Page 9 of The Perfect Play

“Don’t call me that. Jake’s your friend. You’re lucky you aren’t the one in the hospital.”

“He didn’t mean it. He was just joking around, trying to get Nate to stop—” He clamped his mouth closed as if he’d already said too much.

“To stop what?” I asked, suddenly curious.

Dax shook his head. “Never mind. You know he can be a bit competitive, but he would never hurt someone on purpose. It was just a chain of unfortunate events.”

I closed my eyes for a second and gave a mirthless laugh. “I don’t know why you’d think I cared, Dax. Jake stopped being my responsibility a long time ago.”

Without waiting for a response, I turned and got to work on the booth. Lou was already on the phone with the insurance company and whoever else needed to be contacted about the incident. Claudia had practically dropped at the idea of cleaning up glass and blood. As long as I was careful, I could at least make it look less like a murder scene.

Only two more hours were left of my shift by the time I finished, and it seemed word had spread through Rosemont already. We got a few customers who actually wanted food, but the rest either came inside to look at where the incident happened or congregated outside the window, talking loudly about it.

As per usual, the story had escalated to unfair proportions, but there wasn’t much I could do. Jake was probably going to get some sort of probation, as long as Nate’s parents didn’t decide to sue him. Just one more reason I was better off steering clear of Jake White.

I rode my bike home, pulling into the driveway to lights on in every room. My dad’s old truck was there, which was some relief. After all that had happened that night, I just wanted to go in, shower, and head to bed. With Dad there, I wouldn’t have to wrangle Derrick into getting his homework done.

“Penny, I’m so glad you’re home,” my dad’s voice came from around a corner as I entered the house. He appeared and wrapped me in a hug. “Where’s your car?” His eyes glanced out the window.

“Still at the school. It wouldn’t start after tryouts today. Jake gave me a ride home, and then I rode my bike to work.”

He grabbed my face, turning it from side to side, looking for something. “Are you all right? You’re not hurt or anything, right?”

I pulled at his hands gently, feeling a bit claustrophobic. We weren’t the most touchy-feely family in the world, and I needed a bit more space. “I’m fine, Dad. Why the sudden concern?”

“Mrs. Montgomery came out when I was finishing mowing their yard and told me about the incident at the diner. I was worried something had happened to you, but you haven’t answered any of my calls or messages.” I could see the worry lines etched into his face. “I tried to call the diner, but the line was busy. I came right home just now to make sure you were all right, or I was going to head down to the diner and check on you.”

“Sorry, I must have forgotten to turn the ringer back on after tryouts. You know how Coach Dean always was about phones. I turned it off just in case the new coach was similar.”

My dad’s arms wrapped around me once again, and this time I let him, knowing he’d probably been panicking for the past few hours.

“Steer clear of the White boy from now on, all right? Sounds like he’s a magnet for trouble, and I don’t want you getting hurt.” He let go, and I took a step back.

“No problem there, Dad. I try to avoid him anyway.”

As I glanced up at him, my dad looked through the window at the White home, his head shaking back and forth a bit. “I’m not sure what happened between you two, but it sounds like it’s good you don’t hang out with him anymore, with the accident and now this. Although, you might’ve been a good influence for him. We all know his dad isn’t the best example.”

“Yeah, I’m just really tired, Dad. I’m going to take a shower and head to bed. Talk tomorrow?”

When he nodded, I wasted no time in jogging up the stairs. I needed the silence to put everything together.

My dad’s words echoed in my mind. I recalled those months after Jake started avoiding me, the hurt I felt at his betrayal of our lifelong friendship up until that point. Even if I’d had the chance, would I really have helped him avoid the problems he’d already been in?

I thought about Mr. White and all Jake had gone through because of him. He was a workaholic who tended to worry more about Jake’s stats on the ball field than anything else. Even as a young kid, I was scared of his temper. That’s probably where Jake got it from.

Not that it was my problem. I had to stay focused on the prize. A scholarship was the only way I would get away from Rosemont and create the life I wanted.

I looked at my bulging backpack on the floor and sighed. It wouldn’t be a quick shower and then bed tonight. I had too much reading to get done for the next day and an essay to finish.

Chapter 8

Jake

“You sent a kid’s head through a window?” My dad’s voice on the other end of the line caused my whole body to clench, as if he’d be able to deal me another blow through the phone. I’d turned off my own phone as it seemed the gossips had already done their job spreading the news around town.

The police had dropped me off at home thirty minutes earlier after Nate’s parents decided not to press charges. With Dax, Ben, and Colt’s side of the story, it was ruled an accident, but we’d have to pay for the window. Which is why I had to call my dad, who was on business in Missouri.

“It was Nate, Dad. We were joking around. He punched me, so I punched him back, and when he tried again, I dodged it and shoved him. The momentum just carried him through the window.”

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