She lifted her perfectly manicured eyebrows.
“Thank you for being a friend. I didn’t have any friends who were girls in California.”
She threw her arms around me in a tight hug. “I got your back.”
We split up when we entered the building since we didn’t have homeroom together. No sooner had I sat down than Ms. Vander told me to go to Coach Dean’s office. Great! So much for avoiding Coach.
As I approached Coach’s office, the voices trickling out of it stopped me in my tracks. Familiar ones. I wasn’t facing Kade for the first time since our argument in front of Coach. What was he doing in there anyway? Then one of the triplets laughed. Suddenly, Becca’s idea of an intervention skittered through my brain. Oh, no. Hell, no, actually. They were not getting me into Coach’s office to gang up on me. Pivoting, I started back the way I came. My nose itched. I squeezed it together. Don’t sneeze. As soon as I let go, I sneezed. The sound reverberated off the walls.
Footsteps scuffed behind me.
Keep walking.
“Where’re you going?” A large hand gripped my arm.
I muttered several swear words under my breath.
“We just want to talk.” Kelton’s blue eyes looked down at me. “It’s just Coach, me and my brothers. This has to happen, Lacey. I know you’re pissed at Kade. But don’t be. Be pissed with me. I’m the one who is forcing this meeting between you and Coach. Kade has nothing to do with it.”
“Mind your own business, Kelton. I don’t need your protection or help.”
“Is that what you think we’re doing?” He chuckled. “We’re not the secret service. We don’t protect anyone but our family. You’re family, Lacey, whether you want to believe that or not. My brother is so fucking sick over your fight yesterday. Wake up, girl. Stop being stupid.”
“Fuck you, Kelton. I get why Coach did his homework on me. But Kade? He was at the ball field that first night to watch me. To me, that’s stalking.”
“So what? Didn’t you have several people in the stands watching you practice? Were they all stalking you too?” Underneath his lashes, anger burned in his eyes.
“I haven’t even made the team. I don’t know what the big deal is. I may not even do well on Friday.”
“I swear if you weren’t a girl, I’d punch you. You’re going to go tell Coach why you passed out. You’re also going to tell him that Aaron has threatened you. Then you and my brother are going to be locked in a room, and you’re not coming out until you both work out your differences.”
“Who made you boss?” I yanked away my arm.
“Lacey, don’t test me. I think the world of you, but I will not hesitate to carry you over my shoulder into the office if you decide to walk out of here.”
I laughed.
He didn’t. He bent over and wrapped his arms around my legs, throwing me over his shoulder. My backpack fell off my arm, thudding to the floor.
“Kelton, put me down.” I was mortified, but I was even angrier at his arrogance.
“No, I like the view. You do have a nice ass.”
“I swear I’m going to cut your balls off.”
“Get in line. I know several girls who are ahead of you.”
I beat on his back as I kicked his front, hoping I would hit his manly parts. I hit something hard.
“That was my hip. Try again.” He laughed.
Asshat. I was on the verge of screaming.
“Kel, put her down,” Kade barked.
He set me upright in Coach’s office next to Kade, who reached out to steady me, but I lunged for Kelton. I was going to kill him. Kade grabbed my waist and gently held me as Kelton stepped away with his hands in the air.
“This isn’t over with, Kelton,” I snapped, storming toward the door.
“Lacey, where are you going?” Coach asked.
“I need to get my backpack.” Then run like the wind. Who the hell did Kelton think he was? Once I had my backpack I shuffled grudgingly back into the office. Kade and Kelton stood to my right. Kross and Kody to the left.
“Have a seat, Lacey,” Coach said in a calm tone as he propped his elbows up on top of his desk.
I huffed as I sat, not looking at Kade or the triplets.
“Close the door, Kross,” Coach ordered.
The room fell silent as Kross nudged it shut. Well, except for Kelton, who was behind me, snickering. Ass.
“Lacey,” Coach began. “The boys here are only trying to help. I want to help.”
