Falling - On the Banks of Lake Saint Clare (Falling - Book One) (43 page)

“We’ve talked a little every day. We have just been going like madmen here. Guess who we had dinner with the other night?’

“Who?”

“Jimmy Osmond! Is that not the most?”

“Well if I knew who he was, it would be the most,” I smiled. “I hope you are having fun and not worrying about anything here.”

“I’m sure if anything bad was going on, your mom would be on the phone in two seconds. Tell her to make sure there is coffee still there for when we get home. I know she’s just sitting on the porch all day drinking coffee and enjoying the peace and quiet. How is your handsome fellow?”

“
My handsome fellow is wonderful
. He won his game tonight. He pitched a no hitter.”

“That’s wonderful! Hey, we are going to run get a drink in the lounge. I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Love you and tell your mom I love her, too. And tell Michael, I love him for being so wonderful to my angel.”

“Good night, Grandma
.
”

I hung up the phone, “She doesn’t know anything that is going on. I bet my mom hasn’t told her a thing. She is going to come back tomorrow and think everything is good as gold but has no idea Mom has lost her freaking mind and has gone back to him.”

“Is this all the ice cream I get? I pitched a no hitter and you just give me this much?”

“Sorry, I got preoccupied,” I smiled. I got the carton back out, “You want to bunk with me again tonight?”

“Ugh!” He sighed, throwing his head back, “I guess if you are going to make me.”

I set the bowl down in front of him and sat on his lap. I lifted his shirt and looked at the whelp that the ball made on this stomach. I touched it with my finger, tracing the
mark
t
the stitch made. “Does it hurt a lot?”

“Just when you touch it,” he smiled. “It’s not bad. I might survive it.”

“What was all the smack talk out there that made Brad so furious?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” he said, taking a huge bite of ice cream.

“Hmm, you don’t recollect on first base? I think it ended with him getting a bloody nose? And also getting kicked out of the game?”

“Awe that! Oh, I think I vaguely remember that happening. That was probably the best time of my life, feeling my fist hit his face. You know I have never punched anyone before. I think I enjoyed it way too much. Don’t be pissing me off, girl
friend
.”

“I’m sure it was the thrill of Brad being at the other end of the throw, but I won’t take the chance. I will definitely behave. So what was said?”

“Alex, don’t worry about it. It was just two guys trying to get a rise out of each other, happens all the time.”

“But, I want to know. I swear it won’t upset me. I’m nosey. If I have to, I will call Brad and find out,” I smiled.

“Ok, but just so you know, I only said what I did to piss him off. Ok?”

“A warning like that means it was bad and about me.”

“Of course it was about you. You think anything else would come out of his mouth. He thinks that it bothers me so when I show him it doesn’t then it pisses him off more. Ok, let me reflect. You
know my ice cream is melting?”

“So sorry. Do tell anyway.”

“He said, ‘Alex sure has some hot tits. They
’ve always
felt pretty great.”

“So I said, ‘I agree. They felt wonderful this morning.’”

“Then he said, ‘you know she’s a whore, don’t you?’”

“I said, ‘Well then she must find you really pathetic for saying no, if she’s a whore.’ I just wanted to piss him off. Don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not mad. It did make him angry enough to go ballistic. So, what did you say to my Dad on third base?’

“Alex, why do you want to know all this? Is there a good reason?”

“Yeah,” I said, eating my ice cream, “It’s my battle, too. I want to at least be in on the revenge part. I don’t have anything to add to my revenge resume.”

“Damn, I turned you evil,” he smiled, taking a spoon full of my ice cream. “That’s good. I want some of that.”

I got up and walked to the freezer, “Spill it. What did you say to Dad?”

“I just said ‘it’s a shame by throwing your kid away, you threw your championship away. Maybe you chose the wrong daughter to trash’.”

“Ouch. I bet that didn’t go over well.”

“Let’s just say I didn’t get a fatherly hug from it. Ugh, I am so sick now. I ate too much.”

“Three bowls are too much? What do you want to do? It’s still fairly early. Where did Derek and
Kaitlyn
go?”

“I don’t know. They took off after we ate. He said something about a movie or the mall.”

“Oh my
gosh
, I have to text her to not do the mall. He will despise her after that nightmare.”

I started washing out our bowls, “How about what Coach said about a baseball scholarship? He was really pushing for that, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah, I don’t know thou. I like baseball
,
but it’s nothing like basketball.”

I walked around his chair and put my arms around him, kissing his neck. “You are going to be so much in demand. I hope you don’t get a big head and forget me.”

“Who are you?” He smiled.

“Funny,” I said, rubbing his head, “I’m serious. Your life is going to be a whirlwind and I am just going to be a tiny spot in it.”

Oh trust me, you are a huge spot, my girlfriend. A giant spot. A ginormous spot.”

“You are so romantic. I have never been called a ginormous spot.”

“You really don’t
mind staying another night
?” I asked, watching while he called his parents.

“Why in the world would I mind? I love being with you. Stop acting like you are my burden. You aren’t.”
             
“
Just don’t want you to stay because you feel sorry for me.”

He held up his finger, “Hey Mom. I’m staying over here with the burden again,” he winked, “Her grandparents aren’t home.”

Pause.

“Ok, I love you
,
too.”

Pause.

