The Perfect Game

Things with Jack and me were in a good place after all the chaos at Gran and Gramps’ house. We spent every spare moment together, which didn’t seem like much these days. With the baseball draft nearing, Jack focused more than ever on all things baseball. And I had been working on putting together a portfolio for the internship.

“Hey.” Melissa leaned against the wall in our kitchen, clearly wanting to talk. “I was thinking about heading home. Did you want to come with?”

I thought for about two seconds before answering, “No way. The guys don’t have games this weekend, just practice.”

She smiled. “Then I’m definitely leaving.”

I laughed, tossing my hair from my shoulder. “Alone time with Jack…whatever will we do?” I placed one finger in front of my puckered lips before tapping.

“I seriously don’t want to know.” She rolled her eyes and turned to open the fridge.

“Yeah, you do,” I teased, raising my eyebrows.

Her lips turned up in a half smirk. “Sorta. But please don’t share.” She shook her head as if trying to shake way a disturbing image. “What did I hear about Jack and the softball team?”

“Oh.” I shrugged. “Since the guys don’t have a game, they asked Jack to throw out the first pitch tonight.”

“Seriously?” Her head cocked to one side.

“Apparently it’s good publicity. I don’t know. Whatever, it’s not like he has a choice. He can’t really say no to another team at the school, you know?”

“That’s still sort of weird.”

“I think so too, but whatever. I’ll be there.”

“You’re so supportive,” she teased, cupping her hands together.

“Oh, I do try,” I said with a fake Southern accent as I fanned my hand in front of my face.

She laughed. “I’ll see you when I get back. Want me to check on your car?”

“Oh, yeah. Can you make sure it’s still sitting in my driveway collecting dust?” I giggled at the absurdity of the situation.

“You don’t need it,” my mother had told me during one of our many arguments. “It just gives you a way to leave school when you should be studying or doing homework.” I had tried to tell her that maybe I’d need to leave school for a photography project, but then she’d just insist that I take Melissa’s car. No matter how many times I tried to tell her that she made no sense, she refused to budge. So there my car sits. At home. Waiting for me. And the truth is, I’m not sure I ever want to go back for it.

“Don’t have too much fun with Jack this weekend. Call you later, ’K?” Melissa gave me a squeeze before grabbing her things.

“’K. Drive safe. Tell your parents I said hi and I miss them.” I smiled and waved as she walked out our front door, almost crashing into Jack.

“Have a good weekend, Jack.” Melissa winked and he turned to me, his eyebrows raised.

“Uh, you too, Melis,” he responded with a half grin before closing the door. “What was that about?”

“She’s leaving for the weekend.” I tried not to blush but felt the heat rising to my cheeks.

He dropped onto the couch next to me. “The whole weekend?”

“The whole weekend,” I said, dragging out the words for effect.

“Sweet. Listen, before I get distracted, Matt wants us to come over before the softball game and hang out at his place. I told him I’d check with you first.” Jack rested his head against the pillow on my couch, his hat flopping to one side.

“Fine with me. Who’s gonna be there?” I asked absentmindedly, tossing the hat aside and running my fingers through his soft, dark hair.

“A few of the guys from the team. Dean and probably Jamie. I don’t really know.”

“I like her,” I admitted with a smile. “She’s funny.”

“She is funny. And she’s good for Matt,” Jack added, alluding to things I knew nothing about and frankly wasn’t sure I wanted to.

“Everyone’s going to the game, right?” I asked, changing the subject.

He pushed himself up with one arm until he sat facing me. “Why won’t you just come with me when I go?” He slid his thumb down my cheek.

“Because you have to be there an hour before the game starts. For what, I have no idea, but I’m not going that early.” I pouted, eyeing him with my best puppy dog impression.

He put his hand behind my neck and pulled me to him, his mouth meeting mine halfway as the overgrown scruff on his face scratched at my bare cheeks. “Seriously, when are you going to shave?”

His lips pulled up into a slight smile. “You know I can’t shave until we lose, Kitten. And we’re not losing, so probably not ever.”

I rolled my eyes. “You guys and your superstitions.”

“You love it,” he whispered into my ear before sucking at my lobe softly with his mouth, causing my senses to disappear.

“Yep, sure do,” was my only response as he continued working down my neck.

He gently pushed me onto my back and leaned on top of me, his dark brown eyes boring into mine. “You are so beautiful. You know that?”

