I knew he really wasn’t going to like what I was about to ask him. I took a deep breath. “I need you to delay Emily on her way to class tomorrow. Her and Angie come together, but I’ll never get to talk to Angie alone if Emily’s there.”
He groaned. “Fuck, you’ve
got
to be kidding me. That firecracker will kick my ass if she finds out what I’m up to.”
“So don’t let her find out. Just get me five minutes.” I pleaded.
He looked incredulous. “You only need five minutes? How are you going to explain everything in five minutes?”
“Now who’s the dumbass? I have no intention of telling her everything in those five minutes. That’s just enough time to get her to agree to have dinner with me, and then I can explain everything.”
I finished my beer and got up to put the empty bottle in the trash. I came back into the living room and looked expectantly at Josh.
He rolled his eyes at me. “Fine, but you owe me bigger than you ever have.”
I grabbed my bag from the floor. “Deal!” I went back to my room to get some work done. If I had it my way, I’d be hanging out with Angie most of the night tomorrow. My goal wasn’t to sleep with her—well it was eventually—but right now I just wanted to get to know her. Her likes and dislikes, what her life was like growing up—I wanted to know everything about her.
I finished up my work and spent a little time playing Xbox with Josh before I went to bed. That night I dreamed about Angie. It had to be the first time in two years that I dreamed about something other than what happened
that
night.
The next morning I left for class half an hour early, with Josh following me. He didn’t have class until later in the day, and he reminded me how much I owed him—especially since he had to get out of bed early.
We walked up to the building. “Okay, I’m going to go and wait in the classroom. You wait out here for them. They should be by in about fifteen minutes—Angie’s always early.”
“You got it, dude. I’ll keep Emily as long as I can, but I only guarantee five minutes,” he reminded me.
“That should be enough, I just need to get her to agree to dinner.”
I pushed through the doors of the building and headed to the second floor classroom. I put my stuff down by my normal seat, and went over and sat in the seat next to Angie’s. My leg bounced up and down, I was nervous as hell. After about ten minutes she walked through the door. The first thing she did was to look at my normal seat, and it looked like she sighed in relief. What the hell? She still hadn’t noticed me sitting near her seat. She turned to move to her seat and our eyes locked. There were so many emotions running through her eyes I couldn’t tell which one would settle. Unfortunately none did. Instead she put on a mask of indifference.
“Caleb,” she said as she walked up to me.
I smiled up at her, “Hey Angie, I’ve been trying to call you all weekend.”
She pulled something out of her bag, “I know, I figured you were just looking for this. I’m sure you wanted to see it before I turned it in.”
She handed me the completed project. I held the paper up. “Actually this isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about.” I set the paper down on the desk and reached for her hand, but she snatched it away. I put a smile on my face and continued. “I wanted to talk about us. I was hoping you would have dinner with me tonight.”
Her eyes snapped to mine. For a second her mask dropped, and in that moment I could see the same hurt I’d seen in her eyes on Friday night. “I don’t think there’s really anything to talk about. Well, that and the fact that last time you wanted to ‘talk’ things didn’t go so well for me.”
I flinched recalling our last conversation after class. I stood up and reached for her hand, very aware that our audience was growing. The moment my fingers wrapped around hers I felt the spark, but just as quickly she yanked her hand away. “Please have dinner with me Angie? I owe you an apology and an explanation. Please?” I pleaded.
Her eyes flashed fire. “Look, the project’s done and don’t worry I’ve put your name on it, so you can stop kissing my ass. Besides I have plans tonight.”
I felt my anger beginning to rise. “This has nothing to do with the fucking assignment. I really need to talk to you. If you have plans tonight, let me buy you lunch.”
“Hey asshole, you’re blocking my seat. Anyway, don’t you understand the meaning of no?” I looked over to see Emily scowling at me with her hands on her hips. Shit, I’d run out of time.
I looked at Angie, pleading with my eyes for her to say yes. “Angie?”
She sat down in her seat. “I said no.”
