders had already marched back out of the cafeteria. Savannah lowered the proposal sign and handed a bouquet of pink flowers to Mason before following her team out the door.
“To the third member of this troop of Wonder Women,” Mason said, holding the flowers out to me with a small smile. “I’m not sure if you have a date to prom or want to go, but we’d love to be your escorts, too. If you’ll have us.”
The gesture made my eyes prick with tears. They didn’t have to do that. I took the flowers and stuck my nose deep in the lilies to smell them. They were my favorite. The guys had really done their homework.
“Thank you.” I smiled at them, emotion filling my voice. “I’m not sure yet if I’m going, but this means everything to me.”
“Any time,” Collin said with a wink. He turned back to Audrey to pull her into a hug.
The cafeteria was buzzing with news about the promposal. I could feel a hundred pairs of eyes staring at the back of my head. The whole place felt like it was closing in on me. I made an excuse to my friends that I was just going to run to the bathroom, before jumping from my chair to make a swift exit.
The bands tightening around my chest made no sense. I was fine with this. Ecstatic, in fact. I’d always been too focused on my running to care about anything as silly as prom or cheesy promposals. But now, with my foot in a boot and the end date of my banishment from track uncertain, I didn’t have anything to distract myself from my utter lack of involvement in normal teenage situations.
Dare You to Fall for the Catcher Page 8