The Other Game: A Dean Carter Novel (The Perfect Game #4) (6 page)

Jack might be leaving school in the morning, but the rest of us still had tests and homework to do while he was gone.

Me, I had a love/hate relationship with his traveling, hating it because I didn’t get to see him pitch. Knowing he was out there throwing and I wasn’t able to watch was a special kind of torture for me. My entire childhood was filled with memories of Jack playing baseball, pitching better than anyone else we knew, and being able to hit the ball as well.

When he excelled, I couldn’t help but feel proud. Especially after he’d gotten into so many fights, prompting some people to say he wasn’t going to amount to anything, and that he was a loser. Jack being able to pitch the way he did was like a giant middle finger to all the doubters who never believed in him. And it was as much a middle finger from me as it was from him.

On the flip side, I loved Jack’s road trips because I thought they were cool. The whole idea of getting to travel someplace new to play baseball seemed like the best of both worlds. Plus, Jack always had the best stories when he came back. If he went somewhere that was known for something famous, he made sure to always bring something home for our grandparents and me. That thrilled us all because Jack was the only one in our family who ever left town. It was sad, but true.

“I’m gonna stay at Cassie’s tonight,” Jack told me as I sat at my desk, highlighting an upcoming chapter in my history textbook.

“And you’re telling me this, because?” I asked, not even bothering to look up from my work.

“Because I’m going to have her take me to the bus tomorrow morning.”

I placed my pen on the desk and looked up to see him standing in my doorway, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder. “Are you leaving the Bronco with her?”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Although she calls it the deathmobile,” he said with a laugh, and dropped his bag to the floor.

I gaped at him. “She doesn’t like your truck?”

What wasn’t there to like about Jack’s Bronco? Sure, it was covered with dents and scratches, and the paint had chipped in places, but the thing was a classic. And it looked badass.

Jack shrugged. “I think it scares her. Anyway, she doesn’t have a car here, so I thought I would leave it with her. But only if you don’t need it, and you’re cool with that.”

I thought about it for a moment. For the last two years, I’d driven Jack to the bus for every road trip, and then he’d left his truck with me. As much as I loved driving it while he was gone, I knew I didn’t really need it.

“I don’t need it,” I said, and picked up my pen again to highlight more passages.

“Are you sure? I know you usually take me and then you get the truck, but I figured if you didn’t mind—”

“Seriously, it’s cool. She should take you, and I don’t need it. Plus, I’d sorta love to see Cassie driving that thing,” I said with a laugh. I couldn’t picture her in the driver’s seat, and that sight alone might be worth it. “I don’t have any plans this weekend, and I can always borrow Gran’s car if I need to.”

Jack grinned at me. “I promise I’ll buy you a car when I get my signing bonus, you hear me? You and Gran both. New cars.”I waved him off, not wanting to hear any more. I honestly didn’t care about any of that. When Jack got drafted, that would be enough for me to know that he’d accomplished his dream, reached his number-one goal. I didn’t need a stupid car out of the deal.

“Go, already. Take your deathmobile to your girlfriend’s house and—” A thought struck me. “Wait! This is the first time you’re staying over there, isn’t it?”

He cleared his throat. “Uh-huh.”

“You, uh, have everything you need?” I waggled my eyebrows as I reached into my back pocket to pull out my wallet. I peered inside. “Shit, I don’t even have one. I think it got old, and I threw it out.”

“I’m good, but thanks for your concern.”

“So you’re protected then? Of course you are. You’re Jack Carter, king of condoms and getting laid.”

“I’m actually all out, but I don’t plan on sleeping with her tonight.”

I almost choked. “What? Why?”

He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. “I don’t know. Maybe because I’m fucking in love with her. I’m so in love with her, I can’t imagine not being in love with her. And it doesn’t seem like the right time. I can’t have sex with her and then leave the next morning for four days. Something about that seems fucked up.”

“You really are in love with her.” I smiled, wondering when I would get used to hearing him talk this way about someone.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

“Well, go tell her. She’s probably the one that needs to hear it.” I threw my highlighter at him, hitting him square in the chest.

