The Game Changer

by Trio, L. M.

  “Well, not quite. We get back to our blanket and Alexa decides she wants to leave, I’m thinking it’s a good idea if I get out of there. Next thing I know, I see JJ walking hand in hand with Lidell, and all I can think of… is that she’s going to kiss this kid like that and then he’s going to get the wrong idea and then I’d really have to kill him! So I make up some lame excuse to call her over and I tell her not to kiss him like that and that I’d explain later. Go ahead. Get your smart ass comment in.” Mikey is sitting back in his seat, shaking his head in disbelief, laughing at me.

  “Sorry, man, I just can’t believe you’re this much of a moron. What next?” he asked.

  “Thanks. Anyway, I leave with Alexa and the whole time we’re screwin’ around in my room, all I can think of is JJ. I got Alexa out the door as quick as I possibly could and I headed over to JJ’s at two in the morning. You know, just so I could fix things. You’re really going to think I lost it now. I start calling her name through her window and she lets me in... Are you even listening or are you going to keep laughing? I thought you were going to listen so I could get this off my chest?”

  “Please don’t tell me you finished what you started?” he says hysterically.

  “I would’ve liked to, but... no. No way. I told her I didn’t want to lose her as a friend and that things got carried away and it will never happen again. She said she felt the same way. I told her not to kiss other guys like that, because they’d get the wrong idea. She was cool about it and wished me luck in the tournament. I kissed her goodbye, in a friend kind of way, and then I left.”

  “Alright, so you ended things on a good, clean note. It sounds like you set things straight, so why are you still so uptight?” he asks with a smirk forming on his face.

  “I know, right? She was totally cool when I left her. Why am I still feeling unsettled?”

  “Dude… are you kiddin’?”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, confused by the question.

  “You got it bad for her.”

  “No… No, I don’t... She’s too young… innocent, not my type at all.” I laugh, shaking my head and denying his words.

  “Yeah, well, you can’t take your eyes off her when she’s around, why is that?” he asks, amused.

  “You’re nuts… No way... We’re friends. That’s it!” I protest.

  “Yeah, right, I know. And that’s another thing, when do you ever sit around spilling your heart out to a girl every morning?” he asks sarcastically.

  “You don’t know what you’re talkin’ about it,” I reply, burying my head in my plate, stuffing a huge piece of steak in my mouth to avoid acknowledging his accusations.

  “Ok, whatever... look, we have six weeks to figure it out, but right now, let’s just focus on the job we have to do this week. Let’s go back to our room, play some Xbox and chill.” He laughs.

  “Yeah, sounds good.” I was making more of it than what it was. I should have one thing on my mind right now, baseball.

  Chapter 16(Jesse)

  The summer is flying past. I’ve missed Luke at the docks in the morning and to be honest, I still think about that night often. In a way, I’m happy he clarified our relationship; otherwise, I may have been thinking things were going somewhere. Just friends. He made that clear. I think I kind of knew that all along. Luke doesn’t date girls like me.

  I also came to the conclusion that being friends is the better choice for Billy and me. Things fizzled out after the first couple of weeks. He’s really fun and I like hanging out with him. I just don’t have those types of feelings for him and I don’t want to lead him on. I guess that’s a little tip I picked up from Luke. Besides, there is this really cute girl that has liked him for a while, and I hear they almost got together before he met me. They seem to be a better fit, which proves true every time I see them together now.

  Deanna and Timmy are still going strong and growing closer. Timmy is a really good guy and treats her well. She seems to be happy. He’s quiet and low key which is what I think De is looking for.

  Something strange happened while we were on the boardwalk last week. We left the beach to get a slice of pizza at our favorite spot. We were sitting at the counter and three boys were sitting at the table next to us. When I walked in, I thought one of them looked familiar and I thought he might have recognized me, too. Cathy and Lori left shortly after to bring Matt a couple of slices, leaving De and I alone as we finished eating. I caught the same boy glancing over, once again. As we were about to leave, he finally asked my name. It turned out that it was some kid named John, from my math class at St. Bernadette’s, my Freshman year. I vaguely remember him, but of course I panicked, thinking he must have heard stories about what happened to me and how I went crazy. Thankfully, De was with me. I knew she would bail me out if he asked anything that made me feel uncomfortable.