“I know you are proud of me. And I will tell her. Goodnight. Love you.”

He hung up. “Ok. I’m all yours.”

“What are you supposed to tell me?”

“Oh, that you are a lucky girl and that you need to continue worshipping me.”

“Yeah right. That won’t happen,” I smiled.

“She said thank you for making her son happy.”

“Awe. Well be sure to tell her to tell her son, thank you for making me happy.”

“Well, my dear,” he stood up, “I have got to shower. You mind?”

“No, go ahead. The one in my grandparent’s bedroom is a lot bigger. Use it.”

“I’ll be back in a few. Decide what we are going to do. I would love to just stay here, but if you want to do anything, we definitely can. You decide.”

“Staying here sounds wonderful.”

I sat down on the couch and texted
Kaitlyn
.

Alex: Stay away from the mall. Do anything but go to the mall!

Kaitlyn
: We are at a movie. Whats up with the mall?

Alex: Just trust me. Enjoy!

My phone started ringing.
It was Erica.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” she said. “What are you doing?”

“We are just at the cabin. Michael
is in the
shower. What about you?’

“I just came home. I don’t know if you care, but I heard Brad and
Rachel
definitely did
br
eak
up the other day.”

“Hmm, I don’t know if I
should
care, but I do. Does that make any sense?”

“Of course,” she said. “I know that is something that eats at you, thinking that they are plotting against you. So that is something that might help you rest easier.”

“How’d you hear?” I asked, flipping though the channels.

“I can’t remember who told me. I’ll let you go. Just thought I’d tell ya.”

“Thanks. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Hey, tell Michael he played a great game.”

“Thanks. I will.”

I hung up the phone and it instantly rang again.

Withheld. I knew it was Brad and I knew there was no way I could not answer the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey Alex,” Brad said in a quiet voice.

“Yeah, what?”
             
“I was just thinking about things. Everything got pretty out of hand. I think I messed up pretty bad. I’m really scared.”

“Other than what you did to me?”

“Yeah. Other than that.”

I started to get nervous, wondering if he did something to my family. “What did you do?’

He sighed. “I had a fight with my mom. She was very mad about the game and we got into a really big fight. It started at the ballpark. When I went home to change
,
she started again. She made a comment that she bet by the way I was acting on the field that I did attack you. She wouldn’t drop it. She just kept yelling at me that I was an embarrassment to her that she had never been so disappointed in her life. I just got sick of hearing her. She just kept yelling.”

“You didn’t hurt her did you?”

“No, Alex, I didn’t hurt her” he said, sounding like there was no way he would be capable of such a thing. “I told her that everything was just a fucking mess because she kept everything a secret. Then she accused me again of attacking you. I couldn’t get her to understand that I didn’t do it. I am beginning to think that other people might think I did. Why would they think I could ever do that to you, Alex?”

“You did, Brad. Oh my God, I remember you. It was you.”

“The only thing I am guilty of is wanting to be with you. Every time I sleep with your sister, I am pretending she is you. I want to touch every part of your body and hear you moan. You are my sister. Me thinking that is almost sick.”
             
Almost? I thought.

“Brad, what did you do that was bad? Why are you scared?”

I was scared to hear the answer. I was scared to death he was going to tell me he killed his mother. My mother.

“What are you talking about, Alex?”

I could hear someone laughing in the background. A girl laughing. Rachel?
No, they broke up.

“You said you did something bad and you are scared.”

“I never said that.”

He sounded so convincing. “I know you said it when I first answered the phone. You said you messed up bad
.”

“Oh
,
my gosh, Alex. You of all people know I would never say that. I’ve never messed up or have been scared in my life. I have no idea where you get all these crazy stories. Unless, by chance, you are crazy. Is that the problem? Are you just crazy, Alex? I’ll look into our family history and see if there is any mental illness in the ole family tree. Hey, I gotta go fuck your sister. I’ll think of you every time she screams.
”
I heard the laugh again and then a click.

Oh my God, he’s trying to make me crazy, he’s trying to make me lose my mind. He’s trying to make me lose my freaking mind!

“Who
were
you talking to?” Michael asked, walking around the corner. “
Alex
? You are white as a sheet and shaking.”

He sat down by me and wrapped his arms around me, trying to get me to calm down.

He saw my phone sitting beside me and picked it up. “Withheld?”

He slammed my phone down on the table, “Stop answering the damn phone, Alex! Just stop answering the phone! There is no reason to talk to anyone and especially him or your
m
om. So stop putting yourself through this shit. All they do is rip at your heart and make you upset. For God sake, Alex, stop torturing yourself.”

He stood up, pulled me to him, and hugged me.

He held me till I stopped shaking. I could feel his hand rubbing my back, “Sorry I yelled,” he sighed.

He lifted my chin and looked in my eyes,
“This night is for us to celebrate. I do not want to talk about your family, your friends, Brad or how paranoid you are of your body.
”
He started leading me down the hallway and into the bedroom.

He sat on the bed and pulled me between his legs, taking my face in his hands, “I am here for you unconditionally, but you have to listen to me. You can’t continue to let these people get to you. Right now, you are with me, and only me. There is no one else in the world right now but you and me.”

“OK” I sighed. “It’s not fair that all the battles we have with them, you win. I would love to win one.”