by L A Cotton
“We’ll be there.”
We will?
I’d agreed to the game, not the celebrations after.
“Gosh, is that the time already.” Victoria checked her diamond encrusted wristwatch. “We’d better shoot. But if you see Zach, could you tell him we need to finish the conversation we started this morning over breakfast?” She walked straight between us, her hair whipping around my face like a red wave.
“Did she just say what I think she said?” Josie said around a sad smile.
“Yep.” I tried to contain my hurt.
“Nah, she’s lying. She has to be. No way Zach left you to go eat breakfast with her. Unless... no,” she shook her head, “he wouldn’t.”
“Unless he what?” I really didn’t want to know the answer, but I had to know.
“Well, they are friends... maybe he left and met her for advice or something.”
“Oh God.” I folded my arms around myself. He wouldn’t go to her, of all people... would he?
“She’s such a smug bitch. Until you get the facts from Zach, don’t let her mess with your head, babe.”
“Yeah,” I gave her a tight smile.
Easier said than done.
I didn’t see or hear from Zach all day. I mean, I didn’t expect to hear from him, but it didn’t stop me from checking my cell throughout the day. By the time the session at Next Steps rolled around, I felt queasy.
For more reasons than one.
Jasmine had made it crystal clear last time that she didn’t want to work with me. I knew I wasn’t supposed to take it personally. But it was hard. Especially when Zach had strolled in and hit it off with her without so much as blinking.
I didn’t know if Zach was going to be at the session again. We hadn’t talked about it. We hadn’t talked about a lot of things.
I let out a heavy sigh as I grabbed my bag and left the dorm. It was a nice afternoon out, so I enjoyed the walk to Next Steps. As much as I could enjoy it, with the giant knot in my stomach.
All day, I’d replayed Victoria’s words over in my head. I didn’t believe Zach had left me to go and confide in her, which meant there was more to the story... it also meant she was going out of her way to try to hurt me.
“Ah, Calli.” Freya greeted me at the door. “I’m glad you’re here early. I wanted to touch base with you on a couple of things.” My pulse spiked as I followed her to her office. “Come on, take a seat.”
I did.
“I got a call earlier from Jasmine’s guidance counselor. She’s had a bad day at school. Some girls cornered her in the locker room, and it got physical.”
“God, is she okay?”
“She’s fine. The other girl... not so much.”
“I see.”
“I just wanted to give you a heads up.”
“Okay.” I nodded.
“You seem... relieved.”
“I just thought that after Tuesday you were going to tell me you were going to assign her to somebody else.”
“Absolutely not. It was your first session together. Progress doesn’t happen overnight.” Her reassuring smile settled my nerves. “There was something else. Coach Baxter called about the exhibition game Saturday. I think it’s an excellent idea. I’ll need to clear it with the kids’ parents and guardians first. But it’ll be a great opportunity for them. Nice work.”
“Excuse me?”
“For suggesting it to Coach Baxter.”
“Oh, that.” I schooled my surprise. “It was nothing.”
“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but we decided to put Callum on a different session. Coach is keen for him to get involved and I agreed that it’s perhaps best to keep the two of you separate for now.”
“Of course.” My stomach sank, her words leaving a sour taste in my mouth. “Whatever you think is best.”
“The kids will be here any second. We’re keeping things inside today. Arts and crafts, board games, and the tech corner.
“Sounds good.” I got to up to leave.
“I’ll let you know about Saturday, but I don’t imagine it’ll be a problem. You can mention it to Jasmine, but don’t make any promises.”
“Okay.”
I walked out of Freya’s office just as Jasmine was entering the center. Her eyes locked on mine, narrowing to hostile slits. But I didn’t let it deter me. “Hey,” I said approaching her. “How are you?”
“Is Zach coming?” Her bluish-green eyes went over my shoulder as she scanned the room.
“I... uh, I’m not sure.”
“Oh.” Disappointment washed over her.
“I thought we could make some friendship bracelets.”
“I’m fourteen,” she scoffed, “not eight.”
“Okay, how about fabric painting? I think I saw—”
“Stop.” She shook her head. “Just stop.”
Defeat sat heavy in my stomach.
“I don’t want to paint or make crappy pieces of jewelry. Don’t you get it? I don’t want to be here.” Her aloof façade cracked, and I saw a glimmer of sadness in her eyes. “What?” she snapped.
“It’s okay to not be okay, Jasmine. I’m not here to judge or tell you how to—”
“Whatever.” She stormed off toward a group of other kids all huddled around a small flatscreen.
“Perseverance,” Maureen whispered as she passed me, clapping me gently on the shoulder.
“Yeah,” I said as if it was that simple.
Sitting down at one of the craft tables, I began threading beads onto a bracelet. “Looks tricky,” a voice said over my shoulder and I glanced up to find Zach looming over me.
“You came.”
“I wasn’t going to, but then I remembered that my favorite girl was going to be here, so I thought, why the hell not. How is Jasmine by the way?”
