Page 11 of Boys of Fall

CHAPTER EIGHT

Jerry

“Well, look what the sad cat dragged in,” a girl’s voice sounded off next to my ear. The hay bale I’d been sitting on shook as she sat down. “What you doing over here all by your lonesome looking all miserable, Jer-bear?”

Dammit.

“Hey, Jana,” I said without turning to look at her. “What are you doing here?”

“Rude much? I came to see you,” she said as her cool hand rested on my arm. “I’ve missed you, Jerry.”

“Jana, we only went out twice and that was months ago,” I said and sipped from my fresh cup. “Never mind you were screwing your ex the whole time.” I turned to face her with a smart ass smile. “Still together?”

Even in the dark I could see her face turn bright pink. “Why are you being so hateful when all I wanted was to say hello?”

“Hello, Jana,” I said flatly then squinted at her. “This is a CCJC team party, and you’re the girlfriend of our biggest rival’s quarterback. So, you really shouldn’t be here at all.”

She stomped her foot with a huff. “Like I care about some stupid football rivalry. I told you I came because I wanted to see you. Can’t you just talk to me like friends?”

I sighed and scanned the crowd for Autumn again. “Fine, Jana, talk. Then I got to get back to the party.”

“You know, you left something at my place,” she whispered in my ear, and I flinched away from the warmth of her breath. “I like wearing your boxers to bed.”

An ache started between my shoulders as they tensed. “Keep them. Toss them. I don’t care,” I said and stood as her hand slid down even more to grip my wrist. “I have real feelings for someone, and I doubt that’s something you can understand, Jana. So I’ll see you around.”

Her mouth popped open in outrage. I turned to go and shook her hand off.

“Hey, Jerry,” she called out behind me. When I turned, she smiled with a curious grin that showed me all her teeth. “Good luck at the game.”

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