“No you weren’t.”
“Yes I was!”
“No. You weren’t.”
“I was, I swear!”
“Really, I’m sure it’s no big deal where you were, just tell me.”
“I told you, I was with Elle.” I insisted, sitting down on the edge of my bed.
Kale let out an aggravated sigh and sat beside me, knowing that neither one of us was going to win this debate. We’ve been at it for half an hour, when he came over this morning and asked me why I’d disappeared yesterday afternoon for another baseball practice with Ryder. I told him that I was with Elle and we went out for a late lunch and Elle backed me up, but Kale wasn’t having it. He insisted that Elle is obsessed with having things planned out so there was no way that she’d agree to a spontaneous lunch date.
“Let’s just drop it.” He mumbled, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
I smiled and wrapped my arms around his strong abs. “You know I love you, right? I would never do anything to hurt you.”
He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “Yeah, I know.”
“You don’t love me back?” I asked with a pouty face as I laid my head on his shoulder.
He gave me a small smirk. “Maybe.”
I flipped over onto his lap so that I was straddling him with my fingers interlocking in his soft hair. “Then I guess I’ll have to convince you.” I whispered with my best seductive smile and hoped that it didn't look creepy at all.
“Yeah.” He croaked, moving his hands to my waist. “I guess you will.”
I giggled before ducking down and putting my lips on his.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“I can’t do this.” I tell Libby through the phone.
“Yes you can.” She insists.
I continue jogging on the treadmill with her on speaker phone and my iPhone resting in the small compartment in front of me. “I feel horrible about lying, though.”
“But you’re doing it for him.” She told me.
“I know, but-“ I started to whine, but she cut me off.
“Holly, how long have you been doing this thing with Ryder?”
“I don’t know, like a week and a half maybe.”
“And what does Kale think is happening?”
“I keep making up lies about going out with Elle or Andy, but he never believes it, he just lets it slide.”
“Then make up better lies.”
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m a horrible liar as it is.” A beep sounded, signaling that I got a text. “Oh, hang on, got a text.” I told her, grabbing my phone out of the holder and seeing that it was Ryder. I stopped the treadmill and read the message.
What types of pitches does Vogelsong throw?
I sighed, I’ve been getting these random texts throughout the week and most of them, I’d get wrong, but I’ve been getting better because I’ve been doing my research on baseball, the Giants, and this Ryan Vogelsong guy.
“Who is it?” Libby asked.
“Ryder.” I said, typing his reply with a smile, happy that I know the answer.
Four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, cut fastball, circle changeup, and curveball.
His reply was instantaneous.
What is a cut fastball?
“Oh, how’s that going by the way?” She asked, referring to this little texting game that Ryder set up. I’d told her about it earlier.
“It’s going great.” I gloated, knowing the answer to this one too.
A type of fastball which breaks a little bit toward the pitcher's glove side as it reaches home plate. Eat it!
I smiled to myself, I sound like a walking Wikipedia.
“Well, I’m happy for you, you better tell me how everything goes.”
I grabbed a small towel from the shelf and wiped away a thick layer of sweat from my forehead, I’d been working out almost all day. “I definitely will.” I squealed with excitement. “I’ll talk to you later.”
We said our goodbyes and then I sat down on the bench, gasping for air.
Once I got back down to my room, my phone started ringing. “Hello?” I asked, expecting it to be Kale or Libby.
“Hey.” Elle chirped.
“Oh, hey, Elle.” I said with a smile. “What’s up?”
“I just wanted to remind you that the triple date is tomorrow. You guys are still up for it, right?”
“Yeah, of course.” I chirped. “We’re picking you guys up at eight.”
“Yuppers!” She chirped and I laughed at how lame that girl could be.
We talked for a little bit before hanging up and I checked the time. It was almost time to go to bed, which was fine with me because I was exhausted. At the beginning of the day, I’d hung out with Kale and he barely pressed the subject of why I’d disappear three times a week and then I spent the rest of the day working my butt off in the gym. I had to make this birthday special for him so if working myself crazy is how to do it, then fine. It’ll be worth it. I’d do anything for that boy.
And it was going to work too. Ryder was getting me all smart and full of baseball knowledge, and during our practices, I was starting to actually hit the balls. I remember the first time I hit the ball, I was so excited, I leapt into his arms with a happy squeal.
Before I went to bed, I decided to call Kale since I hadn’t talked to him since the morning but he didn’t answer, much to my disappointment. I looked at the clock and saw that it was eleven at night, so he must already of been sleeping.
I sighed and then texted him a short ‘I love you’ text before flipping my light off and going right to sleep, excited for the triple date tomorrow.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kale's POV
"Hey, where are you going?" Andy asked as I was about to leave the house.
