rest of my beer, “I’m on my own path,
Dad.”
“Is that so?” my dad scoffed, “From what I can tell, you’re
still the chasing after your big brother, trying to one up him.”
I tried like hell not to take the bait. My dad is always
pulling shit like this—trying to pit me and Tom against each other so he can
feel a little better about himself. And even though I made it out of
Thanksgiving without having a massive blowup with my dad, his words stayed with
me. As much as I hate to admit it, that fucker knows exactly how to get under
my skin. And now, the last game of our regular season has that much more riding
on it.
At least I get to head right back to campus after my dismal
Thanksgiving dinner with Dad and see Jessa again. With her in my life, things
can only ever get so dark. She sneaks out and comes over to my place after her
own Thanksgiving dinner. Seeing her there when I open the door is like getting
a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart.
“Is Buck here?” she asks, stepping inside.
“Nope. He’s still in Massachusetts,” I smile, wrapping my
arms around her waist.
“Good,” she grins, lacing her fingers behind my neck,
“Because you know how much I hate to keep my voice down when we’re together.”
“Do I ever,” I laugh, catching her lips in mine.
Buck being around wouldn’t have stopped us, of course. He
knows that me and Jessa are seeing each other, as does her friend Blaire. But
outside of our two confidantes, nobody else knows about our relationship. Not
yet, anyway.
“Hey,” I murmur softly, as I back Jessa up into my bedroom,
“You know what I was thinking about?”
“What?” she smiles, lifting my tee shirt over my head and
kissing down my chest.
“I was thinking… Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if people knew
we were together,” I go on, my cock stiffening as her lips brush against my
skin.
She glances up at me with something like alarm. That’s not
the reaction I was hoping for. Not by a long shot.
“I… I don’t know…” she says quietly, sinking back on her
heels, “I think things are going well just the way they are, don’t you?”
“Well sure,” I say, sitting on the bed next to her, “But
it’s not like we can keep this a secret forever.”
“Why not?” she laughs, trying to sound lighthearted. But I
can hear the desperation ringing loud and clear in her voice.
I sit with my hands on my knees, trying not to be hurt.
Trying and failing, that is.
“Is it just that you’re embarrassed for people to know, or
what?” I ask her, swinging my eyes her way.
Her blue-green eyes go wide.
“It’s not like that at all,” she insists.
“Then I just don’t get it,” I say roughly, “From where I’m
sitting, it seems like you just don’t want the rest of the school to know that
you’re with some big, dumb jock like me.”
“You know that’s not how I think of you,” she replies,
hugging her knees into her chest. “I mean, if anyone was going to be
embarrassed about coming out as a couple, it would logically be you. The star
running back and some artsy writer-type who usually has potting soil under her
finger nails?”
“Except I’m not the one who’s pushing to keep this a
secret,” I remind her, “You are.”
“I know. You’re right.”
“So?” I demand, “Why don’t you want to go public? I need to
understand.”
Jessa’s eyes mist over with tears as she sits beside me on
the bed, and at once I feel like a complete asshole.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter, “I just… I care about you so much,
Jessa. And I’m proud to be with you. I want to be able to be with you all the
time, not just when we can sneak away.”
“I get that,” she says quietly, blinking away her tears,
“I’d love to be able to be with you all the time, too. To let the world know
about this incredible thing we have. If we were at another school, if I wasn’t
living at my parents’ house, if my dad wasn’t a rage-filled asshole…”
“Why
Dad.”
“Is that so?” my dad scoffed, “From what I can tell, you’re
still the chasing after your big brother, trying to one up him.”
I tried like hell not to take the bait. My dad is always
pulling shit like this—trying to pit me and Tom against each other so he can
feel a little better about himself. And even though I made it out of
Thanksgiving without having a massive blowup with my dad, his words stayed with
me. As much as I hate to admit it, that fucker knows exactly how to get under
my skin. And now, the last game of our regular season has that much more riding
on it.
At least I get to head right back to campus after my dismal
Thanksgiving dinner with Dad and see Jessa again. With her in my life, things
can only ever get so dark. She sneaks out and comes over to my place after her
own Thanksgiving dinner. Seeing her there when I open the door is like getting
a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart.
“Is Buck here?” she asks, stepping inside.
“Nope. He’s still in Massachusetts,” I smile, wrapping my
arms around her waist.
“Good,” she grins, lacing her fingers behind my neck,
“Because you know how much I hate to keep my voice down when we’re together.”
“Do I ever,” I laugh, catching her lips in mine.
Buck being around wouldn’t have stopped us, of course. He
knows that me and Jessa are seeing each other, as does her friend Blaire. But
outside of our two confidantes, nobody else knows about our relationship. Not
yet, anyway.
“Hey,” I murmur softly, as I back Jessa up into my bedroom,
“You know what I was thinking about?”
“What?” she smiles, lifting my tee shirt over my head and
kissing down my chest.
“I was thinking… Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if people knew
we were together,” I go on, my cock stiffening as her lips brush against my
skin.
She glances up at me with something like alarm. That’s not
the reaction I was hoping for. Not by a long shot.
“I… I don’t know…” she says quietly, sinking back on her
heels, “I think things are going well just the way they are, don’t you?”
“Well sure,” I say, sitting on the bed next to her, “But
it’s not like we can keep this a secret forever.”
“Why not?” she laughs, trying to sound lighthearted. But I
can hear the desperation ringing loud and clear in her voice.
I sit with my hands on my knees, trying not to be hurt.
Trying and failing, that is.
“Is it just that you’re embarrassed for people to know, or
what?” I ask her, swinging my eyes her way.
Her blue-green eyes go wide.
“It’s not like that at all,” she insists.
“Then I just don’t get it,” I say roughly, “From where I’m
sitting, it seems like you just don’t want the rest of the school to know that
you’re with some big, dumb jock like me.”
“You know that’s not how I think of you,” she replies,
hugging her knees into her chest. “I mean, if anyone was going to be
embarrassed about coming out as a couple, it would logically be you. The star
running back and some artsy writer-type who usually has potting soil under her
finger nails?”
“Except I’m not the one who’s pushing to keep this a
secret,” I remind her, “You are.”
“I know. You’re right.”
“So?” I demand, “Why don’t you want to go public? I need to
understand.”
Jessa’s eyes mist over with tears as she sits beside me on
the bed, and at once I feel like a complete asshole.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter, “I just… I care about you so much,
Jessa. And I’m proud to be with you. I want to be able to be with you all the
time, not just when we can sneak away.”
“I get that,” she says quietly, blinking away her tears,
“I’d love to be able to be with you all the time, too. To let the world know
about this incredible thing we have. If we were at another school, if I wasn’t
living at my parents’ house, if my dad wasn’t a rage-filled asshole…”
“Why
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