  Thankfully, again, he didn’t, and we had a normal conversation about how they were on vacation and how I had moved down to the shore. After De and I paid our bill and headed out to the boardwalk, he ran out of the pizza place and asked if he could have my number. He’d be in town until Labor Day and asked if I’d like to hang out. He seemed nice and he was cute, so I agreed.

  He called later that night and I told him to meet us up on the boardwalk. His cousin was staying with him for a few days so I introduced him to Cathy and they seemed to hit it off. The four of us took a walk to the end of the boardwalk, away from the crowds. John and I sat on the bench, facing the ocean, while Cathy and his cousin, Alan, walked along the beach.

  We talked a little bit about St. Bernadette’s since it was the elephant in the room. I was actually glad when it finally came up. “I remember you not being in class one day and the teacher telling us about an accident.” He says with hesitation.

  Even though I didn’t like to talk about it, I needed to get it over with. “Yeah, my mom and I were in an accident…she didn’t make it,” I answer quietly, trying to keep myself under control.

  “I’m sorry, Jesse. I don’t remember much about it.”

  “Thanks. I was out of school the rest of the year and then my dad and I moved here,” I lied. I made it sound as if I had moved right after it happened, but I figured it was only a white lie.

  I was thankful he changed the subject and I knew he would not bring up St. Bernadette’s again for fear of bringing up bad memories for me.

  “Do you like living here?” he asked.

  I told him how I really loved living at the shore. We talked about the beach and the boardwalk. He thought it must be cool living so close to the beach. He was easy to talk to, I liked him. He asked if I minded if he called me again. I told him that I would like that. We talked for a while before Cathy and Alan returned, then the four of us made plans for the following night.

  John picked us up in his car at my house and we went to get ice cream. It was the first time I was ever picked up in a car by a guy. None of our friends had their licenses yet, but you only need to be sixteen to drive in Philly. We went for ice cream and then Cathy and I brought them to the inlet. They thought it was awesome that we had our own private beach to hang out. There was a pretty decent size party that night. We had a really good time and our first kiss.

  We continue seeing each other almost every day since. He’ll meet up with me and my friends at the beach, or he’ll hang with us on the boardwalk. The other night, it rained and he took me to the movies.

  ***

  (Luke)

  Thankfully, Mikey and I have great showings at the tournament and things, here in Florida, are going just as well. Once, I settled in, I had time to sort some things out. I finally realized what I wanted. After a couple of nights of hanging out and partying with some of the local girls that hang out at the ball field, some of which are pretty hot, I realize there is definitely some truth to what Mikey said.

  I have no interest in any of these girls. After a while, I’m downright rude and turn down every girl that approaches me. Mikey, on the other hand
, seems to take full advantage of the situation; I can’t blame him when I did the same thing last year.

  After a while, Mikey realizes I’m not into the ‘hooking up’ with random girls thing anymore and we have an in depth conversation about it one night. I admit he was right. I am into JJ.

  “So… it’s her. She’s the Game Changer for you?” Mikey asks with all sincerity.

  I laugh. “You know what? She is. I’ll admit it. I’ve been here for almost a month and every night, she’s the only person I can think about. I don’t know…there’s somethin’ about her, I don’t want to let her go.”

  “Cool… I like JJ. I think you guys would be good together, but before you rush into anything, just make sure it’s what you really want. She’s a good girl, you don’t want to play with her head, screw around with her and then realize it’s not what you want. Don’t make any big decisions right now, wait till we get home. Hang out with her a little, take your time and see how it goes.”

  “You’re absolutely right. I’m not... I’m not sayin’ anything to anyone till after I get home and talk to her.”

