Page 28 of Laugh

Christ, it’s fucking hot out today. It was past 90° by ten in the morning and I’m miserable. So are my guys and I’m debating calling it an early release day for them.

“Hey man. They’re looking good!”

Spinning around, I see Jensen walking up, holding hands with Haddie’s friend Addie. I think it’s funny that the two of them are such good friends with matching names. I used to know two girls named Sarah and Tara that were best friends. When they were together, they insisted on being called Starah as a single unit.

“Thanks Jen. What are you two up to?”

Addie seems hesitant to answer and looks up at Jensen before widening her eyes, wordlessly hinting to him about something. I’m unsure what the look means and begin to feel a touch uneasy when Jensen nods at her and gives me a sheepish look.

“We’re just hanging out today, thinking about an early movie or something before dinner. I, uhh… well,wewanted to talk to you about something.”

Narrowing my eyes at him, the slow ‘okay’ drawls out of me while I wait to hear what they have to say. I don’t know what they want to discuss, but I already feel my defenses coming up.

He rolls his eyes at me, then smirks. “It’s not really a bad thing. Look, Addie had some concerns about some recent events which she brought up to me. So, instead of just telling her what I thought, we figured we should come right to the source.”

“You’re dancing around what you want to ask. Just ask me.” I look between the two of them, trying to figure out what’s going on. Addie’s narrowed gaze matches my own when she steps forward and crosses her arms, letting go of Jensen.

“You kissed her.” It’s not an accusation, merely a statement, but I don’t know what answer she wants from me. I decide to just go with the truth.

“I did,” I admit, raising an eyebrow at her.

She studies me, chewing on the corner of her lip, then says, “Then you didn’t call her.”

Quickly going through the days, I realize I haven’t texted or called her in five days except to let her know I had a meeting and wouldn’t be able to meet with them for their next tutoring session.Shit, I probably should have called her.

Addie nods her head when she sees that I’m putting it together.

I pull my hat off my head to scrub my fingers through my hair, then groan out a sigh. “I didn’t.”

“Dude,” Jensen says, and I can hear the censorship in his voice. “Not cool, man.”

Whipping her head over to frown at him, she snaps, “No, it’s not just that he didn’t call her. It’s that he kissed her then ran.” Glaring back at me, she takes a step closer and points a finger in my face.

“I’m only going to say this once, so hear me well,Captain. Don’t play with my friend. If you aren’t interested in her, that’s completely fine. Although you’d be an idiot to pass her up because she’s a fucking awesome person.But, if it’s what you decide, that’s fine. What I won’t do is stand back and watch a man give her a million mixed signals, only to kiss her like he wants her before running away. You left her in pieces for days, thinking she’s done something wrong.”

My eyes widen in shock. Not just by Addie’s heated scolding, but that Haddie has been messed up about it since I left.

“Fuck.” It comes out soft, but they both hear me. I try to explain, even while knowing I sound like an ass. “Look. I’m an idiot. When it happened, it caught me really off guard and I wasn’t prepared for both of our reactions to it. I’ll make sure she knows that was on me and not her.”

Addie stays silent, waiting for something more from me.

“Today. I’ll talk to her today.”

Nodding once, she relaxes. “Good. If you’re going to let her down, just do it as nicely as possible, please. I’m not saying this to make you feel guilty, so please don’t take this like I’m pressuring you into something you may not want, but you need to know. She doesn’t handle rejection well. Not just from guys specifically, but rejection in general from people she cares about. It hits her harder than it would a normal person because she convinces herself that it was because of something she did or said. Please be aware of that.”

Addie wasn’t trying to make me feel guilty, but I do, nonetheless. If I had to guess, I’d say a lot of that stems from her family by the little she’s shared with me.

“Yeah, her family. She told me a bit about them.” I say this because I want Haddie’s best friend to know that I understand what point she’s trying to make.

Looking away from me for a moment, she’s hesitant again, but still says what’s on her mind. “Yes, her family. But it hasn’t always just been them. She’s dealt a lot with bullying throughout school and has lost a few friends she thought were close. A couple of them just ghosted her, while another few she overheard talking shit about her behind her back.”

She’s frowning now as she continues. “The point is, she takes it incredibly personally. She really likes you, Beau. Maybe I should have let her share that with you, but I don’t care right now. If you aren’t interested, tell her. If you want to be friends, make that clear. And if youdowant to date her, you haveto makethatcrystal clear to her, or she’ll never know.”

Jensen starts laughing awkwardly and we both look at him. “Sorry. This is why I wanted to bring Addie here to talk to you. I was going to explain to her you aren’t a guy that gives mixed messages, but you kind of have been in this instance. I’d like to stay in this one’s good graces,” he jokes, poking his thumb out at Addie.

“It’s fine.” Then I smile at Addie. “Thank you for saying something. I wasn’t thinking.”

Some of my players start laughing loudly, and turning around, I see that they’re just messing around after finishing up their last runs. Blowing my whistle, I spin my hand in the air to indicate they should run the field. Laughter wants to escape when I see the looks of despair on their faces, but I hold it in. I truly don’t mean to torture them.

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