Safe with You (5 page)

J is the first one to speak up. “I think she hit her head harder than we originally thought.”

Bo snaps his fingers like he just thought of something brilliant. “She was acting like this yesterday, remember, J?”

“Oh yeah, do you think she needs to go to the hospital to get checked out?”

Before I could yell out, “NO!” Jess asks, “What happened yesterday?”

I ground my jaw. “Nothing happened yesterday unless you count the fact that I threatened Bo with an inch of his life because he would not quit pestering me.”

“That and she went crazy trying to get in her locked house. Cass here tried to run and knock the door down, it was freakin’ hilarious!”

“Dang Yankee, I’m sorry I missed the show!”

“Screw you guys!” I stalk around them and headed to my locker so I could grab my books for my first-period class.

“Cass, wait up!” J hollers, running after me.

I stop abruptly and spin around. “What do you want?” Okay, that came out a little harsher than intended.

“I’m sorry, okay. I honestly thought something was wrong.”

“I’m fine, J. My head doesn’t hurt anymore.” My hand is still throbbing a little, but I’m not going to tell him.

“Good. Can I at least walk you to class?”

“Sure.” I turn around and walk off. J has to jog a couple steps to catch up with me.

“What class do you have now?” he asks when he catches up to me.

“Good ole History with Mr. Peterson.”

“Ah, okay. A couple things about his class you need to know. He makes you think he is the toughest teacher in the school, but he is really not. As long as you listen in his class and take notes, you’ll pass. All of his tests are based on what he writes on the board.”

Good to know since I suck at History. I’m fine with the Declaration of Independence Era, but when you start getting into Indians, you lose me.

“Thanks for the tip.”

“Anytime, Cass. I’ll see you after class,” he says and walks back down the hall to his own class.

No, he won’t. I’m still kind of pissed at him and his brother so I guess I will be hanging with my new friend Jess the rest of the day. Besides, hanging out with J or even his brother will result in someone getting hurt and I have enough injuries already.

Chapter Six

J

Cassie has been avoiding us all day and has been sticking to Jessie’s side like glue. Maybe we shouldn’t have acted like she had lost her mind and went crazy, but I really was genuinely concerned that she had mild brain damage or something because she kept talking to Jessie about something that Jessie had no clue about.

Fifth period couldn’t come quick enough for me. It is the only class I had with Cassie and since she has been avoiding me, it seemed to take forever. I catch sight of her walking out of the locker room in mesh shorts and a t-shirt. I watch her lean to each side, stretching her lean body. Her hair is pulled back into a messy bun. I continue to watch her as she stretches her legs and then her arms.

“Damn, brother…I thought you were messing with me when you said you had it bad,” Bo chuckles, slapping my back. I shove him and look back at Cassie. She is now sticking her earphones into her ears, getting ready to take off.

A low growl rumbles through my throat when my eyes land on some of my teammates doing the same thing I am doing. There is a party Friday night at Colt’s so I need to get the ball rolling and ask her if she will go to the party with me before someone else tries to ask her. I don’t know if I could handle watching her with someone else. I don’t know what it is about this girl that has me so drawn to her and so completely captivated, but it only makes me want to be near her as much as possible.

Cassie takes off, starting her run. I curse under my breath and run after her. Dang, she’s fast. I finally catch up with her and run side by side with her. She doesn’t notice me at first, but when her eyes finally cut to mine she sucks in a breath and her eyes widen. I smile at her and her eyes narrow into slits at me. Just as she was about to cut her eyes back to the front her feet get tangled and she falls to the gym floor, letting out a small shriek along the way. I stop abruptly, bending down to help her.

“Are you okay Cass?”

I stretch my hand out towards her for her to grab, but she swats it away and stands herself. “Yeah, no thanks to you.”

“I didn’t make you fall,” I say, defending myself.

“Oh, it was definitely your fault! Every time you or your brother is around something happens to me!”

I pretend to think about it for a second. “I’m not seeing it. Sorry.” I shrug.

“Never mind,” she grumbles. “Why were you running alongside me anyway?”

“I wanted to give you some company and I wanted to ask you something.” I don’t elaborate because I don’t think it’s the right time with her believing I made her fall.

“Well?”

“I can’t ask you yet, it’s not the right time. Just promise me one thing though?”

“Sure, humor me.”

“If anyone else asks you, say no.”

She gives me a crazed look, almost like the ones we’ve been giving her. “If anyone asks me what?”

“You’ll see, Cass.”

“That doesn’t tell me anything!” I just laugh and walk away from her. “J!”

****

To make matters worse, Ellen has been trying to stick her dang claws into me all freakin’ day and I’m getting sick of it. Nothing she does will make me change my mind. Every time her fingers try to graze my skin, I want to puke. Part of me hopes I do so I can throw up all over her. Maybe then she’ll stay away from me.

“J,” a sing-song voice mixed with the sounds that make your ears bleed call out from behind me. Can I not go one day without her bothering me?

I ignore her and keep walking. “J!” Doesn’t she get the hint? “I know you hear me!” I pick up my pace when I hear her voice getting closer to me. “Jay Allan Michaels! You will stop right now and talk to me!” she yells at me like I’m a freakin’ toddler which only makes me want to ignore her more.

I am almost to the field house and she is still on my heels, following me like a lost puppy. Having enough, I stop abruptly and spin around. “What in the hell do you want?”

Her eyes widen a fraction before she composes herself. “I was wondering if you were going to the party on Friday?”

“I am and no I will not go with you.” I already know what she is going to ask next so I just went ahead and told her my answer.

