Jaided

by Rose, Ashley

"What?"

  "Even after you told him what he said to Grr?" Alex asked.

  "Well, no I didn't tell him that. I didn't think I should."

  All the boys groaned and Matt spoke up. "Jaide, I'm really sorry for being so severe with you at first, but that is a valid reason, maybe not in the rule book but I accepted it. Coach will too. You just need to tell him."

  She looked at Grr and Alex for reassurance. "If you guys don't want me to, I won't."

  Grr smiled reassuringly. "Tell him, Jaide. Just tell him the truth. If he doesn't believe you, I can back you up."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yes, of course. I don't care whether he knows if I'm gay, he might already. He can't keep you from playing. That’s not fair."

  "Ok, thanks. I'll go to his office in a few minutes."

  Bhrade laughed. "And if that doesn't work, just beat him up!"

  The boys all laughed and she blushed. "I didn't hit him that hard."

  "You split your knuckles open and knocked one of his teeth out."

  "I did?"

  The boys all laughed again, and Bhrade nodded. "Hell yeah, you little Ultimate Fighter, you."

  Grr hugged her again. "Thanks for what you did, even though you really shouldn't have. I'm really sorry Coach yelled at you. I'll walk you to his office in case he wants to talk to me."

  "Thanks."

  In the end, Blaize, Grr and Alex all ended up walking with her to the coach's office. She knocked and when he admitted her, the boys all waited outside, still able to see her through the large windows of the office.

  "Have you come up with a reason so soon?" Coach asked, sitting down behind his desk and motioning her into a chair opposite him.

  "I came here to tell you the full reason why I punched him."

  "Ok, let's hear it." He leaned back in his chair, waiting.

  She took a deep breath. "After the two boys knocked Grr down and he was on his knees trying to catch his breath, one of the boys said something like 'he belonged on his knees because he was a faggot'. I got pissed and asked him what he said, and when he turned to me, he asked me if I was going to stand up for the 'queer' and he repeated the faggot thing. That’s when I punched him. I didn't really think about it. It just kind of happened. I would probably do it again."

  Coach stayed silent for a few moments. She couldn't read his face. Finally, he spoke. "Why didn't you tell me this before I yelled at you?"

  "I wasn't sure if you knew that Grr was gay or not, and if not, it wasn't my place to say anything."

  "And now?"

  "I talked to him about it and he said he wanted me to tell you the truth."

  Coach nodded. "And he's out their waiting for you because?"

  "He wanted to back up my story if he needed to."

  "I see. Well, I have to follow the rules, and there is nothing about this kind of thing in the rule book."

  Jaide tried to cut him off but he held up a finger to silence her.

  "However, I have known Garret is gay for some time now and I do not in any way condone hate acts against gays, nor those types of comments."

  "You've known that Grr is gay?"

  "Yes, I also know that Alex is gay and I know that they have a relationship. I know you and Blaize are having a thing also. I'm a coach and it's my job to be good at reading people. I don't care what or who you guys do, as long as you don't bring it to practice or games."

  Jaide nodded.

  "I wish you would have told me this to begin with, Jaide. I wouldn't have gotten so mad at you."

  "I'm sorry, Coach."

  "You can play in the Arlington game but you're not off the hook. You still broke the rules, no exceptions. You still owe me ten suicides at practice."

  She was ecstatic. "Yes sir!"

  "Get outta here."

  She leapt up from the chair. "Thanks, Coach!"

  She left the office, excited that the issue was over.

  The four of them headed upstairs. "So, how'd it go?"

  "I'm off the hook!"

  "Nice!"

  "I still have to run the suicides but I don't really care. I get to play at Arlington!"

  "I can't believe he's still making you run."

  "Who cares? I'm just glad I get to play."

  "He said he knew about you two, and me and Blaize, like our relationships or whatever."

  "Really? Weird. I guess we shouldn't be surprised. He is really perceptive."

  Grr and Alex split from Blaize and Jaide when they arrived at their rooms. "Hey, get changed. We’re meeting in the lounge down the hall for pizza. Matt ordered."

  Blaize nodded. "Cool, see you guys in a few."

