by Sherri Renee
I didn’t blame Danny for being hurt and upset. I would have been furious if I’d caught him playing around with another girl the way I was with Jace. I just didn’t know how to make the situation better.
Danny finally moved. He turned to face me. I couldn’t read any expression in his eyes as he stared into mine. “Yeah,” he said in a cold voice I hardly recognized. “I’m pretty sure this isn’t going to work. I’ve hardly been gone a week and you’re already all over another guy.” He shot me a hard look. “I guess after two weeks you’ll be under him.”
The words were a slap as he’d meant them to be. I took a step back in shock. I couldn’t believe he’d say something so callous and so untrue. He knew I would never do something like that. I was sure of it. I started shaking my head but couldn’t speak.
Kristen put her arm around my waist and from the corner of my eye, I saw Jace and Matt move to flank us protectively.
“I think you need to leave,” Kristen said.
Danny ignored her, staring into my eyes. I wanted to beg him to forgive me. He wasn’t wrong to be upset. I had been all over Jace, but did he have to be so cruel?
Danny broke our stare to shoot a dark look at Jace before sneering. “You’re lucky all you got on the court last night was a black eye.”
I gasped and shot a look at Jace. Danny gave Jace the black eye?
Jace’s cheeks flared over his clenched jaw. He took a step towards Danny.
“Come on,” Danny said, shrugging his arms out of his coat and slinging it on the hood of his car. “Let’s go, tough guy.” He motioned Jace to come closer.
Matt jumped between them and put a hand on each of their chests. “We all just need to take things down a notch.”
A dog barked from down the street perhaps sensing the drama. Jace’s chest heaved, and I could tell he was struggling to keep himself under control. He and Danny stared at each other without blinking. After a few seconds, Jace pushed Matt’s hand away. “I’m fine.”
Danny gave a cold laugh. “You’re nothing but a chicken. You and Michelle deserve each other because she was too chicken to tell me she found someone else.”
“You don’t talk about her like that!” Jace closed the distance between them so fast it was a blur. His arm came up, and he punched Danny in the face. Danny’s head snapped to the side.
“Stop it!” I screamed. “Stop it!” My cries fell on deaf ears. Neither Danny nor Jace even glanced my direction.
I covered my face with my hands. I didn’t want to see what happened next, but I couldn’t help myself. I parted my fingers just in time to see Danny wipe a trail of blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked down at the blood with a scowl then dove at Jace with his fists flying. There was a pretty good scuffle before Matt broke them apart. He shoved Jace towards the house and Danny towards his car.
He stepped close to Danny and said something I couldn’t hear. Danny gave me a narrowed look over Matt’s shoulder than shook his head. “No, man. I know what I saw. She’s all yours,” he tossed the words at Jace as he got in his car and tore off down the street.
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I watched the car zoom away in sheer and utter disbelief that the last few minutes had even happened. This was all my fault. Two good guys were fighting because I’d put them in a position where they felt they needed too.
Jace stood on the grass with his hand on his knees, breathing hard. He lifted his head, and I saw blood running from his nose.
“No!” I covered my mouth. My knees grew weak. I felt wobbly.
“Let’s go inside.” Kristen took control of the situation, guiding me towards her house.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered to Jace. I wanted to run to him and hold him. Convince him I never meant for him to get hurt because of me.
He shook his head, and I didn't know if he was saying I had no reason to be sorry or if, more likely, he didn’t want me talking to him.
I didn’t fight Kristen as she pulled me inside and up to her room. Christmas music came from somewhere in the house and a spicy cinnamon scent tickled my nose. Christmas was supposed to be about love and happiness. Not fighting.
Kristen sat on her bed and pulled me down beside her. “Let’s give them some time to clear out all that testosterone,” she said, rubbing comforting circles over my back, but I was too numb to be comforted.
“What have I done?” I squeezed my eyes closed. I shouldn’t have come over here knowing Jace was going to be here. I knew how I reacted to him.