I let out a small breath before pulling his head down and arching toward his lips. His tongue pushed its way into my mouth with intensity. I ran my hands down his back and slipped my fingers into the waistband of his shorts before lifting his shirt up in succession with my own.

A slight sound escaped my lips at the feeling of his bare skin hot against mine. Chills coursed through me, appearing up and down my legs and arms. His breath was warm on my neck, small kisses being delivered around my ears and cheeks until meeting my mouth once more.

“Cassie.” He mumbled my name, his breath ragged.

Without a word, I slipped out from under him and stretched out my hand. He laced his fingers with mine and I led him away from the living room and into my bedroom, where I closed the door behind us.

*****

Jack opened Matt’s front door without knocking and led me inside. I watched as five baseball players with hairy faces turned their heads in our direction and smiles instantly appeared on all their faces.

“Carter! What’s up, buddy! Hey, Cass,” Matt yelled from the round table where they were playing a drinking and card game.

“Hey, Jack. Hey, Cassie.” Ryan greeted us without looking up from his hand, his forehead creased in concentration.

Dean picked up his cell phone, checking the time. “Finally! Where have you two been?”

“Not sure I’ll ever get used to you holding some girl’s hand,” Brett added, his blue eyes locked pointedly on our intertwined fingers.

“Get used to it, BT, she’s not just some girl.” Jack planted a kiss on the side of my face and gently squeezed my fingers.

“I like that you’ve finally found someone, Jack. And I especially like that she isn’t some stupid skank.” Matt’s girlfriend Jamie walked out from the kitchen with a smirk.

I laughed. “Love you too, Jame!”

“You have to admit my worry was valid!” She pursed her lips together, her brown ponytail bouncing. “Now get in here and help me,” she called out, after disappearing back behind the wall.

I looked at Jack and smiled as I untangled my hand from his. He smacked me on the backside when I walked away.

“I love that girl,” he said to his teammates before sitting at the table. “Deal me in.”

I entered the kitchen before giving Jamie a quick squeeze as I glanced back at the group of guys. “Their facial hair is killing me. They look freaking horrible.”

“Please don’t remind me. I try to pretend it’s all a bad dream,” Jamie said, rubbing her palm against her cheek.

“Ahem, ladies.” Matt pretended to clear his throat. “We can hear you, ya know!”

“Like we care!” Jamie said with a huff.

“Hey! Don’t curse our winning streak!” Cole answered back before slapping his hand over his mouth.

“Jesus, Cole, who raised you? The first rule about the winning streak is you don’t talk about the winning streak!” Ryan punched him in the shoulder.

“You guys are just lucky we keep kissing you,” Jamie said, attempting to steer the attention from poor Cole.

“I second that,” Jack belted out, his eyes meeting mine briefly before settling back on his cards.

“Pussy,” Brett teased, his eyes focused on the deck of cards in his hand.

“I’ll knock you into the middle of next week if you don’t shut up, BT,” Jack threatened, his jaw rigid.

“He’s just jealous ’cause no girls want to go anywhere near him,” Cole teased as he removed his baseball hat and tossed it on the floor.

“I can’t keep the girls off me. It’s you no one wants,” Brett chipped back.

The card game continued until Jack checked the clock on the wall and rose from the table. He slammed back a shot of tequila before speaking. “Kitten, I gotta go. Get out here and give me some loving.”

I eyeballed Jamie. “Seriously? Do you hear this guy?” I said with a nod in Jack’s direction.

Jamie laughed and gave me a hearty shove. “Get out there.”

“You come to me,” I insisted, staring him down.

All eyes were on us, entertained by our stubborn battle.

“Gladly,” Jack responded and walked hastily toward me. He lifted me up in the air and I wrapped my legs around his waist.

“Keep it in your pants, pal,” I whispered into his ear before nibbling on his neck.

“You better stop or I’ll throw you on the floor and have my way with you.” He yanked my hair back, forcing my head away from his before ravaging my mouth.

“Get a room,” Brett shouted.

“We’ll just take yours,” Jack mumbled between kisses.

“Go or you’ll be late.” I unwrapped my legs and hopped down.

Jack looked at me one last time before turning to his teammates. “Make sure she doesn’t walk alone to the game.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.” I frowned at him, rolling my eyes.

“Dean?” he said sternly.

“I got her, J. I promise we’ll all go together. She won’t be alone.” Dean smiled at me and then looked reassuringly at his brother.

