Текст книги "More Than This"
Автор книги: Jay McLean
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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 16 страниц)
Chapter 15
*Mikayla*
They’re all looking, waiting for more. I don’t have much more to tell them.
“After the funeral tomorrow, I’m done. I’m leaving.”
I look at Aunt Lisa and she’s frowning.
“There’s nothing left for me here,” I say quietly. I look at Jake sitting next to me, and put my hand on his leg under the table, his hand finds mine. “Well, there’s one thing, but I don’t know that it’s enough.” My voice ends in a whisper and I look down to my plate.
Silence fills the room and when I look up, they’re all frowning at me, Julie too. Aunt Lisa is wiping away tears, Jake's hands get tighter around mine.
Nathan clears his throat, all eyes snap to him.
“Listen, Mikayla…” He looks at me, really looks at me and I can see the pity in his eyes. “You are going to stay here…” I open my mouth to interrupt him but he raises his hand to stop me and I let him continue. “You are going to stay here until you leave for college.” It’s a statement. I can see from the corner of my eye that Mandy is smiling at her husband with a new found appreciation, she didn’t know this was coming.
“I can’t stay here…” I whisper, looking down at my plate. “I can’t stay here for nothing, at least let me get a job so I can pay board, or something…”.
“Mikayla…” Nathan says while shaking his head. He sighs, almost looking defeated. “I have thought about this, and from the few days I’ve known you, I can tell you’re not just going to accept this offer. So, you will help me out at the office two days a week, I need an admin assistant, someone that can file, organize and type, basically all the things I hate doing. Do you think you can do that?”
I nod.
“Good, then it’s settled. I’ll pay you for your time like any other employee, but it’s not to go towards board, you save that money.” I try to interrupt him again, but he stops me. “You save that money for college, Mikayla. We would however, appreciate it if you can help Mandy around the house. She has a lot of things to organize before Jake leaves for college. You will also need to be Julie’s personal taxi – God knows she needs one for the summer. You will take Mandy's minivan, she will take my car and I will finally get to use the company car I bought that’s sitting in the office’s garage collecting dust.” I just keep staring at him stunned. “In a few weeks we will all sit down and discuss how this arrangement is working out, understood?” he cocks his head to the side, waiting for my answer.
I look around the table. Lisa and Mandy are staring at Nathan in awe, Julie has her hands clasped underneath her chin, like she’s begging me to say yes, like I could say anything else. Then I look at Jake and he has the biggest, goofiest, shit eating grin on his face.
“Yes, sir, understood.”
The whole table erupts in claps and cheers and I find myself missing my family.
But it hurts less today then it did yesterday.
Because being here, being with them, it’s familiar in a good way.
And I think for just a second, that maybe my heart can learn to love again.
Chapter 16
*Jake*
We skip the formalities of the funeral ceremony. I think Mom and Lisa understood that Kayla just wanted a quiet affair. We drive in my truck to the cemetery, everyone else is in the minivan behind us.
She’s sitting in the middle of the seat, her body tucked into mine, like she can’t get close enough. I don’t mind, not even a little.
When we pull up, I’m surprised at how many people are already there, but then I remember, that this is her entire family.
I step out of the car and she follows me, coming out the drivers side door. I hold out my hand to help her out, she doesn’t let go once she’s out.
She’s wearing sunglasses and a simple black dress that Heidi bought over that morning, girl thinks of everything.
We wait for my parents to park behind us and Julie runs out of the car and straight to a bunch of other girls her age. They must be from dance class, they must be here for Emily.
I see that asshole, James, and some other kids our age grouped together. They look up when they notice Kayla’s here. James starts to walk towards us but one of the guys pulls him back and talks close to his ear. Good move. I can see his fists balling at his sides as he glares at us.
Lisa moves to the other side of Kayla and holds her hand as we walk up to the plots. I’d say there are over 150 people here, grown ups Mom and Dad’s age, some older, kids Emily and Julie's age. It’s like an entire class and their parents have shown up, more kids our age are scattered through the people. Kayla doesn’t look up from the ground. She hasn’t said anything all day. She hasn’t acknowledged anyone. She hasn’t let go of my hand.
When we make it to our seats, in front of the three caskets, she begins to shake with sobs and I pull her into me. That’s when I see a bunch of kids, no older than ten, lined up at the front row, all in full little league gear, some of them holding balls and gloves.