Jack grabbed his bag and smirked at me. “I’m trying to leave, but my little brother keeps trying to give me old condoms from his wallet.”

“You suck!” I yelled at his retreating back.

“No, you do,” he shouted back. “So blow me!”

Laughing, I bent over to pick up my highlighter from the floor.

• • •

When the baseball team was out of town, it seemed like the entire campus shut down. Not really shut down, per se, but it was a hell of a lot quieter and not nearly as interesting as when the guys were here.

There were fewer females hanging around, and the normally crowded student union wasn’t even halfway filled. The lack of obnoxious fangirls was actually a relief, but I did miss my brother. It felt odd being here when he wasn’t.

The day after the team left, I sat at our usual lunch table, waiting for either Melissa or Cassie to show up. Frowning, I forked at my plate filled with meatballs. The crappy sauce they served here tasted nothing like Gran’s.

Melissa slammed her bag down with a bang before plopping down next to me.

“Shit. I didn’t even see you come in,” I said nonchalantly, trying to act like she hadn’t just scared the shit out of me.

“I noticed. You were too busy having a love affair with your balls to notice me.” She batted her eyelashes and poked out her bottom lip in a pout.

Damn, I want to suck on that lip. Or at least kiss it.

I thought I’d get over my crush on Melissa the more time we spent together, but it only seemed to intensify, which frustrated me. I didn’t know what to do about it.

The best-case scenario would have been for Melissa’s feelings for me to grow as well, but they didn’t seem to. I enjoyed the times when she flirted easily with me, and rolled with it, but the second I even hinted at crossing the friendship line, she pulled back and pretended nothing was going on between us.

I was still too much of a wimp to confront her about it. I told myself it was because I didn’t want to put her on the spot or make her uneasy, but the truth was because I was terrified of her response. What if I scared her off altogether and she stopped wanting to hang out with me? Avoiding the awkward conversation meant that I got to hang around with her, so I ignored it and hoped that one day I’d get her to change her mind. Or maybe she’d attack me with her mouth.

I was about to say something witty to Melissa about my balls, but the sound of laughter caught my attention. Not a funny-ha-ha type of laughing, but the mean kind girls did when the joke was on someone else.

A girl had stopped Cassie and was showing her something on her cell phone while her friends waited nearby, laughing as they watched. Cassie seemed unfazed as she sauntered away from the girl, but once she met my eyes, hers changed completely. If looks could kill, Cassie would have incinerated me.

“What was that?” I asked when she got to our table.

She was practically vibrating with emotion when she dropped into one the chair across from her. “That was a picture of some chick walking into Jack’s hotel room.” She swallowed bravely before swiping at her eyes. “And then another one of him closing the door behind her. Did I mention the smile plastered all over his face?”

“No way.” I shook my head, not believing for a second that my brother would cheat on Cassie.

“Yes, way. Fuck. I’m such an idiot.”

I put my hands on top of Cassie’s and squeezed. “Maybe they’re old?”

“What are you talking about?” she asked as she yanked her hands away.

“There are a lot of pictures of Jack and other girls out there, Cass. Maybe they’re old?” I shrugged, offering the only explanation I could think of in the moment.

There had always been pictures of Jack circulating around campus, so it made sense to me that maybe these pictures weren’t recent. Maybe the girls were just trying to get a rise out of Cassie, jealous that Jack liked her and not them.

“Jack wouldn’t do that to you,” Melissa said to reassure Cassie, and I nodded in complete agreement.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” she choked out, her tone ice cold.

Melissa frowned. “Why would you say that?”

“Because Cassie knows my brother.” I glanced at Melissa before looking back at Cassie. “And she’s waiting for him to screw up because he keeps telling her he’s bound to.”

“Well, for the record, I want it noted that I don’t believe it,” Melissa said with confidence. “Not for one second.”

I wanted to hug her, but settled for giving her a small smile. “I don’t either.”

“Well, it was definitely Jack in those pictures,” Cassie said, her voice tight. “And the shirt he was wearing was packed in his bag. I saw it the other night.”