“See you guys at the game.” Jack closed the door and all eyes fell on me.

“What? Don’t look at me, I’m not the crazy one!” I yelled, shaking my head.

“Just so you know, I’ve never seen him act this way about anyone other than Gran,” Dean said, without looking up from his cards.

I tried not to smile, but failed miserably.

Forty minutes later, the group of us headed toward the far end of campus. The guys were playful as they walked, bumping into one another and knocking each other’s hats off. I stopped walking to fall slightly behind when Dean turned around, noticing my absence. I waved him ahead, pulling out my camera and removing the lens cap. When he saw my intention, he rejoined the group with a big smile.

I knelt on the sidewalk, framing the group of guys in the viewfinder, smiling to myself at how happy they all looked. Click. Another shot of Dean’s hand smacking Brett’s hat off. Click. Jamie and Matt holding hands from the back was too much for me to resist. Click.

“That’s a nice camera.” A harsh voice startled me and the camera fell from my eye.

I looked up to see a large, beefy silhouette towering above me, his face shadowed by the setting sun. “Give it to me,” he insisted, before taking a swig of something hidden inside a brown paper bag.

I stood up instantly, glancing past the man’s shoulder for Dean. I was too shocked to shout. Too nervous to run. You know how you think that if you’re ever in a bad situation, you’ll be all tough, like in the movies? That’s bullshit. You’ll freeze, just like I did. All I could do was silently will Dean to look back at me. I prayed he’d notice I still hadn’t caught up.

“I said give it to me, bitch!” the man shouted before introducing the back of his hand to the side of my cheek.

His knuckles hit me with such brute force that my head flew to one side, my hair flying out all around me. I whipped my head back to face him in shock, strands of hair sticking to my eyelashes and lips.

Did he just hit me?

“That guy just hit Cassie! Hey!” I heard Dean shouting and the sound of feet heading in my direction.

I couldn’t move. My body was still frozen with shock. I couldn’t believe this stranger hit me.

He struck me again, this time punching me with a closed fist on the other side of my face. As I stumbled with the force of the blow, I looked in the direction of the group, my eyesight crystal clear. Dean sprinted full speed toward me when the man suddenly appeared in front of him. I watched as Dean shoved him, but the man lifted his brown paper bag and slammed it against the top of Dean’s head.

Thick green glass shattered and spilled onto the sidewalk as Dean’s body crumpled lifelessly to the ground, blood spilling from his head. I wanted to scream, but no sounds came. My mind immediately replayed the scene: Dean’s tall, muscular body losing all coordination as it collapsed into a heap on the concrete, then blood. Lots of it. Brett ran to Dean’s limp body and quickly pulled Dean’s arm around his shoulder, lifting him and dragging him away in the opposite direction.

I watched the rest of the group as they scattered like animals in a forest fire.

Hey, wait!

Where is everyone going?

I took two steps in their direction before the man suddenly reappeared at my side. “Where do you think you’re going, bitch?”

I instinctively bent over and tried to cover my face with both arms. My eyes focused solely on the black and white design of his shoes as they danced around me. The colors blurred to the left where forceful blows crashed against the side of my face and head.

Please stop hitting me.

Blurry movement to the right and the other half of my face exploded in pain.

Please stop.

His fist interrupted my internal pleas as it collided with the side of my head once more, almost knocking me off my already shaky feet. I was his personal punching bag. Blow after blow, his blasts showed no signs of stopping, the force of each punch only growing in intensity.

Dear God, please make it stop.

I don’t care if I die right now, just please make him stop hitting me.

Please.

It hurts so bad.

And just like that his shoes disappeared from my view. I glanced up to see him running between two sets of houses in the distance, my camera flailing wildly from the strap wrapped tightly around his hand.

“Cassie!” I jerked my head down the street to see Cole waving frantically at me. “Cassie! Run!” he shouted.

I didn’t run.

I couldn’t.

My legs were shaking so forcefully I could barely hold myself upright. I stumbled toward Cole, keeping my eyes locked on his face the entire time.

“Jesus, Cassie, are you okay?” His eyes widened at the sight of me and I couldn’t stop myself from spitting, my taste buds revolting at the metallic taste.

I didn’t speak. Blood-covered saliva covered the area where I continued spitting. I pressed my fingertips against my cheeks, the pain sharp where my teeth had ripped up the inside of my mouth.

