The Perfect Game (The Perfect Game 1)

“Because I see the way he looks at you. And I hear the way he talks about you. ” Melissa’s forehead creased in sympathy.

“I don’t want to look like a fool in front of everyone! Those girls with those pictures…” I paused to gasp a sob. “I’m mortified. Do you know how embarrassing that was?”

“Those girls got exactly what they wanted. They don’t care about you. They’re so freaking fucking bitter that you’re the one with Jack that they’ll do and say anything to tear you two apart. Can’t you see that?” Melissa tried to reason with me, her voice tinged with disappointment.

But nothing she said made me feel any better. I couldn’t get the image of Jack’s smiling face as he ushered the girl inside that hotel room out of my head. It was simply that easy to make me question everything and assume the worst.

“I have to go. ” I pushed past Melissa and stormed out the bathroom door.

My mind didn’t stop racing until I got to our apartment and crashed on top of my bed. I begged my brain to shut off and pleaded for my body to find some peace in sleep. The sound of my cell phone beeping startled me. I glanced at the screen, which read One new text message from Jack. My stomach dropped as I read his name. I pressed the Read button. Heading off to the field. Call you after the game. Miss you like crazy.

I didn’t respond.

I couldn’t.

My stomach twisted into pretzel-like knots as my heart yearned for the truth. I curled my body into a ball, clutching a pillow tightly as the pounding in my head resumed. Closing my eyes, I reached for an escape.

The sound of my ringtone blared loudly from the floor, waking me from a dream-free slumber some time later. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand, its red numbers alerting me that almost four hours had passed.

My phone continued blaring the music I’d picked out for Jack’s calls.

“Are you gonna answer that?” Melissa yelled from the other room.

I pressed the Ignore button, stopping the music from playing. After a minute, my cell phone beeped, alerting me to a new voice mail. I didn’t listen, afraid that if I heard the sound of his voice, my resolve would weaken completely. Another beep followed and One new text message from Jack flashed across the screen.

I tried to resist reading it, but my heart wanted to know what he had to say. I clicked Read. Everything okay, Kitten? We won today. I pitch tomorrow. Call me as soon as you get this. Miss you.

I turned off the display, tossed my phone back onto the floor, and headed into the living room where Melissa sat watching TV.

“Did you really ignore his call?” she asked without looking at me.

“I can’t talk to him right now. ”

She turned to face me. “You need to talk to him right now. ”

I shook my head. “I can’t have that conversation with him over the phone. I need to be able to look him in the eyes when I ask him about those pictures. ”

“He’s not your dad, Cassie. ” Melissa’s face softened as she placed her hand on my knee.

I dropped my gaze. “I know that. ”

“Do you?”

“Of course I do. ”

I knew my tone sounded defensive, because she asked again. “Are you sure?”

“What the hell is your point, Melissa?”

“My point is, Jack’s not going to promise the school a popular band for grad night and then disappear, leaving you to clean up the mess and answer all the questions. He’s not going to make a bunch of promises to people he can’t keep. ”

I cringed at the memory I’d tried so hard to block out over the past few years. But the truth was, the embarrassment my father caused me was etched deep inside and was never far from my mind. And whether I wanted to admit it or not, I was affected by his lies and inability to follow through on the smallest of promises.

I didn’t say anything. I continued to glare at Melissa, angry at her for pointing out the flaws I felt I couldn’t c

hange.

“Cass, I just don’t want you to punish Jack for the mistakes your dad made. ” Her voice was soft as she leaned in to touch her forehead to mine.