"This is the best part..." Cam continues. "He gets so freaked out, he jumps out of the car and starts to run home. It was an away game! It took him 5 hours to walk home. He left everything in his truck. His phone, wallet, gear bag, everything. He couldn't call anyone. He was so freaked to go back to the truck in case she was still there waiting for him, or if the ring was still there... We didn't drive out to pick it up until a week later. He went a week without a car because he was so freaked out."

"That's just one of the stories," Dylan adds. "There's like, a hundred more just as crazy."

I'm laughing so hard now my sides hurt.

I'd almost forgotten what we're all doing here.

And then I remember, and stop myself from laughing.

Because today is not a laughing day.

Jake brings his hand up to my face and kisses my temple. "You can laugh and be happy, Kayla. They would want you to be." I smile and kiss him on the cheek.

Logan takes a huge gulp of his beer and then belches, fingers pointing between me and Jake. Heidi and Lucy groan in disgust.

"Im going to ignore this epic ovary explosive s.e.xual tension thing you guys have going on and ask a question..." I stifle a laugh into Jake's neck, while he rolls his eyes at Logan.

"Ask your question, a.s.shole," he says as he rubs his nose against my jaw. G.o.d, that accent, and that voice.

My eyes close for a second. I think my ovaries will explode.

"Why does he call get to call you Kayla, and everyone else calls you Micky?"

I shrug, "Because my family called me Kayla".

Chapter 18.

*Jake*

It's been a week since the funeral and Kayla has improved heaps. I don't think she is over what's happened, but I think she is dealing with it. She's worked a couple of days with Dad and kept busy around the house to distract herself. She hasn't been back to her school, she does't need to. Obviously, they'll still let her graduate.

My graduation is today, and hers is tomorrow.

I go to school only when absolutely necessary, just enough to keep Mom off my back, I don't like being away from her, especially now.

Apparently Dad saw some termites or some s.h.i.t in the garage and has workmen here fixing it. They need to fumigate the garage and the storage room above it, so we have to stay away. I've seen how some of the workers eye Kayla when she leaves in the morning to take Julie to school. One guy gawks so much, it takes everything in me to not punch him in the face. a.s.shole.

I jog up the driveway after finishing my work out and see Dad talking to one the workers, the gawker. Dad sees me coming, shakes hands with him and then walks over to me. My eyes don't leave Gawkers and he knows what I'm thinking, because the a.s.shole has the decency to smirk at me.

We walk into the house together. Everyone has taken the day off because of graduation. I knock on my door but no one answers, so I jump in the shower. When I'm done I start to head downstairs, but stop when I hear music and laughter coming out of Julie's room. It's strange she has a friend over during the week. Then I hear her squeal Kayla's name in the middle of a laugh, I smile and walk to her door. I knock loudly but no one answers. The music must be too loud. I open the door slightly and peek in. All the furniture is pushed to the side and they've made a makeshift dance floor in the middle of the room. They have Low' by Flo-rida' playing so loud the walls are shaking.

Julie is showing Kayla some dance moves and Kayla's taking it in, really listening to her. Their backs are to me so they can't see that I'm watching. Julie goes to the stereo and plays the song from the beginning, then they start the routine from the start. Julie's good at dancing for eight, but G.o.dd.a.m.n, Kayla is good. There's a line in the song, fold her, like a p.o.r.nography poster', which is totally inappropriate for an eight year old, but the move Kayla does... It's almost too much to watch. My d.i.c.k legit twitches.

It's almost to the end of the song before they do some spinny dance move s.h.i.t, and see me standing there. I smile and clap at their performance.

"JACAAARRB," Julie yells as she goes to turn off the stereo. "You're not supposed to see it, it's not finished yet!"

I'm looking at Kayla, she has a sheen of sweat on her body and her breathing is heavy. She's in yoga pants and a tight tank, her body on full display. She sees me checking her out, bites her bottom lip and shyly looks away. Hot as h.e.l.l.

"JAKE!!" Julie yells again, snapping me out of perv mode.

"What's up Ju-ju, that was really good!" I high five her and she beams back.

Mom and Dad come into the room, "What's with all the yelling in here?" Mom asks concerned.

"Oh good," Julie says. "You're all here, watch our routine, Micky's been practicing with me."

"Oh, no." Kayla says. She's embarra.s.sed in front of my parents. "Maybe... wait till it's finished, Julie?" she asks, hopeful.

"No... c'mon Micky, please?"

Kayla looks to Julie, and then to me, a huge smirk slowly develops. "I'll do it if Jacaaaarb does it too."

"Okay then!" Julie yells, pulling me by my arm into the middle of the dance floor' and then moving my parents to sit on the bed to watch.

I stand next to Kayla and put my hand on the small of her back, placing my thumb just under the hem of her tank and rubbing gently. She feels it, gooseb.u.mps break through her skin. I bend down and whisper in her ear, "You are in so much trouble, Missy." She closes her eyes and shivers slightly, but I notice.

I try to keep up with the dance routine but I'm a jock, not a dancer, I suck and end up falling in a tangle of my own arms and legs on the floor. Kayla stands above me, laughing so hard she has to hold her stomach. I grab her legs so they give out under her and she falls on top of me. Julie jumps on top of both of us, yelling that we're not taking it seriously.

"Take this seriously!" Kayla yells, and starts tickling her, I join in. My parents laugh and leave the room.

It's this moment I know, I don't think anymore. I know it. I love this girl. I'm in love with this girl.

*Mikayla*

The s.e.xual tension between Jake and I is off the charts. I'm actually scared I might combust any second. No joke. It doesn't help that we're around each other almost 24/7 or that we're always finding ways to innocently' touch each other. It's almost at that stage where were pushing each other a little further and further seeing how much we can take until one of us cracks. I'm about two f.u.c.king seconds from cracking and if I don't get a release soon I will cut a b.i.t.c.h.

