Falling - On the Banks of Lake Saint Clare (Falling - Book One) (40 page)

“Michael, I don’t know how much more they are willing to put up with. I am pretty sure they think that you are a total idiot to get wrapped up with a girl that has so much baggage.” For some reason, I couldn’t control my crying. I couldn’t stop and I couldn’t catch my breath. My side was killing me. Every time I took a breath, it would grab, making me cry harder. I reached into my purse to get a pill, forcing it down with no water.

“Give me your phone,” he said angrily.

I handed it to him and held my side, praying the pain would ease up. I knew if I cried it made my side hurt, but I couldn’t help it.

I took a deep breath and watched Michael look through my contact list and push a number.

“I want you to listen to me,” he said
,
sounding angrier than I could have
ever
imagined
.
“This is your last warning. I am not going to play any more games with you. If you do anything else to upset Alex, I mean one tiny thing; I will beat you till you can’t move. I suggest you take this very seriously. If I see her shed one more tear because of your sorry worthless ass,
I will pound you to the ground.

“Yeah,” Michael said louder, “You call the police. Call them right now. I will be at the café next to the hospital. Tell them to meet us there and they can watch me beat your sorry ass. I don’t give a shit anymore. Your threats don’t scare me at all. Better yet, Coach, I’ll wait till tonight, after you lose your game. Will that be more convenient?”

He handed me back my phone. “That was so outside my comfort zone,” he said, holding my hand. “Sorry you had to hear that. I am so sick of his shit. He is really lucky he isn’t here right now. Man, I have never wanted to hurt anyone, but I have had it with him. I swear Alex, he even looks at you wrong
tonight,
and he’s getting my fist in his face.”

He sat down on the reception couch and held my hand, “I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t react like that. I just hate to see you hurt. It infuriates me to no end.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry, too. I really don’t know what came over me. Everything just keeps happening and I don’t have time to react. I’ve got to get it together. Do I look like I’ve been crying?”

“Now, its time for
you
to listen to me,” he said in almost a scolding voice
.
“My parents think the world of you. They don’t question at all why I love you. Stop worrying about what they think. Got it?”

“Yes,” I sighed, “
g
ot it. Oh, what a day.”

“Now that we got all your dad drama out of the way, how was your session?
”

“It went great. I like her. She helped me understand that it wasn’t my fault Brad attacked me.”

“I have been telling you that for two weeks and you never paid me 150 bucks.”

“She also said it was fine for me to want to have sex with you.”

“
That
was definitely worth 150 bucks,” he smiled. “
There are the parents
. They are always good for a free meal.”

“Hey Alex,” Jaclyn walked over and hugged me, “Are you okay? You look upset.”

I looked at Michael
, seeing him
gave me a warning look. I knew he was telling me with his glare that I better not act like everything was perfect.

“It’s been a bad morning,” I sighed. “I went to Dr. Wallace today. She’s a psychiatrist.” I waited for a reaction and didn’t see one. “It went really well, but found out afterwards that my Dad cancelled my insurance. So Michael had to pay for it. I am really sorry. I will pay him back. I just have to go to the bank after we eat.”

“Nonsense,” she said, hugging me
again
,” don’t worry about it. Let’s go eat. I am so hungry.”

Michael took my hand and squeezed it. “See! Told ya so.”

“No girl likes to hear I told you so,” I smiled.

My mom called me at two, while we were watching a marathon of
t
he Family Guy.

I sat up, and muted the TV, hoping that she would make the call quick and to the point.

“Hey Mom.”

“Hi Honey. What are you up to today?”

“Are you aware Dad canceled my health insurance?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I went to see a psychiatrist this morning and Michael had to pay because my insurance was cancelled. I’m surprised that wasn’t something you discussed while you two were in bed together last night.”

“Are you sure, Alex? That doesn’t sound like something he would do.”

“No Mom, I am lying about that, too. That is all I do anymore according to you and Brad.”

“Alex, why didn’t you tell me that you were going to a psychiatrist?”

“Maybe if I saw you, I might have mentioned it. Maybe if you weren’t so worried about your new little special family and ask me about my life, I would have told you. Maybe you adopted the wrong twin.”

“I guess now isn’t the best time to talk to you. I wanted to check in and make sure you are doing okay. Do you need anything?”

“It would be nice if I could get to my savings account so I can get my money. I don’t have any because I
haven’t been able to work for a while
.”

“What do you need money for?”

“I need money to go to the game
.
” I knew when I said it, I was going to regret it, but it was too late to take it back.

“Alex,” she said in her disappointed vo
ice. “
You know I am totally against that. This is your Dad’s chance to win the championship and if you are there
,
it
might be a distraction.”

“Would you please stop calling me the distraction? For
g
od sake Mom, I am legally his daughter. He has to accept that unless he has a hit man take me out, I will be in this tiny town.”

“He said you were at the store las
t night? What was that about?”

“We were getting food. As I recall he banned me from ever going to
a
n
y place else
which leaves going to his store. I guess he can get a no trespass on me through the
Marshall
and I can just not be allowed in any store.”

