Sublime Karma

by Peyton Garver

  “What?”

  “You heard me. Take it off.”

  Leif took her hands in his, inspecting them front and back. He pushed up the sleeves of her sweater, exposing her arms. “Dammit, Brie. When?” Spotting two pink lines, on the inside of her left arm, he rubbed his thumb over them. Still chafing, he knew they weren’t that old.

  She tried to pull out of his grip, but couldn’t.

  “When?” he repeated, releasing her.

  “I don’t know. Two weeks ago? Just after we moved here.” She pushed her sweater back to cover her arm.

  “I didn’t see that last weekend.”

  “You looked at my right arm.” She pressed her lips together, looking at him with regret.

  “You know,” he shook his head. “When you get like that, you’re supposed to talk to me.”

  “You’re not exactly accessible anymore,” she murmured.

  “God, Brie, why do you do this? You should’ve called me. Did Rick do something?”

  “No, he hasn’t touched me again since you threatened him. I hardly ever see him, or Mom.”

  “So, why? Are there more?”

  “Leif, I’m good. I promise.”

  “Do you still run?”

  “Yes! I’m on the cross-country team. I told you that last weekend.”

  “Oh, yeah.” He released her hand. “So, tell me about this guy. You really like him, huh?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I like Jake, a lot. But, he has this ex-girlfriend who’s being a real bitch to me. She’s the cheerleading captain. It’s okay though, I’m handling it.” She chewed her lip.

  “So, what’s going on? How is she being a bitch?” Leif studied his sister.

  “Nothing I can’t handle. Except for her and her snotty friends, I’m starting to kind of like it there. Public school isn’t so bad. I mean, I feel like I’m starting to kind of fit in.”

  He stared at her, waiting.

  “What?”

  He gave her a rueful smile and shook his head. “Nothing,” he held the jacket out to her. “Was that so hard? You know you’re supposed to talk. Don’t bottle everything up.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. Next time I get like that, I’ll call. I promise.” She slipped her hand into the jacket sleeve. “Lief, we’re gonna miss the game.”

  “A’right. As soon as you put your seatbelt on. I’ll get going.”

  He revved the engine, and when he heard the click of the seatbelt, he peeled out, off the shoulder of the road.

  He parked the Maserati in the far lot and hurried around to open her door. “You ready?”

  “Yeah, c’mon.” She took a hold of his arm, pulling him, oblivious to the curious looks from the students hanging out in the lot.

  “Calm down.” He chuckled. “We’ll get there. Look at the scoreboard. It’s still the beginning of the first quarter.”

  Leif paid at the gate and surveyed the stadium. He draped his arm over Brie’s shoulder and guided her to the home side, directly behind the Falcon players. “C’mon, let’s sit up high.” Dropping his arm from her shoulder, he ushered her up the stands, his hand at the small of her back. “Now that we’re here, I want to be able to see the whole field, so I can really watch the game. I miss football.”

  Brie spotted Becca pointing her out to Sarah and Pam. Rolling her eyes, she looked away.

  “How about here?” he asked, stopping.

  “This is fine. You can see the whole field, and we can watch those bitchy cheerleaders straight ahead.” She dropped to the bleacher bench.

  He laughed. “That’s them?”

  “Yeah, well, really it’s only a few of them.”

  He nodded, watching as they started a cheer.

  “Ready! O-kay!” Sarah called out to her squad, and they joined in. The fans began stomping out their beat.

  Pam stepped up, raised her pom-poms, and started her solo chant for Troy. When Pam stepped back, Sarah leaped forward with her chant for number eighty-four—Jake. The cheerleaders sprung a few cartwheels and flips before Sarah and Pam looked smugly back up at Brie.

  “Jake, Jake, make a great fake?” Leif chuckled. “Are those the two that are being bitchy to you? What’re their names?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? Why do you think they keep looking up here? The blond is Sarah Fisher. Jake doesn’t go out with her anymore. The redhead is her best friend, Pam Robinson.”