She tried to fight the tears threatening to fall, but lost. When one dropped to her cheek, she jumped up from the table and sprinted away.

Melissa stood up just as quickly. “I’d better go see if she’s okay.”

“I don’t think he’d do anything, Meli. Honestly.”

“I don’t either.” She rested her hand on my shoulder before jogging off to the ladies’ room after Cassie.

I waited for the girls to come back to our table, too upset to finish my lunch. A few people gave me curious glances as they walked past while I pushed the meatballs around, watching them get cold.

Melissa came back a few minutes later. Alone.

“No Cassie?” I asked as she sat down next to me.

“I pissed her off. She thinks I’m taking Jack’s side, but I just don’t think he’d do that to her. I saw them together before he left, Dean. He’s crazy about her.”

“He’s in love with her.”

“See? And Jack Fucking Carter doesn’t just fall in love all willy-nilly,” she said as if trying to convince me.

I sighed. “My brother doesn’t fall in love at all. Sure, he’s been an idiot in the past, we all know that, but he’s trying his damnedest to be good enough for her.”

Her concerned blue eyes bore into mine. “So, what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “She’s your best friend. Go fix her.”

Later that afternoon, my laptop was propped up on my bed as I lay next to it. Jack’s baseball game was scheduled to stream live through a website I’d found, and I was checking the connection, making sure I could get it to work before his game started. I was psyched to be able to follow his game while he was away, and I knew Gramps would be too.

My cell phone beeped.

Jack
: Is Cassie okay?

Dean
: Why? What’s up?

I’d responded right back but was noncommittal, not wanting to tell him about all the drama that had ensued while he was away. The last thing Jack needed was for his focus to be divided. If he knew Cassie was upset, he’d do whatever he had to in order to make it right.

But he needed to concentrate on baseball, and his game later tonight, and it was my job to protect him from this other shit until the time was right.

And the time was definitely not right.

Jack
: She won’t answer my calls, or return any of my texts. I’m starting to freak the fuck out.

Dean
: I don’t know what to tell you.

Jack
: Tell me what the fuck’s going on, Dean. How about that?

I started to type a response, but apparently took too long trying to formulate an answer that would settle him. My phone rang in my hand, and it was Jack.

“What’s up?” I said, trying to keep my voice light.

“Dean. What the fuck is going on there? I’ve called Cassie and sent her a dozen texts. She hasn’t responded to any of them, or picked up my calls. What the hell is happening over there?”

I bit the inside of my cheek as I attempted to lie. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s just busy?”

“Too busy to answer a single text? No, I don’t buy it. Did you see her today?”

“Yeah, I saw her.”

“Was she okay?”

“She seemed fine,” I lied. “We had lunch, and she was good.”

“Something’s wrong,” he said, his voice tight with emotion. “I have to pitch later, but all I can think about is the fact that my girl is ignoring me. It’s making me crazy because I know something’s wrong. I can fucking sense it.”

When I said nothing, he shouted, “I can’t pitch with my head all fucked up, Dean! Why won’t she talk to me? I told her I loved her and now she’s ignoring me? I feel like a damn lunatic right now, little brother. You gotta help me.”

“I’ll fix it,” I said quickly, and hung up.

I scrolled through my contacts for Melissa’s number. Calling Cassie would be pointless, but Melissa answered right away.

“I wondered when you’d call,” she answered without saying hello.

“Put her on the phone. I need to talk to her now.”

“Jack’s been calling and texting her, and she refuses to respond to him.”

“I’m more than aware. Put her on, Melis!” I shouted, my irritation reaching an all-time high.

“Hold on.” She pulled the phone away from her mouth and yelled, “Cassie, get out here!”

I waited on the other end of the line, my heart pounding in my chest when I heard Cassie ask, “Who is it?”

“It’s Dean. Get on the phone,” Melissa snapped at her.

I was proud of Melissa for standing up for my brother. I half wondered even if she realized that was exactly what she was doing. She’d never been Jack’s biggest fan, but she seemed to have warmed to him.

“Hello,” Cassie said, her tone bitchier than I’d ever heard it.

