Take Me Away (19 page)

He blows the whistle and it pisses me off. "Give me a minute!" I shout, hoping he'll get it.

"Now, Zara." Katy and Jamie run to me and help me up. They walk with me to the center and I give Treston the finger. I'm not in the mood today.

"Why don't you sit this one out?"

"Are you serious? I was just over by the bleachers!"

"And? I'M your lacrosse coach for today, so when I say go sit this one out, then you sit it out."

I feel my heart racing. I feel small. Shit, I breathe, I can't let him see me cry. "No. I'm ready to practice, so let me," I tell him.

"Why, Peaches?" I don't answer. It's stupid he knows we have a big game coming up. "From what I can see, you've been pretty selfish and only care for yourself. If you care about your team, then you need to get your priorities in check." He stares me down. I don't know what else to say so I turn away, grabbing my things and leave the field.

I know walking away isn't the best thing to do, but I have to. He's right. I've been a grade A bitch, thinking if I was someone else I would forget who I truly am-a scared girl who is always looking over her shoulder. I should have apologized and did what he asked, but when he called me out in front of the team and I let him tear me down, I knew it was going to be bad.

What am I going to do now?

CHAPTER 24

TRESTON

"A LITTLE TOO HARD ON her, don't you think?" Gavin opens his car door and I follow.

Today at practice was a fucking mess. Half the girls were hung-over and I kicked out the star player. Coach Young and Kaler are going to kick my ass.

"She deserves it. What am I supposed to do? She won't listen and thinks she owns the field."

Needing to get to the gym as soon as possible, I walk in before Gavin and head to the weights. Lifting and loud, screaming music, helps me clear my head. The anger from this afternoon with Zara is pulsating. How can this beautiful angel piss me off and make me happy in less than five seconds?

After the gym, we head back home, but the feeling of needing to talk to Zara consumes me. Putting on my Nike sneakers, I head to the girls’ house and walk inside.

"Yoooo," I shout, waiting for a response.

Katy comes into the living room, holding a bowl of popcorn and cocks her head to the right. "Upstairs," she points and I head up.

Without knocking, I head to her room and look for her. "Zara!" The bathroom door opens and fuck me. She's standing in front of me with a towel around her fine body. Fuck. I need to stop staring at her and think about something else.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Wanted to talk and apologize about today. I hope everything's fine."

She has a stern look on her face, "Yeah. Sure. Just great. You can leave now."

I'm fucking fuming. This is the only girl who can get under my skin in less than a second. "You know what? Fuck it. I'm not sorry. You can think whatever the fuck you want." Her eyes go to mine and instantly I melt. "Forget it, Zara. You're fucking hopeless." I run out of her room, down the stairs, throw my deuces in the air to Katy and head out.

I need to hit something or else I'm going to kill the star player of the Blue Devils.

Pulling out my iPhone and ear buds, I press shuffle on my Spotify and start running. Music calms me down as I focus on my breathing and feel the cement through my sneakers. The current song ends and
Thirty Seconds to Mars "Hurricane"
comes on. The words hit me and I realize this girl is worth fighting for. Even though she's pushing me away, I'm going to push back. I'm not giving up on her or us.

The next few days go by and I don't see her. Both Coaches scream at me and tell me to get my attitude in check and kicking her out of practice was uncalled for. I apologize and walk out feeling like an asshole.

Sitting at my desk in my room I write her a letter. After about five attempts I throw the notebook across the room and go to bed. Nothing's working. I've lost her.

The next day I get ready with the guys and we head to the girl's game. Today's an important game against Virginia. The girls are practicing and I'm trying to blend in with the crowd. I know me being here doesn't sit too well with Zara.

My phone rings and I look to see it's another
private caller.
The calls are getting frequent and I'm not sure what the hell to do. I'm not changing my damn number over this. It's not worth my time to answer. Probably a telemarketer trying to sell me shit I don't want.

A few moments later my phone rings and it's a text from Beth.

Beth:
Hey just wanted to let you know I'm in California. Things are good here and I'm happy. Jeremy and I are officially divorced. I want to tell you how much I appreciate you being with me after we lost Emily. I don't blame you Treston and hope you find peace and happiness. Good luck with your final year.

