10: Up Your Game-2

"Hightower, Allen, Jenks… Connors…" Coach offered a sadistic grin between each name. "Congratulations, starters. Don't expect a fruit basket." As if there was any question. After practice, I palmed the cool, hard tiles and dipped my head down. Searing hot water dripped over the tip of my nose, seared my neck and shoulders, and relaxed my tired muscles. The letdown rush of adrenaline sagged my aching limbs, but impatience coated my skin. My fingers tapped the shower wall. Unlike Josh, I wasn't about to jerk my edge off with my hand. Instead, I released all my frustration pounding the turf, at the expense of the turf pounding me back. I groaned at the cucumber melon scent on my towel. Damn laundry day. With my towel wrapped around my waist, I stopped at another fucking coat hanger on our door handle. Again? The cool wall pricked my damp, warm back. I rubbed my hands through my damp hair and ran through half our offensive plays for a mental distraction until Josh's red and satisfied face cracked open the door. I pushed past him into our room. "Gross." The smell from our dirty clothes mixed with his spray-on Ava-stink cover-up made me cough. By the time I slipped on my boxer briefs and tossed my towel on the dirty pile, Josh sat on his bed. "Thank fuck the JV guys left," he muttered and plugged in his phone. "I have ten messages from those guys. Hope they don't think we're friends when school starts." "We'll set them straight." For now, I focused on two things: finishing camp and taking Ellie on a date. Yep, date. She denied me a kiss, so I would cash in on that date… And enjoy Harrison's aneurysm when I picked her up. As soon as I finished the historical chick book. It sent me right to sleep. Courting? Snagging a husband? Nineteenth-century vocabulary and this bitchy, self-righteous Elizabeth character? Snoozefest struggle. Except for checking if Ellie unblocked me, I didn't push my luck with her. Four days passed since our last exchange, so it was time to reconnect. "You owe me for the privacy." I pointed at Josh's phone. "Is that clean?" "Yeah." He frowned and handed it to me. "Delete whatever shit you send." Me: Baby, you can't leave me hanging. Me: I need to know you're still in love with me. I was pleasantly surprised when she responded. Unknown number: Never was. "Hi." A grin spread across my face. A face-to-face conversation was preferable, but she hadn't ghosted me yet. Or, blocked Josh-me. Me: There you are. I missed you. 😉 Unknown number: Can't say I feel the same. She walked herself into my setup. me: We'll need to change that. me: When's our date? She was silent for a few minutes, during which I wasn't sure if she laughed or swooned. Unknown number: Half past never. me: Terms and conditions, baby. As I expected, Ellie didn't answer. All I needed was the idea planted in her head. The rest would fall into place. Book club meetings would start our connection, and Jake's anger would be his demise. "Dude. Are you… studying?" Josh's voice filled with honest, unfiltered shock. "I was." At his wide-open mouth, I closed my AP chem textbook. "What's wrong with getting a head start?" "Nothing, you giant nerd. Trying out for the science club again?" Josh's cheeks turned pink and his shoulders shook with loud, hearty laughs. I frowned. People assumed that I was a dumb jock, or that the big guy couldn't be careful around chemicals. Wrong, Science was my favorite subject. Surprise. With naïve excitement, last spring I attended Salesian's Science Club meetings. After the genius kids' shock wore off, they were cool. Word spread of my extracurricular interest and giggling girls studied me. So, I quit and kept in touch with the guys during class. "I'm going to miss you swatting girls away." He grinned. "Once Ellie takes you off the market." "No." The corners of my mouth twitched down. Two could play the insult game. "It's been twenty minutes. Do you need me to leave so you and Ava can have phone sex?" He couldn't go two days without releasing himself. Their phone sex was daily, and I never wanted to see a coat hanger again. "Don't be jealous because your girl hates you." His smirk faded. "Walk away and leave her alone… avoid another Chloe fuck up." Total lack of faith in me. I clenched my stomach hard and sat up. He started calling Ellie 'my girl,' probably to see how far I ground my teeth down. The two weeks out here in the middle of nowhere had also given me time and space to find clarity about what to do with both situations. "When we get back, I'm going to apologize to Chloe." "Two years too late," he replied in a dry, flat tone. "Hope she doesn't run away." I did too. Understandably, Chloe avoided me using blocked and dropped calls, retreated steps, and doors slammed in my face. I threatened every guy on this year's team in a rage-fueled witch hunt. Everyone denied sharing her photo outside the team again. I would've suspected Bryce if he knew how to use a web browser. The last time I saw my ex, the bright and bubbly girl dissolved into a quiet, antisocial ghost. Her hazel eyes dulled and stared at the floor. Her skin paled, to disappear into Salesian's white hallways and classrooms. With me, she froze and ran. "I thought I respected her wishes," I felt pathetic admitting that. "Giving her the invisibility she wanted." Now that her photo resurfaced, the last thing I wanted was me to be rebranded as a stud and her a slut. I couldn't do anything from here, except what I'd put off. "Such character development," he teased and wiped a pretend tear from each eye. "Next, you'll finally call your Mom." He had a point. Twenty-six messages harassing me later, I broke down and picked up my phone to call her. This one was better off done in a louder area, giving me an out if I needed it, so I went down the hall to the dorm's rec room. A few guys played ping pong and others watched TV, so I plopped down in a corner chair and braced myself for the inevitable overreaction. "Logan!! You're not dead!" she chirped so loud, I moved the phone off my ear. "So good to hear from you, sweetie!"