by Apryl Baker
It’s my turn to smile. “Coach Bear can be terrifying.”
“There you go. Now, I think you, me, and your sister are going shopping for some new clothes.”
“Mom, the leg. It’s hard enough walking around the small amount I do. If you want me to walk for an extended period of time, it’s not going to work.”
“I forgot. I know! We’ll do that Amazon clothing box. We’ve got enough time to get it in. You pick out some things, I’ll pick out some things, and we’ll have Cecily do the same. Then we can spend the day trying them on and sending back what we don’t like.”
“Didn’t Dad just confront you about your shopping addiction not two weeks ago?”
“Nonsense. We needed things for the house, and I got tired of waiting for him to take me.”
My mother has a serious shopping addiction. Thankfully, she sticks to a budget, but she can browse all day.
“You go on upstairs to your room, get online, and find a few things.”
“If it’s all the same, I think I want to stay downstairs.”
Mom stops her rambling, and her face softens. “Of course, honey. I’ll get your laptop.”
I settle myself on the couch while she’s gone. If I don’t have to be upstairs by myself after the whole demon incident, I’m not going to. Not that I remember it, but it sounds scary, and I want no part of that if I can help it.
My phone chirps, and I dig it out of my back pocket. Matt sent a simple text to tell me he’s in for the nines. Coach must be really pissed. There’s no way he’s made it to practice yet, so that means Coach called him.
I text back and tell him good luck with that.
And all the while, there’s this silly, goofy grin on my face.
I have a date for Friday night.
Chapter Seventeen
Ella
The week flew by, and now it’s Friday night. My entire family showed up to support Eli in his first game of the season. Yes, it’s only a friendly match and doesn’t technically count toward the season score, but it’s important. Scouts are watching Eli and several other members of the team this year. Not sure if they’re here for this game, but Eli told me they’d be around this season. And they’re looking at him.
He told me that whatever college I want to go to, he’ll go there as well. I get it. He’s my Guardian Angel. He can’t be far from me in case of emergency, but that’s not fair to him or his football dreams, so I decided that whatever school signs him, that’s the one I’ll go to. He’s been there for me since that first day, and yes, we still bicker, but I know he’d drop everything for me. It’s only right I do the same for him.
The team scores, and Mom’s out of her seat shouting. Cecily and I stare at her. Who knew Mom was a closet football fan? Dad’s grinning like a loon.
“You see that throw, girls? Eli’s on fire. He keeps throwing like that, and we got this season in the bag.” Dad’s on his feet too, but he’s not screaming.
I mean, Cecily and I never went to a school where football is king. It’s kind of weird to see how all-out Jacob’s Fork goes over football. The entire town is papered in posters and school colors. Even members of the Appalachia University football team are here cheering the little guys on. And compared to some of those guys, our team really is the little guys. The college team is huge, towering over people and built like brick walls.
“So, where’s Derrick?” I ask my sister.
“Working.” Her eyes track the field. She understands the game even less than I do, but she’s trying. All those practices I had to sit in on have paid off because I picked up a few things. Not a lot, but enough to at least follow the game a little. “That big guy keeps trying to knock Eli over. Why?”
“That’s his job,” I explain to her. “He needs to tackle him before Eli can throw the ball to the running back or the wide receiver.”
“Isn’t that Matt’s position?”
I nod. “He’s caught every pass Eli’s thrown him. So, when do I get to meet Derrick?” I keep my voice down so Dad doesn’t overhear us.
“Soon. As soon as he gets a day off, I’ll make him come by and you can grill him.”
“Better me than Dad.”
She glances at Dad, who’s having a serious discussion about football with Gramps.
“Are you meeting Matt somewhere or…”
“No, I told him I’d wait on him to get done.”
“Dad’s gonna wait too.”
“I know.” I sigh and rub my head, dreading the introductions.
“Better you than me. This is why Derrick’s a secret. After the whole Jordan thing, I learned to keep Dad in the dark.”