  Not even an hour later, Alexa calls, giving me shit for not calling her. I can’t help it, I just blurt it out that we are through… and I may have mentioned that the reason was because I was into JJ. Okay, so it wasn’t a ‘may have’. It was more of a definite that I told her it was because I was into JJ. Mikey overhears the conversation from the other side of the room. As soon as I hang up, I look over at him, full of dread.

  “Great. Way to take my advice on taking your time and thinking things through,” he says sarcastically, shaking his head.

  “I guess I screwed that up, huh?” I reply sheepishly.

  “Ya think?”

  After a couple of more weeks of camp and then the final tournament, I’m anxious to get home. We came here and did what we wanted to do and we both are confident that we held our own at each event. The competition is incredible, it’s the best of the best, but we each manage to walk away with a couple of awards. The time away is good for me. I’m able to put things in perspective.

  I need JJ and I want her by my side. On some level, I realized it the moment I kissed her lips; that this is the girl I could spend forever with. She gets me, I get her. I know I could be good for her, too. I’d never do anything to hurt her. We wrap things up earlier than scheduled and fly in a couple of days earlier than planned. I can’t wait to see her. I’ve missed her. I have to talk to her. I have to kiss her...

  Chapter 17(Jesse)

  The rain washed out our plans for the evening and even though I’m not quite comfortable being alone with him, I invite John over to my house to watch a movie. This will be the first time we’re alone without my friends except for the night we went to the movies, but, even then, he dropped me off right after. I think I’m getting better at this dating thing, considering he’s the only person, besides Billy, that I have ever dated.

  When John arrives, I insist on watching a scary movie. Friday the 13th is on cable and I turn off the lights for better effect. We comfortably sit side by side on the couch. Towards the end of the movie, he puts his arm around me and pulls me to him. By now I’ve gotten to know him and we actually get along well. He begins to kiss me as he eases me back into the sofa. Suddenly, the door bell rings, scaring us both to death. We jump and start to laugh. The movie must have gotten to us.

  “Who’s that?” he asks as we both jump up.

  “I don’t know.” I glance at the clock, it is ten at night and my dad is working. Besides, he wouldn’t have rung the bell anyway. “Maybe it’s Jason,” I joke as I hurry into the foyer to answer the door while still trying to figure out who it could be. De is out for the night with Timmy, so I know it can’t be her.

  “Hey, JJ... I’ve missed you!” Luke says excitedly as he picks me up into a bear hug.

  A rush of excitement runs through my body as I throw my arms around his neck and hug him back as enthusiastically as he is hugging me. “Luke. Oh, my God! What are you doing here? You weren’t supposed to be home this soon… I’ve missed you, too!” With all the excitement of seeing him, I forget I have company. John hears the commotion and comes to the door. I still have my arms wrapped tightly around Luke when John walks up behind me, but I know he’s there because I see the vein in Luke’s neck pop out and feel his arms stiffen. His eyes go from me to behind me.

  Everything is awkwardly silent for a second as he slides me down from his arms. I turn slowly to face John, who’s standing behind me. I lower my arms from Luke’s neck. “Luke, this is John. We went to St. Bernadette’s together,” I say uneasily, trying to make it sound like I was hanging with an old friend. I’m not sure why I do that. Luke knows I don’t have friends from my old school. John puts out his hand to shake Luke’s. “This is Luke, my neighbor, De’s brother,” I add, trying to sound casual.

  Luke shakes John’s hand sternly. “How ya doin’?” Then, he looks at me. I can tell by the look on his face something isn’t right. “I just wanted to stop by to say hi and make sure you were okay. I knew David was working and I didn’t recognize the car,” he says coolly.

  “It’s John’s,” I reply quietly. I can tell his mood changed the instant he saw John. He isn’t happy to see me anymore.

  “Oh... I’ll let you get back to doin’ what you were doin’. I just wanted to say hello. Nice to meet ya,” he says coolly as he turns to leave. Something doesn’t seem right, but I know I will see him in the morning at the docks. Then we can talk and get back to our normal routine.

