The Game Changer

by Trio, L. M.

  The night before the boys leave, there is a huge party at the inlet. I decide to wait for De, Cathy and Lori. I tell Luke that I’ll meet up with him later. The boys are heading there early for a horse shoe tournament. Luke asks me to tag along, but I figure we have all night. I want him to spend time with his friends, without me. We’ll make up for it later.

  We end up getting a late start, Lori is held up at work. Luke is already texting, asking where I am.

  “Jesus, Jesse, what is it going to be like when he leaves tomorrow?” Cathy asks, referring to Luke’s text.

  I just laugh and shrug my shoulders, not really wanting to think about it. I’m feeling a little anxious, knowing time is running out and he will be leaving soon. Luke makes me feel settled, he knows what I need. I still have a hard time dealing with my past from time to time, but he always seems to know what to do or say to make things better. I sleep better the nights we spend together.

  It’s a little after ten when Lori finally shows up. When we arrive at the inlet, we spot Luke, Mikey and the rest of their friends by the water. A group of girls are walking up to them, one of them being Megan. Since she doesn’t go to our school, we haven’t seen her since the night we went to dinner for Luke and De’s birthday. From what Luke told me, Mikey’s tried calling her a couple of times, but she never answers his calls.

  “Who are they? Talking to Luke and the guys?” Lori asks, sounding a bit annoyed.

  By now I’m used to girls approaching Luke and Mikey, it’s not that I worry about him wanting someone else. My insecurities have more to do with myself. I feel as if they are looking at me and wondering, why is he with her? I’m still considered quiet and sort of shy by most people, outside of my immediate group of friends; I’m not very social. I feel that people hold that against me sometimes, especially since Luke is so outgoing and friendly.

  If it had been any one of my friends’ boyfriends standing there, they would have been over there by now, confidently pushing the other girls aside. Me, I just hang back and wait for Luke to find me. I know, probably not a great quality to have when my boyfriend is ridiculously good looking and now considered a professional athlete.

  “Is that...” Lori starts.

  “Oh, my God... Megan?” De cuts in. “JJ, is Mikey seeing her again?” She turns to me, sounding rather disturbed.

  “Not that I know of… Last I heard, she never answered his calls.” I reply as we get closer, noticing one of her friends is trying to get Luke’s attention in the worst way. As I begin to head in the opposite direction, De heads right for them. Like I said, confidently walking right over and pushing the other girls aside. Although I think she may have forgotten that it isn’t Timmy standing in the crowd. Before Deanna reaches them, Luke spots us and waves me over. As I hesitantly approached, De is already saying hello to everyone with her sparkling personality and looking beautiful as usual. Megan isn’t thrilled to see her and for the first time, neither is Mikey. As Megan turns to leave, Mikey follows her, ignoring Deanna. I can feel the eyes narrowing on me as I approach. Luke pulls me to him.

  “Hey, babe, where’ve ya been?” he asks as he wraps his strong arms around me and kisses me hello, ignoring the fact that we are standing in a crowd of people, while only I notice that all eyes seem to be on us.

  “Hey, Lori had to work late,” I answer quietly as he takes my hand and leads me away from the crowd.

  “You’d think, since it is my last night, you would’ve been here earlier,” he whispers as he nuzzles my neck.

  “Luke, I wanted you to spend some time with your friends. Trust me, I’m not letting go for the rest of the night.”

  “I know. I’m teasing you,” he answers as we sit on a blanket, followed by Deanna.

  “Is Mikey seeing Megan again?” De asks Luke as soon as she approaches us.

  “Not that I know of, I think this is the first time he’s seen her since that night. I think she just showed up on her own tonight,” Luke answers casually as he glances over in their direction.

  “Really? I’m surprised he’s chasing her. He must really like her.” De is definitely fishing for more info.

  “Maybe, who knows?” Luke shrugs, bored with the conversation and not giving her the answers she is waiting to hear.