“To be fair, you were fifteen when you were seeing Jordan, and he was seventeen. Dad was just trying to look out for you.”
“That whole rule about me having to be home by nine o’clock was a bit much.”
Even though I agree with her, I don’t say so out loud. I get that she was aggravated and that she really liked Jordan, but Dad was protecting her even if she didn’t agree. I mean, maybe he was right. Look at her behavior now. She’s been sneaking around, seeing this guy she hasn’t introduced anyone to. When Eli swung by the pool to scope the guy out, neither of them was there.
And she wouldn’t tell me where they were when I asked her about it. She got mad and accused me of spying on her.
I don’t like this behavior. It’s not like Cecily. She’s never been secretive before.
But she seems to really like Derrick, and I guess she doesn’t want Dad to ruin it like he did with Jordan. I understand that too. I’m worried about how he’ll react to Matt. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t dreading it.
I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t dreading tonight for entirely different reasons. I don’t date. Never have. I mean, after the third guy asked me out, only to find out he wanted to get closer to my sister, I was done with the whole dating scene. I just gave up on it until college, where there would be no Cecily, and if a guy asked me out, I figured it’d be for me and only me.
Matt hasn’t even mentioned my sister, so there’s that, but in the back of my mind, I keep waiting for the questions to come. Compared to her, I’m the ugly duckling. She’s polished, put together, not a strand of hair out of place. And her makeup is perfect.
Me? I’m in jeans, a shirt with our school logo on it, and a baseball hat. I have on lip gloss, and that’s it. My hair is up in a ponytail because it was easier. Cecily was horrified when I left the house like this, but part of me wanted to test Matt. If he likes me for me, then he’ll like me when I’m dressed down or dressed up. Mom laughed, and Dad approved. Said the first date he and Mom went on, she wore sweatpants and a t-shirt with a hole in it.
Dad’s been trying, but it’s not working. Nothing’s going to change as long as he works with the Army. He’s made it abundantly clear he’s not giving up his career. So we are at a standstill.
Makes it uncomfortable in the house, but it is what it is, and it’s not changing anytime soon.
As soon as I can get out of the house for college, it’ll be a relief. I hate the way it is right now.
Jay, one of our running backs, caught the ball when Matt got tackled and ran the ball all the way to the end zone. Everyone around us is on their feet going wild. It was the last play of the night, and we won the game in a complete shutout. The other team didn’t even get a single point.
Brutal.
But I’m happy for our guys. If there were scouts watching, it’s a good beginning to the season.
“Did you see that?” someone yells from above. “They are magic this season, magic.”
Given what I know about the team, they might very well be. Shifters and other Supernaturals have better senses and are stronger than the normal humans. Doesn’t seem fair, but when I pointed that out, Eli laughed. Said every team in the world had Supernaturals on it. Made sense. What other reason would there be for giants on teams?
It takes about an hour for the stadium to clear out. Dad hu
ng around chatting with Gramps and Mr. Cortez after the game while we waited for the team to come up for air. They had post-game interviews—yes, high school players get interviewed too—showers, and post-game talks with the coach.
“Good to see that boy of yours see some game time.” Gramps nods toward where the first of the team is starting to emerge from the locker rooms. “His arm is getting better.”
“Eli’s been working with him.” Mr. Cortez grins proudly. “Said if he keeps getting better, he’ll see more and more game time.”
Brian, Mr. Cortez’s son, is Eli’s backup quarterback, QB2. I’ve seen him on the practice field. He is improving, but Eli’s still better. And that’s not friendship bias speaking either. He’s just flat-out better, and no matter how much Brian practices, he’s never going to be on Eli’s playing level. It’s a simple truth.
“There they come.” Cecily’s quiet voice pulls me back to the present, and I see Eli, Jordan, and Matt walking toward us. The three of them are tall, all over six feet, but Eli stands taller than either of them. Jordan’s wearing his signature cocky grin, and Matt’s smiling. Not cocky, not overly confident, just a genuine smile. Eli’s expression is mostly empty, which is odd.
