“Jesus Jared, I didn’t think you’d take me so seriously. I thought it was a well-known figure of speech in this side of the world. Such a shame.” I pat his shoulder and stand as the medical crew comes rushing in with a stretcher. There’s a special place in hell for Beth, having pulled what she pulled. But when the devil comes knocking, I won’t hesitate to take her place. After all, she did this for me.
Eric, the school commentator gives the crowd a rundown of what’s going on, his voice the only thing cutting through the silence that has fallen over everyone.
I look up in time to see Selina storming off and Jessica close behind her. A small voice in my head reminds me that they’re not my problem anymore.
Beth is still sitting in the crowd, looking very much like someone who’s as far from guilty as they come. Chances are, she didn’t know Jared would get hurt as bad as he did. That’s the only thing I feel sorry for right now – that I’m part of the reason she has that look on her face.
33
There’s a part of me that keeps insisting I should feel badly about what I did to Jared. It’s silently stewing in the corner of my mind, robed in righteous indignation while the rest of me is cheering loudly for Maverick.
Even as I leave the stadium early to avoid the rush of the crowd, I can’t seem to wipe this silly grin off my face.
‘You’ve changed.’ Little Miss self-righteous chides me and I pause a step to consider the truth behind her words.
Have I really, though?
I glance down at my faded jeans and my favorite hoodie and decide that she’s wrong. I’m still the same person I was yesterday. Still the same person I was the day before that, too.
‘Maybe on the outside.’ The voice claps back and I pause again.
I feel the same on the inside.
‘You care about him.’
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” I snap, not noticing, for a short second, that I’ve said the words out loud. I glance around to see if anyone is here to bear witness to me arguing with myself like I’m full on looney.
As I approach the bus stop, luck rushes my way. Instead of waiting for that luck to roll by, I quicken my steps making sure the bus doesn’t have the chance to miss me. I hop on without so much as a backwards glance.
Inside, I take one of the seats closest to the window, turning my back to the other as I watch the world roll by. My mind trips over Maverick. He scored his ten goals. That means he’s one step closer to getting drafted.
I’m excited beyond my pay cheque and when my phone buzzes and ‘pain in the ass’ pops up on the screen my heart betrays me and I have to confess that yes, maybe I have changed just a little bit on the inside.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?” His words come in short, as does his breath.
“On a bus heading back to the flat.”
There’s a pause on the other end, followed by bellowing and cheering in the background.
“First round on the superstar!” I hear someone shout and Maverick chuckles, the depth of his tone causing warmth to spread through my chest.
For a while, he says nothing, but the celebration in the background continues. Just as it should.
“Are you still there?” his voice comes again, louder this time and I cringe at the impact it has on my eardrums.
“I may be deaf now, but yeah, I’m still here.”
“What?” He yells and I remember the first time he ever called my phone. We’ve come quite a long way since then, despite the fact that his voice is still a few octaves higher than it needs to be.
“Go celebrate with your friends!” I shout back and the lady beside me stirs as a sour look of disapproval scrunches her face.
“Sorry,” I mumble to her quickly, then turn my attention back to Maverick. “I’m hanging up now,” I say, though I don’t imagine he can hear me.
After disconnecting the call, I shoot him a quick message:
To: Pain in the ass
‘What I was trying to say, was go have a good time with your friends. It was a great game. Glad you scored your goals.’
Before stowing the phone away, I open the message again and send out another text. Patrick has all the reasons in the world to celebrate tonight. And I know exactly what that can mean.
To: Pain in the ass
‘Text me the address of wherever you’re going to celebrate and all the other possibilities so I at least know where to find you if you decide to go crazy tonight.’
I wait a few minutes for him to respond. When nothing comes, I push the cell phone back into my jeans and try not to irritate the lady beside me any more than I already have.
After a few stops, the bus pulls up to Maverick’s building and I bounce down the steps, humming a carol in the middle of October.
I wave my goodbyes to the driver who smiles at me before shutting the door.
Bouncing on the pads of my feet like a maniac, I’m through the front doors in no time. The entire world seems to have fallen into a silence, save for the chaos that erupts behind me as the door clicks shut. I turn around and lo and behold, cast my eyes upon the last thing I expect to see, Maverick’s headlights. His car rounds the corner and slides into his parking space before coming to a screeching halt. I pull open the door, and step an inch into the open.
“What in the actual heck?” My jaw, poor little thing, is no more than an inch from hitting the ground.
When Maverick steps out of the vehicle, my heart feels as though it’s keen on dropping out of my chest and taking a spot beside my jaw. The grin on Maverick’s face and the playful look in his eyes is enough to disarm just about any girl, boy, or undecided. Hell, not even Mother Teresa would stand a chance against him now.
“Hey Beth!” he calls out to me and I raise an eyebrow before turning my back to him and stepping into the lobby.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he chuckles and the child inside me screams ‘run’. Because I know I’d be a fool not to listen to that little voice in my head, I do exactly as it tells me. I dash for the elevator just as Maveick pushes his way into the lobby.
“Beth wait!” he calls out. That wicked smile still has control of his face and I’m not sure I’m adequately equipped for the kind of trouble Maverick undoubtedly wants to get into. My heart doesn’t know what to think about the fact that he’s here and not out partying with his friends. Maverick is confusing. I’m confused. This whole situation is confusion.
I step into the elevator and watch as the doors slide closed, missing him by no more than a millisecond. As it ascends, Maverick comes into sight. With a smile, I watch as he rampantly crashes his finger against the ‘call’ button.
Bubbles pop against my rib cage and, like a harp, each bone has a different sound as the giggles escape me.
Playful Maverick has a pretty damn great smile.
Playful Maverick makes it hard not to want to be around him.
Playful Maverick is just as dangerous as brooding Maverick.
If I’m not careful…
If I’m not careful, I’ll become the loser in this game.
When the elevator doors open, I rush out. In a matter of seconds, I hear another ding and Maverick steps off the elevator just a little bit down the hall. There’s a smirk on his face as he approaches.