Fair Catch (Love and Sports Series)

by Meghan Quinn

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Her mom asked while covering her face.

  “I’m taking evidence to show to the cops. He needs to be stopped Mom and if you’re not going to do it then I am.”

  Her mom ripped the camera out of Lexi’s hand and threw it against the wall, smashing it into pieces. Not knowing how to react, Lexi just stared at the broken camera on the ground.

  “Don’t even bother taking pictures with your phone because I will do the same thing. I came here to get a good night’s sleep, not to be chastised by my own daughter who should be helping me out and if you don’t think you can handle doing that this one night, then I guess I’ll just have to go back home and face your father.”

  Lexi just stared at her mom, she couldn’t believe her. All Lexi wanted to do was help her mom but her mom wanted nothing to do with setting the record straight, setting her dad straight for once. Not having much of a choice because Lexi didn’t want her mom going back to the wrath that was her father tonight, she decided to let her mom stay.

  “You can take my bed Mom. I can sleep with Margo.”

  A loud knock on the front door shook Lexi out of the situation with her mom and reminded her of the night she had previously planned. Lexi’s heart dropped, it was Jake and the last thing she wanted was for him to see her mom for the first time like this, let alone know about her parents.

  “Mom, go wash up and throw on a pair of my pajamas. I will be in to help you in a second.”

  Her mom left the room and Lexi went to grab the door. She wiped at her eyes to make sure she didn’t have any tears showing, she didn’t need Jake wondering why she was so upset. She flung the door open and her heart sped up from just the mere sight of Jake. She quickly scooted herself outside so he couldn’t see the inside her apartment. He greeted her with a confused look.

  “Hey babe, what’s going on?”

  She couldn’t believe she was about to lie to Jake, she didn’t want to but she had to, she had no other option. She knew this wasn’t the way to conduct a relationship but she didn’t want him knowing about her despicable family history, not yet anyway.

  “Uh, tonight’s not a good night. I have a headache and uh, just don’t feel good.”

  Jake brought her into a hug. “Let me take care of you then.”

  Lexi pushed away. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She pretended to yawn. “I’m tired anyway.” She gave him a quick peck on the check and said, “I’ll call you tomorrow, night.”

  With that she shut the door on him and cursed herself. She could have handled that situation way better but she panicked instead. She was so nervous that her mom was going to come out of the bathroom and ask her a question that she tried to hurry Jake out of her apartment as quickly as possible.

  Regret flew through her body, making her question if she did the right thing. She couldn’t forget the hurt look on Jake’s face when she brushed him off. If only he knew how excited she was to see him, to have him spend the night, to spoil him rotten with a massage. Instead she was stuck staring at her mom who didn’t even seem like the woman Lexi once knew. Instead of the strong confident woman Lexi once knew, there was a ghost in her place. Her mom fell to her dad’s abuse and based her life around him, something Lexi swore she would never do. She would never rely on a man so much that he became her world, because that was when you got in situations like her mom.

  Lexi settled her mom into her bed and went over to Margo’s room where she would be shacking up for the night. Margo was still out with a couple of the girls so Lexi wrote a note on the door so when Margo came back to the apartment she wasn’t scared shitless when she found someone sleeping in her bed.

  Lexi was just snuggling into the covers when her phone chimed with a text message. She knew it was from Jake without even having to look.

  Jake: Look, babe. I don’t know what that was all about back there but you’re scaring me. Is everything alright between us?

  Yup, Lexi felt like complete shit. She definitely should have handled Jake better tonight. Instead of comforting him and sending him on his way, making sure to show him that everything was ok, she made him think there was something wrong between the two of them when in fact that was farthest from the truth. Lexi cursed out her dad for putting them all in this position. She wrote back to Jake.

  Lexi: Everything is fine, I promise. I just needed to take care of something. I’m sorry.

  Jake: So you don’t have a headache?

  Shit, this was why she didn’t lie, she wasn’t good at it. She was digging herself quite a hole where Jake was concerned. She was going to lie again to fix her slip up but decided not to. She was already in too deep. She wish she never lied in the first place but that would have meant letting Jake see her mom and there was no way in hell she was going to expose Jake to her mom’s battered face.

  Lexi: No, but something important came up. I promise I will make it up to you.

  Jake: I don’t want you to make it up to me, I just want to help. Let me help you and be a part of your life.

  Why did her life have to be so fucked up? Tears started to prick at her eyes but she refused to give in to the pain her dad caused. That would mean he would win and there was no way she was going to let that happen. He didn’t deserve the satisfaction of ruining her life and her mom’s.

  Why was Jake such a good guy? Why did he want to help? Couldn’t he be like every other guy and give two shits about what was going on? She wished he was obsessed with video games or something mind-numbing like that so he was distracted rather so attentive. Why did she have to be dating the one guy that actually paid attention to what was going on in their relationship?

  Lexi: I appreciate it Jake, but I can take care of it. I will talk to you tomorrow. Good night. XOXO

  She decided to end the conversation before it got any worse. She knew she should have just told him the truth but what would he have thought? Some people just don’t understand the situation her family was in, hell Lexi barely understood it. She didn’t want to subject Jake to her family issues, especially when everything was perfect and new between them. No, she would wait. Her phone chimed again.

