Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
P ressure
Cameron
Caleb and I should be settling into our apartment or hanging with our team and building chemistry, not heading back home for one of Mama’s parties. I’m so annoyed with this shit. We haven’t been gone an entire week and here she goes with the bull.
If we don’t go, she’s going to lean on us with the guilt trips. I’ll get it the worse, but Caleb will take it the hardest. He doesn’t have time to shake Mama and her mess off.
He needs this time to adjust to school and the new environment. We still have so much to figure out on top of entering hell week. Hell week will kick off fall training for the baseball team. The last thing we need is for our mama to become a distraction.
Although the woman is a master at it. I’ll be happy when she and Daddy are back on the road, traveling to God knows where while staying out of our hair. Cal and I will have Aunt Judy and Uncle Rusty here for moral support as always.
“I wanted to read the text for class and study my pitching film,” Caleb says as we ride in my car, heading home from our apartment.
Daddy purchased us a place right off campus to allow Caleb to have a safe place away from the student body when he needs it. I agreed with the decision. Living on campus might be too much for our goals.
Yet we want him to feel like he’s a part of the college experience as much as possible. Certain things come with a thin line—now at least. We’re hoping that by the end of college, Caleb will be able to adapt to everything more smoothly.
I know my brother. He just needs a chance. Placing him in the action will give him time to acclimate. He needs to be able to observe, process, and adjust. Every now and then, he’ll need to back away, and our apartment will give him that.
“I hear you, man. We’ll leave as soon as we can. I have some shit I wanted to do at the apartment too.”
“What is this party even for? I don’t want to talk to people. I’m not in the mood today.”
I snort. It’s not like Mama is going to give him a chance to speak, even if he were in the mood. It’s one of the things that infuriates me about our mama.
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t know what the heck this party is for, but you head on up to your room. I’ll deal with the party and Mama,” I say to my brother.
“Thanks, Cam.”
“You know I’ve always got you. I’ll bring you something to eat too.”
Caleb sits, flexing and unflexing his hands. He might know he has an escape when we get to the house, but it’s still worrying him. Unnecessary stress.
My mama is the queen of creating it. For as long as I can remember, she’s made everything about what she wants. The rest of us just have to grin and bear it.
“Will Kay be there?” Caleb asks.
I think he needs a distraction. I glance over and find him squinting and pursing his lips. Fuck, I could strangle Mama for this.
“Yeah, she’ll be there. Dakota will too, and Thomas. If you want, we’ll come up and hang in your room,” I offer.
“No, Mama will get mad I took y’all away from the party. I’ll find something to do.”
“You excited for the season? I think it’s going to be a good one,” I ask to change the subject and distract him.
“Yeah, I’m excited, but I don’t think Coach Robinson likes us very much,” he replies.
“Fuck him. If he gives you shit, tell me or Coach Snider. You hear me?”
“Yeah.”
“I mean it, Cal. I’m not going to let him fuck with you as long as I’m around, but if something happens where I can’t be there, you let me know right away.
“That dude is an asshole. I picked up on that our first week of meetings.”
“I think he’s mad because I made him look stupid.”
“I’m sure that’s what it is.”
Caleb is nothing but honest and straightforward. Coach Robinson tried to embarrass him and got embarrassed instead. My brother is far from stupid and if you’re wrong, he’s going to correct you.
We pull up to the house and Cal releases a groan as all the cars come into view. Mama said it would only be a few people. This is far from a few people. I bite out a curse under my breath.
“You can go in through the side door and head straight upstairs,” I say.
“I did good this week, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you did fucking awesome, bro.”
“We have four more years. That’s a lot of time and people. I’ll walk in with you. Baby steps, right?”
He turns and gives me a smile. My chest swells with pride. I’m so proud of this kid.
I nod and try not to get choked up. This is big for Caleb. I’ve been watching him try to find his own way more and more.
We climb out of the car and head into the house. Music and chatter greet us as soon as we walk into the door. Caleb looks around at all the people then makes a beeline for the stairs to head up to his old room.