“Sorry, Coach, but how do you think you can help me? Aaron and I exchanged pleasantries. He hasn’t bothered me since. End of story. I’m not on the team yet, so none of this should matter.”
“Stubborn,” Kade muttered.
I glared his way, and all I got was a crooked grin. Ass number two.
“If you don’t clean up your attitude, there won’t be a second tryout for you.” Coach’s eyes hardened.
Biting my tongue, I tensed every muscle. The man held my dream in his freaking hands.
“Now, can we talk?” he asked.
“Only, if these morons leave.” I knew I was being a bitch, and I hadn’t meant to be with Kody and Kross. They were being nice and quiet. Regardless, I wasn’t going to talk about Julie in front of the triplets.
“Out, all of you.”
“But, Coach,” Kelton whined.
“Go,” Coach barked.
Once Kade and his brothers closed the door, Coach said, “Tell me about Aaron.” He leaned back in his chair.
“There’s nothing to tell.” I tucked my hair around my ear. “He doesn’t want a girl showing him up on the field. I’m sure you knew that. He hasn’t done anything to me, unless he’s the one who broke into my locker.”
“Well, that was the other reason I wanted to talk to you. We found the guilty party.”
My eyes widened as I clutched the arm of the chair.
“A girl who had been in the locker room the day your gear was stolen came forward. She saw Tammy Reese prying open a locker with a screwdriver. At first she didn’t think anything was suspicious. She pointed out that students forget their combinations occasionally, especially at the beginning of the school year. After questioning Tammy, she’s now been suspended.”
I wasn’t surprised, and I should be relieved, but I wasn’t. My gut told me Aaron still had something to do with this. Or did Tammy just decide to make my life hell since I was dating Kade? Regardless, they were both trouble.
“Who was the girl?” I didn’t think he would tell me. I mean, I wouldn’t want anyone to know if I came forward to rat on someone, but I wanted to thank her.
His brown eyes assessed me. “Details and witnesses are confidential. But I want you to tell me if Aaron bothers you. Or if there’s any backlash from Tammy when she returns. Understood?”
“Yes.” No. I had no intentions of running to Coach every time Aaron made idle threats. As far as Tammy was concerned, I would handle any crap she threw my way. …Not sure how yet.
“Anything else?” he asked as though he was waiting for me to tell him more.
Should I tell him why I passed out? Would it help my chances on Friday? He might give me a break. No. I didn’t want help. I had to do this on my own. But if I didn’t tell him and I passed out again, or worse, hurt someone, I might never have a chance at baseball. “Um…” I glanced at him. He leaned forward in his chair. “I didn’t pass out from not eating or nerves.”
“Lacey, I know you’re still grieving. Principal Sanders and I are the only staff members who are aware. Remember, she talked to the principal at Crestview.” He interlocked his fingers, prayer-like.
I did recall her mentioning something about talking to my last school when I’d gotten into a fight with Tammy. They did know Mom and J
ulie died. However, like everyone else, the details of their deaths were not revealed, since the police wanted to keep it quiet for their investigation.
“I am…” I started. “But because of their deaths, I developed PTSD. And certain triggers can cause me to black out. Renee was a trigger. She reminded me of my sister.”
He had a blank expression on his face.
Dropping my gaze, I picked at nothing on my jeans. I didn’t know if he was going to let me try out now. He’d said he was worried about the safety of his players. What if he thought I was a risk?
“Lacey, thank you for telling me. I know that had to be hard for you,” he said softly.
I looked up. He’d taken off his hat, the fluorescent light above shining on his balding head.
“Are you still going to let me try out?” I asked, biting the inside of my lip.
He rubbed his jaw. “I believe in second chances. But if I see you wavering at all, I’ll pull you out. You have to understand I need you at one hundred percent. If you can’t show me that, then you won’t be considered for a spot on the team. Clear?” he asked.
I nodded.
“You’re free to go,” he said as he tapped a few keys on his computer.
I didn’t move. “One question. Why did you ask Kade to watch me?”
“I never asked Kade to watch you.” He knitted his eyebrows together.