  Jake: Ok. Good night baby.

  Lexi’s heart melted and wept at the same time. She so desperately wanted Jake with her, she needed him with her. He had become her safe haven and right now she needed that haven more than ever. She wanted to get lost in his arms so she could forget that sick reality that her father was an abusive dick and her mom was a spineless victim. Instead of leaning on Jake, she had to get lost in Margo’s sheets which didn’t even come close to comparison between the two.

  ***

  It felt like the weight of the world was resting on his chest. Jake could feel the tension he was carrying around in his shoulders and it was starting to cause him some serious stress. He hadn’t seen Lexi in a couple of days and it bothered him. They talked on the phone but that wasn’t enough for him, especially since they only lived a couple of buildings away. She hadn’t let him in her apartment the night he came back from his away trip, or any other night since he’d been home. He missed her. Every time he tried to get together with her, she was always busy. Jake didn’t see her in the gym either, he wondered if she reverted back to lifting cans of beans in her apartment to avoid seeing him.

  He didn’t think the reason she was being allusive was because of another guy, at least he didn’t want to think that. He couldn’t. She was very adamant about being exclusive when they started their relationship. Although, he found it incredibly odd that she wouldn’t let him in her apartment. What was she hiding? And why wouldn’t she tell him? He wasn’t an expert on relationships but one thing he knew for sure was couples didn’t keep secrets from each other, instead they leaned on each other for support.

  Annoying music bumped through the training room which only raked on Jake’s nerves even more. Jake blew out a frustrated breath and set the dumbbells he was lifting back on the rack. He didn’t know how many reps he did, all h
e knew was his biceps were on fire and he zoned out a while ago.

  “Finally.” Mason said. “I was getting worried about you over there. I didn’t know if you were going for some kind of record or turned into a moron and forgot how to count.”

  Jake ran his hands over his face. “Does Brooke keep things from you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Jake went into story mode right in the middle of the weight room and told Mason everything that happened after he got off the bus the other night. Jake wasn’t much for sharing but he had to get the heavy weight Lexi put there off his chest. He told Mason how it made him feel and his fears of there being a possible other man in the mix. Mason chewed on Jake’s information for a second before he answered.

  “I don’t think it’s a guy.”

  Jake felt his spirits perk up. “You don’t? Why?”

  “Because of the way she looks at you man, I don’t think she could look at you like that if there was another guy.”

  “You’re basing your theory off of a look? That doesn’t mean much.”

  Mason shrugged. “Could mean everything, man”

  Mason tossed an elastic band at Jake so he could work on his rotator cuff. They both put the end of their band under one of the squatting rack barbells and turned around to work their rotator cuff muscles.

  Thoughts of the other night kept running through Jake’s head as he went through his rotator cuff exercises which were required for every quarterback since shoulder injuries were a big concern in his position.

  When Jake finished his last rep, he looked up and spotted Lexi walking into the weight room. She was a sight for sore eyes and looked amazing like usual. She was wearing her little spandex shorts, a workout tank top and her hair was up in a messy bun. She wore neon colored shoes that offset the tan on her legs.

  Jake’s heart hammered heavily in his chest from just knowing she was in the same room as him. She hadn’t spotted him yet so he was able to observe her from a decent distance. She was talking to the trainer and laughing about something on the bulletin board that hung up in the weight room usually showing off poor humored jokes. She was so gorgeous it almost hurt Jake’s heart to see her so happy when clearly he wasn’t the reason why.

  She grabbed her workout file and turned toward the center of the room which was when they made eye contact for the first time in a couple of days. She stopped mid stride and smiled at him. He smiled back, unsure of what else to do. He knew she needed space but all he wanted to do was run up to her and take her away from everyone so he could have her to himself.

  She walked toward him, more like sashayed Jake thought. It wasn’t fair that she had such a sexy walk too amongst other things. She was right in front of him while he finished up his exercises. She reached up and brushed his cheek with her thumb and planted a gentle kiss on his lips. Every bad feeling he had toward her melted away and he felt himself falling all over again for Lexi Knox.

  “Hey, big guy.”

  “Hey, short stack.”

  She nodded toward Mason. “Hey Mase. Good game the other night.”

  “Thanks.” Mason took his band and put it away, giving them their space.

  “How’s it going?” Jake asked, suddenly feeling awkward. He wished she would kiss him again because when they were touching it felt so right.

  “Good. Are you done with your workout?”

  “Yea, this was my last thing. Haven’t seen you in these parts lately. Have you been hanging out with your cans of beans again?”

  She chuckled and peered at him with her sky blue eyes. “No, just haven’t had time, so I better get going with this workout because I have some catching up to do.” She started to walk away but Jake pulled her back. Her hands rested on his chest and he reveled in the way her small hands felt against his body.

  “Can we have dinner tonight? I miss you, babe.”

  She looked away and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I have some things to take care of tonight and I have to write a paper.”

