Crushing on the Enemy (6 page)

His father hadn't been happy when he got home early Sunday morning. Their shouting match had lasted for more than an hour, before Jake finally gave up and went to bed. Things only got worse when the whole town began to talk about him dating the rich girl.

He was beginning to understand a strange truth about small towns and the folks who lived in them. Most of them didn't care about the truth or the names involved, they only wanted something to talk about. He remembered how they had talked about his mother for more than a year after she ran off.

“One more year,” he reminded himself as they finished clearing up the last of the toilet paper from the field.

He left the field without saying goodbye to the guys, because he hoped to be able to spot Alyssa around town before he headed home. Jake spent an hour and a half driving in circles and was about to give up when he spotted her car pulling into the Chinese food restaurant.

His heart skipped a beat as he made an illegal U-turn and pulled in beside of her. He was smiling like a fool when she opened the door and stepped out of her car.

“Hi,” he grinned.

“Hi,” Alyssa blinked at him, “did you follow me here?”

“Not exactly,” Jake said nervously, “but I was hoping to hangout.”

Alyssa looked at him for a moment and Jake feared that she would tell him to go away again, but she didn't. Instead she smiled and motioned for him to follow her.

Jake had never been a fan of Chinese food, but ordered sweet and sour chicken without the sauce just so he had something to eat.

“You don't like Chinese food?” she asked.

“Never have,” he shook his head.

“You're weird,” she laughed.

“You're one to talk, pom-pom girl,” Jake grinned.

An awkward silence settled over them as they ate. Jake wasn't sure what to talk about once he realized he didn't really know Alyssa at all.

“So why'd you help with the field?” she asked.

“I'm part of the team,” he shrugged.

“Fair enough,” she nodded.

Her phone rang and Jake winced. He feared that their date would be cut short.

“I'm going to eat here, Mattie,” she said.

There was a pause while the other person spoke.

“I ran into Jake,” Alyssa said.

Alyssa giggled and looked away from him for a moment.

“I'll see you soon,” she laughed and hung up.

“I was supposed to be getting dinner for a friend and my mom too,” she admitted.

“I'm sorry if I'm holding you up,” Jake frowned.

“No, I never got the chance to say thank you,” Alyssa said.

“For what?” Jake asked.

“For saving my pom-poms,” she said.

“No problem,” Jake laughed.

She acted as if they were made of gold or something, but then Jake had to admit he was just as protective over his football gear.

“Do you want to come over and hangout?” she asked, “It'll just be me and Mattie. My mom has to go back to work tonight.”

“Sure,” he grinned.

They finished eating and Alyssa ordered something for her mom and friend before they left. Jake made sure to stay right behind Alyssa as he drove to her house. He half feared that she would ditch him on the way there. In his experience most cheerleaders liked to have fun at the expense of others, and he didn't want to fall victim to one of their pranks.

Jake knew he wasn't being fair, because he knew Alyssa was different. At least she seemed different. Even the girls on her cheer team knew and that's why they were acting cruel towards her.

Mattie left soon after Alyssa's mom left for work. Jake and Alyssa sat awkwardly together on the sofa.

“Do you want to watch a movie or something?” Alyssa asked.

“That sounds great,” he said.

She put in a DVD, but neither of them paid much attention to it. About fifteen minutes into the film the phone rang, but Alyssa ignored it after glancing at the caller id.

“Aren't you going to get that?” Jake asked.

“No,” she shook her head.

Jake wasn't going to ask any more about it, but Alyssa began to ramble almost too quickly for him to keep up with.

“It's Cody, my mom's soon-to-be-ex-husband. He's a real jerk and I don't even know why my mom married him. She's been weird since my dad died,” she said.

Alyssa stopped mid-sentenced and blushed.

“I'm sorry, you don't care about any of that,” she sighed, “let's talk about sports or something.”

“Actually sports is the last thing I want to talk about right now,” he admitted, “If we don't go to state I have no chance of getting my scholarship.”

“You'll get there,” she grinned.

“I doubt it,” he chuckled.

“You just have to change the way you look at it. Don't think about have-tos or ifs. Just see it and do it,” Alyssa said turning to face him.

“Easy for you to say,” he laughed, “Your school has won the last seven years,”

“It's because we have spirit!” she laughed.

“I think it's more than that,” Jake said doubtfully.

“Maybe, but you have to submerge yourself in the cheers and the roars of the crowd,” Alyssa said.

Jake watched how the light danced through her blue eyes when she talked about cheering and winning. He wasn't sure that he believed what she was saying, but she looked very pretty when she was saying it.

“I'll try,” he laughed.

“You better,” she grinned.

“Or what?” he asked playfully.

“I'll tell the world you were carrying around my pom-poms,” she laughed.

“I was just trying to steal some of your school spirit,” he chuckled.

Alyssa slapped him playfully on the arm and they both jumped when the doorbell rang.

“I'm not expecting anyone,” she frowned.

She sprinted to the door and before she even opened it Jake could hear his father's angry voice.