My mind couldn’t process what just occurred. I kept thinking, Did that just really happen? Did he just hit me? The words kept repeating over and over again in my mind.

“Where’s Dean?” I looked around anxiously, visions of his body crumpling to the ground replaying once again in my mind.

“I don’t know. Come on, we have to find Jack.”

“Where’s everyone else? Where were you?” I asked, my tone almost robotic as a metallic taste filled my mouth. I spit and blood spattered the pavement.

“I…I don’t know. Everyone scattered. It just happened so fast.” Cole winced as his eyes avoided mine.

He tossed his arm around my waist to help steady my incessant shaking. We were walking slower than Cole would have liked toward the campus entrance when I saw Jack. He ran full speed in our direction, his hat gripped tightly in his fist.

“Cassie!” Jack’s eyes grew wide when he recognized me. “Cassie!” he yelled, as he quickened his pace toward us.

I stopped moving, tears suddenly filling my eyes. I didn’t recognize it at first, the feeling that overwhelmed me at the sight of him. My entire body released the shock it held as I fell into his strong arms. For the first time since this whole mess began, my lungs filled themselves fully with cool evening air as I took a cleansing breath. I looked into his frantic brown eyes and finally relaxed.

I was safe now because Jack was here.

“What the fuck happened, Cole?” Jack shouted, his voice filled with rage.

“I…I don’t know, Jack. One minute everyone’s together, and the next some guy’s hitting Cassie and breaking a bottle over Dean’s head and saying he has a gun.” Cole’s voice shook as he summed up the events.

“He said he had a gun?” I asked, confused.

“He said he was packing. That’s when everyone ran away.”

Jack’s chest rose and fell rapidly against my body as his jaw tightened. “What did you just say?”

Jack eased me from him and began pacing, pulling at his hair with each step. He turned to me, his eyes filled with pain. “Kitten, where were you when they ran?” My eyes darted between Cole and Jack; I wasn’t sure how to respond. “You gotta tell me, Kitten, I’m going fucking crazy right now.”

I watched as Cole braced, clearly dreading Jack’s reaction. Jack reached for Cole’s shirt, gripping it tightly in his fist. He yanked until Cole stood an inch from his face. “Where the fuck was Cassie, Cole?”

“Jack, I’m sorry.” Cole winced, unwilling to put up a fight.

I watched as Jack’s other hand balled into a fist. “Jack!” I longed to stop this battle before it began. Jack turned to me, my eyes locking onto his. “He took my camera.”

I said the words out loud and allowed my tears to fall. This stranger had violated me. He ripped away a sense of security I never knew I had before suffering the loss of it. He struck my body violently and robbed parts of my innate trust in others. And he took the one material thing that I cared about the most and ripped it from my possession.

Jack’s anger dropped away for a moment, his eyebrows pinched together in pain. “I’ll get you a new one, Kitten. I promise.”

I shook my head. “I need my camera. Why’d he take it? Why’d he hit me so hard? And why so many times?” I fell to the curb, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Do you think we should call the cops? The campus police or something?” Cole suggested with a nervous shrug.

“That’s where Dean and Brett are now,” Jack snapped.

My eyes opened at the mention of his name. “Where is Dean? Is he okay? I saw him fall. He looked unconscious.”

Jack leaned next to me, his hand rubbing the length of my back. “Don’t worry. He’s fine.”

“How? His head was bleeding like crazy! And he couldn’t even stand!”

“Head wounds do that, Kitten. They bleed something fierce, but it had almost stopped by the time I saw him,” Jack told me, his voice calm.

“So he’s really okay?” I released a breath.

“He’s really okay.” His voice reassured me and he kissed the top of my head.

“Hey, Jack.” Cole took a step toward us before Jack cut him off with an angry slash of his hand.

“Stay the fuck away from me right now, Cole, or I’ll end up doing something I might regret.”

I looked into Cole’s worried eyes and flashed him a hollow look.

“I’m really sorry, Cassie.” Cole’s voice echoed softly.

“Shut. Up. Cole.” Jack’s tone was deadly, and I turned away.

Jack’s arms settled underneath my legs and around my waist as he lifted me into the air. “Let’s go home,” he whispered before kissing the side of my forehead.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and nuzzled into his chest, the sound of his heart beating against my ears giving me reassurance. He carried me in his arms the entire way to my apartment, never once stopping to catch his breath and never slowing his pace.