  As we mingle around the fire, De takes me aside as we spy on Mikey, who is sitting on a blanket with Megan, away from everyone else. The conversation seems to be going well as they are smiling. Mikey affectionately tucks a piece of her hair that has fallen in her eyes, behind her ear. He then leans in for the kiss.

  “Oh, my God, JJ. I think he really likes her. In all of these years, I’ve never seen him chase anyone before,” De says, obviously distraught.

  “De, he’s leaving tomorrow. You know him,” I answer, trying to reassure her.

  “You’re right, I do know him. It’s not just that he’s leaving.” She glances over in their direction with a worried look on her face. “Did you see the way he was looking at her? He didn’t even notice me when I walked up.”

  “So what? He practically lives with you. You’ll see him later,” I say as Mikey grabs the blanket, takes Megan by the hand and walks with her down the beach. “De, if you’re bothered by it, tell him how you feel.” I’ve mistakenly thought that maybe she is ready to admit how she feels about him.

  She suddenly gets very defensive. “What? What are you talking about? It doesn’t matter to me who he’s with... I’m just surprised, that’s all… I’m not used to seeing him like that.”

  “Okay, I just thought you seemed upset that he was with her.”

  As she is about to protest, Luke finally walks over and bails me out, pulling me up with him. “I’m stealing her. You have all summer to talk,” he says to De as he pulls me away. I mouth to her that I’m sorry; she laughs and waves me along.

  “So what do you feel like doing on your last night home?” I ask as we walk hand in hand through the crowds of partying kids, towards the water.

  “Besides the obvious?” He stops and turns to face me, molding his body with mine as he kisses me, sending chills through my body.

  “Well, it can include the obvious,” I whisper teasingly in his ear with my arms wrapped tightly around him, never wanting to let him go, forgetting we’re still standing in the middle of a crowd. “I’m all yours for the rest of the night.”

  “For the rest of the night? What’s that about? You’re mine for always,” he says, holding on tightly. Neither of us ready to let go. “God, JJ, I love you so much, I’m already feeling homesick about leaving you. I guess this is why they ask all of those questions about leaving and how I would feel about it. At the time, it seemed so far away and not so real.”

  “I know. I feel the same way,” I answer as we walk along the water, finally arriving at our sacred spot. We spread out our blanket and sit down to take in the crescent moon, dimly lighting up the sky and glistening over the calm water as it quietly washes upon the shore.

  “This is where I want to be tonight, the places that we love. I’m going to miss our walks at night, lying on the beach, sitting on the docks, watching you sketch, enjoying the calmness of the water…You know, just being together. When I have a really long day of training or a game, you’re always there to take a walk with me at night and relax by the water. You take care of me, you rub my shoulders, and you calm me. What if I suck without you there?” He’s rambling. I laugh. I’m going to miss him so much, but I want to stay positive for him.

  “Baby, you’re not going to suck without me, you were just as good before I came along... But, I know how you’re feeling, I’m feeling the same way. I had heart palpitations all day, thinking about you leaving me tomorrow. How will I ever get by without you near me? My stomach was in knots, but then I remember how much I love you and how much you love me and that is what is going to get us through, no matter how far apart we are. We are going to be fine... You’re going to be great!

  This is just a short period of time in the rest of our lives
together. We’re going to have a good life together, Luke. I know it. This is an exciting time for you, what you’re doing is amazing. It’s a dream to most people. I’m so proud of you and I’m so happy that you picked me to share it with. So let’s be happy about this and celebrate. As long as we always talk to each other about how we are feeling and stay honest with each other, even if one of us is having a bad day, we’ll talk through it, together. Just like always. So, you are going to go do what you have been dreaming of doing your whole life and you’re going to be great and I am going to support you and be with you every step of the way.”

  “Wow. Good speech, babe. You’re right, I feel better already,” he says, mocking me as I give him a shove, knocking him back on the blanket, pinning him down as we get down to the obvious part.

  We spend the remainder of the evening on our private little section of the beach with the sounds of the waves breaking on the surf and the scent of the ocean air surrounding us. We gently hold each other and caress each other, never taking our eyes off one another as we make love throughout the night; hardly taking time to nap. Neither of us wanting to waste a second of our time together.

