head, searching the field for Jared’s butt. Unfortunately for her, he had already high-fived the entire team and was back and sitting on the team bench, hiding the particular part of his anatomy Anna was looking for.
“Why are you so late? When I talked to you on the phone, you said you were on your way.” Lizzie turned her attention back to her friend.
“Well, maybe you’ll forgive me, Miss Punctuality, when I tell you why. I stopped to get gas on my way here and guess who was there?”
Lizzie’s eyes opened wide. The Ryan family, as in Cole Ryan, owned the local gas station. She swallowed and tried not to let Anna see how excited she was. Better to keep her intentions for this summer secret just in case she was being delusional about the possibility of Cole being interested in her now that she looked more like a woman than a child.
“Hmm, let me guess who…Cole?”
“Yup, and he’s looking hot .” Anna made the one syllable word into more like two or three.
“Did you talk to him?” As usual, Lizzie was envious of Anna. The girl had never gone through an awkward stage. Her hair and teeth and body seemed to have been perfect since the day she’d been born. Typical cheerleader. Slim in all the right places, but curvy where she was supposed to be. And now, on top of it all, Anna had gotten to see Cole before Lizzie.
“What do you think? Of course I talked to him. I’m not crazy. You wanna know what he told me?”
Lizzie couldn’t even imagine what Cole could have told Anna. It was killing her not to know, but she wasn’t about to let Anna know that. Jealousy reared its ugly head at the thought of Cole telling Anna anything.
“I bet you’re going to tell me.” Lizzie inwardly cringed when she heard the bitterness come across clearly in her tone.
Anna let out a burst of air. “Maybe I won’t tell you. What are you, PMSing or something?”
“No. I’m just not in the mood for intrigue.” Lizzie waited as long as she could stand it then turned back to Anna. “So are you going to tell me or not?”
“Oh, so now you’re interested?” One auburn brow rose high above the rim of Anna’s glasses.
Lizzie shrugged. “I don’t care either way.”
This pretending she wasn’t interested in Cole was harder than she thought it would be. Luckily for Lizzie, she knew Anna would never be able to keep anything worth telling quiet for very long. It would come out eventually, if Lizzie didn’t die first from the anxiety of waiting.
“He’s dropping out of college,” Anna finally announced. She delivered that piece of information like it was the best news in the world.
“What?” Lizzie nearly choked. “Is he crazy? He’s on a full-ride scholarship for baseball to one of the best colleges in the country and he’s dropping out? Why?”
Anna smiled, as if enjoying she had details about Cole’s life that no one else had. Why was Lizzie best friends with Anna again?
“He got picked up by a minor league team. He’s going to play pro-ball starting this summer. He only came home to visit his parents before starting training.”
Amazed, Lizzie tried to absorb it all. A career with a big team. Cole had just gone from an old school friend of her brother’s home from college for the summer, to an adult with an actual career far away from this small town. Now he was so far out of her reach she could barely comprehend it. “Jeez. Wow. I guess that’s good.”
Anna turned her gaze from the boys on the field to Lizzie. “Why don’t you sound happy for him?” Her tone was accusing.
“I’m happy.” The lie came out sounding awkward. Of course she was happy for him, but this meant him moving away for good. She guessed it would have happened eventually, but she wasn’t ready for it to happen so soon. “I just think he should probably get an education first. You know, to fall back on just in case anything happens. Professional athletes get injured or dumped by their teams all the time.”
Anna,
“Why are you so late? When I talked to you on the phone, you said you were on your way.” Lizzie turned her attention back to her friend.
“Well, maybe you’ll forgive me, Miss Punctuality, when I tell you why. I stopped to get gas on my way here and guess who was there?”
Lizzie’s eyes opened wide. The Ryan family, as in Cole Ryan, owned the local gas station. She swallowed and tried not to let Anna see how excited she was. Better to keep her intentions for this summer secret just in case she was being delusional about the possibility of Cole being interested in her now that she looked more like a woman than a child.
“Hmm, let me guess who…Cole?”
“Yup, and he’s looking hot .” Anna made the one syllable word into more like two or three.
“Did you talk to him?” As usual, Lizzie was envious of Anna. The girl had never gone through an awkward stage. Her hair and teeth and body seemed to have been perfect since the day she’d been born. Typical cheerleader. Slim in all the right places, but curvy where she was supposed to be. And now, on top of it all, Anna had gotten to see Cole before Lizzie.
“What do you think? Of course I talked to him. I’m not crazy. You wanna know what he told me?”
Lizzie couldn’t even imagine what Cole could have told Anna. It was killing her not to know, but she wasn’t about to let Anna know that. Jealousy reared its ugly head at the thought of Cole telling Anna anything.
“I bet you’re going to tell me.” Lizzie inwardly cringed when she heard the bitterness come across clearly in her tone.
Anna let out a burst of air. “Maybe I won’t tell you. What are you, PMSing or something?”
“No. I’m just not in the mood for intrigue.” Lizzie waited as long as she could stand it then turned back to Anna. “So are you going to tell me or not?”
“Oh, so now you’re interested?” One auburn brow rose high above the rim of Anna’s glasses.
Lizzie shrugged. “I don’t care either way.”
This pretending she wasn’t interested in Cole was harder than she thought it would be. Luckily for Lizzie, she knew Anna would never be able to keep anything worth telling quiet for very long. It would come out eventually, if Lizzie didn’t die first from the anxiety of waiting.
“He’s dropping out of college,” Anna finally announced. She delivered that piece of information like it was the best news in the world.
“What?” Lizzie nearly choked. “Is he crazy? He’s on a full-ride scholarship for baseball to one of the best colleges in the country and he’s dropping out? Why?”
Anna smiled, as if enjoying she had details about Cole’s life that no one else had. Why was Lizzie best friends with Anna again?
“He got picked up by a minor league team. He’s going to play pro-ball starting this summer. He only came home to visit his parents before starting training.”
Amazed, Lizzie tried to absorb it all. A career with a big team. Cole had just gone from an old school friend of her brother’s home from college for the summer, to an adult with an actual career far away from this small town. Now he was so far out of her reach she could barely comprehend it. “Jeez. Wow. I guess that’s good.”
Anna turned her gaze from the boys on the field to Lizzie. “Why don’t you sound happy for him?” Her tone was accusing.
“I’m happy.” The lie came out sounding awkward. Of course she was happy for him, but this meant him moving away for good. She guessed it would have happened eventually, but she wasn’t ready for it to happen so soon. “I just think he should probably get an education first. You know, to fall back on just in case anything happens. Professional athletes get injured or dumped by their teams all the time.”
Anna,
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