The ball rolls into my glove and I pick it up, throwing it back to Alyssa. We've been at the field practicing on softball. She's been giving me ground balls, pop ups, and throwing them at me. She keeps telling me I'd be a great third base.
"I thought Daniel, Jordan, Troy, and Ryan were going to join us today?" I ask.
"I doubt it. They made it into the playoffs, so their coach is going to practice them that much harder. I feel bad for them." Alyssa says.
"Is Daniel still working?" I ask.
She throws the ball back at me and I catch it before throwing a pop up to her. She catches the ball with ease before throwing it back at me.
"Nope. His dad made him quit his job. He didn't want to, but his dad said he didn't have to work now that he's here. Daniel has been miserable, since he moved in with his dad." She tells me.
"That sucks. Maybe we should take him out this weekend to cheer him up?" I suggest.
"That actually isn't a bad idea. I'll come up with the plans and let everyone know." She says.
"Let's do some hitting." I say.
She nods her head and we go over to the dugout and get the bucket of balls we brought here with us. She also grabs the tee and we go to home base, setting up everything. I decide to hit first, so she can tell me what I need to fix.
"Did Jake ever say what his parents wanted to talk to him about?" She asks.
I hit the ball harder, already becoming angry. "They want him to move back in with them."
"What? Why?" She says, placing a ball on the tee.
"Because they're sorry. Honestly, I think it's just an image thing. Jake said he doesn't want to live with them anymore. I'm all about forgiving, but only if you deserve it. They don't deserve it." I say.
I hit the ball and watch as it bounces one time before shooting back up and going into the outfield. I wonder if someone would have been able to get that. Probably not.
"This sucks. I wish we could choose our parents. I mean, I'm perfectly fine with mine, but I wish Jake and Daniel had better parents. Well, Daniel a better father." She sighs.
"At least his dad is trying to make things right. He actually seems like he cares. Jake's parents don't care." I say.
She nods her head, "I guess you're right. Make sure you use more of your lower body when you swing."
I take her advice and when I hit the ball, it goes into the air. It almost goes over the fence and I jump up and down excited.
"Did you see that!" I smile.
"Do that in the game and they won't be able to stop us this year." She smiles.
*****
I place the ice on Jordan's right shoulder and he winces. Their coach over worked them today at practice and they're super tired. Alyssa is probably with Daniel right now, doing the same thing.
"Coach had me throwing the ball so much today that I thought my arm was going to fall off." He says.
"He just really wants you guys to make it to the championship game, but I don't agree with him working you guys like this." I say.
"I understand. I want it just as bad as he does. Last year when we lost, I was so mad and disappointed. I never want to feel that way again. We have to win this year." He tells me.
I smile, "And with a captain like you, you're going to get the team there."
He smiles up at me, "I plan on it."
I lean down and kiss him swiftly, but he brings my mouth back down to his mouth. My heart rate increases speed every time we kiss. He parts my lips with his tongue and his tongue enters my mouth. I somehow end up on top of him. I didn't even know I had moved. I think we should take things slow, but I definitely don't want to move from this position. I start to rock my hips back and forth. Jordan groans and he squeezes the side of my hips, stopping my movements.
I pull away from him and look at him confused. Lust is clear in his eyes, but it's almost as if he feels that this is wrong. I raise an eyebrow.
He looks away from me, "We should take things slow. We just started dating."
I laugh a little, "Jordan turning down sex?" I joke.
I climb off of him and lay beside him. "I wasn't going to have sex with you anyway. I just wanted to be a tease."
I look over to him and smile only to see him staring at me with a smile of his own. He sits up on his elbow and looks at me.
"Abby? Being a tease? Where's the girl who would blush at the mention of sex?" He laughs.
When he says that, I start to blush. He laughs at me and I can't help, but laugh with him.
"There she is. I always thought your shyness was the cutest thing ever." He admits.
