Chapter 21 Bryson #2
This time, I’m the one who decides it’s best that we let the silence stretch out.
I wait until it’s uncomfortable for me, and I’m sure it is for her too.
I also take the moment to be thoughtful about my next words.
Jaden is a fireball, and it’s one of the things that attracted me to her right out of the gate.
She plays the role of tough girl, but really, her emotions are right there across her chest, painted on her face and behind her eyes for the world to see.
She’s genuine and direct and so damn vulnerable.
She simply needs to know that I love that about her, and that it’s okay to wear whatever feelings she has at the moment with me.
“I love how much you love your parents, Jaden. I’m envious of it, truly.
And I know that you want all the things for them that they want for you.
But your dreams are not dependent on theirs, and vice versa.
You did not cause any of the circumstances that led them here.
If anything, my guess is you’re the bright spot that helps them keep going, even as they reassess. ”
“Maybe,” she mutters, then sighs.
“I didn’t tell you because I was embarrassed.
Not for you, but for me. Who runs home and googles their girlfriend’s parents?
Uh, this guy, apparently.” I let out a heavy sigh as my head falls all the way forward, resting on the back of the seat in front of me.
“I feel like you need to be mad right now, so I’m the person you’re mad at.
And you know what? That’s okay. I like you so much that I want to be your punching bag when you need one. I’ll take the job.”
My phone beeps three times in my ear, so I sit up and check the screen and read the Call Failed notice.
“Awesome,” I mutter to myself.
I call back but am sent directly to Jaden’s voicemail, which isn’t even her voice but instead the generic robot one from her wireless provider.
I try four more times over the next ten minutes, each time getting the same result.
I try calling my mom next, mostly to test the phone line and make sure that my service is down and it isn’t just Jaden blocking me.
I get the same result and sink back in my seat with relief.
I lean out into the aisle and glance at my teammates sitting closest to me. Most of them are still going strong with the entertainment, but Luke, our kicker, catches my gaze and pulls his headphones away.
“Yo, you got a signal?” I tap the screen of my phone. He pulls his out of his pocket and shrugs.
“Nah, just my downloads. We’re in the mountains.”
I nod, and he slips his headphones back on.
I hate the mountains right now. The only good thing about them is that I know this route well enough to approximate that it’s forty minutes until we come out the other side and roll onto campus.
And I spend that entire time refreshing my phone.
After two full reboots and traversing through the final mountain pass, I get a signal.
I tap Jaden’s contact again and stare at the image I set for her, the one from our first fake date together, when I dunked her in the fountain.
When it goes right to voicemail again, though, my heart sinks. This time it’s intentional.
The bus winds through the tree-lined main drive, stopping just outside the stadium entrance closest to our locker rooms. Despite sitting up front, I let most of my team exit the bus first. I like to pound everyone’s fist and thank them for playing one hell of a game again, one-on-one.
It’s those little things that stick with people, and when it’s a group of guys charged with keeping my neck intact, I think going the extra mile is even more important.
I follow Coach off the bus and drag my feet along the pavement toward the luggage compartment, where my gear bag is the last one remaining.
I sling it over my shoulder and push my messy hair back before slipping my Cordon beanie on.
I’m well into my personal funk bubble when Ashton slings an arm around me and presses something into my hand. “Your girl told me to give you these.”
Nestled in my palm is a packet of purple Pop Rocks.
“She’s over there,” he says, nodding across the entry lawn where the most beautiful redhead put on earth is sitting on a retainer wall, legs dangling and body stuffed into what I’m pretty sure is my hoodie—when did she steal that? She holds up a hand, and I hold the Pop Rocks up in return.
“Thanks, man. I’ll see you at home,” I mutter, all my attention now centered on one person. My person.
I barely hear Ashton’s uh-huh, sure as I close the distance between Jaden and me.
She kicks off the wall and trudges across the wet grass toward me, leaving footprints in her wake.
I take stock of the way my heart is bouncing around my insides.
It stops completely the second Jaden’s toes touch mine and her brown eyes flutter as she looks up from the ground.
“Can Pop Rocks cure being a bitch to your boyfriend too?” She shrugs one shoulder, and I let out a much heavier laugh than I anticipate.
Jaden flinches a bit, in fact, but I’m just so fucking relieved that I’m a bit hysterical with joy.
I rip open the candy and pour half into my mouth, then stuff the rest into the front pocket of my sweatpants.
“You called me your boyfriend,” I say, pressing my thumb on the center of her lower lip.
“I did,” she says, swallowing hard and blinking slowly as she holds my gaze.
I cup her cheek with my other hand and stroke her face with my thumb, coaxing her to tilt just enough to kiss her. I lean in, and she slips her hand between us, holding her fingertips over my parted lips.
“You’re literally crackling with that shit right now,” she says.
I nod, my grin inching up.
“Yep.” I hold her gaze, practically daring her, until she finally rolls her eyes and sighs out, “Okay, fine,” just before lifting on her toes and kissing me.
She endures the grit and snap of the candy until it’s all gone, slinging her arms around my neck as I lift her up and hold her body to mine.
We get a few whistles from the guys as they head in and out of the stadium, but it doesn’t stop us from literally kissing each other’s worries and pain away.
And it hits me dead center of the chest that I would take it all for her if I could and leave her with nothing but bliss.