Breathe (7 page)

My heart started pounding, but I made myself breathe. I dropped my phone. Crap. I tried to pick it up, but my fingers weren’t cooperating. The sides of my vision started to go a little dark. Breathe, dammit! I was not going to faint in the bathroom stall over a stupid text. I dropped it again, and the back popped off. It took a little doing to get it back on because my hands were shaking so bad. Once it turned back on, I looked to see who it was from.

Blocked.

Not unexpected. No need to panic. This could be anyone. It could be some weirdo messing with me, even though my number changed. I think people would be shocked to know how easy it is to get someone’s cell phone number. Actually, it’s rather easy to come by just about anyone’s personal information. This we had learned quickly in the months after the murder.

I couldn’t respond or track the number, so I was going to ignore it for now. I closed my phone and put it back in my pocket. I made myself breathe slow and steady. I closed my eyes and counted to twenty. I was still not convinced there was a problem. A lot of weird stuff had happened before we left LA. I had learned not to make hard-and-fast decisions in the last couple of years. Thinking about what you do before you do it is better. I probably overanalyzed everything, but better that than being impulsive. I didn’t like where impulsive could end up. I took a deep breath. I was still a little shaky, but that would stop soon.

When I left the stall, the girls were waiting for me already. I smiled at them and went to wash my hands. I wasn’t going to let them see me have an anxiety attack. I couldn’t let fear get the best of me. As we all tromped back to our seats, I was feeling better. Compartments were my friends.

I did get a call from my mom later in the game, but they hadn’t come. Lily had a cough, and Mom had thought it better to keep her home. The three of them were having a Scrabble tournament. She had already talked to Julia’s mom on the phone, while we were getting ready. It was fine if I wanted to spend the night, but I needed to be home by ten a.m. tomorrow to help around the house with chores. Fortunately, that resolved how I was going to get away with going to the diner with Easton.

It isn’t that I didn’t want to tell my mom because I thought she would say no. It was really because I didn’t know where the whole thing was going. I needed to be able to tell her in a controlled setting and explain what was going on. If I just called and said he wanted to take me to the diner, she’d switch into instant Overprotective Mom mode. Since the girls had said they would go too, I wasn’t really going to be out with him without supervision. The girls, of course, wanted to observe the “date” for later consultation. I wasn’t sure if having them there would make me more nervous or less. My life was going from uncomplicated to complicated very quickly.

As the game was nearing its conclusion, we were ahead by seven points, so there was still some pressure on. I was screaming myself hoarse. Easton made a long pass, and I held my breath. Our receiver made a beautiful catch and ran it in for a touchdown. Everyone in the crowd went nuts. The kicker made the extra point with less than three seconds left on the clock, and we had our first win of the football season.

I realized, as I was jumping up and down and screaming, that I was starting to feel like a part of something. I was starting to blend and meld into a student of my new high school. It felt really good. If I didn’t think about all those compartments that were starting to line up, life was looking pretty good.

As we moved out of the bleachers, my stomach started to flutter. Everyone was talking about the game, going to the diner, and who was riding with whom. The girls decided to meet me there rather than wait, so I wouldn’t be embarrassed—and more importantly for them, they would get a good table to watch the entire “date.” Fantastic.

I took my time getting to the snack shop. I knew I would have a bit of a wait with the coach’s after-game lecture, and the team’s showering and general horsing around because they had won. There was only one person left in the snack shop when I got there. She was a very pretty mom type with long brown hair caught up in a messy bun and a sweet smile.

“Oh, sweetie, we’re closed. I’m sorry,” she said.

“I’m just waiting for someone. I’m good.”

“Oh, all right. I just really need to get this all cleaned up and organized or I’ll never get home. It’s a nightmare every week. If you don’t stay on it, it takes on a life of its own.” The woman was bustling around putting things away.

“I could help if you want. I think I’ll be waiting awhile,” I offered. There were still people milling around, but I liked the idea of being inside the snack shop doing something rather than being outside looking around like a loser. Busy sounded better.

“That would be great. What’s your name, sweetie? You look so familiar.”

Uh-oh. “Uh, everyone calls me Jas.”

“Is that short for somethin’, darlin’?”

“Yes, it’s Jasmine.”

“Well, that is a lovely name. I’m Mrs. Sullivan. I am part of the Athletic Booster Committee. We raise money for the athletics at our school. The lady that had signed up to help me—well, her son was the one who was injured tonight. Did you see that?” I nodded. “They think he might have broken an arm. I told her to go ahead and not to worry; I would take care of everything, but I sure am glad you came along. I would’ve been here all night!”

She let me in the back of the snack shop and handed me an apron. Then she put me to work putting away the candy that was still unsold and organizing it by each kind. She was cleaning out Crock-pots and putting away all the paper products. She rattled on about the messy teenagers who worked there and about the game. I was glad to have something to do. I didn’t have to say much, just nodded or agreed in the right places.

“Sweetie, are you sure we haven’t met? I almost never forget a face, and I can’t figure out where I have seen you before.”

Not good. “I moved here three weeks ago, so unless I saw you at Wal-Mart, I don’t think so.” I smiled.

“Well, that could be it. It’ll come to me anyway, as soon as I’m not thinking of it.”

We worked in a companionable silence for a while and then she asked, “Who are you waitin’ for, sweetie? It’s startin’ to get late.”

The back door to the snack shop opened and I heard, “Well, now, she is waiting for me, Aunt Bellie. Are you working her to the bone back here?” And there he was. His hair was still damp from the shower. He was gorgeous and I couldn’t breathe. He smiled at the woman and she had a big grin.

“Oh really? Well, I think I should warn her about spending any time with a Ward boy. You know, my sister got involved with one of them a while back and look what happened!”