I thought we could just be friends, but it was so easy to tease him, to joke with him. And I couldn’t deny his touch made me feel things I had no business feeling while I was dating someone else.
And then for Danny to drive all this way to surprise me. He must have left right after I talked to him this morning. He’d been dressed so nice. He was probably going to take me to lunch or something, and he had to walk up and see me all over Jace?
Part of it was just bad timing. The rest of it was my fault. I wouldn’t have been happy if I’d caught Danny wrapped up in that little blond cheerleader’s arms.
Kristen walked to the window and tugged back her pink and green flowered curtain to look out. Everything in her spotless room was super girly, but it suited her. “Jace is leaving,” she said.
I jumped up and ran to the window to watch his truck drive away. “I don’t know how to fix this.” I shook my head. “Now both of the guys I care about hate me, and Danny thinks I cheated on him.” I released a deep breath. That hurt more than it should have.
“He was mad,” Kristen said calmly, but anger hardened her voice. “It was just talk.”
I lifted a shoulder. I knew she was trying to make me feel better, but I couldn’t believe her. I’d seen the look on Danny’s face. He’d been furious.
“Do you think Danny will forgive me?” All I could see was the look of disbelief on his face when he’d walked up. It hurt so much to think I’d put it there.
Kristen tipped her head to the side thoughtfully. She picked up one of her many dusting rags and gave her dresser a swipe. “I think he will,” she said carefully.
I could tell she wanted to say more.
“But?” I prodded, dropping back down on her bed so hard I bounced a little.
“But do you want him to? I mean, of course, you want him to forgive you, but do you want him back? From what you’ve told me he hasn’t been making much of an effort. And the way he treated you at the game last night. . . ” She pinched her lips together and gave her dresser a hard swipe.
I thought about that for a minute. Did I want him back? He’d only been gone for a few days, and I was already so battered from the stress of not knowing where our relationship stood I felt exhausted.
It hurt to admit that I’d been so wrong not only about his feelings but my own. How could I possibly go from thinking I loved him to not even really liking him in a matter of days?
Of course, Kristen was right. The way he’d been treating me hadn’t done anything to help the situations. I wasn’t sure if he’d told me he missed me more than once since he’d left. Every conversation revolved around him and basketball.
And now that I really thought about it, almost all of our conversations had always revolved around him. I’d just never really noticed because I liked talking about him. But what about me? What about us?
“I don’t know.” The words slipped painfully from my lips. I twisted my hands together and looked down at my ring finger, remembering the engagement ring I’d dreamed I’d soon be wearing. It wasn’t like me to get so far ahead of myself, and now I wish I hadn’t. I felt foolish and I hated the feeling.
I tucked my hands under my thighs to keep them still. “And what about Jace? He must hate me.”
“Jace is a big boy,” Kristen said matter of factly. “He knew you had a boyfriend and that didn’t slow him down one bit. You can’t put all the blame on yourself.”
I absolutely could, and I was, but I didn’t
tell her that. Instead, I asked, “Do you know what happened between them at the game last night? I had no idea Danny gave him that black eye.”
Kristen dropped her rag and sat on the bed beside me. “Matt said he heard Jace talking to Danny while they were on the court. He told him he needed to treat you better and said if he had a girl like you he wouldn’t ignore her no matter what the coach said.”
My jaw dropped. “I had no idea any of that had been going on.”
Kristen shrugged. “Then Danny told Jace to mind his business and spun away with his elbows spread. Matt didn’t know if he meant to connect with Jace or not, but he got him right across the cheekbone.”
Chapter 16
I sent two texts when I got home. One went to Danny and the other to Jace. They both basically said, “I’m sorry.”
I wanted to say more, but what? What on earth could I possibly say that either of them would want to hear? My feeling was by this point they were both ready to write me off as too much trouble, and I didn’t blame them.
I curled up in my cushy armchair and hugged my knees to my chest. How did this happen? I wasn’t looking for this. Danny and I were happy. I thought he would be my last boyfriend. I was planning our wedding and naming our kids.