But before I can ask him, he says, “Excuse me, I need to talk to the girls a second.” He grips us both by the arm and steers us away from the crowd.
When we’re far enough away that not even the shifters can hear, he turns to my sister. “Spill.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ve asked everyone I know who this Derrick kid is, and no one knows him. Not even people at the pool where you two are supposedly hanging out, but no one’s seen you there in over a month. I want to know who Derrick is, and I want to know now, Cecily.”
Her expression morphs from confusion to anger. “You have no right to be spying on me, Eli.”
“No, but your sister asked me to check out this guy since you haven’t introduced him to her. I think she has every right to be concerned, especially since I can’t find anyone who knows him.”
“I don’t need looking after,” she says heatedly.
“Yes, you do, Cecily. You’re sixteen years old. You’re very much still a kid. You’re the same age as my sister was the last time I saw her. She needed looking after then, and you do now. Who is he?”
She huffs, but her expression softens a fraction of an inch at the mention of Eli’s sister.
“His name is Derrick Cassidy, and he goes to school two towns over. He was up here with his mom the day I met him. She was interviewing for a job and dropped him off at the pool while she was busy. We got to talking, exchanged numbers, and have been hanging out since. He’s seventeen and works at Ace Hardware in Bluefield. Satisfied?”
“Not until I meet him, no.”
“Fine, next day off he gets, I was going to introduce him to El anyway, so you can meet him too.”
He nods, and some of the tension eases out of his shoulders. My sister certainly knows how to keep a secret.
Dad is staring at us like he can force a confession from the three of us when we reach them. Not happening.
“Ready to go, Ella?” Matt’s got his hands shoved in his pockets. He looks extremely uncomfortable, and the glee in my father’s eyes tells me he and Matt chatted while I wasn’t here. I’m one part glad and three parts upset that I wasn’t here for that little interrogation.
“Sure am. Eli, will you bring Cecily?”
He nods, eyes narrowed as he watches my sister start texting.
“Cecily Anne,” my mother admonishes. “Can’t you stay off that thing for longer than five minutes?”
“Sorry, I was texting my friend I wouldn’t be able to hang out tonight since I’m intruding on my sister’s date.”
Dad looks extremely satisfied with himself.
“I want you girls home by ten.” He cracks his knuckles.
“Henry, stop it. It’s Friday night, and Ella’s been out later than that with Eli.” She turns to face us. “I don’t expect you girls home before midnight.”
“Molly…”
“Don’t you Molly me.” Mom wags her finger in Dad’s face. “They’re not babies anymore, and it’s time you started treating them like the young ladies they are. You either trust them or you don’t, Henry.”
“It’s not them I don’t trust.” He looks pointedly at Matt and Jordan.
“You trust Eli, don’t you?” Mom arches a brow.
“Grudgingly.”
Well, it’s better than nothing, I guess.
“Then trust he’d never let the girls get hurt.”
“I don’t like this.”
“No, honey, I don’t suppose you do, but our girls are growing up, and you have to accept that.”
“Just remember I own lots and lots of guns, boys.”
Both Matt and Jordan take a step back at the venom in his voice.
“Oh, Lord, let’s go before you scare these boys half to death, Henry.”
Matt reaches over and takes my hand once Dad’s out of sight. “Your dad is scary.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Jordan mutters, and Cecily frowns. Was Dad more prominent in their breakup than she or I had assumed? No wonder she’s keeping Derrick on the down-low.
“Come on, Ella, let’s go. I’m starving.”
And just like that, I’m being led away to go on my first date with a guy who I think actually likes me for me and only me.
Chapter Eighteen
Ella
We ended up at a new pizza place that just opened. Our first choice was The Coffee Shoppe, but they were so packed, there was no getting in there. Eli waved us off, saying he’d wait for the burger. When Matt suggested pizza, we tried two other places before we came here. The whole town seems to be out celebrating tonight.
