Filed to story: My Life with the Walter Boys Book (I & II) PDF Free
A few moms sitting around us turned to frown at me. Both boys watched me for a moment before bursting into fits of laughter.
“Wow, it’s fun to watch you squirm,” Isaac choked out, and I punched him on the shoulder.
“We were only kidding, Jackie,” Danny said, wiping away a stray tear.
“Not appreciated,” I grunted, crossing my arms. I stared down at the game, refusing to look in either of their directions.
“Come on, Jackie,” Isaac said, putting a hand on my arm. “I was just messing around.”
I stuck out my tongue and continued to watch the game going on below.
“Are you going to ignore me for the rest of the day? Because I can be quite annoying if I want to.” Isaac started poking me repetitively in the cheek.
Pushing his hand away, I answered. “I sure can. Now be quiet. Alex is up.”
All three of us fell silent and watched as Alex hit a grounder. It rolled right between two infielders, and he made it to second base before they could get the ball.
“Go, Alex!” I shouted excitedly, jumping up and down.
“Oh, Alex!” Isaac squealed in a girly voice. “You’re so damn sexy that I was making out in the closet with your older brother!”
Danny choked on air as he tried not to laugh. I spun around and whacked Isaac on the shoulder again.
“Dang, Jackie! You’re going to bruise my delicate skin,” he complained, rubbing the sore spot.
“Good,” I said and sat back down to watch the next hitter.
Danny’s phone rang. “Hey, Dad,” he said in greeting. “Right now?” He paused. “Okay, I’ll be there in a few.” He clicked his phone shut and turned to us. “I have to go pick Zack and Benny up from their soccer game.”
At this, I frowned. There were still four innings left. Danny had driven us, so how would we get home if he left?
“I’m coming too,” Isaac said and stood up.
“But what about the rest of the game?” I asked.
“You can stay if you want,” Isaac suggested. “Alex rode his bike here. He can give you a ride home on the pegs.”
***
“You did great today,” I told Alex when he found me after the game was over. His team had won by three runs.
He pulled me into a hug. “Thanks, Jackie. I’m really glad you came.”
“You’re all sweaty,” I squealed, trying to squirm away. He was going to ruin my shirt.
“You don’t like that?” he asked with a laugh, locking his arms tightly behind my back.
“No! Alex, let go,” I said, but gave in with a laugh.
Clouds had rolled in near the end of the game, covering the hot sun, but the air was still humid, making our bodies stick together.
“Where’d everyone go?” he asked, letting his arms hang loose.
“Danny had to pick Zack and Benny up. I wanted to stay, so I was hoping you could give me a ride home on your bike. You’re not too tired, are you?”
“A little,” he said, slinging his arm over my shoulder. “But it will be my pleasure.”
We made it about halfway home when it started to pour. Alex pulled off the road and onto a gravel pathway that led to a small, rundown pavilion as lightning flashed across the sky. I jumped off the back of the bike and ran under the overhang to get out of the rain. Taking a ponytail holder off my wrist, I pulled my damp hair out of my face. After leaning his bike up against the brick wall, Alex pulled out his phone and called home. He had a quick conversation with someone and then sat down on an old wooden picnic table that was covered in graffiti.
“Someone is coming to get us,” he said.
I nodded, looking out over a grassy clearing. “What is this place?” I asked.
There was a boarded-up concessions stand, and beyond the structure was a grassy meadow with a large section that was flat and brown. It looked like a dried-up pond.
“It used to be an outdoor ice-skating rink during the winter months,” Alex said, following my gaze out to what must have been the ice patch. Alex took one of my hands and rubbed my skin gently with his thumb. “Ever been skating before?”
It was a harmless question, yet I still felt a sudden jab at my heart.
“Yeah,” I said slowly. “My family had this tradition where we’d go to the rink at Rockefeller Center on my mom’s birthday. I don’t remember how it started since my mom wasn’t very good, but we did it every year.”
Alex wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you sad.”
“I’m fine,” I told him, resting my head on his shoulder. “It’s one of those nice memories. You know, the kind that makes you sad but you smile at the same time?”
I could almost picture my family gliding across the patch of dried-up grass as I stared out at the meadow, and the memory was so captivating that it took me a minute to realize that Alex hadn’t answered me. When I turned to look at him, I found that his eyes were already locked on me.
The first time Alex kissed me, it was so unexpected that it made my stomach jump in excitement. At the time, I hadn’t known what to think because there was so much adrenaline soaring through me. This time as his eyes fluttered closed and he leaned in, I knew what was about to happen and I could feel the steady beat of my heart.
Everything about the way he kissed reminded me specifically of him. First it was a slow, barely there kiss, so if I rejected him he could pull away and pretend it never happened. But then, when he realized that I was in fact kissing him back, it was excited and sporadic. His hands never stayed in one spot. First they would be in my hair, then grasping my arms, and finally moving to my waist before the whole procedure would start over again. It was a little wet, but I didn’t think it was slobbery enough to call it sloppy. At the same time, I didn’t have much to compare it to, so for all I knew, Alex could have been a great kisser.
As weird as it sounded, he reminded me of a puppy. Puppies are good, right? Everyone likes puppies. And just like a dog, he had boundless make-out energy. I needed a breath, to stop and surface, but Alex was pushing me down onto the picnic table.
Just as I was running out of air, a car horn honked from out in the rain and Alex quickly jumped back. Standing up, I tugged down my shirt, which had ridden up while we were kissing, and smoothed out the wrinkles. Alex shot me a cheeky grin before grabbing my hand and pulling me to the edge of the pavilion.
“We can finish this later,” he whispered before stepping out into the rain to grab his bike.