Once inside, he placed me gently on my bed and kneeled beside it. “We need to get you cleaned up, Kitten. Your beautiful face is a mess.” He lightly brushed my hair back with his fingertips.

I hadn’t given any thought to how messed up my face might be. My jaw ached and my head throbbed, but other than that, nothing else really hurt. “I’m gonna get you some ice. I’ll be right back.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it.

I heard his cell phone ring and his voice rose in anger at whoever was on the other end of that call. He reappeared at my side. “The police are coming here, Kitten. They need your statement right now so they can go look for this guy. And they need to take pictures of your injuries, so we can’t clean you up just yet. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’d rather get it over with anyway.” I smiled gamely and then winced. “Ouch. Shit, that hurts,” I admitted before placing my palm against my cheek.

“I’m sorry I left you alone tonight. I should have been with you.” His face twisted with anguish.

My heart ached for his self-inflicted guilt. “Jack, I should be able to walk through a neighborhood without getting beat up and robbed.”

“But if I hadn’t gone early. If I’d been there…” His head rested on my lap and he clasped his arms around my back.

“I’m glad you weren’t there,” I admitted.

“Why would you say that?”

“Because I could never live with the guilt if you got hurt because of me.”

He grimaced at my admission. “Kitten, I’d break my fucking pitching arm if it meant keeping you safe.”

My heart jumped inside my chest. “You really shouldn’t say things you don’t mean.” I gave him a pained wink, reminding him about my list.

“I’m not,” he said confidently before a knock on the front door interrupted our exchange. “I’ll be right back. Sit tight.” He kissed my forehead and I watched him walk out of my room.

My phone beeped, alerting me to a text message. Melissa. Oh my God, are you okay? Dean just called me. I’m coming back.

Don’t come back. I’m fine. I’ll call you after I talk to the police, I responded, knowing she’d be sick with worry.

The police? What the hell? Call me as soon as you can. I’m freaking out!!!!!!!!

Her text made me laugh. I think it was all the exclamation points. Or the fact that I could hear her voice whenever I read her words. Either way, I typed out another response. Call you soon. Don’t freak. Jack’s here.

“Hey, Kitten?” Jack peered into my room, his hand gripping the edge of the door. “The police are here.”

I tossed my cell phone on the bed before pushing my body off. Two uniformed police officers were waiting for me when I walked into the living room. One held a notepad while the other gripped a camera that caught my gaze and reminded me of what I’d lost.

That asshole stole my camera.

I no longer own a camera.

I’m camera-less.

Tears started to roll down my cheeks as I blinked in vain to stop them. Jack rushed to my side and gathered me close, wiping them away tenderly with his thumb. “Are you okay?”

“I can’t believe he stole my camera.” I closed my eyes tightly as the drops continued to fall, feeling like a hole was opening in the pit of my stomach.

“We really need to get your statement, miss,” one of the officers prompted.

I sniffed once and looked up, swiping at the moisture under my eyes. “Okay.”

“Your brother already told us what happened, but we’d like you to corroborate his story. He also said that more happened once he left the scene and we’ll need you to give us those details as well. Okay?” the officer asked, while reading from his notepad.

I looked at Jack with confusion before looking back at the officer. “My brother?”

“Yeah. Um, Dean Carter? He said he was Cassie Andrews’s brother,” the officer noted.

“How’s he doing? Is he okay?” My concern for Dean instigated a rush of questions.

“He doesn’t need stitches but has a nasty cut on his head, not to mention a raging headache. It probably wouldn’t hurt to have him seen by a doctor,” the other officer chimed in.

I looked at Jack and he waved his hand to calm me down. They read Dean’s statement out loud and I agreed with his account, noticing as Jack clenched his jaw. I reached down for his hand and squeezed it tightly in mine. I filled in the blanks from when Brett carried Dean away until I walked to Cole, watching again as Jack cringed and the veins in his neck bulged. Seeing him in pain caused an ache to form inside my chest. But I’ll admit I liked the fact that he was so pissed off about the whole thing. I’d never felt more safe or protected in my life.

The officers asked me simple questions that I had already answered and nothing stumped me until the last one. “Can you give us any idea of what the perp looks like? Would you be able to identify him in a lineup?”

My gaze flashed to Jack, and I shifted uneasily in my seat. “I could identify his shoes. And maybe his fist.”

