CHASE - #1 in the hometown series

CHASE - 2

Ellie Carpenter

"Hun, you did what? Say it slowly this time."  Harper says, making a slowing down motion with her hands.

"You know what I said." I ended up calling Harper over from her date. Beau was surprisingly okay with it. Maybe he heard me over the phone or Harper ended up telling him. "I even told you through text."

"Yeah I just like tormenting you because you have been holding back for so long. You and Chase are meant to be together why can't you just admit that?" She tells me after taking out one of our last tubs of ice cream out of the fridge.

She really believes she lives here sometimes.

"We have such a good thing going, Harper. He's my best friend and I don't want to take the chance of loosing him. I mean, what if he doesn't feel the same?"

Harper scoffs. "No doubt in my mind he does."

"He has so many other options." I point out.

"In this town? Barely. Even if he did, he only has eyes for you. The man hasn't even gone out on a date."

I shrug. "He does have baseball going on. You know how closed off he and Beau get during the season."

Harper laughs. "If he's so closed off how come he let you come over today and when Reese Mullz texted him he said no?"

I only caught a part of that sentence. "Reese texted him?" Harper doesn't answer me realizing she shouldn't have told me that. I dislike that whole family. Especially Reese and Jake but hey the feeling is mutual. I'm not surprised Reese texted him. "What did she say, Harper?"

She sighs and finally tells me what happened. "She was just trying to flirt with him and he either gave her short answers or tried to nicely push her away. He ended up telling her not to come over once she asked if she could."

No surprise there either. But I had to know. "Chase didn't tell you because he didn't think it was a big deal. He didn't even really notice that she was flirting with him until we told him. Really, Ellie, he only had eyes for you."

The thought of that made me dizzy but it also gave me butterflies. "Maybe." I say. "We'll see."

"I guess that's progress." Harper says and it makes me laugh.

Beau and Chase come into the house moments after that conversation with bbq take out and more ice cream, thankfully.

Beau walked over to Harper and they gave each other a kiss while Chase gave me a little push, hip to hip, and said, "hey there again, Blondie."

"Hey, Chasey." I responded. "How was practice?" I asked both the boys.

"It was okay. C0ach was though today. But it was okay." Beau answered, still tangled up on Harper. "What did you two girls talk about?"

We both panicked a little and then Harper gave in. "About a singing video Ellie posted a few days ago... it has a few thousand views, right?"

My eyes widen. I hadn't told Chase about that. I honestly forgot about it. He won't like this. This one of the things that makes us different and that makes us disagree. Singing and fame.

Which sounds so stupid, but for some reason it is.

"You did what?" He asks me and I can already hear him get upset. "Ellie, you understand how dangerous that is?"

God I so wish she told them what we were really talking about.

"Chase, I think you're overreacting." Beau tells him. "They love her singing. You know that anyone would."

Chase ingores him and continues to talk to me with dead eye contact. "Do you understand how many creeps are out there?"

"Oh I do, you're friends with one of them." Two can play this game. "Music might not be your dream, which god forbit it isn't because you can sing, but it is mine." I tell him. "I understand what I'm risking."

He scoffs. "Obviously you don't. You have to take that post down."

"I can't believe you! Even my parents encouraged it! You don't you wanna get out of here, Chase? Leave this town? All it does is piss you off. All I hear you do is complain about it. This is my way out. What's yours?"

The room is quiet. Harper and Beau slowly left the room leaving us alone.

"I have a life here, okay? Why give it up? I get to help my mom and dad with their business and I have baseball for now."

I shake my head. "Good for you, Chase Sullivan, but once I graduate I will have nothin' to do here. I am not getting stuck."

"That's not true. You'd have me. Beau and Harper. Your parents."

I wish having him in a town like this would be enough.

"Yes, and a town that hates me. Lovely." I say sarcastically. "Why not add all the little girlfriends I'll have to suffer through once you start dating, huh?"

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

He raises his eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean, Blondie?"

"Nothing." I answer a little too fast. "I'm just saying I bet you have terrible taste."

Worst save ever. I need to get better at this.

"You bet? What do you think my type is?" This took a turn. He doesn't look upset anymore, but he looks interested.

"Well maybe Reese Mullz for starters." Double fuck. Am I really digging my own grave right now? I guess I am.

"Reese? She's got a pretty face. She ain't that bad either." He knows I know about the texts now but I can't tell if he's being serious or trying to piss me off.

Either way it's pissing me off.

"Go ask her out then." I challenge.

"Maybe I will."

"Fine."

"Alright, Blondie."

He was standing so close I started to lose my track of thought. What was he doing? He shouldn't be standing this close to me. Why is he looking at me like that?

"Chase..." I warn as my heart is picking up. I think I know. I don't want this to be messed up. We can't change what we have. "Step back." I tell him.

"Take the video down." He tells me. Oh.

"No."

"Ellie. I'm doing this protect you."

"I can protect myself."

"I'm highly aware of that. But that doesn't mean you aren't being reckless."

Oh that's it. I push him away from me. "Go home Chase, I really don't want you here right now." I can't even look at him.

I'm so dumb. I really thought he was going to kiss me and actually accept what I want for my future.

"Do you really want me to leave?" He asks me.

No. "Yes." Don't walk through that door.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ellie." He says and then he leaves.

I take a deep breath. What the hell was that?