  We watch the sun rise above the ocean, causing the sky turn tones of blue mixed with warm golds and magenta. Sadly, it is time to head home, but not before stopping by the docks, sitting on our usual bench with the blanket thrown around us. I rest my head on his broad shoulders watching the seagulls dip down into the water as they catch their morning breakfast; while the fishermen load their boats, preparing for the day ahead.

  Chapter 36(Jesse)

  “Hey, you guys are up early,” Luke says as we enter the kitchen to find Maria and Deanna having their coffee. I was hoping we could sneak in before anyone woke up, so as not to draw attention to the fact that we stayed out all night.

  “It’s not that early; I wasn’t sure what time you wanted to leave. We shouldn’t leave too late, we’ll hit traffic. Besides, this way you’ll have time to settle in... and rest.” Maria answers as she gives us a sideways glance.

  The boys will be staying with a host family while they are away. An elderly couple will take in Luke and Mikey to live with them while they’re playing in New York. It’s recommended since the boys are young and it’s a better atmosphere for them to live in a family setting. It will make the transition from being away from home a little easier. Maria and Lucca like the idea and are looking forward to meeting them.

  “Is Mikey still sleepin’?” Luke asks as I get a cup of coffee and sit at the table with the girls.

  “No… he didn’t come home last night,” De answers, sounding disappointed.

  “Probably stayed at Megan’s,” Luke comments, unintentionally rubbing salt in her wounds.

  Luke goes upstairs to shower while Maria starts breakfast. A short time later, Mikey comes bursting through the door.

  "Wow. Look at this! I’m greeted by the three most beautiful girls in the world. Even early in the morning, you look good, and it looks like I’m just in time for breakfast!” he says cheerfully, grabbing Maria in a bear hug by the stove.

  “Ah, my little sweet talker,” she says, squeezing his face and kissing his cheek as she hands him a cup of coffee.

  “Oh, I guess he feels like talking today.” De grumbles sarcastically to me, but loud enough for him to hear.

  “What’s wrong with you? Get up on the wrong side of the bed?” he teases as he sits down beside her and tickles her sides.

  “Stop! Knock it off!” she says angrily as she pushes him away.

  “What’s the matter? Timmy didn’t pay enough attention to you last night? Usually, when he’s around, you could care less what I’m doin‘,” he answers, still baiting her.

  “That’s not true. I always talk to you, whether he’s around or not,” she argues as she storms out of the room.

  “What’s her problem?” he asks, turning to me. I shrug, not wanting to get involved. Then, not satisfied that he pissed her off, he decides to turn the tables on me. “God, J, I take back what I said about you looking good this morning. It looks like you haven’t slept. Rough night, last night?” he asks, loud enough for Maria to hear, as he gives me a smirk and a wink. I could kill him as I sit there, self-consciously, in the same clothes as last night. “Maria, doesn’t she look like she didn’t get any sleep last night?” he continues, winking at me.

  Maria smiles, shoots him a look and shakes her head; knowing exactly what he is pointing out.

  “You’re such an ass,” I whisper angrily, embarrassed that he brought it to Maria’s attention that Luke and I were up all night. I bump into Luke as I, too, leave the room abruptly.

  “You sure know how to clear a room,” I hear Maria say to him. He laughs as Luke asks him what it is that he has done now.

  After De and I spend a nice amount of time bashing him in her room, Luke and I head over to my house so I can shower while he says goodbye to my dad, who is almost as sorry as me to see Luke go. It’s funny, but they developed a close friendship over the last year, it’s a little strange to me sometimes to watch them joke with one another, hang out and watch sports together. Aren’t dads supposed to give their daughter’s boyfriend a hard time? Actually, I love that they get along so well, they are the two most important men in my life and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

  ***

  Luke, De and I drive in Mikey’s car, while Lucca and Maria follow in their car. Luke and I sleep in the back, well, try to sleep, but we’re often awakened by Deanna and Mikey’s constant bickering over the radio. About halfway through the drive, Luke gives Mikey a break and takes over the driving. It sounds as if Mikey had about as much sleep as Luke; there is no need for further explanation as to why.