Once we’re settled into a booth, we order a large pepperoni and cheese pizza with Cokes. The place looks nice. Lots of dark wood and lighter accents to warm up the room. There are real flowers and plants too. I hate when I walk into a restaurant and find cheap plastic plants everywhere.
“Good game,” I say after several minutes of silence. Sounds lame, but I’m unsure of myself. Right now, I’d give anything for Eli or Cecily to walk through the door. I’m not uncomfortable in my own skin around them.
“Thanks.” Matt flashes me his drool-worthy grin. “Want to know a secret?”
“Sure.”
“I’m so nervous I can hardly stand myself right now.”
“Why would you be nervous?”
He leans back and throws his arms over the back of the booth. “You make me nervous.”
“I do?”
“You sure do, sugar. I’ve liked you since the first time I saw you. You and I had a class together last year. Admittedly, it was only the one time I saw you, but you intrigued me. You came dressed to be comfortable instead of to impress, and the more time you spend around Eli and the rest of us, the more I get that’s you. I like it. You’re not afraid to be yourself. Me? I’m terrified to be anyone but Matt Rhodes, all-star football player and hopefully a college recruit. One misstep and I’m out of a potential scholarship.”
“I’m sorry you feel like you can’t be yourself.”
“I am at home, but at school and around the press? I have to be perfect.”
“No one’s perfect.”
“I have to pretend I am.”
“You don’t have to pretend with me.”
“So, if I want to dunk my pizza in thousand island dressing instead of ranch, you’re not going to run screaming?”
“I mean, ewww, gross, but no. If that’s what you want, then go for it.”
I thought the smile I saw before was genuine, but I’d been wrong. This is his genuine smile. It lights up his face like a thousand tiny suns. His eyes lighten, and his entire demeanor relaxes.
“That’s totally gross, but I wanted to make sure you meant what you said.”
“Eli will tell you what you see with me is what you get.”
“I know, that’s why I like you, Ella. You’re the most real person I’ve ever met.”
“That can’t be true. I’m sure there are lots of people…”
“Yeah, when we were kids, there were plenty of people who wanted to hang out and play in the dirt, but as we got older, and football became the focus in our life, things changed. People started to want to hang out because of the boost to their status it gave them. Girls wanted to date me because I wasn’t just good at football, I was great at it. People wanted to give me things because of football, and sometimes it was hard to turn those things down when we needed them, but I’m not screwing up my chances at college ball for nobody.”
“Does that happen a lot, people trying to give you things?”
“Yeah, our boosters want to reward us despite it being against the rules. I could have had a new car, money, and all sorts of other things, but the reward wasn’t worth the risk. If colleges found out I was accepting ‘gifts’ from boosters, I’d be blacklisted. That’s a big no-no, even in college ball.”
“I’m glad you stuck to your morals.”
“It’s not morals so much as survival. My mom works three jobs just so I can play football and have a car. I need it because she can’t cart me everywhere. I’m so proud of my mom, and I appreciate all she’s sacrificed for me. I’m not about to screw up and cost us everything.”
“She sounds like an amazing mom.”
“She’s the best, and she can cook too! Her apple pie is my favorite. She doesn’t make it a lot because she doesn’t have time, but when she does…” He makes a smacking sound with his lips. “It doesn’t last the hour.”
A boy who isn’t shy about bragging on his mom. My kind of guy.
“Enough about me. What’s it like growing up in the Army?”
The waitress brings our pizza over before I can answer, and we take a minute to sort plates and serve ourselves.
“Well, it was a big adventure when I was little. As I got older, it became more of a pain in the butt, especially those years where we’d move three and sometimes four times. You couldn’t make friends easily. It was lonely, honestly. If I didn’t have Cec, I’d have probably died of boredom. She’s a great sister.”