"Why? I always thought you liked confident girls. Girls that know what they're doing." I say.
"I never actually liked those girls. You're different from them. That's why I fell in love with you. You were everything I was looking for in a girl, I just didn't know it." He says.
I smile. I like it when Jordan tells me how he feels about me. Even though we've known each other for a while now, he still hides things from me. I know it's because he isn't so used to being open with people.
"What are you thinking about?" He says, playing with my hair.
"Just about how you used to not tell me anything." I say.
He gives me a look of disbelief. "I did tell you stuff."
"That's a lie. You wouldn't tell me anything. You just started really telling me things three weeks ago and we've known each other for about two and a half months now." I argue.
He taps me on the nose before getting up, "Of course you keep up with that stuff. Let's go downstairs and get some food."
"You don't keep up with stuff like that?" I ask.
He shakes his head no as if it isn't a big deal. It makes me slightly mad that he doesn't care about how long we've dated. What about our two month anniversary or sixth month anniversary? Even bigger, our one year anniversary. I don't want to be the only one planning things out for us. He seems to notice what he just said, because he quickly tries to correct himself.
"I mean, as long as we're still dating it shouldn't matter." He says, but that only makes me angrier.
I get up off his bed and grab my phone and keys. I walk pass him, about to leave the house.
He grabs my arm gently, "Come on, Midget. You know I didn't mean it like that."
"I'm a girl Jordan. Anniversaries matter to us. It matters to me. If you can't remember how long we've been dating or when we got together, then it shows me how much you really care." I say.
He sighs, "I know. You're right. I'm new to this dating stuff, Midget. You're going to have to lead and guide me with this stuff."
I look down and nod my head. "I just don't want to be the only one trying here, okay?"
He kisses me on top of the head, "You won't be, Midget. I want us to make it just like you do."
I smile at his reassurance. "Now can we go downstairs and get something to eat? I'm starving, baby."
The way baby rolls off his tongue does something to me inside. I want to take his lips and smash them against mine, but I know I won't be able to finish what I start. Instead, I just let him grab my hand and take me downstairs with him. When we get into the kitchen, his mom is setting the table.
"Hey, Mrs. Collins." I say.
She looks at me and smiles, "Hey, Abby. Are you staying for dinner?"
I nod my head and her smiles grows even bigger. I think after Thanksgiving, she grew to like me even more. She even wanted to go out with me one weekend and have a girls day out. I told her we would definitely have to do it. She reminds me of my mom a lot. I sometimes wonder if Jordan's real mom was like her. He rarely talks about his parents, but when he does he talks about how great they were. From what he remembers. I wish I could have met them.
"Great. Tonight we're eating pasta." She tells me.
"Can we do less talking and more eating." Jordan says.
I smack him against the arm, "Don't be rude."
She laughs at us and we both take a seat next to each other. We hear the front door open and close before Jordan's dad walks in. He must have just got off of work. He goes over to his wife, kissing her on the cheek before acknowledging Jordan and me.
"Abby, it's nice to see you again. You get prettier every time I see you." He smiles.
I blush, "Thank you, sir."
Mrs. Collins hands me a plate of pasta and garlic bread and I thank her. The pasta tastes really good and I try to slow down my eating because I don't want to look like I don't have any manners. Jordan, on the other hand, he swallows down his first serving in matters of minutes before going for seconds.
"Goodness gracious, son. Are you not eating at school?" Mr. Collins asks.
Jordan swallows his food, "I'm eating. Fast metabolism. Plus, coach worked us extra hard today."
"I'm coming to the game Friday. Ready to see my son work his magic on the field." He smiles proudly at Jordan.
"Well, of course dad. I learned from the best." He says.
"You used to play football?" I ask his dad.
His dad smiles and his eyes go distant thinking about his glory days. Mrs. Collins sighs and smiles because she probably gets tired of hearing the story he's about to tell me.