Jake's Graduation goes smoothly. I meet some of his other friends, some guys from his team, and I stay the h.e.l.l away from Casey. I see the way she looks at me and joke to Jake that I should probably start packing heat.

He doesn't find it so funny.

There's a graduation party in a field near the school that everyone is going to. Jake declines the invites but I tell him I think he should go, I want to go. I think it would be good to get out and a.s.sociate with the general population.

So that's where we are now, at the party. I am, of course, sitting on Jake's lap around a bonfire. His usual friends are here, as well as a few others.

I'm wearing one if Heidi's dresses. I still don't have the courage to go back to my house. I've actually asked Mandy to pack up my room this weekend while we're at Aunt Lisa's wedding. I've organized professional movers to take care of the rest, whatever isn't damaged is to go to a storage container I've rented, at least until I work out what I'm going to do at UNC. Everything else can go. Mandy is taking care of all the personal stuff like photo alb.u.ms and jewelry, etc.

Heidi's a size smaller than I am, but she only bought one outfit with her when she came over, so she told me to suck it up and deal with it. It's a navy blue dress thats tight from the waist down, the top half is looser and hangs off one shoulder. It's more something Megan would wear, who, by the way, I still haven't heard from.

According to the internet, Meg and James are Facebook official'. I should give a s.h.i.t, but I don't, and right now, sitting here with Jake, my minds like... James? James effing who?

"Hey look, Jake. Casey's coming over here..." I whisper in his ear.

He flinches, tightens his hold on me and legit ducks his head, like he's trying to hide. "I was just kidding, Jake. Jesus Christ." I say through a laugh.

"That s.h.i.t's not funny, Kayla, I'm not kidding. Don't do that." He holds his hand to his heart.

I giggle and take a look around, there are like... hundreds of kids here, I see a couple from my school.

"All these kids go to your school? Or is this like... for other schools in the area too?"

"I think it's just ours," Logan says. He's taking a breather from making out with the red head on his lap. Sipping his beer, he asks, "Why? You scared that a.s.shole ex of yours is going to show up?"

I shrug, "Not really, and even if he does, I'm sure Jake will just punch him again."

Logan and Cam spit out their beer simultaneously and Dylan cusses.

What the f.u.c.k?

Logan is glaring at me bug eyed. "He punched that a.s.shole?"

I nod my head slowly.

"Which hand?" Dylan asks, panic on his face.

What?

Behind me, Jake raises his right hand slowly, which brings on a tirade of name calling and questions from the guys.

"Its fine!" Jake yells above them all.

I'm so freaking confused, and Lucy must sense it because she answers my unasked question, "His pitching hand."

s.h.i.t.

I take his right hand between the two of mine and start kissing the knuckles one by one. I feel him stiffen behind me at my displayed affection, and then I feel him stiffen under me.

That's my cue to get off of him and... do something... anything else.

Chapter 19.

*Jake*

I am in too deep, way too deep. This girl is driving me crazy. I spent the rest of last night with a hard on and I don't think it's fully left me yet. That dress she was wearing, and then the lap sitting, and the laughing, and the holding, and touching, and the joking, and the flirting, and then she f.u.c.king goes and kisses my hand, so intimately. My f.u.c.king pitching hand. It's by far the s.e.xiest thing a girl has ever done. EVER. And I don't say this to be a d.i.c.k, but girls have done a lot of s.h.i.t to me.

I throw the covers off my pathetic joke of a bed and stretch out. My back is screwed, my whole body aches. I fold the blankets and shake my head as I look at my bed'. Definitely not made for me 6 foot 2 frame. I might attempt sleeping on the floor tonight, anything's got to be better than this.

I walk into the kitchen, or more like wobble, in my condition.

Kayla's already there.

"Your mom left a note, she's at some PTA meeting..." She takes in my physical state, "...and what happened to you?"

"I don't think me and the sofa are friends anymore." I put on a pout.

"s.h.i.t, Jake. I'll take the sofa, you should have your bed back. You can't sleep on the sofa all summer."

"You wanna bet?" I ask, c.o.c.king my eyebrow at her.

She looks at me for a second then turns away, biting her lip.

"At least let me give you a ma.s.sage?" she says quietly.

I laugh.

"I'm serious," she confirms.

I think about it, but shake my head.

"C'mon please? I have to do something."

"It's fine, Kayla. I'll see a physio when we get back from Lisa's wedding."

"It's not fine. C'mon." She starts to pull my arm to lead me away, I dig my heels into the floor.

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that..." I smirk... "This body is in peak physical condition. I'm almost a professional athlete, Kayla. I can't just let anybody touch me."

She rolls her eyes at me. "Trust me, I give good ma.s.sages."

"Yeah?" I eye her. "Says who?"

She looks away and blushes.

James. I'm pretty sure I physically shiver in disgust but she doesn't notice.

"Look," she starts, squaring her shoulders. "When James started to really get into basketball, he'd always feel like s.h.i.t afterwards, all the training and game time killed him. He'd always complain about being sore, so I researched how to help him, if I could help him. One summer I took cla.s.ses at the local community college, Physical therapy and Sports Medicine. I learnt heaps. I actually enjoyed learning it, and practicing it. For a little bit there I was genuinely considering becoming a Sports Doctor. I still think about it sometimes."

I let this sink in. "s.h.i.t, Kayla." I shake my head. "He really didn't deserve you, you know that, right?"

"I know right?" she smiles. "I am a f.u.c.king awesome girlfriend, some a.s.shole is going to be so lucky one day."

I swear to G.o.d, I hope that a.s.shole will be me.

I swipe my hand through the air, "Lead the way, Doc."