“Cassie, Jesus Christ, what the hell is going on? Jack’s calling me acting like a lunatic. He’s flipping out. Says you won’t answer any of his phone calls or texts.”

“So what.”

So what?
I let out an irritated huff. This girl was going to be the death of me and my brother.

“You gotta talk to him, Cass. You can’t ignore him like this when he’s on a road trip. It’s not fair.”

“Yes, I can!” she shouted into the phone, and I pulled it away from my ear. “He’s the one who had a fucking girl up in his hotel room, not me. So don’t tell me I have to talk to him, Dean. And don’t talk to me about what’s fair.”

I blew out another exasperated breath. “You’re so damned stubborn! He’s going ape-shit, and you’re just going to let him?”

“I just can’t call him, okay? I can’t talk to him right now.”

Cassie sounded exhausted, and I felt bad for a second as I put myself in her shoes. But I hated how easily she believed what she saw, without even giving Jack a chance.

“Just tell him I’m busy with a project for school or something,” she went on. “He’ll believe that.”

I breathed heavily into the phone as my heart rate started to slow down. “Fine. I’ll tell him. But, Cassie, he’s not stupid. He’ll figure out something’s wrong, and then I don’t know what he’ll do.”

“What does that mean?”

“It just means that I’ve never heard him sound as crazy as he was tonight. He was literally flipping out because he couldn’t get a hold of you.”

“I guess he should have thought about that before he invited some whore up to his hotel room,” she snapped.

“You’re completely unreasonable, you know that?” I asked.

“How am I unreasonable?” she shrieked.

“Because you’d rather ignore this entire situation instead of put an end to it,” I snapped.

It would be so easy for them to fix this with just a single conversation. At least, I hoped that would be the case. While I was 99.9% percent sure that Jack didn’t cheat on Cassie, I couldn’t put it past him entirely.

“I’m not ignoring it. I simply refuse to discuss it over the phone. So what?”

“See? Unreasonable and selfish.”

“Now I’m selfish too?” she shouted.

“Sort of. You’re only thinking about yourself and your feelings. You’re not thinking about Jack at all. This isn’t just a game to him. This is his future, his career. He can’t screw it up. Don’t you care about that?” I said, my heart hurting for my brother.

“None of that matters if he cheated on me,” she said matter-of-factly, and I felt like she’d slapped me across the face with her words.

“But you don’t even know what happened! You don’t know who that girl was. She could be an old friend of his, but you have no clue because you won’t ask.”

I dropped my head in my hand in frustration. Talking to Cassie was like talking to a brick wall.

“Nope, I won’t. Not until he gets home. And don’t you dare say a thing to him either, Dean. I don’t want you tipping him off so he has an entire weekend to think up the perfect response.”

Jesus, this girl was relentless.

“I’m not saying a word to him. But can you please at least send him a text?” I begged. “Just give him something so he can focus on the game. Please do that for him.”

The line fell silent between us, so silent that I pulled the phone away to glance at the screen to see if we were still connected. We were.

“Fine,” she finally blurted. “I’ll text him as soon as you let me get off the phone.”

I released a small laugh. “Talk to you later then.”

“Wait! Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“You know I’m not picking him up on Sunday.”

Damn it
. I sighed, and said, “I’ll come get his car.”

“Thanks. ’Bye.”

When she hung up, my thoughts pinged from wondering if Cassie was going to text Jack, to worrying how I was going to pick up his Bronco from her place. I didn’t want to involve Gran and Gramps in any of the drama, and while the girls’ apartment wasn’t far, it was too far to walk.

A text message pinged, and when I saw my brother’s name on the screen, I hesitated.

Jack
: Any news?

Dean
: She said she’s busy with a photography project that’s due.

Jack
: Thanks, man. Sorry I flipped out. I think I’m losing my mind.

Dean
: I told you she was fine. See you Sunday, bro. Good luck.

I pushed my laptop aside and fell back on my bed before I called Melissa again.

“What now?” she said.

“I need a favor.”

She huffed out an exasperated breath. “Another one?”