“But he said—”
“Lacey, no one who was around here two years ago wants a repeat performance. Sure, I would like to win state again, but not at the expense of fighting and bullying. When I found out the triplets were coming back to Kensington, you were enrolling specifically to try out for the team, and Renee expressed interest, I got concerned. I went to Kade and his father and shared those concerns.”
“But why? What do the triplets have to do with me playing ball?”
“Nothing. You’re not any different than Renee. Aaron has a few problems this year. He doesn’t like girls on the team. He doesn’t want anyone taking the spotlight away from him. And it’s no secret, the rivalry between him and the Maxwell brothers. Frankly, out of everything I just said, my biggest concern is Kelton. He and Aaron have butted heads in the past. Kelton has a tendency to stir up trouble, too. When he does, the brothers stick together, and fists fly. So I needed the Maxwell family’s guarantee they wouldn’t be a problem. Nothing more. I don’t want bad publicity this year.”
“So why not ban Aaron from playing?”
“He hasn’t done anything for me to sideline him. He’s a good ballplayer. I already had a talk with him. He knows what’s at stake. Now, you should get to class.”
I pushed to my feet. I had one foot out the door then turned. “Coach, will I be facing Renee again on Friday?”
He looked up from his computer. “Sometimes, Lacey, facing your fears scares the demons away.”
Chapter 21
After I left Coach’s office, word about Tammy’s suspension spread at lightning speed. Kids whispered in the halls and classes. I didn’t pay attention to the gossip. A small part of me wished Coach hadn’t found out. Sometimes people who got outed only returned with a vengeance. I prayed the name of the witness stayed hidden.
Kade and his brothers didn’t bother me. I’d thought Kelton would’ve continually hounded me until Kade and I talked. Surprisingly, Kelton kept his distance in chemistry and throughout the entire day, as did Kross and Kody. Kody was my lab partner, but he didn’t bring up Kade or Aaron. Even Kade didn’t spare me a look in psychology. When I sneaked looks at him, he had his head buried in his book or looking at Mr. Dobson.
My trig and calculus tests were brutal. I didn’t feel good when I handed them to Mrs. Flowers. It was hard to concentrate when all I kept thinking about was baseball, my conversation with Coach, Kade, Dad, my life, and the list went on. Would Coach have me facing Renee at tryouts? If so, could I face her again without having a panic attack? Now that Coach knew about my PTSD would he treat me any differently? Given that he’d said, “the way to get over your fears is to face your demons,” I didn’t think he would.
Then there was Kade. I loved him so much it hurt me to see him and infuriated me at the same time. Would I or could I get past the anger and the pain? Maybe Dad had it right all along when he hid behind his work to forget and to ease his pain. Maybe I needed to focus on school and baseball and forget about Kade.
The next day was much the same. Kross, Kelton, and Kody barely said anything to me. Kade gave me a passing glance in the hall. My heart exploded into a thousand pieces at the sadness in his eyes. I’d given him a second chance at my trust. He broke it. How could I continue to trust him? How did anyone learn how to trust?
I was on my way to meet Mark Wayland. I’d asked him at lunch if he would work with me on the ball field. Since he would be catching tomorrow during tryouts, I wanted us to get to know each other. A pitcher’s success in part lay in the hands of the catcher. Catchers were more or less a pitcher’s coach. Mark had agreed to practice, which surprised me since he knew Aaron.
Tyler was talking to Mark when I walked onto the field. “Hey, Lacey,” Mark said, his red hair matted to his head. “Tyler was trying to give me advice on what pitches you need to practice.”
I appreciated Tyler’s interest in my success, and all the time he’d spent with me since I moved here, but he needed to cut the apron strings. I knew what to work on.
Tyler glanced at me, and shrugged the arm he had in a sling. “Are we still on for a shake tonight?”
I’d forgotten all about getting together with Tyler. “I’m sorry. I can’t. My dad needs me home.”
His smile faded. I didn’t want to tell him I was grounded. I didn’t know Mark that well. He hung out with Aaron. I didn’t need any more rumors going around school about me.