Fuck, how had I screwed this up so bad? I turned and went back to my seat, not even caring about the curious eyes staring at me. I had to figure out a way to get her to listen. She had to know how I felt about her. I knew she felt the same about me—Emily said as much the other day—but I kept screwing it up. Would she even listen to me now? All I knew was I had to try.
I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn’t realize that class was over. I looked up to see her walking out the door with Emily. I decided that I was going to her apartment later—I was not taking
no
for an answer.
I went home for a few hours before workout and used the time to think about what I would say to her. Josh had a paper due, so I knew he would be in the library until we had to be at the practice field because he couldn’t afford any more bad grades.
Around three o’clock I headed back to campus and straight for the locker room. I’d almost forgotten about what had happened on Friday night but the minute I entered the locker room, all heads turned towards me. I saw Nick at the other end of the locker room, but figured it was best if I just avoided him.
Josh walked in not long after me. “So how did your conversation go?”
“It didn’t. But I have a plan,” I admitted, while I continued to change.
“I hope so, because I know that she’s got plans tonight. Emily made sure I knew that before she headed to class.” He made a face that told me something was wrong.
He started to head out of the locker room, when I stepped in front of him. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He scanned the room before answering me. “She has a date with Nick tonight.”
A jealous rage swept through me as I searched the locker room for the son of a bitch. “I am going to fucking kill him! I told him to stay away from her the other night,” I growled.
He grabbed me by the arms before I could go in search of Nick. “Keep it together. If you go out there and start a fight, Coach is going to have your ass.”
I struggled against his hold. “I don’t give a shit right now.”
“Stop!” he yelled. “You created this mess, so you can’t really blame Nick for taking advantage.”
I was still seething, but stopped struggling. “I’m going to see her tonight.”
“Good luck,” he muttered as he let me go and we headed out to the field. We were the last two in the locker room.
Thankfully workout was in the gym, and it gave me the chance to work out my aggression on the heavy bag—instead of Nick’s face.
When workout was over, I quickly started toward the locker room. I had to beat Nick to Angie’s apartment. Unfortunately, Coach called me into his office.
“Jacobs, I need a minute,” Coach called thorough his office door.
“I don’t have time for this shit,” I muttered under my breath.
Coach could hear anything. “What was that?”
“Nothing sir. Coming!” I yelled back.
I hurried into Coach’s office hoping that the quicker I got in, the quicker I would be able to get out and head to Angie’s.
“What’s up, Coach?” I said as I stepped through the door.
He gestured toward the chairs in front of his desk. “Have a seat son.”
Shit this was going to take longer than I thought. I sat down and waited for him to explain.
“Caleb, what the hell is going on with you lately? A few weeks ago you were focused and controlled. But the last week or so you’re flipping out at your teammates, you’re distracted, and pissed all of the time,” he said as he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his desk.
“Nothing much, just some personal shit that I’m dealing with.”
“Well whatever it is you need to deal with it now. I know we’re not in season, but we need to get ready for next year and this shit isn’t going to help. I don’t want to see or hear about anymore arguments between you and your teammates,” he scowled.
When I shook my head annoyed, he continued, “I’ve already had the same conversation with Nick. Do I make myself clear?”
If I kept giving him a hard time, I was never going to get out there. “Yes sir. Is that all?”
“Yeah, now get the fuck out of my office,” he said clearly still pissed at me.
I got up and left his office. Once I was through the door, I sprinted to my car and headed to Angie’s. I pulled into the lot, threw the car into park, and jumped out. I ran up to her door and buzzed the bell.
“Hello?” a voice came from the speaker, but I wasn’t sure who it was.
“Hey, it’s Caleb. I need to talk to Angie,” I said into the speaker.
“Yeah, like that’s gonna fucking happen,” came from the intercom.
Emily! I was going to throttle that girl if she didn’t let me talk to Angie. “Emily, I know that’s you. Now fucking tell Angie I want to talk to her,” I growled into the speaker.
Silence. What. The. Fuck?