"Yes, Abby, I did. I used to be good at quarterback and wide receiver. The coach never knew what position he wanted me to play for the year. It depended on who could play the other position for me so I could play quarterback or wide receiver. We won a championship in my junior year. We came close, my senior year." He smiles.
"I was a cheerleader. I was dating him at the time and I would be on the sidelines cheering him on." Mrs. Collins says.
"Yup. I'd hear her screaming over everybody else." He laughs.
Jordan and I both laugh at his parents talking about their days in high school. I think it's beautiful how they stayed together after high school and went on to get married. They even went to different colleges, but because they loved each other so much they decided to make things work through long distance. That's what you call true love. I hope Jordan and I can be like that. When we finish eating, I help Mrs. Collins wash dishes while Jordan and his dad go to the living room and watch TV.
She hands me a plate to dry. "You know, Jordan is head over heels for you. All he does is talk about you. I never thought I would see the day Jordan would be in love."
I smile, "I'm in love with him, too. Even when we first met I kind of knew that he had my heart. I was just too stubborn to admit it."
"Mimsy told me she had a talk with you during Thanksgiving. She told me she told you about how I knew Jordan's real parents and everything. That's why I adopted him. They discussed it with me that if they ever were to die, they wanted me to take him. I love him as if he were my own." She says.
"He really loves you guys, too. He's very grateful to you guys for being there for him. Does he know that you guys knew his parents?" I ask.
She shakes her head, "He doesn't know that we were that close to them. He just thinks we were acquaintances. I kind of have some news I want to share with him and Roger, but I'm scared."
I become slightly worried, "What is it?"
She looks around to make sure that no one is eavesdropping before she takes a deep breath and looks at me.
"I'm pregnant." She whispers.
I gasp and my eyes become wide, "That's a great thing, right?"
She seems to be relieved a little that I'm happy for her, but I don't know why my opinion would matter. I'm not really a part of this family. Or am I?
"I'm happy, it's just that... I don't want Jordan to feel like this baby is going to be more special than him. This would be our actual child. I just want them to welcome this baby into this world and help throughout the pregnancy. Of course, you would too." She smiles.
I laugh lightly, "I'm sure Jordan would be ecstatic with the information. When do you plan on telling them?"
"Soon. I'm four weeks along. I want you to be there with me when I tell them this information. I consider you a part of this family now. You're like my very own daughter. It's nice to have another female to talk to. Living in a house with two men can drive you insane." She jokes.
"That's funny. My dad says the same thing just reversed. He claims living in a house with two women drives him insane." I laugh.
She laughs along with me and I can't help, but love this woman. She's nice and makes me feel like I am actually a part of their family. I really am happy for her and I hope that Jordan will be too.
"Just let me know when you plan on telling them. We can go all out with it." I smile excited.
"Here. Let me get your number. We need to do it sometime this week if that's okay with you?" She asks.
"Fine for me." I write my number down on a piece of paper before handing it back to her.
"Thank you so much, Abby. I'm so happy my son found someone like you." She hugs me and I do the same.
We finish washing the dishes before joining the guys in the living room. I tell them that I'm going to go and Jordan walks me out. We do our regular goodbye make out session and say good night and I love you before I leave.
I'm on my way home when my phone starts to ring, cutting off my music. My phone is Bluetooth to my car so when I need to answer a call, I can without having to pick it up. I see it's Stephen and I wonder why he's calling me. I press the accept button on my steering wheel and his voice floods through my car.
"Hey, Abby. I'm happy you answered because I really need your help." He says.
"Sure. What is it?" I ask.
I hear shuffling in the background before he speaks again. "I'm at the house right now. My mom and dad are at work and I need someone to take me to the hospital."
"What? Why? What happened?" I ask, starting to panic.
"Nothing too serious. I think I might have broken my ankle. I was playing soccer with my friend Andrew and I slipped when I tried to kick the ball and I fell really hard on my ankle. Andrew can't take me because he has to get home and my parents are at work and you're the first person that came to mind." He laughs as if he's embarrassed.
