Traitor (31 page)

A voice broke my planning session. “She’s awfully excited to be here, don’t you think?”

I turned to see Jamie sidle up to me. She was decked to the nines in blue. One side of her face was baby blue and the other was navy blue. “Go ’Hawks” was written sloppily across her forehead, and she had a Skyhawk tattoo on either cheek. Her baby blue shirt was spray painted with glitter that was already flaking off, and her blue-striped scarf was wrapped around her neck, even though it wasn’t that cold outside. She cracked me up. Part of me was excited; this felt like old times. The other, more rational part of me knew it could be over in a flash.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to blow the stadium up tonight,” she chided me. “You know, I’m almost hurt you still think I’m going to try off you.”

“You’re kidding, right? You tried to kill me three times in the last year. You think I’m going to sing kumbaya with you and share popcorn?”

She rolled her eyes. “Be serious. You know I wouldn’t share popcorn with you. I don’t like popcorn. Plus sharing finger foods gives me the heebie jeebies.”

Well, that was the Jamie I knew. At least that hadn’t changed. I scanned the crowd. “Have you seen my family or Liam?”

Jamie nodded. “Yeah, they’re down in the front row. Roslin shanghaied Liam into going with her to get more Skyhawk stuff before he could get up here. She thought he was completely underdressed for the occasion.” She eyed me up and down as she studied the number on Reese’s oversized jersey. “Looks like you might have overdressed. Did you ask Liam what he thought?”

I shook my head. “Don’t start.”

“Oh, shush. Anyone who’s known you for five minutes, knows you’ve been fighting off a crush on Reese since forever.” She raised her hands in mock defeat. “I’m not saying, I’m just saying.”

“I’m with Liam, Jamie.”

“I know, I’m just pointing out that you’re fighting off a crush. You can’t tell me you didn’t peek when he went streaking down the football field last year.”

The memory brought back an involuntary smile. “Oh God, don’t remind me about that. I’ll have to bleach my brain – again.”

Jamie giggled. “I think it was funnier that we stole his clothes from the locker room.”

Without even thinking about it, we dove into memories of last year. I was laughing as hard as she was about the time Reese got his hand stuck in the vending machine on a dare, when Liam surprised me by wrapping his arms around me. “What’s so funny up here, ladies?”

Jamie looked at me with a passing glance I knew all too well. She was telling me she knew I liked Reese without using words. I shook my head in defiance, and she shrugged. It all happened so fast that Liam didn’t catch it. Jamie filled the silence easily. “Just saying how horrible of a singer you are in the shower is all.”

Liam didn’t even need a minute to think. “I’ve heard you break mirrors when you look in them.”

She acted as though she were pulling a dagger from her heart. “Sticks and stones, Mr. Walsh. Sticks and stones.”

He smiled as he pulled me in tighter and took a deep breath. “You smell good. New perfume?”

I dipped my nose into my hoodie that was underneath Reese’s jersey. It didn’t smell any different than before. “Not that I’m aware of.”

“Nah, she just showered,” Roslin said as she bounded up the stairs two at a time. She came to a halt, not even wheezing. Lucky girl. Must be nice to never get winded.

Just then the speakers crackled to life, followed by the high pitched screech of a microphone turning on. “Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the singing of our national anthem, sung by junior Mary Katherine.”

We all looked to the field, where the color guard and ROTC kids were presenting the flags. In the center of the field stood Mary, smiling broadly and holding a microphone to her lips. When she began to sing, she took my breath away.

After she finished, the guy in the press box began to rev the crowd up for the game. The players took the field, and the game began.

Amidst the cheering fans and whoops of the classmates I hadn’t seen all summer long, life finally felt a little normal.

***

At halftime, the score was 54-3, Fairborn. To say Reese was putting on a show was an understatement. Roslin had gone from nervous, to panicked, to downright furious. I’d never seen her this angry before.

Reese’s name was the conversation piece for everyone in the stadium. Both home and away fans had to appreciate the athletic prowess he possessed, and his own parents were in awe when I looked up to the back row and saw them.

We stood in a group, huddled in the tunnel away from most of the other fans. Jamie leaned against the archway, arms crossed. Desmond, Issac, and Aiden stood like a little pack of wolves on the outside of us, making sure no one got close enough to hear our conversation.