  “Forget them,” he said. He watched the center snap the ball to the quarterback, and in a beautifully synchronized maneuver, the players shifted from their still positions executing a play they’d obviously practiced. “Both wide receivers are open,” Leif mumbled, standing to watch the play.

  The quarterback spotted his target, drew his arm back, and released a rocket downfield.

  Standing, Brie latched onto his arm, watching. “Oh my gosh, Leif! Look!” She pointed downfield to where the ball was soaring. “That’s him, number eighty-four.”

  Diving, Jake caught the ball, rolled, and was back on his feet before any defensemen reached him. “Oh my gosh. Go! Go!” she screamed, holding onto Leif, who was straining, along with everyone else to see the play downfield.

  The whistle blew. The referee threw his arms up in the air. “Touchdown!”

  “Did you see that?” She patted Leif’s arm.

  He let out a low whistle. “That kid’s got moves.”

  Leaping in the air, Jake chest bumped Troy before they trotted off the field. Jake pulled off his helmet, shook out his sweaty locks, and scanned the home stands behind the team. He found her.

  She gave a slight wave as her smile spread across her face. Interrupting their mutually adoring gaze, someone shoved a water bottle in his hands.

  Jake gave Brie a quick two-finger wave with a grin before he turned. He squirted some water in his mouth, spit it out, pulled his helmet on, and hustled back out onto the field with the special team for the kick-off.

  “Oh, yeah. I’m pretty sure you have a boyfriend,” Leif said.

  “Isn’t he incredible?”

  “Well there’s no doubt he’s a good ballplayer. But, I’ll hold off other judgment until I meet him.”

  “No! Don’t you dare.”

  “What? Someone has to. You don’t know what these guys are thinking. I do. I don’t want some guy taking advantage of my sister.”

  “Please don’t,” she begged. “Promise me you won’t.”

  “Look.” He nodded toward the cheerleaders who had just finished their touchdown cheer. “You wanna give them something to talk about?”

  Clustering together, Becca, Sarah, and Pam were sneaking peeks at Brie with renewed interest.

  Brie scoffed. “Why not? What do you have in mind?”

  “Nothing too crazy. They don’t know who I am.” He grinned. “Just sit close, keep warm.”

  She huddled close and grabbed his arm. “I bet they’re dying to know who you are.”

  “Probably,” he said, laughing.

  “You are so conceited.” She smacked his arm, laughing. “But, genius.”

  “Glad I could be of assistance.”

  Miss Moore, the cheer coach, was yelling something from the sidelines, prompting the girls to get back to cheering. They formed a straight line and jogged passed the rows of fans waving their pom-poms to hype up the crowd down field.

  “Ugh, about time.”

  Leif chuckled. “Now we can do what we came here to do.”

  “Watch the game,” they said in unison, laughing.

  “That was a great game,” Leif said as their quarterback took a knee on the final play as the clock ran down through the last few seconds of the game. “Your guy? He’s a natural. He’s what they call a utility player.”

  “A utility
player? You make him sound like a commodity.”

  “Yeah, he kinda is.” Leif stood and extended his hand to help her up. “It just means he can easily fit into different positions. He’s that good. His regular position is wide receiver, but he’s on special teams—kick-off and receiving—and in the second half, his coach had him playing defense as cornerback for several plays. That’s how he got that interception in the last quarter.”

  “I mean, I knew he was good, but I didn’t know he was like that good. Everyone thinks they’ll be going to the State Championship in Baltimore.”

  “Yeah? Doesn’t surprise me after what I saw tonight. They’re a machine.”

  She put her hand on his shoulder. “Thanks for bringing me tonight. I’ve been wanting to come but—”

  “Hey, I’m glad we came, but let’s get moving before we get stuck in traffic,” he hesitated. “Unless you wanna go say goodbye or something?”

