Page 19 of The Perfect Catch

Ibrushed through my hair a couple of times before I threw on my officer sweater, glancing at the clock as I did so. Dax would be picking me up in a few minutes, and I was already more excited than I’d been to go with a guy in months. James had been a nice date for Homecoming, but he definitely didn’t give me the same electric feeling I got every time I was with Dax.

The doorbell rang, and I raced down the stairs, hoping to get there before my mom opened the door.

“Hello, Dax. May I help you?” her voice rang out. Too late.

“Sorry, ma’am. I’m here to pick up Kate. We’re going to the football game.” Dax’s voice came out monotone, and I bit my lower lip, attempting to hold back a laugh. He was so serious around her, and I wondered if it had anything to do with losing his mom.

“I’m right here, Mom. We’ll be back as soon as the game ends.” I hurried, hoping to shut the door before she said anything, but her foot stopped it.

She gave me a tense smile. “Why don’t you take Zane with you? I’m sure he would love to go to the football game.”

From somewhere behind her, my brother’s voice called out, “I’m good. Football makes for a boring night.”

I’d never been more grateful to my brother. I’d have to take him out for ice cream or whatever he wanted to do. Turning down my mother’s offer was bold but also saved me the embarrassment of explaining everything to Dax, that my mom was picky about the people I hung out with.

She gave me a look that made me straighten up even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Dax is on Senior Committee with us, and we’ll be with the rest of the officers in the student section,” I said, trying to keep the exasperation from my voice. I was a people pleaser to the core, and having her mad at me would make the rest of the night uncomfortable as I worried about what she’d be thinking.

With a curt nod, she stepped back and shut the door. And that was why I still hadn’t told her Dax would also be my date to the dance.

I turned to find Dax staring at me, studying my face. “Are you okay?” I asked.

He gave a little shoulder shrug with his hands tucked into his pants pockets, the mask of arrogance he wore the first time I really talked to him covering his face. “Areyouokay?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, walking toward his car.

“Your mom clearly doesn’t like me. If you want, I can just drive alone. Meet you there?” He gave me a strained smile as if trying to play off the fact that he wasn’t okay with the whole situation.

I shook my head, opening the door for myself and sliding into the passenger seat. The feeling of letting my mom down niggled at my chest, but I wanted to be there with Dax, so I pushed it aside.

“Honestly, Dax, if I stopped hanging out with all the people my mother didn’t like, my group of friends wouldn’t even exist.”

He turned to look at me, trying to figure out if I was telling the truth or not. “Penny? Brynn?” He looked shocked just saying their names. He’d conveniently left out Serena, but that girl was her own person, and I loved that about her. She didn’t worry about who did or didn’t like her and her sometimes attitude.

I chuckled. “Yes, even Penny and Brynn. My mom has always seen them as competition, even though Brynn’s only a junior. They’re good students, and they’re athletes. In my mom’s book, that means they’ve already got a jump ahead of me in the college-application game.”

Penny was the genius mind who studied all the time and took every advanced placement class offered at Rosemont, while also being the star pitcher for the softball team. Brynn was the younger equivalent, showing off her skills on the basketball court.

Dax stretched his back against the seat and shifted the car into first gear. “Wow, I know my dad isn’t pushy about college, but comparing you to your friends? That’s a little harsh.”

I smiled politely, feeling guilty that I’d given him the wrong impression of my mom. In essence, he was right. But I’d gotten so used to her trying to control things that it almost felt normal, until other people pointed it out.

We made small talk as we drove to the high school, and I was surprised to see what a good driver Dax was and what a clean car he had. I didn’t have to grab the “oh crap” handle once. So many things I was learning about the so-called bad boy.

We got out of the car and walked over to the stadium. Things hadn’t filled up quite yet as we’d arrived much earlier than the start of the game to make sure we had everything in place.

“Do you have to do all this every game?” Dax asked, lifting a box of t-shirts we were supposed to sell for Senior Committee.

I motioned for him to set the box down on the table and pulled out a few of the shirts, arranging them on the table so that whoever worked it for the night had things organized.

“It varies from game to game. We’re selling these shirts to help fund the senior gift.” I pulled out several sweatshirts and set them up according to size next to the t-shirts. I’d learned to make things aesthetically pleasing from the times my mother had hammered it into my head or just by watching her get ready for events. To sell more, order was the best recipe.

“Senior gift? What’s that?”

I turned to him, setting my hand on my hip and leaning on the table with the other. “How long have you been going to this school?” I asked, a slight tease to my voice. “The senior class usually gives a gift to the school when they graduate. We haven’t decided on anything just yet, but there are graduating classes who donated the new scoreboard in the gym or the marquee outside the front of the school.”

“Gotcha.” He pulled out a couple more t-shirts, holding them for me to take.

---