Roslin hissed under her breath to Memaw while Liam kept his arms around me. “Emily, I swear to God. When Reese gets off that field, I’m going to beat him.”

Memaw laughed. “Come on, Roslin. Give him a break. He’s just gotten his abilities. Who knew it’d be so helpful for his hobbies? You have to admit, he’s one formidable Protector now.”

Roslin’s arms flew up in frustration. “I’m not saying that being a freak athlete is a bad thing for taking care of Ashlyn, I’m saying that being a freak athlete and displaying it like this makes it a little conspicuous!”

She was right – in the first half alone, Reese had scored all but one of the team’s touchdowns. The only reason he hadn’t scored the other was because he tossed the ball to the little freshmen kid that idolized him so much. I tried to come to his defense. “Well, honestly, he was really good at football before you helped him out.”

Both Roslin and Memaw looked at me, exasperation on their faces. It was Memaw who answered. “Really, Ashlyn, when was the last time he did a 360-degree spin in the air before catching a pass, then put it between his legs and dunked it through the goalpost as his touchdown dance?”

I giggled. That one was a bit ridiculous. I could feel Liam stiffen at my response. His expressions had become surlier and surlier with each stunning catch Reese made. I leaned back into him to try to soften him up a bit. “I’m just saying he was athletic beforehand.”

Desmond leaned in and tapped Memaw. “Emily, I hate to jump in, but we want to go get some food. Can we head to the concession stand?”

Emily shooed them away with her cane. She’d taken on the visage I’d seen her in my entire life before last year. “Yes, yes, go stuff your faces, you lot. Be back here at the end of the game.” She pointed to Liam and I. “You two, go have fun. Take Jamie with you, and find your friend Mary. She was asking your mother where you were before she had to go down to the field.”

I laughed and nodded. “Will do, Memaw.”

Liam let go of me long enough so I could grab Roslin’s hand and motion to Jamie. “Rozz, Jamie, let’s go.”

Roslin looked distracted. “I’ll catch up with you, okay?”

My eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just wanted to discuss Reese a bit more with Emily.”

A snort snuck out. I covered my mouth in embarrassment and laughed. “That’s a lost cause, but go ahead. I’ll see you in a minute.”

As we walked away, Jamie nudged me. “I’m gonna let you and Liam have a minute. The concession has M&M’s. Do you know how long it’s been since I had M&M’s?”

She was such a sucker for chocolate. Liam squeezed my hand tight and pulled me to him. His voice was appreciative. “Thanks, James. Meet you here in a little bit?”

Jamie nodded. “Sounds good. Give me fifteen minutes. The crowds are brutal.”

She disappeared into the throngs without so much as a backward glance. Liam tugged at my hand. “Want to go for a walk?”

Not really, I wanted to say. Not that I didn’t want time alone with him, it’s just I really wanted to find Mary. Instead, I curled into his chest and he held me close. “Sure.”

The ticket taker stamped our hands with dark blue ink and we exited the gates. It was dark, but the parking lot lights shed enough yellow light to allow us to see and still make everything look creepy. I held Liam’s hand a little tighter.

He broke the silence as we passed a car with foggy windows. No reason to wonder what was going on in there. “I see Reese had an extra jersey.”

“You know, home and away jerseys. Same as any sports team.”

“I know.”

“You’re mad.”

I stole a glance at him in time to see him ever so slightly shrug his shoulders. I wouldn’t have even felt him do it had I not looked, and we were still holding hands. “I’m not mad.”

“Then why bring it up?”

“I’m just curious why you wanted to wear it.”

“He’s my friend, Liam.”

There was a second of silence, but I knew Liam was chewing on his words without having to look at him. I waited for him to respond. He did. “Would you wear mine if I played?”

“Of course I would. There’s more than one game.”

“I meant instead of his.”

Again, silence. He was making this hard on me. “Are you drawing a line, Liam?”

He sighed. It wasn’t a frustrated one; instead, it sounded tired. “No, no lines. I was just curious.”

I pulled him to a stop under the next light and looked up at him. The light illuminated him, but shadows covered his eyes. Annoying. I could always tell what he was thinking from his eyes. I tugged his hands. “I love you, Liam.”