I look at the large photos of her family set up in front of the caskets, it’s the first time I’ve seen her family. I didn’t even wonder about what they looked like before. Her mom is stunning, she could pass as her sister, but more Asian. I knew there was an exoticness to her but I didn’t ask. Julie was right, Emily definitely is a younger version of her, she would have broken many hearts. Her dad is taller, compared to her mom, in the family portrait anyway. I wonder how tall he was. I keep looking at the collage of photos. There’s even one of the whole family and that asshole James, eating on a picnic table laughing. I think it’s the 4th of July or something. There’s a photo of her dad, front and centre with a bunch of kids around him, all decked out in baseball gear. He’s holding one of the boys in his arms, the boy is holding a trophy, huge smiles on all the kids faces. The kind of smiles that only kids can have, because nothing is ever going to be hard, and they haven’t yet experienced pain or heartbreak.
Her dad coached little league. Huh.
And then I see it, a picture of her with her mom and dad, her mom heavily pregnant. Her dad with one arm wrapped around her mom and the other wrapped around Kayla. Kayla dressed in full baseball gear, cap to cleats, huge smile on her face, holding a bat in one hand, and a little trophy in the other. ‘MVP’ it says. No shit.
The ceremony starts, Lisa does a small speech, Kayla doesn’t leave my side. The little league team throw in balls and gloves into her dad’s plot. There are lots of tears and cries, but Kayla stays strong throughout. A few people come over and talk to Kayla, she mainly nods and tries to smile. I even see some police officers paying their respects. Even Fatty and Mendoza are here.
When most of the people have left, including my parents and Lisa, I assume to head home and prepare for the gathering, I notice a couple walking towards us. Kayla notices too, and lets go of my hand to give them each a hug, then reaches for my hand again.
The couple smile sadly at Kayla, then look to me, and our joined hands.
Kayla clears her throat. “Sam, Henry… This is-"
The lady, Sam I gather now, James’ mom, interrupts her. “You must be Jake?” she says, reaching out her hand, I shake it tentatively. “Kayla has told me so much about you.” She smiles warmly at me.
This isn’t awkward at all.
Henry, James’ dad I assume, goes to shake my hand. “Thank you for taking care of our girl, son.” He says while patting my shoulder.
“Uhh, it's no problem, sir. … she’s special, you know?”
“Oh we know…” Henry agrees. “It’s a shame our asshole of a son couldn’t see it and keep his dick in his pants.”
I stifle a laugh and hear Kayla doing the same.
“C’mon, Henry.” Sam drags him away. “We’ll keep in touch, dear,” she says, waving at Kayla.
“Well, that was unexpected,” I mumble under my breath.
“Not really, they’d love you, Jake.”
***
We head back home to the gathering that’s taking place. A lot less people here than at the ceremony. My friends are on the back patio so we join them. I think Kayla is a bit more relaxed now, she’s keeping up conversation with the few people that approach her.
A girl I haven’t seen before approaches Kayla.
“Hi, Mikayla,” she says in a mousy voice. “I’m really sorry about your loss.” She laughs once. “What a shit thing to say, like, you lost something but you’ll find it again.” She shakes her head.
Kayla laughs out loud. “Amanda, how are you?”
“I’m okay, not gonna ask how you are though.”
Kayla laughs again, and it’s genuine.
“I just came to say… I dunno. Shit. Hey, you’ll be at UNC right?”
Kayla looks at me and smiles. “That’s the plan, just gotta work out some minor details.”
“Cool,” Amanda says, nodding her head, “I’ll Facebook you my number, we should hang out sometime, maybe go on the prowl for some non sucky, cheating, dickfaces.”
Kayla laughs again, we all do.
“Sounds amazing. I’ll call you. Thanks for coming.” Kayla smiles as the girl walks back into the house.
“I like her,” Heidi says.
I do too. But I can’t help thinking about what she said, about going on the prowl. College is going to be completely different to here. She’ll have more friends and more attention from other guys. I can’t help the feel of jealousy that consumes me at the thought of it. What can I do? Lock her in my room all damn day? Shit.
And then it hits me. Where the fuck is Megan?
***
Everyone has left now, but my friends are still here, and we’re shit talking on the back patio. The sun’s gone down and there’s a slight chill so I make a little fire pit in the middle. I don’t think my friends will be leaving any time soon and I think Kayla’s happy about it, takes her mind of things.
