*****
I drove Jack to the baseball stadium at five the next morning. When we arrived, I looked over at the rumbling bus and Jack’s arriving teammates. I laughed when I noticed Jamie, a girlfriend of one of Jack’s teammates, driving a monster-sized truck. She looked terrified behind the wheel and her expression brought me relief since I assumed my face probably looked the same. Glancing over at me, she shrugged her shoulders, and I waved in response.
Jack hopped out of his death machine, grabbed his bags, and sauntered over to the driver’s side where I reluctantly sat.
“Take care of my pride and joy. ” He grinned, his dimples making an appearance.
“You know it’s just going to sit in the parking lot at my apartment, right?” I shrugged.
He laughed before grabbing the back of my neck and pulling me toward him. “I’ll text you when I get there. ” His mouth covered mine as hoots and hollers filtered into the air. He pulled away, turned around, and flipped off his teammates.
“Amateurs. ” He laughed.
“It’s the first time they’ve ever been able to give you shit. They’re excited. ” I pressed my lips together and smiled.
He leaned in, giving me one last kiss before walking away, his body disappearing behind his two large bags.
EIGHT
I sat in my Comm Law class as my professor droned on about the legal regulations of mass communication as it applied to freedom of speech and the press. Instead of taking notes, my mind drifted to thoughts of Jack and our night together. I absentmindedly placed my pen near my mouth and started chewing on the cap, my eyes blurring over.
Maryse, the gorgeous brunette next to me, nudged me with her elbow, breaking my trance. I turned to look at her and she lifted her chin toward the front of the class where our teacher was writing down topics for our next test.
“Thanks,” I whispered with a sideways glance.
“No problem. ” She smiled. “You’re dating Jack Carter, right?” I nodded. “Screw this class, I’d be thinking about him too. ” She giggled quietly.
I stifled a laugh and let out a long, drawn-out breath, knowing I’d been caught. Our professor ended his lecture and Maryse stood up when I did, following behind me as the class dispersed. Once outside, she appeared next to me, her full hair bouncing with each step. “So how did you get the elusive Jack Carter to fall for you?”
“I really don’t know. I guess you’d have to ask him that. ” I smiled and dropped my sunglasses over my eyes.
“Every girl at this school has been chasing him for years,” she said, acting as though this was new information to me.
“Maybe that’s just it. I didn’t chase him. ”
Her eyes widened. “Ahhh, so he chased you? That probably would be a first for him. ” She applied a shiny gloss to her lips and puckered before pushing the tube back into her pocket. “Guys love the chase. It’s once you’re caught that you have to be careful. ”
I glimpsed at her. “What do you mean?”
“I’m just saying a guy like Jack Carter isn’t fit to be tied down. I can see him enjoying a challenge, which is what you were. But you’re not anymore ’cause he has you. Where’s the fun in that?”
I didn’t respond, unsure of what to say in my defense. What if she was right? What if it was all a game to him? At first he couldn’t have me, then he got me. Then I wouldn’t give it up, but I just did. There were no more challenges.
The pathway split and Maryse peeled away to head in the other direction. “I have another class right now. Media Ethics. Snore. ” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll see you Monday. Don’t forget to study!”
“See you Monday,” I answered with half a smile as my mind raced.
I wandered toward the student union, noticing the lack of activity that normally bustled around it. It was weird to admit that a sports team had that much of a presence on campus, but they really did. The lack of energy when they were gone was noticeable.
When I opened the door, the usual obnoxious sound of girlish chatter was absent. I glanced around the almost empty space and laughed to myself as I headed toward Melissa and Dean. If the team wasn’t here, then the fan-girls weren’t either. That revelation was almost as weird as it was disturbing.
I hadn’t taken two steps before an overly friendly blonde reached out a tanned arm to stop me.
“Hi. It’s Cassie, right? I’m Mollie, and I was just wondering if you and Jack were still dating?” She made sure her voice was loud enough for her three eavesdropping friends to hear.
I pinched my eyebrows together, my body tensing. “Why?”
“Well, it’s just that my friend from Texas sent me this photo last night from her cell. That is Jack, right?” she asked, holding her phone out where I could see it and giggling while her friends anxiously waited for my reaction.