My lips parted on a small gasp, and Zach chuckled, leaning down a little until I could feel the warmth of his breath. “Don’t tell her, but she’s my second favorite.”
“You can’t do that, not here.” A tingle of awareness spread through me. “Not while I’m working.”
“Do what?” He sat down beside me, one of his long legs brushing mine. “What am I doing, sweet pea?”
“Zach...”
“Calliope...” Amusement glittered in his eyes.
“Zach, you came.” Jasmine skipped over to us with a boy in tow. “Me and Joseph were hoping you might teach us a few more tricks.”
“I’m not sure we’re supposed to play—”
“It’s okay.” Freya joined us. “I’ll make an exception. Perhaps a little warning next time.” She glanced at Zach and he nodded.
“Sorry, I just thought I’d drop by.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I should have called ahead.”
“Next time, yes, but you’re here now. Might as well put you to work. Jasmine, Joseph, why don’t you grab a couple of balls and anyone else who wants to play and meet Zach and Calli out back in a minute.”
They shot off in a hurry.
“Shit, I’m sorry, Freya. I didn’t mean to just—”
“The kids loved having you here Tuesday. I know we agreed to four sessions, but you’d be an asset to the team, Zach. If you’re interested.”
“I’ll definitely think about it, thank you.”
“And this,” she wagged her finger between us, “do I need to be concerned?”
“No,” I said. “Absolutely not.”
“Believe it or not, I was young once too.” Her lips curved into a knowing smile. “All I ask is you keep your relationship outside that door. That goes for texting, calls, and making moon eyes at each other.”
“We weren’t—” I snapped my mouth shut, smothering the sheer embarrassment burning through me.
“Relax,” she laughed, “I’m joking, about the moon eyes at least. I trust you both not to let it get in the way of you doing your job. You’d better go, it would appear you have quite the captive audience.” Her eyes twinkled as she walked off.
“Relax, swe—Calli. You heard her, she was young once. She knows how it is.” Zach’s eyes darkened with lust as he watched me.
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him what happened this morning, but I swallowed the words. It wasn’t the time or place. Besides, he had a flock of kids eagerly awaiting his attention.
“You should probably get over there.”
“Calli, I—”
“Go. We can talk after.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“Okay.” Zach jogged out of the back doors and found himself swarmed by kids. Jasmine was front and center, smiling up at him like he was all her dreams come true.
I knew the feeling.
I’d been her once. A fourteen-year-old girl swept away by Zach’s charm and irresistible smile. Only back then, it was his lost boy persona and rebel heart that had captured my attention.
Now though, it was different.
He was different.
Gone was the shy boy unsure of himself and his place in the world, and in his place stood a man. As equally lost as he was sure.
I got comfortable on one of the benches and watched him cast his magic. Wondering if I looked at him that way still.
With stars in my eyes and lust in my heart.
“We’ve got to talk to your athletic director about getting you on the team.”
“Never gonna happen.” Jasmine accepted a bottle of water from Zach.
“Is there a local team you can join?”
She shrugged. “I bounce back and forth from my mom and dad’s a lot. There isn’t much time for extracurricular activities.”
“But if I could arrange it, would you go?”
“I...” Her cheeks burned as she folded in on herself.
“Zach’s right,” I said, and her head snapped up. “You’re good, Jasmine. Really good.”
“What do you know about basketball?”
Zach let out a low whistle.
“What?” Jasmine frowned, glancing between us.
“Are you going to tell her, or should I?”
“Zach...” I shook my head.
“No, go on.” Jasmine looked eager. “I want to know.”
“My brother plays.”
“What, is he like some famous player or something?” It was the first time she was engaging with me and of course it was because she thought my brother was a famous basketball player.
“Not quite. But he does play for the Scorpions.”
“Is he good? Do I know him? What’s his name?”
“Whoa, Elsa,” Zach chuckled. “Take a breath. Calli’s brother is Callum James, the guy I was here with Tuesday.”
“Callum James is your brother?” She eyed me with suspicion.
“He is.”
“Is that why he left the other day? Because you were here?”
Crap. She was intuitive.
“It’s complicated.”
“I heard some of the kids whispering.” Her gaze slid to Zach. “They said you’re Declan Messiah’s brother. Is it true?”
Zach grimaced. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.”
“They said he won’t ever walk again…. That he might not wake up.”
“They were right.” Zach tipped his face to the sky and inhaled a ragged breath.
“Listen, Jasmine. Why don’t we go help clean up?” I suggested.
“Yeah, okay.” She fell into step beside me without argument. “I didn’t mean to upset him.”
“You didn’t.” I offered her a reassuring smile.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Is it true? Can we really go to the exhibition game Saturday if our parents agree?”
Zach had let it slip earlier. Something told me he was almost as excited as the kids about them getting the chance to go.
“Zach said it was all your idea.”
“I thought you might like it.”
“No one’s ever bothered to do anything like that for me before.” Her eyes found mine. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Will your brother be playing?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe I’ll get to meet him too?”
