The Game Changer

by Trio, L. M.

  Her eyes begin to well up and I interrupt. “De, you don’t have to explain to me, it’s fine. I don’t want to make you upset.”

  “No, really, I’m fine. I just get so mad when I think about it. I’m smarter than that. Anyway, one night I was drinking at a party, probably more than I should have. He told me he loved me and I thought I felt the same way. At least, that’s what I told myself to make it seem okay with what we were doing. It didn’t help that I had Alexa as a friend, telling me it was no big deal. So, that night, after the party, I let him. We went all the way. Afterwards, it was as if he didn’t even care. It didn’t matter to him what it meant to me, knowing it was my first time. Needless to say, I didn’t hear from him after that. I was mortified. I cried and cried for days.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m fine now. I just hate knowing I gave in to some creep.”

  “I know. Is that what you meant when you said Mikey knows about stuff?”

  “Mikey and Paul had the same gym period. The following week in school in the middle of changing classes, there was a lot of commotion in the hallways. I heard kids talking about a fight in the locker room. Come to find out, Mikey beat the crap out of Paul, breaking his nose and everything. I heard Mr. Smith, their gym teacher, broke it up. I made my way towards the office and peeked through the glass. Sure enough, Mikey was sitting in the office with an ice pack on his hand and Coach Briggs was standing over him, giving him hell. I saw Paul sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, covered in blood, holding a towel up to his face; it was actually scary. Mikey spotted me and nodded for me to go away.”

  “I know this sounds horrible, but I think he deserved it.”

  “He did, but God forbid if Mikey got hurt, broke his hand or something, it could really set him back, or maybe ruin everything with baseball. They are scrutinized so much, you have no idea.”

  “By who? What do you mean?”

  “JJ, it’s nuts; scouts, coaches. They want to know everything about them. If they got wind of Mikey fighting in school, it could be bad for him. They don’t want to invest in some loose cannon or something. Mikey and Luke know better than to get in some stupid fight. They would never jeopardize their chances at playing ball. I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if something happened to him because he was protecting me.”

  “Did you ever talk to Mikey about it? Does Luke know?”

  “I finally got Mikey alone one night, after he had been avoiding me for a couple of days, which isn’t easy since we mostly live together. I asked him what happened. At first he wouldn’t say, he acted as if it had nothing to do with me, but I kept pressing him. I knew he was lying. Finally, he said that Paul had a big mouth and it was nothing for me to worry about. He said only a couple of people had heard what he said and he was absolutely positive that he made sure it would go no further than that room. I asked him if Luke knew, he told me he made up a story about Paul saying something cocky to him in the locker room over something that happened during class. I thanked him; he said he’d never let anyone hurt me again. That was it, we never brought it up after that and not one person ever brought it up to me in school. It made me finally take a look at my life and realize the kind of person I wanted to be. I had been used twice by people I thought I was close with. Alexa gradually dropped me and then started to move in on Luke, she knew he wouldn’t date one of my friends. Like I said before, thankfully, my real friends took me back like nothing ever happened.”

  “Wow. That’s intense. It’s obvious how much Mikey cares about you. I’m sorry that happened, but I’m sure it made you much stronger and the next time will be different.”

  “I’m very careful now, I never allow myself to get serious with anyone. Timmy is different, that’s what I like about him. I don’t even worry about things like that with him. As far as Mikey goes, he’s the best. He’s been a part of our family for so long, I don’t know what I would do without him.”

  I have to know, so I ask, “Do you think there could ever be anything more between you two?”

  “Me and Mikey? God, no, it’s not like that at all. Why?”

  “I don’t know, just curious. You two seem to have a lot of fun together.”

  “Like I said, he’s the best... So, what about John? What are you going to do now that he went back home?” she asks, quickly changing the subject.

  “John and I agreed we would continue to see each other. I like him, although, it’s not like I would be devastated if things didn’t work out between us.”

  ***

  I peek my head in the family room to say goodbye to everyone before I leave. Mikey jumps up and says he will walk me across the street; he, too, is leaving. I see Luke shoot him a look.

  “What?” Mikey says to him, smirking, as he gets up to meet me at the door. Luke doesn’t answer; he turns his head back to the TV.

  When we get outside, I ask him, “What was that about?”

  “What was what about?”

  “I don’t know, Mikey, you tell me. What is up with him?”

  “I thought you two were talkin’?” I knew he was playing dumb.

  “I guess, sort of... I don’t know,” I say, feeling confused. I thought we made some progress today, but tonight, he barely said hello. I’m frustrated and feel like taking it out on Mikey. “Anyway, what’s your story? Why are you always hanging around here like a lost puppy?”

  He suddenly gets serious. We both sit down on the curb outside my house. “I love being with them. They’re my family. My mom and dad got divorced when I was ten. My mom remarried, her husband got transferred to Chicago and I didn’t want to leave; all of my friends are here. To be honest, I don’t think she minded too much, she was happy to make a new life with her new husband. She left me with my dad, but his job requires a lot of traveling; he’s not home much, hence the divorce. He talked to Maria and Lucca about me staying here while he was away, which turned out to be most of the time. I pretty much grew up here. They always looked after me... still do. They treat me like I’m a part of their family. I wouldn’t have been able to get through that without them.”