  Once they were alone in their room, Jaide pulled off her sweaty jersey and shorts. She had stopped going into the bathroom to change because she was tired of it. She kept her back turned if she was changing her undergarments, and it was just natural for Blaize to avert his eyes. He was used to it now and didn't mind.

  Jaide slipped on sweats and a tank top while Blaize put on gym shorts and a T-shirt.

  Jaide made for the door but Blaize grabbed her hand and pulled her close. "Pizza's probably not here yet."

  She smirked and pushed her body flush with his. "Probably not."

  Blaize ran both his hands up under her tank top, holding her on either side of her trim waist. She leaned up to brush her lips against his before he caught her in a real kiss. His tongue searched for admittance and she opened for him, tracing his own lips with her tongue.

  Blaize pulled away, tipping his head back so that his lips were out of her reach. "Maybe we shouldn't get this started right now." He breathed out.

  Jaide groaned. She kissed his throat and felt his pulse going like crazy under his skin. "We've got a few minutes." She continued kissing his jaw.

  "I know, but Alex said it’s totally obvious when we come fresh from a make out session."

  "Soo?"

  "Soo, we should wait until tonight when we can take our time."

  She sighed and removed her hands from his ass. "Fine."

  He pulled her tank top back down and kissed her on the forehead. "Good girl."

  "Oh shut up." She turned away from him and he followed her out into the hallway.

  "Whaddya gonna do? Punch me?" He asked in her ear, followed with a light slap on the ass.

  She flipped around and caught him off guard. She pushed him against the wall and moved her hips in a grinding motion against his. She yanked his head down to her level and ran her mouth up the side of his throat until she came to his ear. "I can if you want me to," she whispered, before kissing his ear ever so lightly and pushing her hips against his again.

  Blaize moaned and pushed her off him, holding her at a distance. "Now that was below the belt, literally."

  She laughed. "Uh huh."

  "I'm getting you for that."

  "Oh yeah?" She started off down the hallway again.

  "Yeah, tonight. You just wait."

  She threw a suggestive look at him over her shoulder. "Waiting is all I've been doing, sweetheart,” her voice lightly sing-song, “Promises and promises.”

  Chapter 15

  When fall break arrived, Matt casually asked Jaide, "Are you going home this weekend?"

  "Umm, why would I do that?"

  Matt smiled. "It's a 4-day weekend, holiday Tuesday, so they are giving us Monday off too. Haven't you noticed how empty it is around here? Everyone but the sports players will be long gone. Are you going home?"

  "Wow. Yeah, I guess. I don't wanna be here all by myself. You?"

  "Yeah, I'm heading out tomorrow morning."

  As it turned out, everyone said they were going home, except Blaize.

  "Blaize, are you going home?" She asked.

  The boys all got a little tense, like they knew the answer.

  "Uh, no ... I'm gonna stay here," Blaize answered quietly.

  "Oh, right." She remembered him saying how his parents had kicked him out when he started dating Maddy, and how he spent
summers with Chance.

  "Yeah right, dude. You’re coming home with me," Chance said, knocking Blaize on the shoulder.

  "Nah, you need family time. I'll stay here."

  "It's not even like that Blaize, and you know it. You're coming."

  "No, really, it's ok. I've got homework, and I’ll just ..."

  Jaide cut him off. "Blaize, I’ve got a great idea. Come home with me!"

  Blaize looked startled but managed to recover. He shook his head. "No, I don't want to impose."

  Chance laughed. "You won't be imposing. Their house is like a mansion ... not even joking. They live in a mansion. Tremaine showed me."

  "Really?"

  Jaide nodded. "Yeah, you know, adopted by the wealthy and whatnot. Come on, it'll be fun."

  "I don't think so."

  She frowned and slid onto his lap. Turning on the charm, she smoothed her cheek against his and ran a hand through his hair. "We have a hot tub," she whispered suggestively, loud enough for everyone to hear.

  A couple of the boys whistled and the rest of them groaned and covered their eyes.

  "Dude, she's obviously not taking no for an answer, so you should just accept before you embarrass yourself," Matt advised.