“Maybe.” I forced a smile. “It’s almost time to go. Why don’t you grab your jacket and I’ll check on Zach?”
“But I’ll see you Saturday, right, for the game?”
“Assuming your parents give permission then yes, I’ll see you Saturday.” A faint smile traced my lips.
“Cool. I’ve heard it’s really loud and big and gets kind of crazy.”
“I’ve never been to a college game either,” I admitted.
“For real?”
“For real. So it will be my first time too.”
“That makes me feel better. I’ll see you Saturday.” Jasmine began walking toward the door when she stopped and glanced back. “And Calli?”
“Yes?”
“I guess you’re all right.” She gave me a half-shrug and skipped off toward the reception area.
It was the best compliment she could have given me.
“All right?” Zach whispered against my hair. “She clearly doesn’t know you the way I do.” His warm breath tickled my neck, sending bolts of desire shooting through me.
“Zach!” I scolded.
“Relax, all the kids have gone.”
“Yes, but the other volunteers haven’t.” Maureen was watching us with mild amusement. “Besides,” I hissed. “We need to talk.”
“Why do I not like the sound of that?”
“I’ll just grab my things.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said.
But he had.
He’d fled my dorm room this morning in such a panic I hadn’t expected such a one-eighty already.
After collecting my things and saying goodbye to Freya, I found Zach talking to some of the other volunteers.
“All set?” he asked me, and I nodded.
“Night everyone.”
“Night.”
The second we hit the sidewalk, Zach pulled me into the shadows and pushed me up against the wall. He stared at me for a second, the air crackling around us, before his mouth crashed down on mine, and he kissed me with total unrestraint.
“Zach,” his name was a whispered sigh on my lips. “Stop.”
“Stop?” He dropped his lips to my shoulder, letting out an exasperated breath. “Now she wants to stop.”
“We should talk.”
“You’re right.” His eyes lifted to mine. “I just really hoped we could skip the talking part and go straight to the kissing part. I missed you today.”
“You did?”
“Of course I did.” Zach slid his fingers into my hair. “Didn’t you miss me?”
“I did... but I was a little confused too.”
“I’m sorry.” He exhaled a long breath. “I didn’t handle it very well.”
“Did you have breakfast with Victoria?”
“What?” He reared back, his brows knitted together. “Why would you ask that?”
“She said some things.”
“What things?” He went rigid.
“Zach?” My stomach sank at his expression. “It’s not true, is it? You didn’t meet her after we...”
His silence was deafening, and blood roared between my ears as I tried to understand.
“You went to her for advice about us... about me?”
“What? No? Fuck, no. I swear, Calli, it wasn’t like that. When I left you, I called Maverick. He wanted to go for breakfast, and she was there.”
“So the three of you had breakfast?”
“Four,” he admitted. “Kira was there too.”
“So it was like a double breakfast date?”
“What the fuck? No! Maverick is engaged. He would never do that to Lo.”
“But you’d do that to me?”
Disbelief coated my words. “Is that it?”
“Calli, listen to yourself.” He cupped my face, staring at me intently. “Where is all this coming from?”
“You just left me, Zach. I let you back in and you just left.”
“I just needed some time. That’s all. I called Maverick and we got some breakfast. Then I spent the day trying to figure out how to tell you that I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?”
He nodded. “I hate that we wasted so much time.” His lips ghosted over the corner of my mouth, his words a gentle caress against my skin. “I hate that I wasn’t there when your mom got sick.” He kissed me and then breaking off he tucked my hair behind my ears, meeting my gaze, his expression soft. “But most of all, I hate how I treated you over the last few weeks. I love you, Calliope James. I don’t think I ever stopped.”
“You love me?” My heart crashed against my ribcage. Zach’s words were like a balm to my broken and bruised heart.
“I love you so fucking much it terrifies me. It’s you, sweet pea. It’s always been you. I was just too fucking stupid to see it.” Zach touched his head against mine. “After the game I want to tell everyone. I don’t want to waste a single second more of our time together.”
“Okay,” I breathed, the weight of his confession a burden I would gladly carry. “And, Zach?”
“Yeah?”
My smile grew. “I love you too.”
Zach
Waiting to tell everyone was like torture. I knew Calli was right—we needed to get the exhibition game out of the way before the shit hit the fan. But it didn’t mean I had to like it.
“You’re tense as fuck,” Brad said as we all sat around on the bleachers waiting for Coach.
“I’m okay,” I clipped out. But his eyes dropped to my leg, the one bouncing up and down. “It’s nothing.” I shirked him off. My heart thundered in my chest, sweat beading down my back. It had been an intense practice, but I’d needed it. We all had.
“Right, ladies,” Coach boomed, his voice echoing off the walls. “The day has finally come.” The guys began to hoot and holler, the noise deafening. “Okay, okay, settle down.” He tore off his ball cap and ran a hand through his graying hair. “It’s our first game of the season. Now it might only be an exhibition game, but I want you to go out there tomorrow and play like your lives depend on it. I always say the first game of any season sets the tone of that season. And this season is ours, you hear me?”