I smile and shake my head. I’m not about to force him out of his comfort zone. Just walking in here knowing he could be bombarded by all these guests was a lot.
“Cameron,” my mama sings as she floats toward me, her gaze locking on a retreating Caleb.
I step up and tug her into a hug before she starts in on him. She has this thing where she doesn’t want Caleb to talk but she wants to show off her handsome twin boys at the same time. Not tonight—at least not with my little brother.
“Is everything all right? Where’s your brother going?”
“He had to use the bathroom. He’s fine.”
“Oh. Well, I just saw Kayleen. She looks lovely tonight. I’m sure you’re already missing her,” Mama says.
I narrow my eyes. Is this what this shit is about? I haven’t seen Kay since our fight the day of freshman orientation.
I’ve had a lot on my plate. I haven’t had time. It’s not like I haven’t called her or told her she can come by the apartment as long as she didn’t harp on the same bullshit while there.
She can’t let it go and I don’t know what the fuck she wants me to do about the situation. It’s not going to change. Caleb and I ain’t changing schools and I don’t think there is a way for Kay to join us this year, so it is what it is.
I don’t want to keep talking about it. It’s not like she was accepted to many of the schools throwing offers at me and Cal. If this was going to be such a problem for her, she should have worked harder in high school. She knew the plan.
“Here she is,” Mama says, pulling me from my thoughts.
Kay walks over to us in this tight dress that’s showing off her breasts. Her mom and mine have been best friends since they were little girls. It has always been their dream for the two of us to get together.
Neither has been shy about it. I think I’ve heard it all my life. However, Kay was the one to initiate making their dreams come true.
When we turned fourteen, Kay started to look like a smoke show with her green eyes and long, dark hair. It didn’t hurt that her boobs got ridiculously big.
The first time she kissed me, I was taken by surprise. I had a girlfriend at the time. It was new, but Kayleen knew about her.
Within a week, Amanda broke up with me and Kay was my girlfriend. We became a thing because it was what our mamas wanted. It’s not that I haven’t grown to care for Kay.
She’s been a friend since I was a little boy. We grew up together and the relationship used to make sense. All the arguing and fighting is just who we are—we’ve been at each other’s throats since she used to want to play with us all the time and I thought she was an annoying girl.
Now, I can’t help wondering if this is what we want or what our mamas are telling us we want. This shit with school is only highlighting everything else for me.
“Hey, babe,” Kay says as she moves to me and wraps her arms around my neck.
I wrap my arms around her waist. I’m taken by surprise as she lifts on her toes and kisses me. It’s not the kind of kiss for this setting. Kay is never this aggressive either.
I tighten my hold on her as she moans into my mouth. I guess she’s ready to make up. If she’s ready to let the bullshit go, I’m not going to protest.
“Look at you two. Perfect, I always knew you two would make the perfect match,” Mama coos.
Kay pulls away and looks back at me lustfully. I lift a brow as I grin back at her. Maybe she’ll come back to the apartment later.
“Listen, you two enjoy yourselves tonight. It can be like old times. Cam, I invited some of your friends from high school,” Mama says before she takes off.
Her words cause my hackles to go up and I narrow my eyes at Kay. She looks away from me and begins to fidget.
Instead of saying a word, I turn and walk off. There is no way Kay can be this selfish. None of this is about us.
Kayleen
Standing out in the backyard of the Perry home by the pool, I wrap my arms around my middle. There are tons of people here. Some from high school and others who are friends of the Perrys.
All these people and I still feel so alone. This is bringing home how I’ve been feeling since everyone started school without me. I lock gazes with Cam and he’s scowling at me from near the back door of the house.
Oh no. He’s pissed at me. This isn’t going how I wanted it to. Cameron has done his best not to be anywhere near me.
Not that I haven’t tried to be by his side all night. He and Dakota disappeared for a bit. I get that they went to take Caleb something to eat and probably hung out with him while up there.
“That was my mistake,” I mumble to myself.