She stomps her foot and stuck her bottom lip out like a four-year old who isn’t getting her way. That may work on her dad, but it sure as heck won’t work on me. “But J…” she whines.

I grit my teeth. “No Ellen, I will not go to the party with you.”

“Fine, then you can just go by yourself and be miserable.”

“Ha! Nowhere near as miserable as I’d be if I went with you.” I turn around and walk away, leaving her with her mouth hung open. Good, I hope she swallows a bug.

Coach had let us off from practice yesterday, lucky for us, since we took care of Cassie, but today we will be practicing extra hard. Though judging by the clouds we may not get to practice long at all.

Sure enough, fifteen minutes into practice it starts thundering and lightning so we had to call it a day since we couldn’t move to the gym because the girls were practicing for volleyball.

We change out of our pads while coach talks to us for a minute.

When we are dismissed we jog to the truck through the pouring down rain.

Bo starts to drive away and I catch a glimpse of someone sitting on the sidewalk under the canopy. “Stop, Bo!”

“Good grief J! Scare the crap out of me why don’t ya?” I ignore him and hop out the truck.

I run over and crouch down in front of her. “Cassie what are you still doing here?” She is still wearing her gym clothes from P.E.

She rolls her eyes at me. “I was going to walk home, but then it started raining hard and lightening.” She gestures to the torrential downpour going on around us.

“Jessie couldn’t take you home?” Surely Jessie didn’t blow her off.

“Not that it is any of your business, but I was going to get a run in since mine was so rudely interrupted so I never asked her for a ride home.”

“Haven’t I told you already that it isn’t safe for you to do that?”

Her eyes flashed with anger. “The last time I checked, you weren’t my brother.”

Thank God for that!
“Come on Cass, we’ll take you home.”

“No thank you, I’m going to wait for this to pass.”

This girl likes to push my buttons. “Are you crazy?”

“According to you and Bo I am,” she replies while picking her bag of clothes up and standing. To my complete and utter shock, she started walking in the rain in the direction to her house.

I cursed silently and ran after her. “This is crazy, Cassie! Just let me take you home!”

“No!”

I threw my hands in the air. “You’re so stubborn you know that?” Beautiful and stubborn. Droplets of water run down her cheek, her hair is plastered the side of her face. I’m getting drenched from head to toe standing here staring at her and yet it’s the least of my worries. Her mouth opens but closes instantly. I caught her off guard. Either that or it’s the fact that she’s eyeing me like I’m doing to her.

“I’m sorry we acted like you were crazy. I promise you’re not fully crazy.” I grin when I see her trying to hold back her smile. “Will you please swallow your pride and let us take you home?”

Her eyes drop to my outstretched hand again. She tentatively places her small hand in mine. “Fine, but only because I still have no idea how to get home and it’s obvious that the rain isn’t going to stop for a bit.”

I pull her to me and her body flushes against mine. I lean in to whisper in her ear. “Admit it, Cass, you like being around me.” Without warning I drop my arms around her thighs and throw her over my shoulder.

“J!” she squeals though she was laughing.

I’m pretty sure her laughter was the best sound I have ever heard.

Chapter Seven

Cassie

Remind me again why I thought it would prove a point to walk home in the rain? Yeah, I’m never doing that again. I’m sitting in the backseat of Bo’s truck shivering from being soaking wet. J snuggles me closer to him and wraps his arm around me. I’m not exactly sure how that is going to help warm me up since he is in the same predicament as I am. I’m not going to complain though since I like how this feels. I close my eyes and the image I have of him standing before me in the rain pops its way in my mind.

“What are you smiling about back there darlin’?” I about jump out of my seat from Bo’s surprise comment.

I blush instantly and look down. “I wasn’t smiling.”

“Sure darlin’…whatever you say¸” Bo replies in a laughing tone.

Ugh! I wish Bo couldn’t read people as well as he does!

I pull away from J as soon as Bo turns in my driveway. “Thanks for the ride you guys,” I mumble against my better judgment. I just know they will tease me about saying ‘thank you’ to them.

Sure enough Bo starts up. “Holy crap, J! Did she just say thank you?”

J smiles and my stomach floods with butterflies. “Now that wasn’t so hard was it?”

“Yeah, yeah...whatever.” I grab the handle to open the door, but J stops me.

“Let me walk you to the door.” He slides over to the other side and jumps out. A second later my door opens and I tell Bo that I’ll see him around. J grabs my waist and helps me down. We run up to my front porch, laughing like little kids.

J tucks a strand of wet hair behind my ear. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Cassie.”

I swear the way he is looking at me makes me think he is going to lean his perfect face down to mine and kiss me.

“Okay.” I wish my voice didn’t sound so small. He grasps my hand and lifts it to his mouth, placing a soft kiss to it. J drops my hand slowly, his eyes never wavering from mine, as he backs away from me. After about five steps, he turns around and keeps walking to the truck. With one last look, he hops into the passenger seat. I force myself to turn around and walk into the house.

I get perplexed looks from both mom and dad as soon as I step foot in the house. I just ignore them and head straight to my room to gather clothes up for a long bath.

The bath feels refreshing. I am so relaxed I almost fall asleep in the water. It wasn’t until the water turned cold I finally get out and dress in comfortable clothes.

I walk into the kitchen to find something to eat. Mom is munching on a salad while dad was eating some of the leftover chicken alfredo I made the night before. The silence is deafening. I could tell they want to say something to me about hanging around people. I fix myself the rest of the leftovers and sit down across from my parents at the dinner table.

I had just taken my first bite when mom decided she wanted to be nosy. “So, who dropped you off today, Cassie?”