Sidelined (Game On 3)

With Jude gone, I went back into our bedroom and finished getting ready. A day spent with my friends was my favourite kind of day. I couldn’t wait.

**

“Thank God you’re here,” Jesse said as I walked into his room carrying two mugs of coffee his mom had made for us. He lay on top of his bed, his leg plastered up after his op. While he was on vacation in London he’d had a scary ordeal which led to him ripping the main muscles in his knee. In spite of what he’d been through, he looked pretty good, just a little tired. I figured it must have been hard to sleep with a huge cast wrapped around his leg. I mean, does anyone really sleep lying flat on their back without moving all night? Staying in one position for eight hours is unnatural.

“I was only here a few days ago,” I said with a laugh, placing the drinks down on his bed

side table before perching on the edge of his bed.

“Bree, a few days is an eternity when you can’t get up. My mom’s driving me crazy.”

“Your mom’s adorable!”

“She is, but I’m used to having my own space. Living with my parents again is weird, and now I have to rely on them for everything.”

“Don’t take them for granted. They want what’s best for you, Jesse.”

He groaned. “Come on, help me out! Let me bitch and moan.”

“Uh-uh. I’m here to take your mind off the bitching and moaning.”

Jesse grinned. “Well, you are my ray of sunshine right now so I’ll take it. What’s new?”

A smile spread across my face. “You know Leah’s back, right?”

“Yeah, she came over yesterday with Radleigh. She said you’re meeting for lunch later.”

I did another small bounce of joy. “Yes, it’s going to be so awesome! I’m super excited.”

“She’s excited, too.” Jesse shuffled towards me a little to pick up his mug. “She can’t wait to see you and Freya now the jet lag’s wearing off.”

“Good because there is so much to catch up on, and…”

I barely remembered any of the following words that left my mouth. It pretty much amounted to a long string of excited chit-chat... or pointless drivel, depending on who you asked. Jesse was one of the only people whose eyes didn’t glaze over when I started wittering

“I’m sorry,” I said, after I eventually ran out of steam. “Like you care about Rodeo Drive, make-up tips and Zumba.”

Jesse laughed. “Hey, I wanna hear about everything that has happened and will happen outside of these walls. Okay, the girly stuff isn’t my thing, but I need to live vicariously through someone until I’m allowed to leave the house again. It may as well be someone who loves everything instead of someone who basically wakes up every day and goes through the motions.”

Positivity was built into my genes. As a kid I was always the first one up, ready to start the day. If I were a child in current times, I’d probably have some kind of attention disorder slapped on me. I had no problem concentrating, I just… got carried away sometimes.

“Glad to be of service,” I told him. “But with all my babbling you haven’t had chance to tell me what’s happening with your girl.”

His eyes lit up at the mention of her, and butterflies flapped in my stomach at seeing him so happy. The story of how he met her was too cute! A never-ending holiday romance. That was one of my childhood dreams; to be swept off my feet by a man from a different country. Maybe Italy. Italian men are hot!

“Not much to tell,” Jesse said. “She might visit over Spring break, and by then I should be able to walk again.”

“Do I get to meet her?”

Jesse tilted his head to one side in mock thoughtfulness, and broke into a laugh when I smacked his arm. “Of course you can! I want her to meet everyone eventually. She’s shy, though. I don’t want to overwhelm her.”

“Does she like to shop?”

Jesse laughed harder. “Oh God, Bree. She’s a student so she probably won’t be able to keep up with you.”

“But I can help her pick out cute outfits!”

“She’s not a dress-up doll. Her sister treats her that way sometimes and she hates it.”