I read the text a few more times. It's been a while since Beth and I talked. I'm glad she's happy and without Jeremy. Fuck, that heartless bastard deserves to die. I wish it were him and not his daughter.

I think about texting her back, but hold off. I want to focus on the game and not miss anything.

Both teams set up and I see Zara, with her stick, ready to play. She looks amazing out there and I love seeing her live out her passion. The game is our life and we don't mess around. The warm up music plays and each team is shooting into the goal. Virginia has a great team, but the Blue Devils have this.

Zara and another girl from the Virginia team line up in the center. When the ref blows the whistle, they fight for the ball and she wins it. Sprinting down the field, she passes the ball to Katy, who cradles it for a few and then passes to Jamie. With a few short passes back and forth, Zara has the ball and shoots. The goal is good!

"Yeah, Peaches!" I scream. The crowd is going crazy with cheers and applause. Duke gets possession of the ball again and I closely watch Zara move. Her footwork is quick and precise. Faking out number twelve she sprints down the middle, passes it to Erika and gets free to get the ball again. She shoots and scores. Damn, my girl is amazing.

After an intense game, the girls win. The team cheers for them and soon they're heading off the field. Gavin gets me and we head back to the house to get it decorated.

Within a few hours, the house is packed and there are people everywhere. I finish my game of pong and Katy hangs onto my arm.

"Good game today. You girls look incredible."

"Why thank you, Coach Parker," she winks at me. "So, Zara looks pretty sexy tonight." I look over to the kitchen and see her talking to Ethan and Jackson. The dark blue dress she has on is damn sexy. The dress shows off her curves that I love so much and her hair is in soft curls. She looks happy.

"Treston, you need to do something tonight. She's falling apart. I know she looks happy, but she's good at hiding her feelings like you are. If you don't let her in then you can forget about getting her back. The longer you wait, the further she goes."

In the corner of my eye I see Henry walk in and he sees Zara too. Pulling myself away from Katy, I rush to the kitchen and before I can think, I grab her arm and bring her back to my room. Slamming the door shut, I turn and look at her.

"Ummm?" She questions, squinting her eyes at me, "Do you mind?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay?" She crosses her arms across her chest and is in defense mode.

"For a few minutes, can you let down your walls and talk to me. Like before?"

"Five minutes, Treston, and then I'm out."

I pull her to my body, feeling her tense in my arms. I can't think straight. Everything I see, everything I feel, is her. "Maybe," I whisper, brushing my lips against her cheek. Her body relaxes as she wraps her arms around my waist. "I'm going to let you in and tell you everything. When I'm done, I hope you realize how much I love you and we belong together." She's looking at me, breaking me down, reading my soul. I'm begging her not to hurt me, hoping she can read my mind.

"I promise I won't hurt you, Treston. Just let me all the way in."

My breathing is erratic and I feel her relaxing in my arms. All I want is to keep her in my arms, where I can protect her and keep her as mine. I'm scared and excited at the time. Feeling her tiny body against my hard chest, she's pulling me down, pulling me out of the clouds of sorrow I've been in.

And I'm letting her.

I only have this one chance to show her and let her in. I know that once she knows everything, she'll come back to me and realize why I had to hide this from her. I take a deep breath and sit on the edge of my bed.

"I met Emily when I was ten years old. She was eight and we became best friends. We started dating when I was sixteen and she was turning fifteen. A few months after, she was diagnosed with cancer." I hear her gasp and keep going. "She beat it the first time and her fight was inspiring. We shared the best times together and I stayed with her during each treatment and each doctor's visit. I never would have thought the cancer would come back. On her eighteenth birthday, she collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. The cancer came back and spread like a bitch," I laugh and cry, "She only had a few more months, but with treatment, she had a year." I pause and keep my eyes on the ground.

Saying all of this aloud is harder than I fucking thought.