“I don’t understand why you can make everything I say so personal and hear it like I am attacking you. You used to never talk back to me or argue
,
”
s
he said.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I really don’t mean to be angry, but you were the one person I could always rely on to be there for me, to be my backbone and help fight my battles. Now you are fighting against me and I don’t know how I can win anymore. Maybe that was the famil
y’s
strategy is to make me so weak and then go in for the kill.”

“That’s exactly what we plotted, Alex
,
” she said sarcastically.

“How am I supposed to feel right now?”

“Do you think I should throw away my twenty year marriage, Alex? Is that what you think I should do?” She said getting louder.

“No, Mom,” I sighed, “But I also don’t think you should throw away your seventeen year old daughter, either. I need to go.”

I hung up not wanting to talk any longer. I was tired of Michael having to deal with my emotions.

He gently pulled my chin and looked at me, “You are not going to lose any fight, and you will never have to fight alone. Got it?”

I nodded, feeling his gentle lips against mine. Just a kiss made my body feel tingly and warm. He pushed me back onto the couch
,
kissing me harder, passionately, his hands moving inside my shirt and touching my bare breast. I felt my heart pounding in every inch of my body and the smell of his body made me so stimulated that I thought my body would explode. I felt his fingers rub against my nipples making the electrical charge run down my leg and in-between my legs. I felt hotter and wetter, the more he touched them.

“I will give you my first million to make love to me right now,” he whispered.

“I’ll take an IOU,” I smiled, knowing that I wasn’t going to stop him.

“Just remembered something
,” he sat up.
“
Coach said no sex before the game,” he
shrugged.

“He said that to you?”

“Pretty much,” he smiled. “He had a list of rules. No swimming, no physical activity, no sex with girlfriends,
and he looked at me, and or strangers,
and looked at the rest of the team.”

“Oh that’s subtle,” I smiled.

“How awkward if your Dad had given me the lecture.”

Chapter
23

After
relaxing for the afternoon, we
headed to the ballpark. There was a game before Michael’s to decide 3
rd
and 4
th
place. We went into the bleachers and sat down. I leaned against Michael in between his legs and waved to Derek,
Kaitlyn
,
and Erica when I saw them show up. And to my surprise
Abbie
was with them.

“I thought you were grounded,” I said as she sat beside me.

“Long story,” she said, touching my arm. “Hi Michael. Thanks again for saving my life
that
night.”

“Anytime,” he said. I knew without looking he found that funny.

“Well
,
my parents grounded me because as you probably heard, I met a guy named Cameron, he looks
exactly
like Mathew Mcconaughey “

I looked up at Michael
,
remembering I had told him just the night before that every guy
Abbie
thinks is cute looks exactly like Mathew Mcconaughey. He smiled and nodded showing he remembered.

“Well I was locked in my dungeon trying to figure out a way to get
out
. I guess it was 9, no
9
:
15
, no more like
9:18
…”

“Does the exact time matter for this story to be good?” I asked.

“Oh, I guess not.”

“I heard a knock on the window. I bet it was
9:10
. I looked at the window and it was Cameron. I opened the window and said,
‘W
hat is the deal
? Y
ou need to pee again?
’
He smiled at me and said he was sorry for that. He wanted to see me again. He wanted me to go back down to the campground with him. Did you hear he is a college guy, Alex?”

“Yep, so was Lloyd. What’s your point?”

“Oh,” she paused, “I guess I don’t have one. Any who, he said he could have me back by one because that was when my parents were going to make it back from the casino. And you know my parents
, when
they say one, they mean one. I think they cruise the block for ten minutes if they think they are going to get home early. So, I sneaked out
,
climbed into his white Mustang and away we rode to the river, and it was simply a magical time.”

“How did you get
ungrounded
?’

“They got home and I had erased the times when I left and came back. They said they were so proud of me for not arguing about being grounded that they dropped it and I am now out of the dungeon.”

“How come all your stories you make it sound like you are a Disney princess?” Erica asked
Abbie
. “I’m surprised you didn’t call it the enchanted river.”

“Oh it was enchanted, my
dear.
You have to admit, Erica, he looked exactly like
Mathew Mcconaughey
.”

“Of course he did,
Abbie
,” she
laughed.
“Who else would your prince that helped you escape your dungeon look like?”

I smiled, knowing that
Abbie
didn’t get Erica’s sarcasm like I did.

I saw my family’s car pull into the parking lot and felt Michael
squeeze my hand. My phone had ra
ng at least 6 times before I turned it off. All calls from my Mom. I figured she could cause a scene at the ball game and then my Dad would have something to blame his loss on. Although, me just being there was going to be reason enough.

I pointed to the first baseman, “That’s Kolby. He’s been my base in cheerleading since Jr. High. Great guy.”

“So he’s the one I am going to have to glare at when he touches your ass?”

“Yep,” I smiled.

“I’ll just let him know after the game what he can and can’t get away with.”

“I can’t see you as the jealous type,” I said, realizing we hadn’t been around people our own ages to see how he reacted to guys talking to me.