Dare You to Fall for the Catcher (Rock Valley High 3)

“Okay. See you soon.”

She hung up on me and I shoved the phone back into my purse. With a steady breath, I finally managed to lift my gaze to Jayden. He wore a neutral expression, but the emotions dancing in his eyes told me he was still affected by what had just happened.

“I’ve got to go,?

?? I said, reaching for the door handle. “My sister’s waiting.”

He nodded and then licked his lips. “Yeah, right. The party. I was supposed to go to that, too.”

“Good.” Nerves danced in my stomach at the thought of running into Jayden again tonight. “Maybe I’ll see you later when I pick her up. Thanks for the pinball and the Jelly Beans.”

I didn’t stick around to hear his response. I was out of there like a shot, nearly flattening a startled associate on my way. Luckily, Audrey and Collin had also moved on, so the coast was clear.

When I made it to the food court, I slapped a hand over my mouth and stifled a crazy giggle. I wondered how that associate was going to react when she ran into Jayden inside the women’s dressing room.

And then—the truth came crashing back down on me.

I’d nearly kissed Jayden Paul.

What was wrong with me?

Chapter Fifteen

That near-kiss was haunting me.

I’d tried and utterly failed to do my English homework. Watching Netflix was a total bust. Even pumping my dumbbells didn’t leave me any of the usual energy I got from working out. So I turned some music on and flopped down on my bed in a hoodie and yoga pants, trying desperately not to think about Jayden and that dressing room mishap.

Charlotte had been giddy with happiness when I took her to the party. I might still have been shook by my experience at the mall, but I did my big-sister duty. I lectured her about being smart and responsible and choosing better friends. Of course, I didn’t mention Sarah specifically, but I hoped she got the message. At the very least, she’d taken the lecture without complaint and hopped out of the van before I’d even put it into park.

A huge part of me had wanted to stick around and follow her inside, make sure she was making better choices. But then I’d probably run into Jayden. And after what happened just a couple hours ago, I wasn’t going to be ready to face him for about a hundred more years.

Maybe I should become a spy and disappear off the planet.

That potential job was going back on the list.

“Knock, knock.” Mom’s beaming face appeared in my doorway. She and Dad had just gotten home from the diner an hour ago. The little stray hairs that had escaped her bun were plastered to her face. There was a tired glint in her eyes and a wearied droop to her shoulders, but that didn’t keep her from coming over to pull me into a hug. “I’ve missed you, baby girl. How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay.” I rolled over on the bed to look up at her, all of my worries momentarily pushed aside except for one. “How are you? Does your heart feel okay? How’s your blood pressure?”

She laughed and reached over to stroke my hair. “I’m doing fine. You know I make sure not to overexert myself. You don’t have to worry about me so much.”

“But you guys have been so busy lately.” I pushed myself up on my elbow. “I just don’t want you to end up in the hospital again.”

Frown lines appeared around her mouth. She tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and softly patted my shoulder. “Mandy, I’m going to do everything within my power to make sure that never happens again. Now that we know I have this heart problem, we can better prepare. If I ever feel like I’m going down that path, I promise to step back from the diner. Does that make you feel better?”

I nodded and stared down at my hands. Nothing could ever erase the trauma I’d felt seeing my mom hooked up to all those machines in the hospital. She’d looked so frail and tiny. My mom was an energetic, lively person who lit up every room she walked into. That was how I always wanted her to be.

“I know you’ve been taking up the slack around here with your dad and me working so late at the restaurant,” Mom said, looking around at my tidy room. “Thank you for that. You’re the best oldest daughter a mom could ask for. I promise, things will slow down very soon and go back to normal. Just like your ankle.”

I shot her a tight-lipped smile. I believed her when she said things for the diner would go back to normal, but I wasn’t so sure about my ankle. Or my life in general. The last two weeks had made everything spin out of control. I wasn’t sure what my future held anymore. It would’ve been nice to have some kind of supernatural roadmap to lead me through it.

Mom stifled a yawn and then patted me on the shoulder again. “We’re headed to bed. We’ve got to open in the morning. You’ll make sure your sister gets home okay?”

I nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it handled. Love you.”

She gave me a smile as she headed toward the door. “Love you, too, sweetie. Good night.”

As soon as she was gone, all the worries I’d been ignoring came rushing back. I rolled onto my back, groaning at the ceiling. My thumb slowly traced the spot on my palm where Jayden had kissed me. It felt like I’d been branded with an invisible mark. The sensation of his lips against my skin was never going to go away—and I wasn’t sure I wanted it to.