Out of the Shadow (2 page)

“
I hate this stuff,” Ren complained. “I was never good in math in the first place – why do you think I’m just now doing Geometry?”

Cole grinned as RJ, who had endless patience when it came to his siblings, explained things in a soft voice. Ren definitely preferred RJ’s homework help over that of his tutor – a bullish woman of about sixty with straw-like gray hair and a quick temper.

The door opened, shedding bright light on the dim room, and Cole winced.

“
Oh, hey, Cole, sorry,” Parker Milten gushed. “I didn’t know you were back here.”

“
No problem, man,” Cole said flipping to his side. He propped his head with his hand as Parker fumbled around on the top bunk across from Cole’s. “Did you lose something?”

“
Yeah, I can’t find my cell,” Parker grumbled. “I’m supposed to call Deidre and I’m late. She’ll have a fit.” He lifted his pillow and laughed. “Here it is.”

“
Is Deidre flying out to any of the shows?” Cole asked.

“
Nah, not until we get closer to home,” Parker frowned as he hopped onto the bunk, his legs hanging off the side. “It sucks more than I thought it would but we all decided this was the best way.”

Cole nodded, not offering a commentary. They’d met, as a band, and discussed the possibility of girlfriends, friends, or family traveling with them but decided to do the short tour on their own. It was the first time they were playing for a larger audience instead of the smaller gigs they’d done and they just wanted to tour without the distractions. Cole’s father, Nate, and RJ and Ren’s father, Richie, had belonged to the popular band Tight Control and now that the boys had signed a contract, they were desperate to crawl out from their fathers’ shadows. They wanted to be known for their music and their sound, not because of their family members. It was proving tough.

Now, though, Cole was rethinking their decision to travel alone. Although all four of them got along fine, Cole missed Jamie and especially Ally. It was beginning to be more of a distraction touring without them than if they would have come along for the ride. Of course, they had their own things to do, too.

“
When does Ally’s softball tournament start?” Parker asked.

“
This weekend,” Cole said, his heart twisting. He hoped, since they’d be in the L.A. area, that they could catch a game or two. “I don’t know if we’ll make any of it, but I’m going to try like hell.”

“
Yeah, but she’s cool about it if you can’t make it,” Parker said, a line appearing in his forehead. “She understands.”

Cole sat up and imitated Parker’s position, dropping his own long legs over the side of his bunk. “Dude, something wrong between you and Deidre?”

“
Nah,” Parker said, lifting a shoulder. “She just gets all upset that she can’t come to every show. She was a little bent out of shape when I told her we wanted to do this first tour alone. I think she thought we’d be partying and hooking up with girls and stuff.”

Cole laughed ruefully, knowing that was the farthest thing from the truth. They traveled constantly, and that was enough to wear someone out, but the shows were often late and by the time they finished and schmoozed a little bit, they were all so exhausted that they hit their beds as soon as they could. Alone. They’d had to meet so many people who Rhys Redden deemed important for their careers that meeting girls was the last thing any of them had wanted. And as far as the partying went, none of them had been big partiers to begin with and the allure just wasn’t there - especially after fifteen hour days.

“
She’s probably just missing you, man,” Cole said with a touch of embarrassment. “Things will be fine once we get home.”

“
I know,” Parker said, grinning spreading across his face. He slipped off the bunk. “I’m going to go call her and let you sleep.”

“
Sure,” Cole said as he considered his own cell phone. A wave of loneliness hit him hard as thoughts of Ally floated through his mind.

After that rough, first year together, things had progressed nicely between them. He, along with RJ, had graduated high school and jumped full-time into the music business. She had left briefly that summer to attend her beloved softball camp in preparation for the huge tournament that was held every four years, sort of like the Olympics.

Her senior year had been a bit difficult as they were only able to see each other on the weekends and some of those weekends had found Cole in L.A. with the rest of the band, working on the CD which they’d released in the early spring.

But they’d made it work and he’d been proud of how grown up they’d seemed. They’d learned from past mistakes and talked out any problems that had cropped up and understood that they were going to be separated from time to time.

But they hadn’t been this far apart for this long in their entire lives. And it bugged him just like he knew it was bugging her. It spawned a burning desire inside of him to step things up and take their relationship to the next level – one he wasn’t certain that they were ready for just yet.

He’d visited a jeweler outside of San Francisco and contemplated an engagement ring but RJ, who’d tagged along for the fun of it, had reasoned with him, reminding him that Ally had just graduated high school and already enrolled in college.

“
Wait at least six months, man,” RJ had urged. “Or a year. Let her get some college experience in so she can make an educated decision.”

He’d been exactly right, even though Cole had hated to admit it. So, he settled for something a little more appropriate and couldn’t wait to see her again so he could give it to her.

He dialed her number, deciding that he’d leave a message if she was still out practicing and had her phone off – she’d call him back as soon as she was finished. But she surprised him by answering on the first ring.

“
Hi, Cole,” she said, a smile in her voice. “Everything okay?”

“
Yeah, princess,” he said, his heart flipping. He pulled his legs on the bunk and stretched out, folding his free arm under his head. “How was practice?”