  “Wow, they take in all the strays.” I laugh and he laughs, too, and then I continue more seriously, “I feel the same way. I don’t know if you know what I went through…”

  “I know some of it. I know you and your mom were in an accident and she didn’t make it. I know you had a hard time with it.” He looks at me sympathetically and pats my leg.

  “That’s an understatement... This is my first time back to school since I was a freshman. I haven’t had any friends since my mom passed away until I met you guys. I feel the same way about them, I love being there with them, sitting at the table with Maria and De, talking at night. It helps a little, having Maria fills that mom void, ya know?” I look up at and he gives me a smile, nodding his head in agreement. “They make me feel like part of the family, too, and I’ve only known them such a short time. And... Luke... please don’t act like you don’t know something... I know you do. I really miss him. I thought we got to be really good friends this summer. I don’t know, we just clicked, we like all of the same things... I guess we blew it the night before you left. I thought we had straightened it out. His friendship means a lot to me. I don’t know what happened; all of the sudden, he hates me. I don’t understand. I know you’re the last person I should be talking to, you’re Luke’s best friend, but I don’t think I can talk to De about this, I feel like Alexa all over again.”

  He laughs. “You’re nothing like Alexa, don’t worry about that. Give De more credit than that. Look, Luke is my best friend, and I don’t want to get involved, but trust me, he doesn’t hate you. Give it some time, you’ll work it out.”

  I sit quietly for a second, contemplating what he said. I don’t want to push for more information. I shouldn’t be putting him in the middle. “Thanks, Mikey, for listening... you know... they love you, too. Luke always talks about how close you two are… and De thinks you’re the best,�
� I add.

  “Oh, she does, does she? Maybe there’s hope for me yet,” he teases.

  “What do you mean by that?” I joke back.

  “Let’s just say, unlike you, I’m not ready to cross that line.” He nudges me playfully and then adds, “Yet.”

  I can never tell with him if he is kidding or not, he is always joking around. He gets up to leave, pats me on my leg and tells me, “Good talk. See you tomorrow in school.”

  Chapter 19

  (Jesse)

  The weather turns brisk, signaling that winter isn’t far behind. I cross the street, heading to Deanna’s to finalize our plans for this evening. Maria answers the door. “Hi, Hon, they’re in the rec room.”

  Before I even reach the door, I can hear the scrapping coming from the rec room.

  “Give it to me!” De screams.

  “Nope.” Mikey laughs as he holds the remote control out of De’s reach.

  “That’s not fair; you’ve had it for the last hour!” De says, climbing over him, trying to pry it from his hands.

  “Don’t you have to get ready for Mr. Wonderful or something?”

  “Hey guys,” I interrupt.

  “I can’t stand you,” De mumbles as she gets up to greet me.

  “Yep, whatever.” He chuckles coolly as we leave the room and he slouches back on the sofa, surfing the channels.

  As we enter her bedroom, she is cheerily groaning about what a pain in the ass he is, although, she looks as if she is happy as can be.

  It’s Saturday night, usually date night. Tonight, we made plans to meet up with a bunch of friends at Game On, a local sports bar, slash restaurant. It’s mostly couples. Deanna wants to introduce me to Timmy’s friend, Stephen, since he has asked about me. Friday’s are spent hanging with friends and football games. Last night, we had a home game. Of course, Timmy and Billy played, while Lori and Deanna cheered. We always hang out there, not to mention, the other ninety percent of the school. Luke and his friends were there as well, not that we hang together at things like that. He has his friends and I have mine, but, things have been better between us. We’ve never discussed the reason for his behavior when he got back from training this summer, but, to be honest, I would just as well leave it alone. He continues to walk me to my classes in school and we sit together during study hall. It’s just that now, some subjects are off limits, like, dating for example, except for yesterday, we had an awkward conversation about Alexa.

  Each day in gym class, I still seem to piss her off for some reason. I still haven’t figured out why. I don’t know why she chooses to pick on me. Luke sees a lot of girls; you think she would target one of the many girls he hooks up with, not his neighbor. Thankfully, I usually only see her in the locker room before and after gym class, but yesterday they combined our classes since her teacher was absent.

  The class was split into two groups for a volleyball game. De and I were picked on the same team and just my luck, so was Alexa. We were on our last serve. The ball was going back and forth to each side when suddenly; I got beamed in the back of the head with the ball... hard. “Ouch!” I screamed. My head was still sensitive in the spot where I had my stitches from the accident. I grabbed my head and turned around to see where the ball had come from.

  “Oh… sorry,” Alexa said sarcastically. I turned away, still rubbing my head. I heard her and her friend giggle.

  De heard them and shot back, “Watch it, Alexa!”

  Thankfully, the bell rung. I grabbed De’s arm and started walking toward the locker room. “C’mon, she’s not worth it.”