"Yeah, I'm on the way. Give me about twenty minutes." I say.
"Thanks, Abby. You're a real life saver." He says before hanging up.
I hope he didn't break his ankle. It would destroy him if he couldn't play the rest of his football season. On the other hand, Jordan would probably be ecstatic. I pull up outside of Stephen's house and knock on the door. I hear a "come in" and I go inside. Stephen is sitting in a chair when I walk into the kitchen. His ankle is swollen and the sight makes me cringe.
"You don't have to look like that. You're making me think it's much worse than what I assumed." He jokes.
"I'm sorry. It just looks really awful." I cringe even more.
"Well, let's go see what the results are. Will you help me to your car?" He asks.
I nod my head and I help him get up. He swings his arm around my shoulders and at first it seems easy, but when he puts his full weight on me I stumble a little before completing falling. I try to turn around and keep Stephen up, but he ends up falling on top of me.
"Ouch!" He yells.
I hit the back of my head against the floor and I groan. Stephen is on top of me, crushing my body. At first he is groaning in pain just like me until he starts to laugh causing me to laugh.
"You're such a klutz." He laughs.
"It's not my fault you weigh the size of an elephant." I laugh.
He laughs before smiling and looking at me. I look into his eyes and things start to get awkward for me. We still are in a very compromising position.
"What?" I ask.
"Your eyes. They're just so beautiful. Sometimes it's hard for me not to stare at you." He smiles.
I laugh lightly, "Thanks, but we need to get you to the hospital. So can you like just roll off of me?"
He nods his head before doing just that. I get up and then help him up. This time we make it to my car without falling down. When we get to the hospital, a nurse comes out with a wheelchair so that I won't have to carry him inside. We're called to the back within a few minutes and they ask him the normal questions that patients get asked. They give us a room and I'm left in there alone when he has to go get x-rays. When he finally does come back, the nurse tells us that the doctor will be with us in a few minutes. He lays down on the bed and it's quiet for a moment before he decides to speak.
"How are you and Jordan?" He asks.
I look over at him, but he is staring up at the ceiling. Avoiding looking at me. I don't feel comfortable talking to him about Jordan and me, but he asked.
"We're good. I actually was coming from his house when you called." I tell him.
"Oh, that's nice. I bet he's going to be happy to know that I'm out for the rest of the season." He rolls his eyes.
"I'm sorry this happened to you. At least you have baseball still." I say, trying to lift his mood.
"Yeah. I like baseball better than football anyway. I'm better at baseball. I think I could actually make it to the pros in baseball." He says.
I smile, "That's the spirit."
He laughs at me before shaking his head. I'm glad we decided to be friends. Stephen is such a great person and I didn't want him out my life completely.
The doctor comes in and confirms what both Stephen and I already knew. His ankle is broken. He puts a cast on his ankle and gives him crutches. When we leave, I can tell that Stephen is still down about not being able to play football. I wish I could say something to make him feel better, but I know I can't. I pull up by his house and put the car in park.
"Thanks for everything Abby." He says.
"You're welcome. Maybe we can go to the games together since you won't be able to play anymore. Unless you're going to walk out with the team still." I say.
"I will, but I can still come hang around you. I could use some company." He smiles.
"Of course. Don't forget to elevate your foot and take some Aleve for the pain." I remind him.
He laughs, "Yes ma'am. See you later, Abby."
He gets out and I watch as he walks on his crutches to his front door. I can tell he isn't used to them because he looks as if he is struggling to get there. I laugh a little before pulling off and heading home.
______________________________________
Hey, guys. I hope you liked this chapter. I recently just started a new book called I Choose You. Go check it out. You might actually like it. Also, I have some really big news for this book that I'm dying to share with you guys, but I'm not going to just yet.
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