Take Me Away (16 page)

CHAPTER 21

TRESTON

FACE TO FACE WITH NUMBER 6, KARL ASHLEY, in the center of the field. We're breathing hard, hoping to win the ball. I focus and imagine myself winning the ball and running down the field, passing the ball to Gavin and sprinting to get open. He'll throw me the ball and I'll catch it without issues. Running from the side of the field to the middle, facing two defenders, I'm quick on my feet. Finding my sweet spot, I aim, shoot and score.

The crowd goes crazy and I shake my head. "Fuck," I mutter. That play in my head happened.

The high I'm feeling from this game, the crowd and applause, the lights. Everything. This is what I breathe for.

North Carolina calls a time out and we rush to the side to hear Coach either say
keep it up
or
don't fuck this up.
Guess which one he says?

Looking up at the stands, I know it's impossible to find people you know, but I feel her. I know she's here and I'm glad. It's a step closer to getting her back. The months apart are driving me crazy. I miss her like hell and think about her all the time.

"Not too much longer ladies," Coach says, "Don't fuck this up."

Another win tonight against North Carolina. We have six more games until the ACC Championship. The two back-to-back losses against Maryland and Loyola hurt, but we bounced back and I'm predicting all wins now.

The party at the girls’ house is crazy. They've been doing really well too, especially Zara. We've gone to all their games, at least the ones we can make, and I stand in the bleachers, watching her move and shine. She kills each play.

But she has no idea I exist anymore. To say she's been cold to me would be an understatement. She won't come near me. During lunch, she goes somewhere else. She's hardly over at the house and when I do see her, she looks past me. She won't answer her phone or respond to any of my text messages. I've been thinking of ways to get her back. Everything comes back blank. She hates me.

After our breakup over Thanksgiving break, we've been distant and I don't blame her. I get that she hates me and probably wants to see me drop dead. When we got together to work on the report, Gavin and Katy were with us. Zara refused to be near me. We finished the history project and got an A. I wanted to say something to her, but nothing came out. She stared at me and walked away. For the second time, I let her go.

She went on a cruise with her parents for Christmas and New Year’s while I stayed in my room at my parents’ house. Before leaving, I left her a lacrosse pendant necklace with a card. I don't know if she ever got it.

I fucking miss her. I bought the body spray she loves and spray it in my room. It's crazy and I feel like a damn creeper. Each time I smell that peachy smell before I sleep, I'm okay. I know I made a mistake and I regret it with everything I have. Lying in bed, I reminisce about the good times and smile because I got to experience a love so real and pure.

Since we're both on the lacrosse team and Coach Kaler wants us to be more involved with the girls’ team, things haven't been easy. The only time we talk, well yell, is during practice. We don't see eye to eye and she pushes my buttons. She’s a phenomenal player, but her attitude needs serious adjusting. She’s a beast on the field and the only girl I know who gets more fouls called on her than anyone I’ve seen or played with. She doesn’t take criticism well and flips me off every chance she gets.

I’ve been avoiding her and only see her in passing or in practice. I keep to myself and I know she wants to talk, but I can’t.

One day at practice, her and I weren’t seeing eye to eye. We were at each other’s throats and I had enough of her mouth so I told her skinny ass to get off the field and not to come back until she’s ready to be part of a team. Let’s just say the next few words that came out of her mouth were R rated. The girl’s mouth was worse than a sailor’s. But she was ruthless and killed at each game she started in. She's the leading scorer on the team, but if her attitude doesn't change, she's going to put the team in jeopardy, along with her scholarship. Winning is the goal, but winning by playing dirty isn't our motto.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I pick it up and see
private caller
flashing back. Every other day it seems like I'm getting a call from a private number. I never answer and they don't leave a message.

"Come on man. Let's play pong." I look up and see Jackson. I nod and follow him to the kitchen. There's a bunch of the girls on the team taking shots. Amateurs, I shake my head. They have a pretty big game tomorrow and half of them are wasted. I look around for Zara with no luck.

Jackson sets up the table and out of the corner of my eye, I see Zara walking in with Jamie and Katy. I turn around and see her. We both freeze. She's beautiful in her white shorts and slim fitting black shirt. The v-neck is a little too low if you ask me, but she's beautiful. Her hair is in soft curls and she has on a little more makeup than normal.

I look for Henry to see if he's around. Rumor has it they're dating, whether or not they're official I have no idea. The girls hate me and Gavin's been staying neutral. He tells me she's okay. I don't believe him. The spark I saw in her eyes isn't there anymore. She's walking around with a pretend smile on her face and it's my fault, not hers. At least I have some connection to her. There's a small sliver of hope she's going to come back to me and I don't want to lose that hope. Thinking about never seeing her again hurts me to the point where I can't breathe. I need her back in my life.

"Go say hi," Jackson mutters.

Walking up to her, Katy and Jamie stare me down. I ignore them and keep my focus on the girl I love.

"Hey, Peaches." She shudders to her nickname. "How are you?"

Her head jerks up and her eyes turn to pure evil. "How am I?" She repeats to me, "I'm just fine, Treston. Perfectly fine," she rolls her eyes.