“
Don’t call me princess,” she gently chastised. “And practice was fine. The team is coming together nicely and I think we have a real shot at winning this thing.”

“
That’s great,” he said as he closed his eyes and pictured her in her warm-up gear, her dark hair secured in a ponytail behind her head. “First game is coming up pretty quick, huh?”

“
Yes,” she said slowly. “I’m hoping I’ll have a cheering section – you know, besides my parents.”

“
You will,” he laughed. “My dad and Stacy will be there.”

“
I meant you and RJ and James,” she huffed. “You know that.”

“
I’m trying, Al,” he said, his voice softening. “You know I want to be there more than anything.”

“
I know,” she said, her breath whistling in the phone. “I just miss you, that’s all. I miss you the most, of course, but I miss RJ and Jamie, too.”

He’d known all along that the summer would be toughest on her. She loved her friends like they were close members of her family and she wilted a little every day they were separated. “We’ll all be together soon, don’t worry.”

“
Not soon enough,” she whined, sounding exactly like a tired child.

“
Hey, listen,” he said. “This tour will be over soon and then RJ and I will be home. You and James will be running off to college. We’ll all get together every weekend possible, just like we did last year. Just think about that, okay?”

“
Okay,” she said, mollified for the moment. “But I’ll get to see you this weekend, right?”

He smiled at the hopeful note in her voice. “Yes, you will. If I don’t make it to the Friday night game, I’ll make it to a Saturday game.”

“
I can’t wait,” she said, suddenly cheerful. “I’m counting down the hours.”

He chuckled, his heart full of affection. The bus lurched to a stop and he sat up to glance out the window. “Hey, Al, we’re at the hotel. I gotta get going, okay? I’ll try to give you a call later tonight.”

“
Okay,” she said. “I love you, Cole.”

“
I love you, too,” he said and snapped the phone shut just as RJ opened the accordion door and peeked his head around the corner.

“
You ready, man?” he asked.

Cole jumped off the bunk, some of the loneliness dispelled from his heart. “Yeah. Do you think they’ll let us get some food before the sound check?”

“
I certainly hope so,” RJ said rubbing his stomach. “I’m starved.”

Cole grinned at his friend as he exited the bus and made his way through the hotel lobby, earning curious glances from the guests. Soon, he thought, they’ll know us by sight and we won’t be able to walk through a room without heavy security.

Soon.

Chapter Two

Ally plopped on the bench, her body screaming for sleep, and slowly lifted her leg, resting her foot on the bench. Her arm muscles protested as she stretched to yank her shoelaces and she wondered what kind of shape she would be in for the first game of the tournament the following evening.

This was the second year she’d made the State Team and while they’d played in plenty of tournaments back home near Chicago, this was her first time in the National Tournament and she was burning with the desire to win the whole thing.

Each state of the continental U.S. formed a team of their best female softball players and every four years, they took their teams to the designated state for the National Tournament. The Tournament usually lasted about a week, with all the pomp and circumstance of the World Series. This year the Tournament was to be held in L.A.

“
I think I discovered muscles I never knew I had,” Lisa Morlan moaned as she sat next to Ally. “The coaches preach about how beneficial all this conditioning is but I don’t see it.”

Ally flashed her roommate a commiserating smile as she finally won her battle with her shoelaces. “Yeah, I hear them sing the praises of working out and conditioning but I have yet to see one of them on the participating.”

“
Too overweight,” Samantha Morales joked as she leaned against the wall and slid to the floor.

Lisa giggled as she removed her sweat-stained t-shirt and dropped it at her feet. “So, do you guys think we have a chance at medaling this year?”

“
Yep, as long as Jones keeps hitting like she did in batting practice,” Tara Horning, a stocky third basemen commented.

“
That was yesterday,” Ally said as she set to work on her other shoe. “My timing was totally off today. I don’t know why. If only my cousin was here, he’d figure it out and point me in the right direction.”

“
Where is this cousin?” Lisa said. “And is he cute?”

Ally laughed. “Sure, I suppose he’s cute, but don’t tell him that – his ego is big enough as it is. Besides, he’s a player. He has a new girlfriend every week.”

“
Aw,” Tara grinned. “I’m sure Lisa here can tame him.”

Lisa blushed furiously and kicked off her cleats. “I doubt it.”

“
Jones!”

Ally turned to find Cheyenne Duncan, the only other teammate from the year before, strolling toward her. “Girl, what was up with your hitting today? That’s not like you.”

Ally groaned and rolled her eyes, wishing she could snap her fingers and be magically transported to her bed. “I don’t know and I’m just too tired to think about it right now.” She stood up, moaned, and walked to the showers, snatching a fluffy towel from the stack on the shelf near the doors.

Ally felt a bit better after her shower. She shouldered her bag and left the locker room with her small group of friends, other girls streaming around them. Her mind had shifted from her batting problems to Cole and her heart lifted as she imagined the reunion scene she’d have in just a couple of days. A small smile graced her lips as her teammates excitedly discussed the upcoming game.