  We grabbed our things out of our locker and left. “De, it’s not a big deal, it’s not worth it. You have to cheer with her. Don’t give her the satisfaction of letting her know it bothers you.”

  “I know you’re right, but what the hell does she have against you? I don’t get it.”

  “Me, neither.”

  Timmy was waiting for De when we got out of the locker room and she forgot about Alexa; they were taking a walk before they had to be at practice.

  I stood against the locker, absentmindedly rubbing my still sore head, watching them walk away. I, too, wondered what the hell she has against me. To make matters worse, I didn’t notice Luke walking in my direction.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, looking concerned. “You have a headache?”

  “Oh, nothing, I’m fine. I got hit in the head with the ball in gym.” I smiled, trying to blow it off.

  “Ah.” He laughed then began to rub the back of my head as we stood against the lockers. I was so busy enjoying the tingling feeling from my head to my toes as his fingers softly caressed the back of my head that I totally forgot about what happened in the first place. That is, until Alexa came out of the locker room, catching the moment between us.

  “Oh, Please! I said I was sorry. What, did you run and tell your other bodyguard?” Alexa barked at me. I looked up at Luke, he looked confused. I never told him it was Alexa that hit me with the ball. Just then, De and Timmy were back; she thought she may have left a book in the locker. They heard Alexa’s rant.

  Alexa, this time, barked at Luke, “So, did you tell her about the night you got home this summer when you showed up on my doorstep.” She then turned to Deanna, “How does it feel to have your brother steal all of your friends?” Then, she stormed off.

  All four of us, stood there speechless. Deanna looked as upset as I did. “What does she mean by that?” She was looking at me and Luke.

  Luke answered quickly, “De, she’s nuts. She saw me rubbing JJ’s head; she must have jumped to the wrong conclusion. She just went off, who knows what the hell she’s talking about!”

  “She thought I ran and told Luke that she hit me in the head with the ball,” I added.

  De looked at both of us. Timmy was rubbing the back of her shoulders and she seemed to settle down a bit. “Are you sure you’re telling me everything? Please don’t make me look like a fool in front of her.”

  We told her there was nothing more to it. Luke asked me to wait for him, while he hunted down Alexa. He said he would take care of it. I asked him not to, I thought it would only make matters worse, but he insisted.

  Timmy spoke up and lightened the mood. “Boy, she’s a real bitch, isn’t she? You two must have really pissed her off. What a show that was!”

  De and I started laughing because Timmy was always so nice; we’ve never heard him talk about anyone. De asked if I was going to be alright, they both had to get ready for practice. I was more worried for her, since she was the one that had to face her in practice, but she said she would be fine. Besides, she had Lori there, too. I waited at the end of the hallway by the doors. I didn’t want to face Alexa again.

  A short while later, Luke met up with me. “Hey, you okay?” He took my book bag from my shoulder as we exited the metal doors.

  “Yeah, fine...Why do I feel like you’re always asking me that question?” I asked jokingly.

  “Because, you come with a lot of drama I guess,” he teased.

  I pushed him. “This is your fault; you’re the one with the psycho girlfriend. For some reason she uses me as her target.”

  He started to laugh. “I know... sorry ‘bout that. Ex-girlfriend,” he corrected.

  “What did you say to her?” I asked, curious.

  “Let’s just say she will not be bothering you or De anymore.” Then he got more serious, almost as if he felt the need to clarify his relationship with her. “You know… I ended things with her awhile ago, when I was away this summer?”

  “Yeah well... except for the night you showed up on her doorstep,” I said sarcastically as I gave him a half smile.

  “Except for that... I’m an idiot. I don’t know why I ran back to her. It was easy, you know? No feelings involved.”

  “I guess. I don’t know, Luke; I guess, I just don’t understand that stuff. Let’s just drop it, okay?”

  I didn’t want to think of him with her, feelings or no feelings. We’
ve been getting along so well, I didn’t want to spoil it by getting in an argument over it.

  “Okay.” He dropped the subject and by this time, we were home. After I got inside I thought about what Alexa had said. Why would she say that? I was more concerned with what Deanna thought about it. Did she suspect something?

  I didn’t have to wait long, she stopped by after practice. She said everything was fine; there were no snotty remarks, no looks, no nothing.

  “Whatever Luke said must have worked,” she said, and then added, “JJ, what do you think she meant by, Luke steals all of my friends?” She seemed like it was bothering her. I had so much guilt about how I felt about him, that I didn’t want to have this conversation with her.

  “I don’t know what she meant by that. She’s just trying to cause trouble. You are my best friend and I would never ever want to lose you, you know that, right?”

  “Yeah, of course,” she answered, but I could tell she was still bothered by it.

  “And, I care about Luke, too. I consider him a good friend and I wouldn’t want to lose him either. You guys mean so much to me. Your whole family, including Mikey, believe it or not.” I laughed.

  She laughed and gave me a hug. “See, I told you she would hate you.”

  Chapter 20(Luke)