Three hours later in History I try my best to ignore Lucas's stares. I know that if I turn around and look three people to the right then I will see Lucas Favero looking at me with a pleading and an apologetic expression.
How could he? I expected this from the guys on the football team but not Lucas! He was never one to be so selfish, or so I thought.
Three minutes before the bell rings to end class I head up to Mr. Patrick's desk and politely ask if I could leave early. Either because I'm a good student or because he has been watching me with a careful eye all period he nods his head and lets me leave.
As soon as I'm out of the classroom I feel a weight being taken off my shoulders. I've felt sick to my stomach and hurt ever since Lucas's confession in the dugout. But since I've already missed this week of school I don't have the luxury to leave, otherwise I would have as soon as I heard those words come out of his mouth.
The bell rings when I'm halfway to gym, students quickly crowd the hallways. Faintly I hear someone calling my name from behind and I know its Lucas. Instead of turning around and waiting for him to apologize.. again... I keep walking down the hall until I reach the girls locker room.
...
"Um Sadie," mumbles Ella beside me.
"Yeah," I ask absentmindedly while trying to focus on the ball in the air.
"No need to freak out or anything but Lucas Favero has been staring you for the past five minutes."
I roll my eyes and take a deep breath because I'm very clear on his staring. I can feel his gaze on me like a fire on my back.
"I know," I say quickly before running to catch the ball that has been kicked in my direction. I throw it back to the pitcher, stopping the person on first base.
When I stand next to Ella again next to third, she looks at me with a shocked expression.
She whispers fiercely, "Did something happen between you two?"
"Strike!" The coach yells gaining my attention.
Up to kick at the oh so entertaining game of kickball is Lucas himself who for the first time in his life just got a strike thanks to his distraction: me. The pitcher rolls the ball again towards him and this time he kicks it until he can run to second base.
"Well," Ella asks again with less patience.
Before the next person can kick the ball I whisper, "We kissed."
The ball goes flying and Ella squeals with excitement. Then of course because I have the worst luck Lucas runs to third and stands with less than a foot between us.
"Sadie," he says with a pleading voice. I know if I turn to look at him he will look like I just kicked his puppy.
I cross my arms in defiance and ignore him. Ella senses the tension and in the most non sly way possible excuses herself.
"I-I uh have to um go over... uh there!" She points behind her but instead skips, literately skips with giddiness to the other side of the gym, all the while giggling like a mad woman and squealing.
Wow I have a great friend, really.
"Talk to me," he begs.
"I'm done talking to you," I snap. I've heard enough of his excuses and apologies today and I don't need anymore.
The next kid in line kicks the ball and the kids around the bases run two more, except Lucas who stays standing on the base next to me.
"What are you Favero?" Guys on his team scream.
"I'm not moving from this spot until you talk to me," he tells me.
"Then I'll walk away." I glare at him.
"And I'll follow you," he shoots back.
"God," I groan in frustration. "Why do you even care?"
"Because I care about you."
I laugh dryly and am thankful when the next kid kicks the ball near me and I have to run from Lucas to go grab it. I sprint back to third base and plant my feet on the rubber mat succeeding in getting the other kid out. I grin victoriously as people on my team cheer for me and I throw the ball back to the pitcher. I've never been good at sports so getting the admiration I am now feels good.
That is until I feel a hand grab a hold of mine. I turn to see Lucas's face less than six inches from mine. He moves a little so our hips our touching and even that small touch sends me into a frenzy.
Gosh, what is wrong with me?
Can I just be normal teenage girl for five minutes and not a hormonal teenage boy who only thinks about sex? After losing my v card to Bash I thought the images and fantasies would leave me but apparently my hormones think otherwise.
"Please," he begs me to stay near him.
I turn my face ever so slightly away from him so I won't have to look him in the eyes. Actually I haven't looked him in the eyes since the dugout.
"Leave me alone Lucas," I mutter right before the coach yells for us to get dressed.
I run off to the lockers grateful for the distance between me and Lucas now. But when I hear booing and foul language I turn around at the door to see the boys of Lucas's team harassing him for not running the base. He storms off to the boys locker room with an expression that I've never seen on his face before, anger. He pushes some boys out of his way sending them stumbling back with shocked faces.
Pfft. Boys.
I roll my eyes and walk into the sweet smelling room.