  “I’ll see you in the morning, Luke.” It’s more of a question, which I get no response from. Why do I feel like I just betrayed him? Why am I feeling guilty?

  After Luke leaves, I can’t seem to get back into the same mood I was in before he arrived. I thought I was over my feelings for Luke, but seeing him again, the butterflies and chills through my body return stronger than ever.

  “I’m going to head out, it’s getting late and you seem tired... I’ll see you tomorrow?” John asks as he gets up to go. Hopefully, he picked up on my mood change.

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll call you before we head to the beach,” I answer, walking him to the door. He tells me that he had a good time tonight and I agree because it is true; right up to the time when Luke showed up.

  ***

  I wake up early and race down to the docks, excited to hear about Luke’s trip. I knew they had done really well. Deanna kept me updated and the local paper had written a couple of articles. My dad would leave them out for me to read. I know he will have a lot of stories and I’m looking forward to hearing them.

  I wait way longer than I should have, but Luke never shows. He had to have known I would be waiting for him. I finally go home feeling very disappointed.

  My dad is washing his car when I arrive home. “Hey, Sweetie, there’s breakfast on the counter for you.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” He always makes me breakfast.

  “Hey, did you know Luke’s home?”

  I stop in my tracks. “Yeah, he stopped by to say hi last night, how do you know?”

  “I was just talking to him. He just got dropped off.”

  I want details. I try to act nonchalant as I interrogate my dad. “Oh really? Who was he with?”

  “I didn’t notice. He was in a hurry. He said they did real good and he would catch up with me later. They finished up earlier than expected.”

  “Yeah, that’s what he said.” I answer. I’m more than a little puzzled. I feel he is trying to avoid me, but why?

  ***

  De and I catch the 12:30 bus for the beach. “Guess who’s back?” she asks.

  “Luke?” I answer.

  “Yeah, how did you know?”

  “I saw him for a second last night. He stopped by when John was over.”

  “For some reason, he’s in a crappy mood. My mom’s pissed at him, he didn’t come home last night and he didn’t call. How did he seem to you?”

  “Fine… but like I
said, it was only a second... you didn’t talk to him?”

  “No, not really. Mikey picked him up while I was in the shower.

  I realize when I get to the beach that I forgot to call John to tell him I was leaving. While we stand by the water watching Lori surf, Mikey sneaks up behind De.

  “So did you miss me or what?” he asks playfully as he picks her up and kisses her on the cheek from behind.

  She laughs as she turns to face him and gives him a hug. “Yes, I did, believe it or not. Did you guys have fun? I heard you did great!”

  She really is happy to see him. I envy their friendship and how comfortable they are together. There is one person who doesn’t look happy with their friendship, though, and that is Timmy. He’s standing near us, playing catch with his friends. I see him glaring over at Mikey and De’s friendly exchange. Mikey continues to tell us about their trip, his version of how awesome they are.

  “So, what’s got my brother in a pissy mood? My mom’s mad at him; he didn’t come home last night. Are you to blame for that?” she asks accusingly as she playfully pokes him in his smooth, broad, muscular chest.

  Mikey’s eyes turn to me. “No, not this time.”

  “Something’s got him twisted, maybe he was with Alexa last night,” she says as she rolls her eyes.

  Again, Mikey looks at me when he answers, making me feel uncomfortable. “Nah, I don’t think so. He broke up with her awhile ago, while we were away.”

  I’m shocked to hear this, but am careful to hide my reaction from Mikey. Why does he keep looking at me anyway?

  “Really? Well, I’ve seen that a hundred times before,” De answers.

  Mikey shrugs. What does this mean? He made it clear when he left, we are just friends. This can’t have anything to do with me, can it? Once again, my head is spinning. I have to talk to him... alone.

  His ears must have been ringing because no sooner do I turn around than he is walking towards us with his arm slung around a beautiful brunette. Where the hell does he find these girls? They all look as if they just stepped off the cover of a Victoria’s Secret catalog. Then again, look at him.