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“Nothing happened.”
“No?” He laughs, incredulous. “So that wasn’t you that jumped over this couch earlier and punched the wall like you were in a round of Street Fighter?”
I look over at him and shake my head. “You heard what he was saying about Ellery. That shit was out of line.”
“It was,” he agrees. “But I’ve never seen you lose your cool like that. You’ve never thrown a punch at any one of us.”
I look back down at my hand, hating that he’s right. Sure, tensions could mount now and then between four guys that live and play ball together, but not once had we come to blows. But when I heard him talking about Ellery the way he was, something in me snapped.
“Ellery and I…we kind of got into it last night.”
“You did?” Jake sits back. “About what?”
“She was upstairs in the bathroom talking with that guy who came in with her, Royce, and things got a little heated.”
“What do you mean it got a little heated?” he asks, curiously.
“I kicked in the door.” I close my eyes, realizing how bad it sounds. “And said some fucked up shit.”
His eyes grow as wide as saucers. “Like?”
I shake my head. “Doesn’t matter. But it’s probably why I went off on Cal. After I said what I did she stormed off and I didn’t get a chance to apologize. I feel like shit about it.”
Jakes studies me for a moment and I can tell he knows there’s more to it. Out of the four of us, we’re the closest, and it goes beyond the whole pitcher/catcher bond. He was like my brother in every way. It’s probably why he came to Ellery’s defense earlier. Knowing she was my stepsister, he considered her family, and had her back. Just as I would his sister.
“Well,” he taps the couch, “now I know why she was so pissed when I talked to her last night.”
“You talked to her?” I turn to look at him. “Did she say anything about me?”
“No.” He laughs and lifts his knee up onto the couch. “She came into the kitchen like a bat out of Hell, looking for her friend, and I was in here. Gave the girl I was with a ration of shit.”
“She did?” I can’t help but grin. Ellery was a firecracker and could put anyone in their place. “Why?”
“The girl was being rude and Ellery called her on it. But now that I know something happened between you two, I’m thinking she was probably pissed and hurt about that and not the blonde I was with.”
I turn my attention to the patio doors and look out back. There are bottles and cans everywhere, and red plastic cups and floaties in the pool. The place is a wreck. Much like me.
The idea of hurting Ellery makes my stomach churn. I never wanted to hurt her. I only wanted Ellery’s life to be filled with good things. That’s why I let her go.
But if last night showed me anything, it was that I wasn’t over her. Not by a long shot. The first and only girl to work her way into my heart had carved out a spot that was irrevocably hers and I would probably never be over her.
“Cruz,” Jake says when I grow quiet. “What happened between you and Ellery? And I’m not talking about last night, but before you got to Highland. It’s just you and me right now. So talk to me, brother.”
Fuck it. I couldn’t carry this baggage around any longer. I had to tell him. Maybe Jake could help me put it in perspective and help me make it through the summer. Plus, if anyone could keep a secret, he could.
I draw in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “She and I, we were a thing once.”
He drops his head back and exhales with a bit of a laugh. “I knew it.”
“You…what?”
“Oh, come on.” He lifts his head back up and looks at me, smiling. “I knew it the other day when we ran into her. You’ve never looked at anyone the way you looked at her. And before the party, when I was giving you a bad time about having a type. Clearly you go after girls that are the very opposite of her.”
I shake my head, not sure what to say. “I can’t believe you know.”
“Dude, I’m your best friend and I know you better than anyone. I know when your arm is tired and you want to get off the mound, and when you are ready to throw a fastball. That’s how I know that girl you claim to have an issue with rattles you. So that’s why you need to tell me what happened between the two of you so we can fix it.”
“You can’t fix it.” I shake my head. “The reason we broke up is the same now as it was then.”