I never thought I’d fall for someone else, and I sure didn’t expect anyone to fight because of me. I hated fighting.
At the same time, I couldn’t believe Danny had said what he did. I knew he was hurt and angry, but if he really cared about me wouldn’t he have at least listened to what I had to say? I frowned and bit my lip.
Yes, Danny had been cruel and crude, but he wasn’t completely wrong. I did like Jace. I liked that Jace made time for me. He played basketball just like Danny but that didn’t keep him from talking and joking with me at the game. I had no doubt that even if his coach had told them not to talk to anyone he would have still found a way to let me know he was thinking about me.
I also liked that he tried to help me talk to Danny after the game even though now I was pretty sure he did have feelings for me. Or at least he’d had feelings for me before he realized how much trouble I’d cause him. I let my head drop back on the arm of the chair and stared at the ceiling.
The silence in my room taunted me, telling me my phone was never going to ring again, and that hurt as much as anything. I’d just about resigned myself to the fact that neither Danny nor Jace were talking to me when I got a text. The noise startled me out of my self-pity.
I jerked my hand up and fumbled the phone, throwing it on the floor where it slid under the bed. I dove after it as it glided across the smooth floor, dying to know who’d texted. It was probably Kristen. Maybe even Megan or Kara.
But I hoped it would be from Jace. Or Danny. I didn’t care which at the moment. I wanted to know they didn’t hate me. But I was afraid they both did.
My phone was half-way under the bed when I finally got my hands on it, and I opened my messages right there. A few dust bunnies peeked over my shoulder trying to read my text before I did, but I brushed them away. They didn’t bother me too much although I knew Kristen would be horrified if she knew those things lived in my room.
Jace. It made me feel warm inside that he’d replied, although I was kind of scared to read what he said. I didn’t think he was mean enough to say he hated me or anything like that. But what if he said he didn’t want to see me again. I drew in my lips and focused on his words.
None of this was your fault. No apology necessary.
Humph. Better than it could have been I guessed, but still kind of disappointing.
I wiggled my way back out from under the bed with my phone in hand and analyzed his words over and over again. He didn’t sound mad. But at the same time, he didn’t give me an opening to reply. I almost asked how his eye, and now nose were, but decided he might not be ready to talk about it.
I tried to think of something light and friendly to text back but words deserted me. The best thing I could probably do would be to give him some time and see if he’d reach out to me again.
I stared at my silent phone for a second, wondering if I’d hear from Danny. I never did.
Exchanging my phone for Jace’s book, I curled back up in my armchair to study the pretty cover. Jace had been so nice to me. He’d let me cry all over him. Most guys would have run at the first sign of tears, but he’d known just how to comfort me. I hoped I hadn’t lost him completely.
Opening to where I’d stuck the book jacket cover as a bookmark at chapter three, I lost myself in the story, forgetting for a while that it was just a story.
After reading a couple more chapters, I heard Mom moving around downstairs. I decided to go down to spend some time with her. I marked my page then stood up and stretched. I’d been sitting in one position so long I felt stiff.
I found Mom in the kitchen. She stood at the sink with her hands resting on the counter, simply staring out the window over the sink.
“Hey,” I said.
She didn’t even move.
“Mom?” I walked towards her. I put my hand on her arm and she looked over at me. Her skin was sallow and her expression pained. Panic squeezed my heart. “What’s wrong?”
Her eyes widened like she was surprised to see me, and she worked up a small smile. “Oh! I was lost in thought. Sorry. So,” she stepped to the refrigerator, “what are we doing for dinner?”
She stuck her head in the fridge as if it was going to surprise her with supplies for a homemade meal.
She’d avoided my question, and she was still acting strange. “Mom,” I said again, hearing a prick of worry in my voice. “What happened?”