"So." Ella corners me as soon as I walk up to my locker. "Are you going to tell me what happened or not?"
I rip off my sweaty shirt and put a new one on spraying it with perfume, then do the same with my pants.
"Well?" She leans against the locker next to mine, waiting for my explanation.
I take a seat on the bench in front of the wall of lockers and tell her all about Lucas.
... Four Hours Earlier...
Lucas pulls away leaving both of us heaving for breath. He leans down to rest his forehead against mine and I watch as a smile spreads across his lips.
"That was better than I imagined," he admits and plants a kiss on my cheek.
"Much better," I agree.
He leans back to look at me in the eye. "You've imagined us kissing before?"
Blush rises to my cheeks and I raise my hands to cover the redness. "Maybe," I admit.
Lucas smiles triumphantly and says, "Good cause I didn't want to be the only one." He raises his hands from my waist to my hands and gently pulls them down to my side, entangling our fingers together. "That's better." He kisses me tomato red cheeks. "I don't want you to cover up your blush for me. I like it when I make you blush."
"Okay," I meekly say and have to strain myself in order not to cover my cheeks again.
Lucas kisses my lips again two times before sighing and resting his head against mine.
"Sadie," he says with a stressed voice, "I need to tell you something."
I raise an eyebrow and forcefully smile at the shift of tension in the air. "Okay?"
Lucas takes a deep breath and starts off with, "I want to be in the MLB."
I chuckle and say, "I thought as much. You're awesome out on the field."
"And everyone sees that! Scouts are starting to come to my games to see me play! Sadie," he says with so much excitement it makes me smile myself, "the Cubs, the Angels, the Rockies, even the Cardinals have come to see me!"
"Really," I ask shocked. I knew baseball well enough to know that all those teams are fairly good and to be scouted by even one team is a dream come true for Lucas. "That's great Lucas, I'm so happy for you!"
His face falls though and immediately I start to think I said something wrong. Isn't that good news? Why isn't he happy anymore? Lucas steps away from me and with a heavy breath he sits down on the bench. "But my Dad doesn't want me play baseball anymore. He's always had this dream of me becoming a marketing manager."
"Like my Dad?"
Lucas slowly nods his head solemnly. Curious I sit next to him and plant a hand on hi upper shoulder as he leans on his elbows.
"Have you told him that you want to play professional?"
He nods his head. "But he won't listen to me, or well he didn't use to. He didn't see the point in me playing a sport professionally, he still doesn't. He thinks it's unrealistic and childish."
"It's not though," I tell him. Lucas turns his head to look up at me. "Chasing your dreams is never childish. Not believing in them is."
Lucas smiles and quickly pecks me on the lips. "Where did you get that from?"
"It's something my parents used to tell my sister. As soon as she was old enough to pick out her own clothes she wanted to be a fashion designer. But as she got older, especially her later years of high school and she started to see all the grown up's with their stable jobs she started to doubt herself. And when she started to walk away from her lifelong dream my parent's would tell her that. They never gave up on her and in turn she never gave up on herself again. Now she's in New York and she's being interviewed by New York Times."
Lucas chuckles and seems to be thinking about what I said. "You're parents are really kind people Sadie."
I smile at the thought of them. "They are, I wouldn't want anyone else to be my parents. They're nothing but supportive."
Silence falls down around us and Lucas seems to be thinking hard about something. A couple minutes later he finally speaks up.
"You're going to hate me," he mutters.
I laugh and rest my head on his shoulders, loving the warmth of his back through the shirt. "No I won't."
"You say that now," he mumbles.
"Lucas?" I lean back so I can look at him. "What is it?"
He sighs and buries his face in his hands. Pulling away he says, "I made a deal with my Dad."
"What kind of deal?"
I don't know why Lucas is telling me all this and if it has anything to do with me but I'm enjoying the time spent with him. It feels like we're a real couple for the moment.
"He's been wanting to be promoted by your Dad for years now."
"So?" I ask confused. I don't see where this is going but by the look of remorse on Lucas's face I don't think it will end well.
"He thought that if his son was dating his boss's daughter then he would get a promotion."
I hesitate to ask what he means.
"My Dad made a deal, or well an ultimatum with me. It was either being forced to go to college to study business and marketing or go to the MLB and make you fall in love with me."
I feel cold ice splash all over my body. I feel my blood stop pumping but most of all I feel my heart dropping to the floor.