  “No, I’m not going down there into enemy territory. I wanted to puke at halftime when they announced the homecoming court. At least the team was inside during halftime, and we didn’t have to watch Sarah hanging all over him.

  “We can just go. He knows I was here. I’ll see him tomorrow.” She looked back to see the cheerleaders bouncing around in the midst of the team. Her heart skipped when she noticed Jake looking back up at the stands where she’d been sitting. Maybe she should just brave the crowd and go talk to him, but when a couple of the guys hit him on the back, Jake jogged off the field with them. She turned back around, wondering if maybe he’d be going off to some party with his teammates and those cheer—

  “You’re gonna see him tomorrow? Saturday?”

  She shrugged. “At the homecoming dance. Jake said he’s going stag. I promised him a dance.”

  “Really? He’s not taking you?”

  “He asked. I just panicked. I didn’t say yes. I wanted to. I just got so nervous.”

  “It’ll work out. Do you need a ride there? I can drop you off, but how will you get home? Maybe he can bring you home?”

  “No, believe it or not, as of tomorrow, I’m allowed to drive. Just a sec.” She paused long enough to send a quick text as they exited the stadium: Great game Jake! Glad I came I’ll see you tomorrow night at the dance :)

  She turned to Leif, dropping her phone into the pocket of the leather jacket. “Thanks again for bringing me—Branch.”

  “Don’t mention it, Cheddar,” he said, grinning.

  Every now and then, at special times, she would use their dad’s nickname for him. It always made her feel that much closer to her brother, and he always returned the favor.

  Chapter 14

  Leif stepped up onto the wide, covered front porch of the modest 1950s, brick, Craftsman-style house. It was late in the afternoon, and he wanted to be gone from Frederick before his mother and Rick returned from New York. He knocked on the door and waited. Looking out from the porch at the neatly manicured lawn, he sifted through his thoughts.

  Surprisingly, from what little he knew of this Jake Gordon, he liked. He had done a thorough background check. Squeaky clean, an honor student. The kid didn’t even have a speeding ticket. But, then again, he didn’t own his own car. The only thing that puzzled him was Jake’s age; he was nearly two years older than the other seniors. That didn’t really mesh with him being an honor student. That, and his mother.

  A young girl with long, wavy, light brown hair and captivating, mossy green eyes answered. He looked down at her. Teagan Finley Gordon, twelve years old. Not waiting for an invitation, Leif walked past her into the house. His eyes moved from the gawking child to Jake, sizing him up. It didn’t escape Leif that the age difference between Jake and his sister was similar to himself and Brie. Big brother, little sister. He’ll definitely get why I’m here.

  “Teag, go to your room,” Jake stepped between her and their visitor.

  Half a smile worked its way onto Leif’s scrutinizing face. Yeah, he’ll get it.

  Jake followed Leif’s scan of his home.

  Leif studied the family photographs in the collages that hung on the foyer wall. He saw Jake and his sister at various ages, and noticed that their mother was only in the pictures when they were both very young, while pictures of their father spanned the years. He knew Jake’s mother was no longer a part of their lives. Jake’s father was clean, owned his own business, and usually worked seven days a week.

  You could only find out so much by poking around on the Internet. But, he had other sources. He turned to face Jake. Recalling Brie begging him not to scare Jake away, he grinned, fairly certain Jake wouldn’t alarm easily. But, that wasn’t why he was here. With his new position, Leif wouldn’t be able to be around as much for Brie. Maybe this was the guy who could handle it. He looked at Teagan, then back at Jake. Perfect.

  “Teagan, now,” Jake barked. He nodded toward the steps when she hesitated. “It’s all right. Go on,” he coaxed. After she scurried up the steps, Jake relaxed, yet stood tall, challenging his visitor to express his purpose for barging in.