The back patio doors open and Mom comes out with a tray of leftovers. We all start to dig in. Dad comes out with a cooler and places it in the middle. “Someone needs to be designated driver and don’t tell your parents. In fact, I didn’t even give it to you, I merely placed it in a position that you were able to get to, and you did, and my story will hold up in the eyes of the law.”
Logan opens the cooler and it’s filled with beer. “Thanks, Mr. Andrews. You’re so my fave person over 35.”
My dad chuckles to himself. “And you, Logan, are still an asshole,” he says as he closes the door behind him.
“Buuurrrnnnnnn” Cam says, laughing.
“So…” I nudge Kayla sitting next to me. She gets up to the tray of food and picks up a napkin full of little things. She saunters back and sits on my lap, leaving her chair empty. I smile to myself. Logan eyes me curiously. I don’t care.
“So?” she replies.
“Your dad was a little league coach?” Everyone is listening to our conversation.
“Yep. One of the best,” she says proudly.
“So that’s why you could hit the shit out of some balls at the cage?”
“Yep. I gave it up when I got boobs,” she shrugs.
I laugh. My eyes dart to her boobs before I force myself to look away.
“Actually he was a huge baseball fan, a fan of yours too!” She’s chewing her food.
“What? How?!” I ask, because it doesn’t make sense.
“Mmhmmm,” she says, picking up a piece of food and putting it in my mouth. It’s hot as fuck that she’s feeding me while sitting on me.
It takes everything in me not to devour her mouth.
“I actually knew you, I mean, before I knew you. Well, I knew of you.” She pauses as she chews her food. “Dad had mentioned you in conversation before, I knew your name, but not what you looked like. When I heard your full name it sounded familiar, but I didn’t connect the dots until your mom told me that you were kind of a ‘big deal’. Dad actually went to watch your high school games a few times. He said he wanted to watch ‘history in the making’. He begged me to go a couple of times but I was always busy with… you know…” she trails off. James.
“You shouldn’t tell him stuff like that, Micky. His head is big enough as it is,” Logan says, while throwing something at me.
“Yeah,” Heidi agrees. “Baseball and Casey, that’s enough to make his head explode.”
Chapter 17
*Mikayla*
I watch Jake stiffen and his face fall at the mention of her name. I try to stifle my laugh but it comes out anyway.
“Okay, someone has to tell me what the deal is with her… please?” I plead.
Jake starts to talk, but I cover his mouth with my hand, he continues to mumble into it.
“She’s a crazy stalker bitch,” Lucy adds, taking a sip of water. I guess she’s DD tonight.
“Like, how crazy are we talking here? Like, writing Mrs. Casey Andrews all over her books, crazy? Or like, Mrs. Heidi Bieber, crazy?” I ask. They laugh and I see Dylan's jaw tense. Funny.
Cam takes a huge swig of beer. “Like, hiding in the back of his truck after a game… naked, crazy!”
My eyes widen and snap to Jake. He looks down and shakes his head with laughter in his eyes. He removes my hand that was covering his mouth, entwines our fingers, and gives my wrist a chaste kiss before Logan adds to the story. “That’s not all that happened, tell her the rest, Jake.”
I look at him. Oh my god. He slept with her. “Oh my god, you slept with her?” I gasp out.
“NO!” he yells, and everyone cracks up. “NO! What? God… No!” he says again, shivering and making a disgusted face.
“Then what?” I ask.
He presses his lips together as if refusing to speak. I make an exasperated sound and turn to the rest of them, eyes wide, pleading someone to finish the story.
Heidi starts to giggle and everyone joins in.
“What?” I say… “WHAT HAPPENED?” I need to know.
Heidi calms herself down, “Homegirl had an engagement ring on the dash board, a male engagement ring. She proposed to him!” She’s struggling to keep talking through her laughter, “she proposed to him, naked, in the back seat of his truck, with people all around!!”
“NO!” I gasp looking at Jake, bewilderment clear in my voice. He just nods his head slowly, his thumb stroking my stomach.
“What did you do?” I ask him, but he just shakes his head. “What did he do?” I ask the others.