Caleb doesn’t do well at these things. I hadn’t considered that when Mrs. Jemma suggested this party. I think I might have made things worse than they already were.
I’ve been giving Cam space to cool off over the last week. I had intended to smooth things over tonight. This has gone wrong so fast.
Maybe Cam is right. I’ve been so focused on making this work because it’s what we’ve been told it should be. What if this is only what our mamas want?
Cam is a great guy and sex with him is all the things a girl dreams of. I know if we get married, I’m going to live a pampered life but is that all I want?
Cameron will always have this sense of duty when it comes to his brother. I’m not saying he shouldn’t. We all look out for Caleb, but is that something I want to spend my life doing?
It was fine when we were younger. I’ve always protected him like my own brother, just as Cam, Thomas, and Kota have. However, what is that going to look like now that we’re all becoming adults?
“Hey, Kayleen.”
I jump as I come out of my thoughts—I hadn’t heard anyone walking over by me. Turning, I find it was Jareil Reese who called my name. We know him from high school and his daddy knows mine. He was the captain of the football and basketball teams. Well, up until junior year, when his daddy pulled him out and sent him to some expensive school where he had a better chance at going to a great college for sports.
We were friends before he left. Well, he and Cam were friends, but I was always around. I cheered for many of Jareil’s games.
“Hey, JR,” I say.
“It feels like it’s been forever. You look great, Kay. What have you been up to?”
I try not to blush and fail. Jareil is a handsome guy. He’s tall with flawless deep-brown skin and dark hair and brows that seem to pop against his complexion. His hair has always been thick, curly, and silky looking.
Any woman’s dream. It looks great when he cuts it low in waves and it’s gorgeous when he grows it out like now. The lush curls fall around his face, framing his handsome features.
I remember all the girls in school used to crush on him. I had already been with Cam by the time we got to high school, so I never told anyone how attractive I thought Jareil was.
“I haven’t been up to much. Trying to figure out what to do now after senior year,” I say and smile.
“Cool, so you and Cam still a thing? You two were joined at the hip back in the day. I haven’t seen you with him all night.”
I give a nervous laugh. I think Cam and I are still a thing. He’s mad at me, but we haven’t broken up.
“We’re still together. Things are just … complicated. He’s going off to college with Caleb and I’m … here. It feels weird, like I’m being left behind, you know?”
“I guess I get it. I missed all of you guys when I left for school. I can’t say I’m not grateful for the opportunity, but being homesick was a real thing.”
“I’m sure you made a ton of friends superfast. You were always one of the cool guys. Always a girl on your arm,” I say.
He shrugs. “I made friends. It was all right, but while I was here, the girl I was interested in was always taken. So I never had the right girl on my arm.”
I clear my throat and look around for Cam. There is no way Jareil is talking about me. I’ve never even thought of dating anyone other than Cam.
“That’s a really nice dress you have on. If you were mine, nothing would be complicated about us at all. I’d be right by your side.”
This time, I feel the blush creep all the way up from my neck to my face. I bite my lip and look him in the eyes. His eyes are so kind and pretty.
A light brown, almost like honey, but not quite that light. They are more of a red honey brown. His lashes are extra thick and long as well.
“Um … I … uh … When did you get back home? Where are you planning to go to college?”
Jareil chuckles. “I’ve been home since yesterday. I had to come check in with Mama and Daddy. I head back to school in a few days. I’m in Louisiana. It seemed like the right thing to do. You know, remain as close to home as I could while still getting into a good program for basketball and football.”
“You’re still playing both?”
“Yup. Louisiana is one of the schools that offered me both. It was a no-brainer. Close to home and I could play two sports I love.”
“That’s great for you.”
“Yeah, it’s cool.”
“You’ve always been so nonchalant about everything. Too cool for anything to matter,” I say.
“Nah, there are things that matter and get a response from me. They just have to be important, you know?”
“Um … I’m going to head inside for something to eat.”
“Cool, I’ll come with you. I want to keep catching up. You’re one of the friends I remember most.”
I bite down on my lip. I was trying to get away, but if I’m honest, I don’t want this conversation to end. I nod and start back for the house.