“Hmm?” She said from inside the fridge. “Nothing. I’m just worn out and have a lot on my mind.” She pulled out the boxes of left-over pizza and raised her brow at me in question. She looked slightly better now. More like herself, but I wasn’t completely reassured.
“Maybe we can order something else tonight. I’m about sick of pizza.”
She looked down at the boxes she held and frowned. Suddenly it hit me that maybe she was worried about money. She didn’t talk about our finances much, but I knew she worked hard to make ends meet each month.
“Or if that’s too expensive, pizza will be fine,” I said quickly. “Let’s heat it up in the oven. It will taste better than microwaving it.”
She shook her head and gave me a curious look, setting the boxes back in the refrigerator. “It’s not too expensive.” She gave me a teasing smile. “Unless you’ve found a place that delivers lobster or something high dollar like that.”
She laughed lightly, but I just stared at her, searching her smile. She looked okay now. Tired maybe but like herself.
“We haven’t had barbecue for awhile,” I said slowly, trying to decide if she was really okay or if I should be worried. “I could order some brisket sandwiches,” I suggested our typical barbecue order.
“That’s not very Christmasy.” Her face was full of apology. “Maybe I should cook something.” She looked around as if trying to remember how to prepare a meal from scratch.
“No, we’ll have a big dinner Christmas day. Brisket sounds good to me if it does to you.”
“All right” She sounded relieved. “I’ll call it in.”
We ate the sandwiches and potato salad while we watched TV. Mom wanted to watch a sappy Christmas movie, and I didn’t even tease her. She was acting fine now, but I knew I wasn’t imagining how down she’d looked earlier. I just couldn’t figure out what would be bothering her so much if it wasn’t money.
Before the movie ended, she took her plate to the kitchen then poked her head back in the living room. “I think I’m going to take a long bath and go to bed early. Do you have any plans tonight?”
I glanced at the time. It was only seven-thirty. Way too early for her to go to bed on a day off.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I wrinkled my brow and asked again. “You looked really upset earlier.”
She came over and lea
ned down to give me a tight hug. “Everything’s going to be fine. I don’t want you to worry about a thing.” She stood up. “So, you’re not going anywhere tonight?”
“Oh,” I hadn’t really thought about it after the day I’d had, but I remembered Bobby’s party that Kara told us about. I didn’t really want to sit home alone and dwell on Danny and Jace. “I might go to a party with Kristen,” I said. “I’ll text you if I do.”
She kissed the top of my head before smoothing a hand over my hair. “That sounds nice. Make good choices.”
I smiled at the familiar refrain, but my stomach was tight with nerves. She wasn’t acting right, but I didn’t know what to do about it. She left to start her bath, and I glanced back at the Christmas movie. It didn’t feel like Christmas was two days away. Even with the tiny tree we had up, the house felt gloomy. Or maybe that was just me.
I called Kristen to find out if she was going to the party.
“Matt and I are,” she said. “And I’m pretty sure Jace will be there too.”
I wasn’t sure if she was tempting me to go or warning me off.
“Do you think he’ll mind if I show up?” I curled my finger in my sleeve and rubbed it against the soft material.
Kristen laughed. “It’s not his party. Kara invited you. It doesn’t matter what Jace thinks.”
But it mattered to me. “I don’t know,” I said. as nerves started dancing in my stomach. “Maybe I’ll stay home tonight.”
“Come on,” Kristen said. “It should be fun, and the next couple of days will be so busy we’ll hardly see each other. You have to come.”
I didn’t really want to go, but it would be more fun than sitting here alone. “Are you and Matt going to be stuck to each other all night?” I asked only half teasing.
“Not all night,” Kristen joked. “Seriously, I’ll send Matt off to hang with his friends if we become annoying.”
I finally agreed to go but had a feeling I wouldn’t see much of Kristen regardless of what she said. I mean, I knew she’d be there for me if I needed her, but it wasn’t like I didn’t have any other friends. I wasn’t going to steal time from her and Matt this early in their relationship. I still remembered how intoxicating those first few weeks were.