“I gotta run,” Tyler said abruptly. He tucked a hand in his pocket and started for the stairs.
I let out sigh. “Tyler, wait.” I jogged up to him.
“I’m grounded,” I said low. “Why don’t you come by the house later?” Dad had work, and Mary was supposedly going out with Mr. Wiley again. Tyler wouldn’t stay long, anyway.
“Great,” Tyler said as his lips spread slowly.
Mark and I practiced. I worked on all three of my pitches and focused on the slider, which was getting better. Mark even complimented me on it. After about thirty minutes, it started to drizzle. I continued to throw. He continued to catch and coach me. We lasted an additional thirty minutes before the dark clouds really opened up. Large raindrops battered down on us, which was our cue to call it quits.
By the time I got home, I was a wet noodle. I kicked off my cleats in the laundry room between the garage and kitchen, then found Dad with his keys in hand, ready to leave for work.
“Don’t forget tryouts are tomorrow,” I said.
“I know.” He kissed my hair. “Mary is out. She left dinner for you in the fridge.” Then he was gone.
I made a beeline for the shower. After I peeled off my wet clothes, I stood in the middle of the tiled bathroom, contemplating if I wanted to take a bath or shower. The more I stared absently at the tub, the more my mind started to conjure up images of Kade, naked Kade. Kade and me naked, bodies twined together. Kade on top of me. Kade inside me. Kade’s lips on me. Kade’s sad eyes at school today. Stop torturing yourself.
My inner voice scolded me all through my shower and as I dressed. I had to keep the little devil talking in my head so I wouldn’t break down and cry. Tyler texted me around six p.m. and said he was on his way. I loped down to the kitchen. Mary had made spaghetti. She’d packaged individual servings. I pulled out a container, popped the top and heated it up in the microwave. When it dinged, so did the doorbell. I went and opened the door.
The rain beat against the gutters, the sound dinging like a low note on a xylophone.
I waved Tyler in before pushing the door shut.
“I was just heating up dinner. Would you like a bowl of spaghetti?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said as he followed me into the kitchen. He made himself comfortable on one of the barstools at the kitchen island and combed his fingers through his damp blond hair.
While I prepared a bowl for him, Tyler asked, “How did practice go?”
“Good. I think I have my slider tuned up. Mark was great in helping me. I should do well tomorrow.” Aside from how depressed I felt over Kade, I did feel confident about my pitching—although if I thought about whether Coach was going to make me pitch to Renee, my nerves kicked in.
When the food was ready, I sat down next to Tyler.
An awkward silence grew as we ate. I struggled to find words. What could I say that I hadn’t already said to him?
“Lacey.” He set down his fork, his hand reaching out to touch mine. “I want to be more than friends.”
Whoa! I hopped off the barstool, taking my plate of spaghetti with me. How many times did I have to tell him I wasn’t interested? Not to mention, he knew Kade and I were an item.
He followed me. “Hey, let me finish.”
“Look, Tyler.” I turned midstride, colliding with him. As I did, my spaghetti ended up on my chest. Crap!
He grabbed a dishtowel that was sitting on the island behind him, then handed it to me. I needed more than a towel to clean myself as the spaghetti had slid down my legs to the floor.
“I need to change clothes,” I said as I dumped the container in the sink. I also wanted a chance to clear my head for a moment so I could think of another way to let him down without being a bitch.
“Lacey, let me start over.” He stood a few feet away near the fridge. “I came here to apologize. I shouldn’t have been an ass to you. You’ve been clear with me. While I do want more with you, I won’t risk our friendship.”
I was officially an idiot for overreacting. Still, he should have started his speech like that in the first place. Could we even truly be friends if he wanted more? I thought about Becca. She was beautiful and a good person. Why didn’t Tyler like her? I studied him as he stood beneath the recessed lights. Softness shone in his eyes, but a muscle ticked in his jaw. This had to be hard for him.
The Maxwell Series Boxed Set: Books 1-3 Page 31