“I’m sorry?”

“All I saw were his black and white shoes. And his knuckles. He was standing with the sun behind him and I never saw his face.” My body shook and Jack released my hand as he stood up and started to pace.

“Are we almost done?” Jack asked defensively.

“Almost.” The officer’s voice was a little terse before it softened when he turned to me. “I’m sorry, Cassie, but we have to take some pictures of your injuries.”

“That’s fine.” I sighed and then stood up to move in front of the white living room wall. The officer took pictures of my face at varying angles, while I kept my eyes locked on Jack’s, refusing to let go of the comfort he brought me.

When the police officers left, Jack walked me into the bathroom where I caught a glimpse of my reflection for the first time that evening.

“That’s so weird.” I leaned toward the mirror, touching the green and purple bruise on my brow before moving to the similar one forming on my forehead.

“What is?”

“I don’t even hurt where the bruises are,” I noted, mesmerized by the unfamiliar face staring back at me.

Jack’s forehead creased. “Where do you hurt?” he asked, the pain in his eyes evident.

“My cheeks and jaw.” I touched them gingerly.

“I’ll go get you some ice and ibuprofen. They’ll help with the pain and swelling.” He grabbed my hand, turning me toward him. “If I ever find this guy, I’m going to fucking kill him for putting his hands on you.”

I shook my head, my heart breaking. “I just want my camera back.”

“I know,” he said before looking away.

“Hey, Jack?” I stopped him. “Why did Dean say he was my brother?” I asked, suddenly remembering what the officer had said.

Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. I can only guess that he thought he was doing you a favor. Or protecting you somehow. Why?”

I smiled and quickly winced with the pain. “I just liked it, was all.”

His dimples flashed in his cheeks as his lips turned upward. “Oh yeah? And why’s that?”

I shrugged. “I liked the way it sounded.”

I didn’t know it was possible, but I watched as his dimples deepened as his smile grew. “So did I, Kitten. So did I.” He walked out and my heart stammered with his confession.

Jack’s cell phone rang and it reminded me that I still needed to call Melissa. I walked toward my bed and reached for my cell as Jack leaned in, his hand covering his phone. “You don’t mind if Dean stays here tonight, do you?”

“Of course not. I was just gonna tell you to call him. I’m gonna call Melissa real quick,” I told him, relieved that Dean was coming over.

He removed his hand from covering the phone before bringing it up to his ear. “She says it’s fine. I don’t think so. Hold on, I’ll double-check.”

He looked at me again. “We don’t need anything, right?”

I shook my head. “Nope, just get him over here.”

“She says no. She won’t care. Make sure Gran knows we’re both staying here before you leave. Okay, see you soon.”

“I won’t care about what?” I asked as soon as he hung up.

“If he stays here all weekend,” Jack said before straightening his stance.

“Oh. Not at all. I sort of want him here.”

“Oh, really? Trading me in already?” He winked at me and I laughed.

“Ouch. Don’t make me laugh, it hurts.” I grabbed my cheeks with both hands. “No, it’s just that I want to be around him ’cause he was there. He knows how I feel because he experienced it too. Is that weird?”

“It makes sense to me, Kitten,” he said with a smile.

“I really need to call Melissa before she shows back up here.” I started to press buttons on my phone and Jack turned away, closing my bedroom door as he left.

“Oh my God, Cassie! What happened? What is going on? And what took you so long to call me back? I’m freaking out here!” Melissa yelled into the phone.

“Sorry, it’s been a crazy night.” I held the phone away from my face, taking care to not press it against my cheek like I normally would.

“Is Dean okay? Is Jack there? What happened?” Her questions shot out rapid-fire.

“We were walking to the softball game to see Jack and we got jumped. Some guy stole my camera, beat me up, broke a forty-ounce bottle over Dean’s head—”

“Oh, Cass, he stole your camera?” I could hear the sorrow in Melissa’s question as she interrupted me, and her compassion for my loss affected me more than I expected.

I struggled to even out my breathing as I swallowed hard. “Yeah.”

“I’m so sorry. I know you’re more upset about that than anything else.”

“You know me well.”

“Are you okay? I mean, where did he hit you? Did Jack freak?”

“Jack’s pretty…” I paused. “I don’t know what Jack is. Pissed? Sad? Angry? He’s all over the place. Oh, but hey, I think Dean’s gonna stay here this weekend. Do you mind if he sleeps in your bed?”

