Page 6 of Their Favorite Game

I laughed, thankful for the change of subject. "Well, I guess that's good to know."

We continued talking and drinking, the guys sharing stories of their high school days and what they hoped to accomplish. As the night wore on, I became more attracted to Jake. His touch, his smile, and how he looked at me made my heart race excitedly. Honestly, I wanted all three of them, but Jake kept giving me attention.

"Hey, Mal," Jake said, leaning close to me. "Can I talk to you outside for a second?"

"Sure." My stomach flipped as if a butterfly sanctuary moved in.

CHAPTER3

Jake

When I was nine,my mother moved me from New York City to Maryvale, New York. A small town in upstate New York. At least to me, it was small. To everyone who lived here, it was larger than most neighboring towns.

I hated my mother for leaving my father. To me, he had everything. He owned a marketing business that he started from the ground up. It was a million-dollar company that afforded us a life I enjoyed at nine. It wasn't enough for my mom.

Being rich and living in New York City was fabulous. I had a personal driver that would take me to school. Of course, my school was Marin Academy, home to children of politicians and celebrities. The birthday parties that I went to rivaled ordinary people's weddings. I never wanted for anything, and yeah, I guess I was spoiled. Nothing could have fixed the hole in my chest from leaving Manhattan. At least, that was what I thought until I met my best friend.

We moved right next to the Andersons. They had two kids, Frankie and Mallory. Frankie was nine as well, and Mallory was only seven. For the longest time, she was the annoying little sister. She always had these lopsided pigtails that would flap as she chased us up and down the street. Even when we tried to escape her, our parents would force us to watch her. I would try to tell her jokes and make her laugh as a bribe to get her to go away. One day Frankie saved up all of his lawn-mowing business money and paid a teenager to keep Mal out of our hair. I couldn't have been happier to not be bothered by her. That changed the summer she turned fifteen.

It was a hot summer day, the kind that made you want to strip down to your skivvies and lay in front of the fan all day. I was in my room when I heard a knock at my window. I looked up to see Mallory standing outside. She wore a tank top that showed off her perky breasts and shorts that barely covered her ass. At fifteen, she had grown up to be quite the stunner.

"Jake, can I come in?" she asked, her voice sweet as honey.

I hesitated for a moment, not quite sure what she was after. Mallory had always been a pest, following me and begging me to play with her. Even with her babysitters and best friend Sammy, she would find ways to try to tag along with her brother and, subsequently, me. But now, looking at her, I could see that she wasn't a little girl anymore.

"Yeah, sure," I said, opening the window and letting her climb into my room.

She sat on my bed and flipped her wavy caramel-brown hair over her shoulder. "It's so hot."

"It is." I shoved my hands into my pockets. "So, what's up?"

"Sammy is at camp. Frankie has a new girl, and I'm bored." Mal rolled over to stare at me. "Wanna hang out?"

I wanted nothing more than to hang out with her. I would have if it wasn't for the pact I made with Matty and Rex. It was a simple pact. None of us could have her. She was Frankie's little sister, and we couldn't do that to our best friend.

Mal arched her back as if tempting me to climb on top of her. There was no way she could know how fast my heart beat in my chest or how badly she was teasing me. Even though I had managed to bury myself in plenty of girls in high school, she had never even gone on a date.

"So?" Mal pushed up on her elbows and raised her eyebrows.

"Um, I can't." I grabbed the back of my neck and looked down at the floor.

"Right, no big." Mal scrambled off the bed and practically dove toward the window.

I tried to open my mouth to stop her. Hanging out with her for the day alone would have been fantastic. It also would have been dangerous. Her foot got caught up in a pile of my clothes. She leaned forward and tried to catch herself. I jumped to grab her. Glass shattered. I was too late.

Mal's arm went through my bedroom window. There was so much blood. Everything after that happened in a blur. Getting her to the hospital was the easy part. Explaining to everyone why she was in my bedroom was difficult. Everyone accused me of fooling around with her. I did have a reputation, but I would never treat Mal like she was just a fun time.

I should have hung out with her, and she wouldn't have gotten hurt.

"Hey, you wanted to talk?" Mal kicked at the gravel in the parking lot.

Her words brought me back to the present. I shook my head from side to side as if to clear it out. "Huh?"

"You said you wanted to talk. So, talk."

"I do." I stared into Mal's eyes. She had the most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen. They were a deep emerald green. When we were together, I would lose myself in her eyes. She was intoxicating. I felt like I was high just being around her.

"Well, go ahead." She chewed her lip and averted her eyes.

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