Page 18 of The Perfect Play

My insides were on fire as I thought about all that had happened in the space of twenty minutes. How was I going to survive if I liked him as much as I was beginning to? He was Jake White, playboy of Rosemont High and ultimate betrayer of my trust. But those little peeks into his life reminded me so much more of the boy he’d been before that I wanted to trust him again, wanted to spend more time with him.

Maybe I was just a glutton for punishment.

Chapter 14

Jake

Icouldn’t believe I’d gone over there and tried to relive something we’d had before. It was selfish, and I ended up with a large dark bruise by Sunday afternoon. I’d been thinking about Penny almost constantly since I left her backyard, and it all seemed surreal, like someone had bridged the gap of three and a half years when Penny and I hadn’t talked to each other.

She had a right to be surly after all she’d been through, but there was a moment there at the end when I saw the old Penny, the one who was game for whatever adventure I proposed. The one who would forgive me for all my faults.

Was that the reason I felt so attracted to her? I missed the life I had before my world started caving in? I wasn’t exactly sure, but I knew I needed Penny in my life, whether it was just as a friend or otherwise. She kept me grounded, didn’t let me get too full of myself, and she reminded me that planning for the future was worth a bit of time and effort. I just needed to find a way to apologize.

I was hanging out in my room Sunday night with my music on, tossing a ball in the air, when my mom knocked on the door.

“Someone’s here to see you.” She gave me a curious smile, probably because people coming to visit me at home never happened.

She stepped back and disappeared down the hall, leaving the hall empty for several seconds. I sat up, wondering if I was supposed to head downstairs, but Penny came around the corner, her eyes darting around my room as if taking in everything that had changed over the years. I’d put up a couple of new posters and had a few more trophies from our summer baseball team, but other than that, it was about the same.

“I didn’t think I’d see you here anytime soon,” I said, lying back down. I tossed the ball up in the air again, barely missing the ceiling.

“I brought you these.”

Turning my head, I saw a plate covered in tin foil. Baked goods.

I jumped up and took the plate, peeling off the foil. “Homemade cupcakes? You made these for me?”

Her jaw shifted, and she gave a curt nod. “I just wanted to say I was sorry again about hitting you yesterday.” From the tone of her voice, she wasn’t completely convincing.

I peeled off the paper of one and took a large bite, giving a small sigh at the chocolate cake. It had been a while since my mother had cooked, let alone baked, and I couldn’t help shoving the rest of it in my mouth.

The disgusted look on her face caused me to laugh, causing little bits of cake to get stuck in my throat. Pounding on my chest, I finally got them to pass.

“Your dad sent you over, didn’t he?”

“No!” she said, folding her arms and glowering at me. After a few seconds, her gaze dropped to the ground. “He might have mentioned something, but I made the cupcakes.”

I nodded. “Well, I have to say your baking skills have definitely improved since that one time you almost lit the kitchen on fire baking a pie.”

She took in a deep breath, and when she spoke, it was like she was trying to get out everything before she lost her nerve.

“Did I do something to make it so we weren’t friends anymore? Because I’ve been going over and over what happened between us for the past three and a half years, and I still haven’t figured out what I did to push you away. If anything, those first few months after my mother left were the ones I needed you most.” Her voice broke on the last few words, and I couldn’t look at her. Seeing the raw emotion of the hurt I’d caused was too much.

I picked up another cupcake, taking a large bite of it. After sitting on the bed, I raised my eyes to hers. For a moment, I considered spilling all the details that led to my ghosting her. But as I thought of the sickly yellow bruise still visible on my upper rib from the last time my father was in town, I knew I wasn’t ready. There was no way I was ready to share that humiliation with anyone, even one of my oldest friends.

With a quick shrug, I said, “I don’t know, Pen. I was an idiot. Can’t you just forgive me so we can be friends again?” My words came out with more exasperation than I’d wanted, and I watched as her jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed.

“Don’t choke.” It was a whisper, but for some reason, it was worse than her yelling at me. She turned on her heel and left without another word.

“Way to go, Jake,” I said out loud. The best chance I’d had at rekindling our friendship, and I’d botched it. That might as well be my middle name these days.

Chapter 15

Jake

Monday morning, I threw a hat on, knowing I’d get a million questions about what had happened to my head. The brim rested right on the bruise, the discomfort making it uncomfortable at first. But my stubbornness to wear it got me through until I barely recognized the pinch of pain.

I’d gotten to school just as Ms. Lovell opened her classroom. We had an essay due on Wednesday, and I figured the best way to answer my questions was to ask the teacher herself.

---