  Jake’s heart sank to the floor. “You do know I leave tomorrow for another away game right? I haven’t seen you all week.” He tilted her chin up so she was looking him in the eyes. “Are we ok, Lexi?”

  “Of course.” She said with a half-hearted smile. He knew it wasn’t her genuine smile because her genuine smile lit up a room, it lit up his heart “I just have a lot to do. I will talk to you tonight on the phone. Alright?”

  Jake ran his hand through his hair, frustrated and angry but also sad because whatever was going on with her, she didn’t want to include him and that hurt more than anything. Unless she was actually seeing someone behind his back, then of course she would keep him out of the loop. Why would she want him finding out about her affair with someone else?

  “I guess.” He said. He removed her hands and gave her a quick good bye before heading out toward his locker room. He couldn’t be around her anymore, especially when she was acting so strange. He felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest and he didn’t even know why.

  “Jake.”

  He spun around and saw her running after him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a long luscious kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her in closer. He felt her breasts press against his chest as she took control of his mouth. He let her do all the work. He let her be in charge because he wanted to see if she was kissing him with true passion or if it was just a pity kiss. When she deepened their kiss further he knew she was kissing with passion.

  She pulled away and said, “I’m sorry.” Then she walked away without another word.

  What the hell? Jake stood in the hallway completely shocked as she walked back into the weight room. What was she sorry for? For being weird? Or for something worse, like cheating on him?

  Cheers erupted down the hall but Jake didn’t even bother to see what it was about, he was way too confused and scared to worry about anything else. Jake walked back to his locker room more annoyed than ever. She was so good at making him ride a damn emotional roller coaster, which he wished he could get off. It was frustrating to have to keep up with her varying emotions and deciphering what everything meant. Why couldn’t women just come with a manual? It would be so much easier to deal with them if they did, Jake thought.

  Chapter 11

  Finally her apartment consisted of two residents, rather than three. Lexi was able to get her mom to go to her Aunt’s house instead of back home to her dad. At least that was what Lexi hoped her mom was doing. She knew when her mom first showed up at Lexi’s doorstep she was staying for the night but Lexi softened up toward her mom and asked her to stay a couple more days even though it put a strain on her relationship with Jake. But now her mom was gone and things could go back to normal. She only wished her mom went back a night sooner so she could spend the night with her man. Now Jake was away and instead of being with him, she was watching him on TV.

  She wished she could have given him a proper sendoff but when she wasn’t in class or practice, her mom demanded Lexi’s attention, claiming they never did anything together anymore. So the past week they spent a lot of mother-daughter time together, too much time Lexi thought. She loved her mom but her mom was weak, not a strong woman like Lexi desired to be and felt it hard to be around her.

  A special piece about Jake possibly going to play in the NFL came on the TV. Lexi couldn’t help but smile at the screen thinking about how lucky she was to have him in her life. When he got back from his away trip, she was going to make it up to him, big time. She finally felt ready to be with him. She knew he wasn’t going after her just to cross her off his fuck list, he actually cared about her. He actually wanted to be in a solid, committed relationship with her. And she was ready to reciprocate his feelings.

  The campus was more than happy to receive them as a couple which shocked Lexi, she for sure thought she would get some backlash from some of Jake’s most admiring fans. They obviously didn’t make a public statement about their relations
hip but when they were together, they didn’t keep it a secret that they were with each other. Because of Jake, Lexi became more of a celebrity around campus, not that she cared about those things but people would come up to her and tell her how much they loved Jake and how great he was. She would thank them, she didn’t know why but she thought it seemed appropriate.

  The cameras zoomed in on Jake while he was stretching. He looked different, he looked off. He didn’t have his normal game face on and he wasn’t joking around with the other guys like he usually did. She hoped it wasn’t because of the stress she put him through the past week. Lexi cursed herself for not having the nerves to tell him about her mom. She was just too ashamed. She thought if she could get rid of her mom, Jake would never have to know about her abusive asshole of a father and weakling of a mother. If things went further down the road with Jake, maybe she would tell him but right now she didn’t want any negative light shown on her, especially since their relationship was so rocky.

  She thought about their conversation they had last night and wondered if there was already a negative light on her because Jake knew something was up. He was short with her on the phone after she turned him down again about meeting up and he barely text her today even though she sent a bunch of messages to him, wishing him luck and telling him how much she missed him. Lexi started to feel sweat trickle down her back as she thought about the strange way Jake was acting. Was Jake going to break up with her? Did she make the wrong decision by not telling Jake about her sordid family?

  She looked at the camera again, he definitely didn’t look like himself and the fact that he barely talked to her today skated across her nerves.

  “Oh no.” She said out loud. Could she have driven him away from her?

  She looked back at her text messages from today and the last one he sent said, “Thanks baby.” She wished him luck, hoping that even though he couldn’t take her calls right before the game, her text messages would show how much she cared. Lexi thought it was good that he called her baby in his last text message. That settled her nerves a little, at least for the time being. If he was going to break up with her, he definitely wouldn’t have called her baby.