“Not at all. Just tell him no funny business in there. I don’t want to come back to sheets I have to crack in half or anything.” Melissa laughed at her own joke.

“You are so gross.” I chuckled, trying not to scrunch my cheeks.

“I know,” she responded proudly. Her tone changed as she asked, “How’s Dean? Is he going to be okay?”

“Apparently he’s going to be fine. He must have a pretty hard head,” I joked.

Melissa was quiet for a moment. “I’m just glad you’re both alright.”

Before I could respond, there was a knock on my door and it opened slowly. “Kitten, Dean’s here.”

“Hey, Melis, Dean just got here and I really wanna go see him. Can I call you later?”

“Yeah, you go. Tell the boys I said hi and I’m glad they’re staying with you.”

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you more,” she said before hanging up, and I tossed the device onto to my mattress.

I emerged from my bedroom and locked eyes with Dean as Jack stood beside him. My eyes instantly watered up at the sight of him. “Dean! Are you okay?” I said, my voice frantic. I ran to him, locking my arms around his back and squeezing.

“I’m fine. How are you? Are you okay?”

I nodded. “You have no idea how scary it was to see you hurt like that.” I tried to shake the images from my mind that I was certain were seared there forever.

“You have no idea how horrible it was to see some guy hitting you,” he replied, his voice rising in anger.

“Can we not talk about that right now?” Jack’s voice sounded angry and I was grateful for the subject change.

I let out a sigh. “I’m just happy you’re okay. Does your head hurt?”

“Like a bitch,” he muttered.

“Before I forget, Melis said you could stay in her room.”

“Yeah? Well I was going to stay in there even if she said I couldn’t,” he said with a laugh. “It’s okay if I take a shower, right?”

“Of course. There’s a shower in Meli’s room. She has extra towels under the sink.” As I spoke, Jack reached for my hand and pulled me toward the couch.

“We’ll be out here when you’re done,” Jack said, before sitting down and pulling me onto his lap. “I’m going crazy inside right now, Kitten. I feel like I’m losing my fucking goddamned mind. I’m not going to practice this weekend. I won’t leave you alone.” He leaned his head against my chest and I ran my fingers through his hair.

“Jack, I love that you care so much about what happened to me, but you can’t be by my side twenty-four hours a day. And you absolutely cannot skip practice this close to the draft. Are you out of your mind?”

He glanced up at me, the pain evident in his narrowed eyes. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you!”

“When you go to practice, Dean will stay here with me. I won’t be alone, okay?” I prayed my suggestion would ease his worry.

He let out a long, exasperated breath. “Okay. He’s the only one I trust anyway…” His voice trailed off. “We’ll take shifts.”

I rolled my eyes, but he didn’t notice. “You have to get past this, Jack. You can’t take it upon yourself to be my personal bodyguard.”

“Yes, I can.”

“You’ll drive me insane,” I snapped, my voice harsher than I intended. “And then I’ll break up with you.”

Jack’s head snapped around as he glared at me with shock and surprise. “What?”

“I don’t want a babysitter. I don’t want a bodyguard. I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Jack, but I don’t want to feel like I’m in a fucking cage.”

He slid my body from his lap and turned to face me, his forehead creased. “Cass, just give me some time to deal with this, okay? It just happened and I feel like I’m losing my goddamn mind.” He cringed as he continued. “Do you know what it feels like to want to beat the shit out of four of your teammates? Four guys I’m supposed to respect and trust. Four guys I trusted completely before tonight.”

I watched as his face twisted with his pain, my heart aching. “I can’t tell you not to be mad at them, Jack. I don’t know why they ran and left me there. I’m sort of conflicted about all that. It did happen really fast, though, I can tell you that. It’s like one minute the guy was with me, then with Dean, then back at me.” I closed my eyes, my head shaking.

“That’s exactly it. You might be conflicted in regards to them, but I’m not.”

Dean walked into the room, a towel wrapped around his waist. “Remind me that it’s really going to fucking hurt next time I try to wash my hair.” He smirked. Dean’s ability to bounce back so quickly after what happened amazed me and gave me hope.

“I’m really tired. I’m gonna go to bed, okay? Love you both,” I said before pushing myself from the couch.

“So much for our weekend alone, huh?” Jack offered me a slight smile.

I looked at Dean before responding. “It’s okay. This is better anyway.”