"She said no to the treatments and I didn't push her. Her parents, Beth and Jeremy, were upset, along with my parents. No one understood, except me. Emily didn't want to spend her last days in a hospital with machines and more tests, so I took her back to the lake house where we first fell in love." I stop talking and rub my eyes. "Two weeks later, I had to go into town and get her medicine. Well, I got everything else except medicine to ease the pain. It was storming with thunder and lightning. When I got back to the lake house and saw I forgot her medicine, I gave her a kiss on her lips and said I'd be back. Well, I never made it to the store. My car broke down and I called Emily to get help since no one was answering my calls." I stop again.

This is the hardest part.

"She started driving and the storm was getting worse. The wind thrashed around and I was scared. She slowed down when she saw me, but a tree fell in the middle of the road and her car went down a hill. She," at this point I'm sobbing. Zara's on my lap, holding me and rocking me.

"I'm here, Treston," she cries with me. "I'm here."

"She died at the scene. I held her in my arms and watched them take her away." I can't talk anymore.

"I'm so sorry, Treston. I can't believe I did this to you, to us. You fought for me and I fought you every step of the way." She sobs, resting her head on my shoulder. I rub her back, inhaling her scent. My Zara.

"It's okay, baby. I know that our love isn't always pretty and we have some pretty shitty moments, but that's what makes us work. It's what makes us...Us." I kiss her shoulder, "I kept coming back to you, begging you to understand me, and I knew you had enough. You kept pushing me away. It's been a while since I let anyone in, but you pulled me out of my head and showed me what it's like to feel love again."

"And I'm going to be here to love you. All of you." Before long, her lips are on mine and she's tugging on my shirt to lift off. I don't think and follow her lead. We need this moment.

Neither of us talk. The sounds of our bodies crashing into each other are the only sounds in the room. Devouring her mouth, feeling her bare chest against mine and soon entering her, is pure fucking bliss.

She moans, telling me to go faster and harder. I spread her wider, resting on my knees and rock back and forth.

"Zara, shit baby. I can't last.

"Me either. Oh my god!"

We both find our release and I crash next to her. Pulling her in my arms, I kiss her lips and hold her tight.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I kept this all from you. I didn't know how to tell you, but I'm glad I did."

"I told you Treston. As soon as you let me in, we can be together and I'll stay by your side. Is that it? Or is there more?"

Beth. Shit this is going to be awkward.

"After Emily died, I did something pretty fucked up." Zara tenses and looks at me. "Her parents were separated and I didn't know who else to talk to. One night, while I was at the lake house, she came over and helped me pack. Well, she had whiskey and we started drinking. I'll spare you the rest." I sigh, "We had an affair for a few months."

"Oh, Treston. Really?" There's no sign of disgust in her voice. "That's kind of sick."

"I know. It's not my proudest moment. Things fell apart when she died. I was done with school and had the summer to fall apart. But she was there for me and I needed her like she needed me. It was fucked up. I mean we fucked...well you get the picture."

"Thanks," she cringes.

"Do you want to hear more?"

"I do and I don't," she answers me, "I guess my biggest question is, how did her husband take it?'

I sigh, again not the greatest moment of my life. "Jeremy left after Emily's funeral. He packed his things and left town. So that's one of the reasons why Beth came over. We both comforted each other. Well," I pause, afraid to look at her. "After the affair, I was at my parents and Jeremy came over. He punched me in the face, which I deserved, and called me a piece of shit. I didn't see him again."

"And Beth?"

"Well," I rub the back of my head, "We still met when Jeremy wouldn't talk to her. But it was nothing. I listened to her. It was like we were each other's missing link to Emily."

"Are you and Beth still talking?"

I shrug, "Sometimes. The last time we talked she said she was in California and wished me well. She told me that the divorce is final. Jeremy's toxic and was an asshole father and husband."

"Oh," she says, "Well I guess I can understand, but it's still really weird. I actually would prefer you not talk to her out of respect for me."

I rub her arms and kiss her cheek, "Baby, you have nothing to worry about. I'm with you and no one else matters. Having Beth in my life means I'll have a piece of Emily. There is nothing between Beth and I. She's in California and has no plans of coming back. I hope you can understand that."

"I understand. It's hard, but I get it." She looks away from me and turns back, "So are you sure Jeremy is done? Like, he's not going to come back and hurt you for encouraging Beth to leave?"