“Where is he?” his father shouted.

“What the hell are you doing here, Dad?” Jake demanded as he jumped over the sofa.

“I'm saving your future!” his dad said as he pushed past the shocked Alyssa, “You know her type, Jake!”

“Just go home, Dad!” Jake sighed.

“You're coming with me,” he said.

“Sorry,” he sighed as his father shoved him out of the house.

“Jake,” he heard Alyssa say as he got into his truck.

He couldn't believe that he would embarrass him like that! Why couldn't he just let him live his life? Just because his dad's life went down the gutter didn't mean he had to take his along for the ride!

Jake wasn't paying attention to the road and ran a stop sign. A station wagon appeared in front of him and Jake slammed on the brakes, stopping just inches away from the other vehicle. He pulled off the road and took a deep breath. Jake knew he had to calm down and stop being reckless.

His cellphone rang and he hoped it was Alyssa until he realized that she didn't have his phone number. Jake didn't recognize the caller, but answered anyway.

“Hey,” Jake answered.

“Hello, am I speaking to Jake?” the man on the other end of the line said.

“Yep, that's me,” he said rolling his eyes.

“I'm Dave, from Dave's Sporting Goods, and I'd like you to come in for an interview tomorrow afternoon? Would four thirty be good for you?” Dave asked.

“Four thirty would be excellent!” Jake said grinning from ear to ear.

At least something good was happening today.

Alyssa sighed as she changed into her uniform. It felt odd to be dressing for a game that she wasn't going to be cheering for, but she had a reputation to keep up. She did her makeup perfectly and smiled at her reflection. The smile looked more like a grimace, but it would have to do.

She hadn't heard from Jake since his father showed up at her house, but then she hadn't expected to hear from him again after that. He was most likely either grounded or too embarrassed to talk to her after his father made a scene like that. She would have been, but then again if her father was alive he would have never reacted to anything like that. He had always been a very even tempered man.

Alyssa understood how Jake must feel though, because since Cody moved in she hadn't invited anyone over to hangout. She had always been too worried that he would start drama in front of her guests, and she would have died of embarrassment if anyone on the squad knew how horrible the situation at her house was. Alyssa thought it was best not to discuss those things with people who weren't involved.

She missed Jake, but she didn't have any way to get in touch with him. She wished she had asked for his phone number before he left, but there really hadn't been any time to ask him anything. Alyssa frowned at her reflection and silently prayed that Jake was okay.

Alyssa drove to school and parked her car. She was early, but Mattie had promised to pick up tacos and meet her before the game. Usually, Alyssa wouldn't eat before a game, but since she wasn't cheering she had decided to break her own rule.

Mattie was already sitting on the hood of her car eating when Alyssa arrived. She waved a friendly hello and motioned for Alyssa to join her. They ate in silence, but Alyssa reveled in the familiar presence of Mattie. There was something reassuring about having her best friend back.

“So have you heard from Jake?” Mattie asked.

“No,” Alyssa frowned and shook her head.

“I hope he's okay,” Mattie frowned.

“So do I,” Alyssa said, “I've never seen anyone look as angry as his dad did.”

“I'm sure he'll call you soon. Maybe he's grounded or something,” Mattie shrugged.

“I hope so. I sorta miss him,” Alyssa admitted.

Mattie hugged her and Alyssa headed towards the field. She was expected to sit with the rest of the squad even if she wasn't cheering. The coach said it would be good for school spirit.

Alyssa wasn't sure that anything could improve the dismal feeling that had settled over the school this last week. Everyone was at odds taking one side or another, but it seemed most people believed Alyssa was getting what she deserved. A lot of people thought she shouldn't even be allowed to wear her cheer uniform anymore.

Alyssa sat quietly watching the other girls cheering the team, but she didn't really care whether the Panthers won or not. It all seemed sort of silly to her as she watched from the sidelines. Just a week ago she had cheered herself hoarse encouraging the boys, but that was back when they were her boys and not her tormentors. She hoped Ryan slipped and lost the game.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind Alyssa felt bad for thinking it. Some of the boys were counting on the championship to get noticed by college scouts too. She sighed not sure what she should think.

The Panthers lost the game by two points. As soon as the final score was announced Alyssa left and headed towards her car. She had wanted to hangout with Mattie tonight, but Mattie had to finish her history report on the French civil war.

Alyssa frowned at the thought of going home and spending the rest of the night with her depressed mother, but it was better than hanging around here. She was getting into her car when she seen Jake walking up. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt a grin spread across her face.

“Hey,” she said and rolled down her car window.

“Hi,” Jake grinned.

Alyssa opened the door and threw her arms around Jake, but quickly pulled away.

“I was worried about you,” she said, “Why didn't you call me?”

“I thought after what my dad pulled you would never speak to me again,” Jake admitted.

“Parents can be weird sometimes,” she grinned.

“So, yea, I was wondering if you wanted to go hang out. Maybe get a pizza or something?” he asked hopefully.