I hate when she does that. "Well, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I don't feel like talking to you. Wait I take that back," she glares at me. “I wanted to be your friend and help you out, even though we broke up. But the way you’ve been treating me at practice, well, here’s a lesson for you
Cheese
. When you treat someone like shit be prepared to get it back.”

"Well, I've been meaning to talk to you. I have a lot to say and none of it would be good to say now, so can we please talk and not scream at each other?" She doesn't respond. She thinks I'm going to walk away like I did before. Wrong. "Oh.. so you're purposely ignoring me. I would hope that the time apart would make you realize how sorry I am. I gave you space and now I want us to talk." I'm not letting her go again. We've been apart for too long and I'm sick of seeing her miserable. And if she's fucking dating Baker she's breaking it off tonight. I don't give a shit.

"Guess what, Treston? The world does not revolve around you and when you’re ready. I’ve wanted to talk to you, but you ignore me. You pick fights with me and keep pushing me.”

“Well I want to talk. So can we?”

“You look like death."

"That's what happens when your heart's broken." She rolls her eyes and I'm about to take her into my room to talk when Henry comes up and places his arm around my girl. A growl escapes me and Katy comes to my side.

"Stop," she whispers, "Let's go back to the game. You need to give her space." I glare at him and soften my look when I find Zara's eyes.

"We're going to talk, Peaches. I’m sorry about before and I’m going to show you how we’re going to make this work. And Baker," I scoff, "You ain't got shit."

Walking back to the table with Katy, I play a few rounds of pong. Zara's nearby. Even though I can't see her, I feel her staring at me. After the last round, we take a few shots. I look for Zara and she's not around.

It's almost two in the morning so I figure she's home. Gavin sits on the couch with me after the crowd leaves. Katy's on his lap and they're both staring at me.

"What?"

"You have to give her space, Treston. I know it's killing you, but how do you think she feels? She didn't want to come to the party tonight. She did though and then you bombarded her."

"She didn't have to be a cold hearted bitch, though."

"No, that's your role." I close my eyes and mentally kick myself. "I came back to talk to you and figured you know what, why not? Hearing
you
of all people call me a bitch is low, Treston."

"I didn't move on, Peaches." I growl, standing up from the couch and turning to face her. "I've been waiting for you."

"I," she shouts, "Waited for you Treston. But the way you fucking left me at my
parents’
house over
Thanksgiving
was low. And don’t sit there and lie. You know I’ve been wanting to talk to you. You know that."

There's people staring at us and I don't need an audience. I grab her hand and take her upstairs. She fights me, like usual, but I'm not letting her go. When we make it to my room, I shut the door and lean against it. It's just her and I.

Zara sighs, crossing her arms across her chest. "What do you want Treston? I mean, it's been months and I think it might be a little too late to try and make up for what you've done."

"No," I walk to her, careful not to get too close. "It's not too late. We needed time apart. I needed time to think and get my life back in order."

"We?" She says, "No, Treston.
You
needed time away from
me,
remember?

Hearing her say those words twists my heart. "I need you to forgive me, please." I have to try.

"Treston, I really can't. What you put me through hurt so bad, it broke me. I cried myself to sleep almost every night, then finishing the project with you. I almost dropped the class. When I was around you I couldn't breathe. You ripped my heart out and walked away. I didn't do anything to you."

"I know."

"Then how do you expect me to forgive you?"

"Because we love each other." She stares at me with a blank expression. There's nothing on her face to tell me what she's feeling. "I don't really do much anymore. I think about you all the time and sometimes have to drink myself to the point of blacking out because I can't make myself stop thinking about you and our memories. It hurts, Peaches."

"Good." She closes her eyes and I feel like I'm losing her.

"Please give us another try. You said you'd never let me down." I know it's a risk to play this game. I have to try everything I have to make her see how much I love her and want her back. She's all I want and it took me losing her to see that.

"And I didn't. You're the one who let me down." Her tone is defeated. I'm hurting her again.

"I don't mean to hurt you. I want you back in my life. Please tell me you'll come back."

"I can't."

"Please. It's tearing me apart to be away from you. I miss you and I miss having you in my arms. Can't you see how sorry I am?"

"I know that's how you feel. How am I supposed to know you're not going to go back to your old self and push me away? I don't trust you. I gave you everything. My heart, my body and my soul. Then you threw me out as if I didn't matter. I told you I am not one of your fucking skanks."

"No! You're not. You're the fucking woman I love and want to be with. Stop acting like a bitch and listen to me."

"Excuse me?" Her eyes narrow and I fear for my life. This is the second time I've called her a bitch. Fuck, I'm an idiot.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you a bitch."

"Well, you did. Just let me out."

No. She can't leave yet. I wrap my arms around her waist and kiss her. My hands travel up her back to her hair until I'm cradling her face. "Open your mouth. Let me in, please." Slowly I feel her giving in. She's not punching me to go away, instead she falls into my arms and I feel her tongue on mine.

"I love you, Peaches. I love you so much."

"No." She shoves me away. "Stop. I can't do this with you. You're confusing me with your hot and cold. This isn't fair to me and I'm dating Henry."