“This is the best part…” Cam continues. “He gets so freaked out, he jumps out of the car and starts to run home. It was an away game! It took him 5 hours to walk home. He left everything in his truck. His phone, wallet, gear bag, everything. He couldn’t call anyone. He was so freaked to go back to the truck in case she was still there waiting for him, or if the ring was still there… We didn’t drive out to pick it up until a week later. He went a week without a car because he was so freaked out.”
“That’s just one of the stories,” Dylan adds. “There’s like, a hundred more just as crazy.”
I’m laughing so hard now my sides hurt.
I’d almost forgotten what we’re all doing here.
And then I remember, and stop myself from laughing.
Because today is not a laughing day.
Jake brings his hand up to my face and kisses my temple. “You can laugh and be happy, Kayla. They would want you to be.” I smile and kiss him on the cheek.
Logan takes a huge gulp of his beer and then belches, fingers pointing between me and Jake. Heidi and Lucy groan in disgust.
“Im going to ignore this epic ovary explosive sexual tension thing you guys have going on and ask a question…” I stifle a laugh into Jake's neck, while he rolls his eyes at Logan.
“Ask your question, asshole,” he says as he rubs his nose against my jaw. God, that accent, and that voice.
My eyes close for a second. I think my ovaries will explode.
“Why does he call get to call you Kayla, and everyone else calls you Micky?”
I shrug, “Because my family called me Kayla”.
Chapter 18
*Jake*
It’s been a week since the funeral and Kayla has improved heaps. I don’t think she is over what’s happened, but I think she is dealing with it. She’s worked a couple of days with Dad and kept busy around the house to distract herself. She hasn’t been back to her school, she does’t need to. Obviously, they’ll still let her graduate.
My graduation is today, and hers is tomorrow.
I go to school only when absolutely necessary, just enough to keep Mom off my back, I don’t like being away from her, especially now.
Apparently Dad saw some termites or some shit in the garage and has workmen here fixing it. They need to fumigate the garage and the storage room above it, so we have to stay away. I’ve seen how some of the workers eye Kayla when she leaves in the morning to take Julie to school. One guy gawks so much, it takes everything in me to not punch him in the face. Asshole.
I jog up the driveway after finishing my work out and see Dad talking to one the workers, the gawker. Dad sees me coming, shakes hands with him and then walks over to me. My eyes don’t leave Gawkers and he knows what I’m thinking, because the asshole has the decency to smirk at me.
We walk into the house together. Everyone has taken the day off because of graduation. I knock on my door but no one answers, so I jump in the shower. When I’m done I start to head downstairs, but stop when I hear music and laughter coming out of Julie's room. It’s strange she has a friend over during the week. Then I hear her squeal Kayla’s name in the middle of a laugh, I smile and walk to her door. I knock loudly but no one answers. The music must be too loud. I open the door slightly and peek in. All the furniture is pushed to the side and they’ve made a makeshift dance floor in the middle of the room. They have ‘Low’ by ‘Flo-rida’ playing so loud the walls are shaking.
Julie is showing Kayla some dance moves and Kayla’s taking it in, really listening to her. Their backs are to me so they can’t see that I’m watching. Julie goes to the stereo and plays the song from the beginning, then they start the routine from the start. Julie’s good at dancing for eight, but goddamn, Kayla is good. There’s a line in the song, ‘fold her, like a pornography poster’, which is totally inappropriate for an eight year old, but the move Kayla does… It’s almost too much to watch. My dick legit twitches.
It’s almost to the end of the song before they do some spinny dance move shit, and see me standing there. I smile and clap at their performance.
“JACAAARRB,” Julie yells as she goes to turn off the stereo. “You’re not supposed to see it, it’s not finished yet!”
I’m looking at Kayla, she has a sheen of sweat on her body and her breathing is heavy. She’s in yoga pants and a tight tank, her body on full display. She sees me checking her out, bites her bottom lip and shyly looks away. Hot as hell.
“JAKE!!” Julie yells again, snapping me out of perv mode.
“What’s up Ju-ju, that was really good!” I high five her and she beams back.
Mom and Dad come into the room, “What’s with all the yelling in here?” Mom asks concerned.
“Oh good,” Julie says. “You’re all here, watch our routine, Micky’s been practicing with me.”
“Oh, no.” Kayla says. She’s embarrassed in front of my parents. “Maybe… wait till it’s finished, Julie?” she asks, hopeful.
“No… c’mon Micky, please?”