As we walk, I note Cam is inside with Thomas and Dakota. They look to be laughing and having a good time. Once again, I’m starting to feel like an outsider. Thomas will be attending college with them next semester, so he’s not on the outside like I am.
“How’s Caleb? I’ve yet to see him since I arrived. I miss that guy,” JR says, pulling me from my thoughts.
I remember him having so much patience for Cal. Now that I think about it, Jareil was one of us. He supported Caleb whenever he could. This guy has a big heart and he’s as protective as Cam is.
“He’s in his room. This isn’t his thing. I think he’s having a bad day.”
“That sucks. I wonder if he wants some company. I heard about his big scholarship. I’m so proud of him,” Jareil says with a huge smile.
“We all are.”
“But … I heard a but in there. What’s up, Kay?”
“It’s—”
My words are cut off as a loud thudding sound comes from upstairs. Cameron freezes in his conversation with Kota and Thomas. He snaps his head toward upstairs.
The sound continues, it’s like a rhythmic banging. Cam takes off without a word. The rest of us are on his heels as we can only imagine what that sound is.
My heart is in my throat and my stomach has turned sour. I’m only aware that Jareil has followed as I hear him behind me telling some others not to follow us. Kota and Thomas are ahead of me, but we all glance back to see some partygoers who were following to be nosy.
Jareil blocks the way with his big body until Uncle Rusty comes and redirects everyone to the main living room, where Aunt Judy starts up a game.
I give Jareil a smile of thanks and turn to follow after the others. When I get to Caleb’s room, I think I’m going to be sick. Cam is trying to get inside, but something is blocking the door. He can’t open it enough to fit his big body inside.
Dakota tugs at his shoulder so she can try. Cam steps back, looking distraught, as he runs his hand through his hair. Dakota is able to wiggle into the room after a few tries.
“I saw this shit coming,” Cam growls.
Everyone remains silent. The banging stops and soon Dakota is able to unblock the doorway so Thomas can swing the door open.
Cam rushes inside and we all pile in after. Caleb is lying on the floor as Kota rubs his hair while murmuring to him soothingly.
She looks up at Cameron. “I think he hit his head. We need to call EMS for this one. His legs were blocking the door.”
“I just called 9-1-1,” Jareil says from behind me.
“Thanks, man,” Cam says as he squats on the other side of his brother. “Someone get Daddy. He’ll need to head to the hospital with us.”
“I’ll get him,” Jareil says. “I can drive the rest of you guys to the hospital too. I’ll pull up out front.”
We all just nod. I think everyone is in shock right now. It’s not the first time we’ve been around for one of Caleb’s seizures, but that was pretty scary. I know my heart is pounding.
“This party was unnecessary and in poor timing. We already have enough on our shoulders. To add this party was fucking moronic and selfish.
“Mama only thinks about herself. I swear, if something happens to my brother, I’ll never forgive her or anyone else involved with this dumbass party,” Cam growls as he looks directly at me.
I want to throw up. I would never do anything to hurt Caleb, but I can’t say I wasn’t involved in this party happening. I look away from Cam and tuck my hair behind my ear.
This was selfish and stupid. Everything Cam has been saying over the last two weeks rings loudly in my ears. This isn’t about me. It’s not about what I want.
If I care about Cam, I have to care about Caleb. Caleb only wants what comes easy to everyone else. Who am I to get in the way of that?
I look down at Caleb lying there with sweat soaking his hair and skin. Is that blood? Oh my God.
I vow in this moment never to place Caleb in a position like this again. I need to talk to Cam. He has to know I didn’t mean for this to happen.
“Shit, I told that woman this party was a dumbass idea,” Mr. Perry growls as he rushes into the room.
I stand, wringing my hands in front of me as I bounce from foot to foot. I feel like complete shit. I did this, and for what?
“Can you folks give us some space?” Mr. Perry says.
I turn and leave the room. The EMS workers rush into the room as I—and the others—file out. Cam and his dad are the only ones left in the room.