"Holly's." I replyed quickly before swinging the door open and stepping into the evening air.
"Bye, lover boy." She sang teasingly.
I flipped her off behind my back before I shut the door and walked the short distance to Jackson's house.
Without knocking, I headed inside and upstairs to Holly's room. This time, I did knock but she didn't answer.
"Holly!" I called into her room before slowly opening the door. It was empty.
The only other place she'd be is the gym so I close her door and hurry up the staircase towards the gym. I was about to walk in when I heard her speaking to somebody.
"I can't do this." She said. She was on the phone with her friend from Minnesota. I could tell because she was on speaker phone.
"Yes you can." Libby told her.
"I feel horrible about lying, though."
I knew she's been lying! She's been acting strange and disappearing at random times. It's like she doesn't know that I can tell if she's lying or not. It's been freaking me out, honestly, but at least I just heard her admit it and I'm not going crazy. I stayed quiet to listen in on the rest of the conversation, just outside the door so that she couldn't see me. She'd probably get mad at me for eavesdropping and it is wrong, I'll admit that, but she shouldn't be lying to me.
"But you're doing it for him." Libby said.
"I know, but-"
“Holly, how long have you been doing this thing with Ryder?” Ryder? What the hell does he have to do with anything? I asked myself, trying to deny the obvious. Holly wouldn't do that- She just wouldn't.
“I don’t know, like a week and a half maybe.” My stomach dropped. Apparently she would do that. It explains everything if I thought about it. Why she was running around the house the other day with Ryder. Why she was always disappearing and why Ryder was always covering for her. Holly was sleeping around with my brother. For almost two weeks.
“And what does Kale think is happening?” Libby asked.
“I keep making up lies about going out with Elle or Andy, but he never believes it, he just lets it slide.” Well, that's because I actually trusted that she wouldn't do anything like this. I actually thought that I knew her.
“Then make up better lies.” Anger started boiling inside of me. How could everyone be okay with this? I didn't do anything wrong or anything to make Holly turn to Ryder, why was everyone covering for her?
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m a horrible liar as it is.” Then there was a pause. "Oh hang on, got a text."
There was a long pause and I noticed my head start spinning with a mix of emotions. Anger being the number one, though. Anger, confusion, and a lot of hurt too. I really loved Holly and I thought she felt the same.
Wow, listen to me. I sound like a fucking pussy.
"Who is it?" Libby broke me out of my mental tirade.
"Ryder." Was her simple answer. I had half a mind to just storm in there and yell at her, but I didn't. I continued to eavesdrop because I didn't want to hear her try and cover up the truth, which I knew she would. It would just make me angrier.
“Oh, how’s that going by the way?”
“It’s going great.” Holly gushed, just making me angrier. My own fucking brother. I had no idea she could go this low.
I didn't want to hear anymore of her crap, so I just stormed away from the door and back out, to my house so I could punch a wall... or my pathetic excuse of a brother.
"Hey, you're back early." Andy said with a frown from the couch and I wondered to myself if she knew about what Holly and Ryder were doing. Everyone probably knew.
"She was busy." I mumbled.
"Well, no worries." She chirped. "You're going to spend all night with her tomorrow because we're going on the triple date."
"No, I'm not doing that." I nearly snapped at her. "Go without me."
"What? You have to go! You are going." She told me.
"Why doesn't she just go with Ryder?" I snarled at her and she frowned in confusion.
"How the hell is Ryder involved?" Andy asked me.
I shrugged. "Whatever."
"You're going, Kale West." She told me, her eyes turning into slits.
I rolled my eyes, knowing that saying no to her now was not an option. And I couldn't say no because I knew how important this date thing was for Andy and Elle. "Fine, whatever."
"What's wrong with you?" She finally asked, standing from the couch and walking over to me.
"Nothing, I'm fine." I insisted, but I'm sure that my furious frown and twitching fists contradicted that.
"Kale." She demanded. "What happened over there?"
"Nothing happened." I told her before turning and hurrying to the stairs and, ignoring Andy's protests, I went up to my room, slamming the door behind me.
My thoughts were all jumbled up and I really didn't know how to act or feel about anything.
My phone rang and when I looked at the caller ID, I saw that it was Holly. I mumbled a few curse words before chucking my phone across the room. The screen cracked, but it didn't shatter like I was hoping.
I picked it up just in time to get a text. No surprise, it was from Holly.
I love you. <3
Is what it said.
I let out a cynical laugh. "Bullshit."
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R rated part of this is on my other account, which will be in the external link <3