  “I know what you’re thinking.” Leif continued studying the family pictures. “You’re thinking I’m gonna tell you that you’re not good enough for her. But, that’s not it at all.” He turned to face Jake. “This doesn’t matter,” he waved his hand toward the center of the tidy room. “Well, not to Brie, anyway.” He tapped his own forehead with his finger. “This does.” Then, he tapped his chest. “And, this. I’m only gonna tell you this once, so pay attention. She has baggage, and if you can’t deal with it, back out now. You wouldn’t think it. She hides it well, but she’s fragile.” His voice quieted and slowed. “If I ever find out you’re playing her, I will hunt . . . you . . . down. That’s a promise. You have a sister.” He looked toward the stairs. “I think you get where I’m coming from. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Crystal,” came Jake’s stoic reply.

  “Good.”

  Jake’s visitor turned and left without saying another word or looking back. Jake glanced up the steps to see Teagan peeking down. “It’s all right. C’mere, Teag.”

  She hurried down the steps, leaning around Jake to see outside. “Who was that? What did he want?”

  Jake pushed the door shut and put his hand on Tegan’s shoulder, steering her to the sofa. “Don’t worry about it. It was just someone who cares about a girl that I care about.”

  “Her boyfriend? Is he going to fight you?”

  “No, he’s not gonna fight me. It was her brother. He’s just protective. Kind of like me with you.” He flopped down onto the overstuffed chair across from the sofa.

  “Oh.” She nodded. “Then, do you have a girlfriend again?”

  “Do I? Good question. Sort of. Maybe?” He waited for the inevitable barrage of questions.

  “Ohmygosh. Is she pretty?”

  “Gorgeous.” He collapsed back in his seat, looking up at the ceiling.

  “Nice?”

  “Yep, that too,” he sat back up.

  “What’s her name? Wait, was she at the game last night?”

  “Yeah, she was there.”

  “Where was she sitting?”

  “Right behind the team, at the top of the bleachers. One section down from where you and Dad always sit.” He gave her a teasing look.

  “Darn. Why didn’t you tell me? What’s her name?”

  “There’s nothing to tell, yet. Her name is Brie. Okay, no more questions.”

  “Just one more. When do I get to meet her?”

  “Soon, I hope. She’s incredible. You’ll like her.” He still had to make this happen. He knew he wasn’t the only one who wanted to call Brie his girlfriend.

  Chapter 15

  Jake looked across the room to see Teagan shuffling down the steps, texting on her phone. “Making Saturday
night plans?” He dropped his own phone onto the sofa beside him and picked up the TV remote.

  She glanced at Jake before she turned back to her phone. “Yep. Who were you talking to?”

  “Dad. He’s coming home early tonight so I can use the car for homecoming. He’s gonna be bummed if he’s coming home early, and you’re going out too.” He flipped through channels.

  Teagan collapsed on the sofa next to him. “Oh, that’s right the dance is tonight. Are you taking Brie?”

  “No, I’m not taking anyone. I’m going stag,” he focused on the TV.

  “Stag? You mean, by yourself? I can’t believe you’re not taking anyone. Why didn’t you ask your sort-of, maybe, girlfriend?”

  Unable to find anything interesting, Jake turned off the TV, placed the remote on the coffee table, and focused on his sister. “I didn’t say I didn’t ask.”

  “Wait, she said no?”

  “Yep.” Jake gave her a sheepish grin. “I asked her before we got kinda close. She’s going to meet me there, though.”

  “Why didn’t you just ask someone else?”

  “How would I meet Brie there if I went with someone else?” he grabbed her in a playful headlock and twisted his knuckles into her scalp.

  “Jake, ouch!” She squealed, pushing at him. “Stop it. Get off me. You are so annoying.”

  Chuckling, Jake released her, giving her a gentle shove. He picked up his phone when the text alert went off showing a single word: Hey

  What’s up, Ari he texted back.

  Come over meet me out on my patio I’ve got something for you

  On my way

  “Looks like I’m not going anywhere after all,” Teagan said. She traded her phone for the remote control.

  “Why not?” When Jake glanced at her phone and made a move toward it, she snatched it up. He sniggered. “Who was it?”