A few minutes later the front door opened and Emily was standing there. She looked like she was ready to kick me in the nuts. “Now,
you
fucking listen to me asshole. You stay away from her. She doesn’t need your shit! She should’ve bitched slapped you Friday night but she didn’t, so you’re going to leave her the fuck alone.”
I took a step towards her. “I don’t give a flying fuck about your opinion, I’m here to apologize to Angie. Not like it is any of your business.”
Her eyes flared and her arms dropped to her sides in fists. “Apologize?! Don’t you realize that it’s way past the point of apologies? Keep in mind that anything that has to do with Angie
is
my business. I’m the one left to clean up the mess that you make.”
I was beginning to lose control of my temper. “Where the fuck is she?” I bit out.
Her smirk almost sent me over the edge, “On a date, so you can leave. I’m not sure when she’ll be home, that’s if she comes home at all.” She turned back into the apartment and shut the door.
I stood still for a second before I slammed my fist into the door. “Fuck!”
I decided to wait for her. There was no way she would let that asshole take her back to his apartment…would she? She’d been so warm in my arms the other night, if I pushed her into sleeping with Nick I would never forgive myself. I could tell she was inexperienced, but she didn’t seem like the type who would do that on a first date. Then again, we had gotten pretty far ourselves—and I hadn’t even taken her out. I tried to convince myself that our situation had been different, because of the attraction we felt. I had to make sure Nick didn’t get invited in for ‘coffee’ at the end of their date.
Damn. I’d never even taken her out, and that was yet another thing I needed to make up to her. I remembered the feel of her lips on mine. They were so soft and inviting. But right now that seemed to be the least of my worries. First, I needed to get her to listen to me. Leaving without talking to her was out if the question.
Around ten o’clock I saw Nick’s car pull into the parking lot. I’d just sat down, having spent the last few hours wearing a path into the sidewalk in front of her apartment, and I leaped up to my feet as soon as I saw them walking hand in hand back to the building. Angie was laughing at something Nick must have said. I didn’t see Angie carefree and happy that often—another thing I was going to make up to her. Shit! How many things had I fucked up with this girl?
They obviously didn’t realize I was there because he stopped and pulled her to him. As he kissed her, I felt the rage overtake any semblance of rational thought I had left.
“Get your fucking hands off of her,” I snarled.
Both their heads snapped up. Nick took a few steps toward me. “What the fuck are you doing here, Caleb?”
Angie was still rooted to the spot. “I need to talk to Angie,” I bit out from between clenched teeth.
Her eyes shot to mine, and it seemed she’d gotten over her temporary shock because I saw the flames spark in her eyes. “I told you earlier that I had nothing to say to you.”
I tried to control my temper when I answered. “I know, but I still have some things to say to you.”
Nick took another step toward me, and I just knew he was going to push me too far. “She said she had nothing to say to you, so why don’t you leave and she’ll call you if she changes her mind,” he demanded.
“I’m not leaving until I’ve said what I came to say,” I snapped, trying to control my temper.
Angie took a step toward me, her arms crossed over her chest. “I want you to leave, Caleb.”
I looked her in the eye so that she could see that I was serious. “I said I’m not leaving until you hear me out,” I bit out.
“If you won’t leave on your own, I’ll make you leave,” Nick said as he grabbed my arm.
“Enough, Nick,” Angie snapped.
I slowly looked down at his hand on my arm. “Get your fucking hands off of me,” I barked. “Josh and Andrew aren’t here to save your ass this time.”
He looked at me, disgust clearly written on his face. “Do you really think I need them to save my ass from
you
?” he scoffed. “I swear to God, if you don’t get the fuck out of here, I am going to—”
“Nick,” Angie yelled. “I’ll handle it. You are not getting into a fight in front of my apartment.”
Nick turned to look at Angie, and the shock on his face quickly turned to anger. “Then handle it,” he snapped, letting go of my arm.
I looked back at him and it was all I could do to control the rage inside me, and my fists clenched at my sides. There was no way I was going to let him talk to her like that. I took a step towards Nick. “Don’t you
ever
fucking talk to her like that again, or I’ll break your goddamn jaw,” I said through clenched teeth.