The corners of his mouth turned upward. A good sign. “I love you too, Ash. I just don’t want to have to fight for your love.”

“You don’t have to. You’re my boyfriend. He’s a boy that’s my friend. There’s a difference.”

“There’s less of one than you’d like to admit.”

I shook my head. “Are you going to be all mopey all the time? Because if you are, you can go back to Ireland. I want
my
Liam, and he’s not mopey.”

His laugh was husky. “I think I can find him for you, if you’d like.”

“I’d like that very much, thank you.”

It was involuntary, the way my body yearned to be curled up with his. We fit together so perfectly. I didn’t need to ask, and he didn’t need to invite me, but he did. “Can I have a hug?”

“Of course you can, you dork.”

His arms wrapped protectively around me, and I snuggled my head into his shoulder. He rested his head against the side of my head. “Even though I’m technically not your Protector, I want you to know that I’m still going to protect your heart. That’s my job now, and I’ll do it well. You deserve a champion, and that’s what I’ll be.”

“You’re always so dramatic,” I teased. “Why can’t you just hug me really tight and then try to take advantage of me or something?”

He pushed me an arm’s length away. His eyes were still shrouded in the shadows being cast, but his face seemed bemused. “Would you like me to take advantage of you, Ashlyn?”

Suddenly I was thankful for the low light. Blood rushed to my face and I couldn’t figure out how to work my mouth.

I didn’t have to.

His lips crushed against mine with a fervor I’d never felt before, and I loved it. His hands ran across my hips and the feeling of his skin on mine sent electric up my spine. I sucked in a gasp of air. He stopped quickly. His voice was rough, and he was already a little breathless. “Did you not want me to?”

“No, no, I wanted you to,” I admitted. I was pretty sure every part of me was on fire from thinking of what could happen. I nuzzled against his neck and kissed him behind his ear. I heard his quick inhale, and smiled to myself. “I just didn’t think you would.”

Being so close to him, I felt his laugh as much as I heard it. “Ash, you underestimate what you do to me.”

“You could show me.”

His hands glided gently along my sides, and I closed my eyes in anticipation. He stopped. “I could,” he said, “but I respect you more than that.”

I opened my eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Any guy can love you in that sense. Only a handful will ever truly love you enough to respect you, if that many. I want you to know that I respect you enough to
really
love you.”

“You’re scared of Memaw, aren’t you?” I accused.

“Terrified.” He admitted.

We both laughed. He put two fingers under my chin and lifted my head so that I had no choice but to look into his eyes. He proceeded to give me the sweetest kiss I’d ever experienced. When he pulled away, the light finally hit his eyes and I saw him.

Perfection.

Devotion.

Dedication.

He put his hand on my chest. “I respect you, Ashlyn. That’s how I’ll show you I love you.” He kissed me once more, then laughed. “It has nothing to do with being terrified of Emily, although it’s a valid point. I simply want to love you the right way.”

“And what do you mean by that?”

“You’re really going to make me say it?” he asked.

“Well, yeah.”

He laughed. “I don’t want to have sex with you. Well, it’s not that I don’t want to, so much as it’s that I don’t want to take something that isn’t rightfully mine,” he explained. “Mum always told me that’s something you should share with one person. It’s old fashioned, I know, but I think it’s a good idea. That way you never have anything to compare it to. You’ll always be satisfied and happy with that one partner. I hope we’re together forever, Ashlyn, but I would never dream of taking something that important from your future mate if it’s not me. I’d hope that whoever dated my wife before me would have that respect for both her and I.”

I smiled. He was more than I deserved.

In the distance, a whistle blew and the crowd cheered. “The game must be getting ready to start again,” I said.

He held both my hands tightly in his. “Ready to go back?”

No. “Yeah, I suppose.”

We took our time going back, and found Jamie at the archway entrance of the tunnel where we left her. Behind her, I saw Roslin very animatedly discussing something with Memaw. She made it look urgent.

I must have made it clear on my face I was curious, because Jamie started talking without me asking any questions. “You know they’re not talking about Reese, right?”

I nodded. “I know. It’s just I don’t know what they’re really talking about.”