“Cassie said she’s not picking Jack up on Sunday. Can you come get me and take me back to your place so I can pick up his truck? I know it’s a lot to ask,” I said, and then waited for her to respond. It seemed like I was always waiting for this girl.

“No biggie. I’ll come get you. Now?”

“Now works. Thanks.”

I reached for my shoes and slipped them on before lacing them up, and then dug through the small drawer in my nightstand. When I found the bottle I was looking for, I pulled out three aspirin for the headache I felt coming on. After downing them with a sip of water, I walked into the living room where Gran and Gramps were sitting in their recliners, watching TV.

“Melissa’s coming to get me so I can go get the Bronco. I’ll be right back, though.”

Gran narrowed her eyes on me, instantly suspicious. I could never get anything past that woman.

“Why are you getting Jack’s truck?” she asked, then glanced at Gramps. “I thought Cassie was looking after it?”

“She was, but she hates driving it. She calls it his deathmobile.” I tried to smile and hoped they bought my lame excuse. “So instead of having it sit there all weekend, I’m going to get it.”

“Okay,” she said slowly, thinking it over. “Then who’s picking him up on Sunday?”

Shit
. I’d forgotten about that part. “I am. Cassie has some big photography project she’s working on all weekend.”

“All right. Drive safe,” Gran said, then added under her breath, “It is sort of a deathmobile.”

“I like that car. Truck. Whatever it is,” Gramps muttered as he lifted the remote to change the channel.

When Melissa’s car pulled up out front a few minutes later, I shouted good-bye and jogged outside.

“Hey,” she said with a smile, and I wished like hell that friends were allowed to make out. Her short shorts crept up on her thighs as she pressed down on the gas, and I wanted to rest my hand there more than anything else in this moment.

I tore my eyes away from her legs and looked at the road. “Thanks again for doing this. I really appreciate it.”

“I wasn’t doing anything anyway. And Cassie’s being unreasonable and annoying right now, so I was happy to get away.”

“Any idea why she’s being extra difficult?” I couldn’t help but be curious since I didn’t know much about Cassie’s personal history, other than the bits and pieces I’d overheard.

Melissa sighed. “I think she’s comparing Jack to her dad, and her dad’s basically a giant liar. I don’t think she realizes that she’s making Jack pay for her dad’s sins, but that seems to be what she’s doing. Or maybe it’s somehow wrapped up in it.”

I completely understood. Jack and I were both well versed in Fucked Up by Your Parents 101.

Nodding, I asked, “Did you try to tell her that?”

Melissa frowned at me before looking back at the road. “Of course I tried to tell her that, but she won’t listen. She has to come to that conclusion on her own. It can’t come from me,” she said grimly.

“You know he’s going to flip out when he gets home Sunday and she’s not there to pick him up.” Usually I looked forward to picking Jack up after his trips, but thanks to all the drama, this time I was dreading it.

“I know. I’ll be prepared for all hell to break loose at some point on Sunday.” She ran her fingers through her hair before tossing it over her shoulder. “You know, you could do me a solid and send me a text when you pick him up. That way I can mentally prepare myself for his arrival.”

I huffed out a small laugh. “How are you so sure he’ll come there?”

“Are you kidding?” She shot me a look that said I’d lost my mind. “Of course he’ll come there. He’ll come straight there. Don’t tell me I know your brother better than you do,” she said before making a right into the complex.

I glanced around, looking for Jack’s truck as she pulled into her covered spot and cut the engine. “No, you’re right. He’ll come right over. And he won’t be happy.”

“His truck’s over there.” She pointed somewhere behind us and off to the right, and I scanned the area before seeing it. “And his keys are in here.” She popped open her glove compartment before pulling them out and placing them in my palm.

“Thanks again for the ride.”

I got out of her car and started to wave good-bye but was stunned when she walked over and wrapped her arms around my waist. Her head pressed against my chest, and I instinctively weaved my fingers through her hair.

“You’re welcome,” she said before letting me go. “Don’t forget about that text.”

“I won’t,” I promised.

Melissa walked a few steps away but paused and turned around to look at me, conflict in her eyes. Then her eyes hardened, and she spun around to head toward her apartment.