  Blaize gave in and smiled. "Ok, I'm in."

  Bhrade rolled his eyes. "Nice choice of words, Blaize. Nice choice of words."

  The next morning, Jaide woke up alone and was a little disappointed. She liked to look at Blaize when he slept. She could hear the slight hum of the shower and tried not to think of water cascading over Blaize's naked body. She smiled a little and rolled off the empty bed, pulling her duffel bag out from under her own bed and packing some clothes in it for the long weekend.

  A few minutes later, Blaize came out of the bathroom in boxers. "Hey, how did you sleep?" He dropped a quick kiss on her forehead.

  "Good, thanks to you, as always." She surveyed his nearly bare form with a small smile.

  Blaize pulled on a pair of jeans. "It's my pleasure, trust me."

  "I'm gonna hop in the shower. We should be ready to leave after I'm done, yeah?"

  "Sounds good."

  Once they were both dressed and packed, Blaize reached for his truck keys but Jaide pulled a set of her own out. "You're not driving. I am. We are going to my house, after all."

  "Oh, I didn't know you had a car."

  "Yep, just a little Audi A6. I keep it hidden in storage over at the garage down the street - wouldn’t trust it in our parking lot.”

  "Those are really hot sports cars."

  "Thanks, I like Audis. My dad keeps talking about getting me something safer and whatnot, but I'm trying to hold him off. He spends too much money on me."

  Blaize smiled and picked up her large duffel bag, along with his own. "Nothing wrong with that."

  "I can carry that." She reached for her bag.

  He kept it out of her range and smiled. "I know you can."

  She grabbed her wallet and opened the door for him. "Ok pack mule, let’s go."

  They reached the garage and the owner brought out her custom painted orange sedan. "There he is." She headed towards the car.

  "He?"

  "Yeah, Casanova."

  Blaize cracked a laugh. "You named your Audi Casanova?"

  "I like it."

  Blaize just grinned and set the bags in the trunk. "You can drive him if you want."

  Blaize shrugged. "I can if you want me to. Whatever you want."

  "You can drive him." She smiled and hopped into the passenger seat.

  Blaize climbed into the driver seat and Jaide handed him the keys.

  Blaize pulled out of the garage and asked, "Uh, where are we going?"

  "I live near Sedro, a Seattle suburb named for the little town of Sedro up north. It’s about 3 hours away."

  "Yeah, Chance lives in that area. So do Alex, Matt and Leith."

  "Really? I didn't know that. How close do they live?"

  "Well, where do you live exactly?"

  "Lilac Heights."

  Blaize's eyes widened. "Wow... Jaide, that's a really nice area."

  She shrugged. "Yeah, it's nice, private."

  "Well, Chance and Matt live near there, and Alex and Leith live just on the other side of the Sedro area, out of town a little ways."

  "Cool, that's not too far away. We should invite them over one day, pool party."

  "You have a pool, too? And a hot tub?"

  "You can't have a hot tub without a pool, silly."

  "Of course not. What was I thinking?" He rolled his eyes with a smirk and pulled out onto the highway. "This thing does drive nice."

  "He, he. His name is Casanova."

  "I'm not calling your car Casanova. He was a famous womanizer."

  She grinned,. "I know." She sighed and sat back in her leather seat. "Fine, so what are we going to do for three hours?"

  "Well, I'm going to drive. You should just fall asleep or something. I'll wake you up when we get close."

  "I can't fall asleep. I just woke up like half an hour ago."

  "I don't know what to tell you then, sweetheart."

  "I can crank up the radio and sing along."

  Blaize smiled. "Ummmm, can you sing?"

  "Not really, can you?"

  "Don't think so."

  "Hmmm, I guess we'll just have to talk then." She twisted in her seat to face him.

  "About what?"

  "Let's keep it safe ... like, pets. Do you like dogs?"

  "Like them, never had one."

  "I have two, two Goldendoodles."

  "A golden what?"

  "It's a golden retriever and standard poodle. They are adorable." She felt happy just thinking of her two dogs. She couldn't wait to arrive.

  "What are their names?"