Kayla looks to Julie, and then to me, a huge smirk slowly develops. “I’ll do it if Jacaaaarb does it too.”
“Okay then!” Julie yells, pulling me by my arm into the middle of the ‘dance floor’ and then moving my parents to sit on the bed to watch.
I stand next to Kayla and put my hand on the small of her back, placing my thumb just under the hem of her tank and rubbing gently. She feels it, goosebumps break through her skin. I bend down and whisper in her ear, “You are in so much trouble, Missy.” She closes her eyes and shivers slightly, but I notice.
I try to keep up with the dance routine but I’m a jock, not a dancer, I suck and end up falling in a tangle of my own arms and legs on the floor. Kayla stands above me, laughing so hard she has to hold her stomach. I grab her legs so they give out under her and she falls on top of me. Julie jumps on top of both of us, yelling that we’re not taking it seriously.
“Take this seriously!” Kayla yells, and starts tickling her, I join in. My parents laugh and leave the room.
It’s this moment I know, I don’t think anymore. I know it. I love this girl. I’m in love with this girl.
***
*Mikayla*
The sexual tension between Jake and I is off the charts. I’m actually scared I might combust any second. No joke. It doesn’t help that we’re around each other almost 24/7 or that we’re always finding ways to ‘innocently’ touch each other. It’s almost at that stage where were pushing each other a little further and further seeing how much we can take until one of us cracks. I’m about two fucking seconds from cracking and if I don’t get a release soon I will cut a bitch.
Jake's Graduation goes smoothly. I meet some of his other friends, some guys from his team, and I stay the hell away from Casey. I see the way she looks at me and joke to Jake that I should probably start packing heat.
He doesn’t find it so funny.
There’s a graduation party in a field near the school that everyone is going to. Jake declines the invites but I tell him I think he should go, I want to go. I think it would be good to get out and associate with the general population.
So that’s where we are now, at the party. I am, of course, sitting on Jake's lap around a bonfire. His usual friends are here, as well as a few others.
I’m wearing one if Heidi’s dresses. I still don’t have the courage to go back to my house. I’ve actually asked Mandy to pack up my room this weekend while we’re at Aunt Lisa’s wedding. I’ve organized professional movers to take care of the rest, whatever isn’t damaged is to go to a storage container I’ve rented, at least until I work out what I’m going to do at UNC. Everything else can go. Mandy is taking care of all the personal stuff like photo albums and jewelry, etc.
Heidi’s a size smaller than I am, but she only bought one outfit with her when she came over, so she told me to suck it up and deal with it. It’s a navy blue dress thats tight from the waist down, the top half is looser and hangs off one shoulder. It’s more something Megan would wear, who, by the way, I still haven’t heard from.
According to the internet, Meg and James are ‘Facebook official’. I should give a shit, but I don’t, and right now, sitting here with Jake, my minds like… James? James effing who?
“Hey look, Jake. Casey’s coming over here…” I whisper in his ear.
He flinches, tightens his hold on me and legit ducks his head, like he’s trying to hide. “I was just kidding, Jake. Jesus Christ.” I say through a laugh.
“That shit’s not funny, Kayla, I’m not kidding. Don’t do that.” He holds his hand to his heart.
I giggle and take a look around, there are like… hundreds of kids here, I see a couple from my school.
“All these kids go to your school? Or is this like… for other schools in the area too?”
“I think it’s just ours,” Logan says. He’s taking a breather from making out with the red head on his lap. Sipping his beer, he asks, “Why? You scared that asshole ex of yours is going to show up?”
I shrug, “Not really, and even if he does, I’m sure Jake will just punch him again.”
Logan and Cam spit out their beer simultaneously and Dylan cusses.
What the fuck?
Logan is glaring at me bug eyed. “He punched that asshole?”
I nod my head slowly.
“Which hand?” Dylan asks, panic on his face.
What?
Behind me, Jake raises his right hand slowly, which brings on a tirade of name calling and questions from the guys.
“Its fine!” Jake yells above them all.
I’m so freaking confused, and Lucy must sense it because she answers my unasked question, “His pitching hand.”
Shit.
I take his right hand between the two of mine and start kissing the knuckles one by one. I feel him stiffen behind me at my displayed affection, and then I feel him stiffen under me.
That’s my cue to get off of him and… do something… anything else.