Easton grabbed her around her waist and picked her up. “I hear she got herself in trouble and ended up having to marry that wild man,” he said as he swung her around.

She laughed. “You heard right. And she ended up with a couple of boys just like him. What’s a girl to do?” She grinned. “Now put me down, you heathen! This girl has been waitin’ on you. And you better be treatin’ her right, or else.”

He gave her a big smooch on the cheek and set her down laughing. “Don’t worry, Aunt Bellie, my momma raised me right.” He winked at her.

She swatted him with a dish towel. “Jasmine, you let me know if he steps a toe outta line. You have to watch him. He’s a charmer, just like his daddy.”

I, of course, hadn’t met his dad, but wouldn’t be surprised if the charm and good looks were genetic. “Oh, I will, don’t worry. It was nice meeting you.”

“You too, sweetie. Thanks for all the help.”

Easton grabbed my hand and led me out of the snack shop.

“Your aunt’s really great,” I told him.

“Yeah. My mom has three sisters and she’s my favorite. They are all pretty great, but she’s my Cousin Chase’s mom. Chase and I are the same age. We practically lived at each other’s houses growing up. She’s like my second mom. So I spent the most time with their family and the same went for him. You’ll meet him at the diner.”

I nodded. I wondered what it must have been like, having such a big family.

“Why do you call her Aunt Bellie?”

He laughed. “Her name is Annabelle, but the Bellie part came when she was pregnant with my cousin Finn. We were pretty little. Her belly got really big, so instead of calling her Aunt Annabelle, I nicknamed her Aunt Bellie. It kind of stuck. Now all the cousins call her that. What can I say? She loves me.” He shrugged. He was adorable.

As we walked out of the stadium, I thought how different it looked from just a short while before. It was so quiet, almost creepy. As we approached the parking lot, I realized that when I was with Easton I didn’t feel panicky in the dark. Weird. I always felt like that, even with my mom.

“Did you have fun at the game?” he asked.

I smiled. “It was really great, especially because we won.”

“Yeah, that does usually make it more fun.” He pulled my hand so I was closer to him, our shoulders brushing as we walked.

I wanted to tell him how great he did, but I didn’t want to sound like a gushing idiot. “Did you have fun?” I asked.

“Well, now… I guess I did,” he said as he opened my door. I was starting to get used to all these manners. He went around to his side and got in.

“You did really well. That last pass was amazing.” Next stop: fan-girliness.

“Well, the team makes it easy.” He never seemed full of himself, even though he easily could be.

We got to the diner in minutes. It was only a few blocks away, and it was packed. I could feel my heart start to speed up. For normal people, this kind of thing would probably not be a problem. For me, however, it presented more than one. I had actually never dated. The last two years, when I probably would have been considering it, I wasn’t in any state to even think about that. Plus, I never knew what anyone’s motives were back home. Pity, notoriety, morbid curiosity—or were they truly interested? There hadn’t been anyone who seemed worth figuring that out for. So, honestly, this was my first date,
ever
. And it was with the most popular boy in school—in front of the entire school. No problem. I just hoped I could keep from hyperventilating.

We parked and Easton turned off the car. He looked at me before he went to open the door.

“Ready?”

I nodded.

“You have that same look you had that day by your locker. Are you sure you’re okay? We can go somewhere else if you want.”

“I’m fine. Let’s go,” I insisted.

He didn’t move. He looked at me, and I knew he was evaluating whether or not to believe me.

“Really. I know it’s going to be a little overwhelming, but it’s all right. There are just a lot of people. I don’t really like being stared at,” I said sheepishly.

“Jasmine, you’re a gorgeous girl. You’re going to have to get used to the staring someday.”

I glared at him. “I know they must check your eyesight before football starts, but I’m starting to wonder.”

I went to open my car door and he gave me the look. He mumbled under his breath as he got out of the car. I thought he said something about a mirror, but I wasn’t sure.

He opened my car door and grabbed my hand as we walked across the parking lot. I got goose bumps. I wasn’t really a touchy-feely kind of girl, but I never wanted to let go of his hand. I already liked him so much it was scary. How had this happened so fast? He was rubbing his thumb up and down the back of my hand as we walked. I felt like all the nerves in my body were centered in my hand at this moment.

When we got inside, he didn’t wait for someone to seat us but seemed to be making a beeline for a booth that had another couple in it. There was lots of hooting and hollering as we walked in. I felt like ducking. I saw the girls in the corner and half waved, not wanting to draw to attention to myself. I sort of kept my eyes on his back and just followed. He stopped in front of the booth, put his hand on my elbow, and helped me in. I scooted across the seat, and he plopped down next to me.

“My man, you’re late. We’re celebrating.” The blond boy across from Easton slapped him on the shoulder.

“Chase, this is Jasmine. Jasmine, this is my cousin and favorite receiver, Chase.” He stuck his hand out and I shook it. He actually didn’t look at all like Easton. He was very good-looking, but he was blond with a different shade of blue eyes. He did, however, have the same grin.

“Lovely to meet you, Miss Jasmine. This is the love of my life, Whitney.”

I recognized her from school. Whitney was beautiful. She had dark-brown hair, brown eyes, and bowtie lips. She smiled and stuck her hand out.

“I believe we have English together. So nice to meet you, Jasmine.” Her voice was quiet but lilting, and with her accent, I could have listened to her all day.

“Nice to meet you both.” We chatted a bit about California and the differences between the schools and weather. The waitress took our order quickly, looking like she couldn’t wait for us all to leave. Easton and I decided to share a hot fudge sundae.

I was starting to relax, when a bunch of football players jostled up to our table. They were shoving each other and being loud. One of the players decided to be the spokesperson for the group.

“Who’s the girl, East?” Some catcalling from the group ensued.