  When we finally arrive, we are greeted by the elderly couple, Henry and Mary Smith, who will be sharing their home with Mikey and Luke. They give us a tour of their neatly kept bi-level home. Luke and Mikey have the bottom floor to themselves. They’ll share the large bedroom, which contains of two twin beds, two chests of drawers and a desk. There is a full bath and a nice size sitting room with a comfortable couch, a cushy chair and a TV. Mary prepares a delicious lunch for everyone and we enjoy talking with them. While we leave Maria and Lucca alone to talk with them some more, De and I set up the boys in their room.

  We refolded their clothes and put them away in their drawers, knowing they will be tossed around again as soon as we’re gone. We make up the beds, putting their shaving cream, shampoo and other items in their bathroom. We want them to feel like they’re at home. We know if we don’t do it, they will leave everything in their bags and live out of the bags all summer.

  Luke has brought the picture I framed for him for Christmas. I put it on his chest of drawers. De and I got a few, cheap frames and make collages from pictures of special times throughout the years. We bought them Sports Illustrated and a few other magazines that we know they like to read and place them on the night stand that separates their beds. I made Luke a small framed collage of pictures of me and him and place it on his dresser.

  “Girls, it looks awesome, thanks,” Mikey says enthusiastically as he enters the bedroom.

  “Yeah, it does,” Luke agrees, following behind him.

  The four of us spend the next hour sitting on their beds, reminiscing over the last year, excitedly talking about their future. We’re finally interrupted by Henry, Mary, Lucca and Maria as they enter the room.

  “The room looks great guys,” Maria says, looking around.

  “The girls set us up,” Luke replies, giving me a wink.

  “Nice job,” Lucca adds as Henry and Mary agree.

  “I hate to break up the party, but it’s time to go. The boys need to be up early tomorrow, they need to get their rest,” Maria says as she turns to me and De.

  “Sorry, girls,” Lucca says sympathetically.

  At that moment, my heart stops. The time has come and I don’t know if I can make my legs move from the spot where I’m standing. My eyes begin to well
up, but I’m good at covering my emotions in front of other people and am able to hold back. Luke knows me well and is at my side with his arm slung over my shoulder.

  “Do you think they would notice if I hid you in the closet?” he whispers quietly in my ear, which causes me to laugh and start breathing again.

  As we step out of the bedroom, they all continue up the steps and out the door, giving Luke and me a few moments alone in the sitting room.

  “Are you okay?” he asks, softly holding my face between his hands. “I don’t know if I am.”

  “I’m okay. At least you’re close enough. You could have been a lot farther away. This will give us a chance to prepare for when you do go farther.”

  “I don’t want to think about that right now, this is hard enough. Promise me… you won’t hold anything back; you’ll tell me what’s on your mind. Trust me, I’ll be more distracted if I think something is wrong and you’re keeping it from me.”

  “I promise. Same goes for you. I can be here in a couple of hours if I need to be.”

  “I know. I’m counting on it,” he says as he takes me in his arms and hugs me tightly as we kiss goodbye. I feel the water building up in my stomach, rising up to my head, wanting to flow out, but I won’t allow it.

  Chapter 37

  (Jesse)

  While picking up an extra day at the museum and heading to the beach on my days off, the summer is slowly moving along as I try to fill my days in between visits to see Luke. I’ve been lucky so far, usually able to convince someone to ride up at least every couple of weeks to watch his games. Usually, it’s Maria and Lucca, my dad, or one of our friends. We mostly attend the away games since they are closest to home.

  We haven’t had much alone time since Luke needs to be on the bus following his games to head back with the rest of the team, but I’ll take what I can get; being able to see him every couple of weeks and being able to kiss him and hold him for a few minutes is better than not seeing him at all.