  "Trooper and Cooper."

  Blaize laughed. "Cute."

  "Yeah, they're the best, only nine months old though. Still got all their puppy energy."

  Three hours and five conversation topics later, they reached Lilac Heights. Blaize was busy looking at the huge houses and beautiful lawns. "This is a really nice neighborhood. I mean, I've heard about this place but I've never actually had a reason to come up here."

  "Yea, it's nice. Our stop is at the end."

  Following her directions, Blaize pulled up to a tall black gate, looking surprised. "Nice fence."

  "We got the gate for the dogs, so they can run around outside and we won’t have to worry about them."

  Blaize nodded. "Yeah, this'll keep the dogs in alright." He looked up at the 15-foot high walls.

  "My dad likes things to be secure. Roll down your window."

  Blaize obliged.

  "Press the button."

  Blaize pressed the big black button and a few seconds later, a small door next to the button slid open. A surveillance camera came out, focusing on Blaize, and a young women's voice sounded.

  "May I help you, young man?"

  Blaize jumped a little. "Uhh..."

  Jaide leaned over Blaize's lap so the camera could see her. "It's me, Bella."

  "Jaide! You're early. With a friend?" As the speaker was talking, the gate opened on its own. "I'll see you in a second. Will you need help getting the car unloaded?"

  "Nope, thanks. See you in a second."

  Blaize drove forward. "Umm, maid?"

  "Not a maid, just a helper. She house-sits and takes care of the dogs. My dad can be out of town for up to a week at time. She also preps the conference room for when dad has business people over. Other than that, she's more just like a friend. She cooks sometimes if we want something special because none of us can cook. And she does some gardening, mostly just because she likes it. We don't really like to refer to her as a maid."

  Blaize nodded and pulled into a garage that she pointed at. He parked beside a black GMC Envoy. "Sure, she just sounds young."

  "She's 22. I know it might look bad, with my dad at home most of the time by himself, but it's really not like that. She lives j
ust outside the neighborhood, really close. She was in a bad situation - three kids, no one to help support her. Dad pays her really well and he got her a car, as a sort of signing bonus, to commute and to fit all the kids in if she needs to. She also has a room here if she needs it for some reason. She's great, really nice. You’ll like her."

  They hopped out of the car and Jaide popped the trunk. She grabbed her bag before Blaize could and smirked up at him. Blaize followed her to the nearest door, and she punched in a key code. The door unlocked. She opened it and stepped in.

  After a short walk through a hallway, Blaize found himself in a huge room. The room was about the size of his parents’ house. The middle was down a few steps, like a shallow pit, and contained several large couches and a monster flat screen. Blaize could see a bright kitchen over a breakfast bar, and the adjacent side of the room opened up into what looked like a dining room. A huge bay window opened to the front lawn and an even larger window on the opposite side of the room had a sliding glass door that showed off a large pool and hot tub. Blaize looked up. The ceiling went all the way to the top of the second floor, and there was a balcony along the wall three quarters of the way around. He could see three hallways, one per wall, branching off in different directions.

  "Blaizzze ..."

  "What? Yeah, sorry. Hmmm?"

  Jaide laughed, and so did the young women beside her. "I was trying to talk to you. Anyways, this is Bella."

  "Hi, I'm Blaize. Nice to meet you." Blaize offered his hand and she shook it. She was average height, blonde and thin. She dressed in plain blue jeans and a T-shirt.

  "Nice to meet you, too," she smiled.

  "I'm guessing my dad's not home?"

  "He's helping out at the clinic, some finance matters. He wasn't expecting you until later, but he could be back any time."

  Jaide nodded. "Well, if you were just here watching the dogs while my dad was gone, we got it covered now. I'm sure your boys are home waiting."

  Bella nodded. "Yep, Coop and Troop are out back. You guys need me to cook anything before I head out?"

  Jaide looked at Blaize, who shook his head. "Nope, I think we're good. I'll see you in a day or two?"

  "Yep, I'll be by Monday for sure. Call me earlier if you guys need anything. I'll see you guys later."

  "Buh-bye."

  Bella left the way that they had just come in.