Chapter 25 - Jay

This training is a joke. Jake and I smuggle time drinking some water, while the rest is training hard. Sorry, but it's hot and I'm exhausted.

Jake grins for the hundred time today and it's making me crazy. I shove him and raise my eyebrows. "What?"

He shakes his head. "Nothing."

"Jake!" He laughs when I punch him. He is such a dick. "Spill it!"

"You know, you are glowing today." What? I look at him questioning. "So I put 1 and 1 together. Since you and Charlie where together last night, I guess you two had a very busy night." Oh my fucking god. "So that's why you two are exhausted right?"

"Oh shut it, will you." I turn my head away so he can't see the blush that creeps up my face. Yeah Charlie and I were quit busy, but when we felt asleep we both had a nightmare.

The crazy thing was that we both woke up at the same time. Charlie tried to hide that she had a nightmare because she wanted to comfort me. But I saw how scared and panicked she was in her eyes. She dreamed about her dad and what happened, so I pushed my anxiety away and helped her through her panic attack.

She fell asleep quickly after she calmed down and I just watched over her, stroking her cheek, moving a few strands of hair out of her face. I think I fell asleep 20 minutes later.

"You can't say I'm wrong." I hear Jake say.

"But you are." I look at him again. "What did you do with Amelia then?"

A smug smile appears on his face. "Well I had dinner with her and her parents, we had a great time watching a movie afterwards and her dad let me stay over."

I let my head fall to the side. "Yeah right and are you sure that movie was just a movie." When he turns his head away I know enough. He and Amelia are into pretty kinky shit.

"At least I'm not exhausted." He fires back.

"At least we are having great and I mean really great -"

Jake burst out coughing and hits me so I shut up. Keith is next to us within seconds looking at us strangely.

"Alright... What where you guys talking about?" He wipes the sweat from his face with a towel and looks at us with a funny look.

Jake and I look at each other, stumbling over our words.

"Probably sex at the look of their faces." Andrew says with a grin. He plops between us and grabs a water bottle.

"Dude, really?" Jake mentions the close distance between the three of us.

"What?" Andrew shrugs. "What we should discuss is your sex lives." He looks from me to Jake.

I punch him. "No thank you."

My eyes are fixed on Charlie when I know she's coming towards us. I have to fight my smile and when her eyes find mine she has the same problem.

"What are you guys fighting about." Charlie stops in front of us.

"Nothing." Jake quickly says.

"Sex." Charlie looks at me when she says it. Why did she have to do that?

Andrew snorts. "So Jake."

"Nope." He says jumping to his feet. "I'm not going to have this conversation right now." I get him better than ever. First of all, why would he, second of all, Amelia is coming.

"Jay." Andrew says. I know Keith wants to know, I see how curious he is. "We all know you are having sex." I give him a look before Keith can see it.

"Wait, for real?" Keith says behind me.

I grab my stuff and walk away from them. "None of your business." I hear Charlie laugh, it isn't long before she walks next to me.

"Guys." I huff.

I see the grin on her face. "I had to bite my tongue."

"Oh, I saw that.' I playfully push her. We stop our conversation when we hear Keith and Andrew behind us.

"Not gonna tell us are we?"

"Oi, Andrew shut it." I slap him in the back of the head, making him curse. I look up when I hear Charlie swear. My eyes find the spot she's looking at.

A man who looks like Keith stands in the parking lot. His hair is a bit longer and he has a small beard. Her dad. I look at her again. Her hands are clenched into fists.

"Char, I can explain." Keith says when she runs to him and grabs him by his collar.

"Don't fucking mind." She ready to throw her fists in his face and because of that her dad is walking towards us. Jake, Andrew and I look at each other. Shit. "I will punch my fist so far down your throat that I can feel you fucking guts."

"Charlie." I say. Andrew tries to pull them apart. "Let him go." I lay my hand on her back, but it doesn't work this time.

"He just wants to see you." Keith pleads. "Come on Charlie, just say hi."

She growls, pushing him so hard back that both Keith and Andrew stumble. "Why can't you fucking listen."

"Keith." A deep voice finds our ears and I see how panicked Charlie gets. She has to get out of here.

Her eyes find mine, tears are forming in her eyes and she tries with everything in her to control herself.

Before Keith can stop her, she walks the other way. "Charlie, just wait!"

She holds up her middle finger and walks harder. I look at Jake who nods at me. They have everything under control.

"Keith, what was that about, I thought you said she wanted to see me." Their father stops in front of us and I'm fucking disgusted. I see his eyes, they look innocent, but I know he's not. I can't stand here, acting like he did nothing.

I turn around before Keith can introduce me and follow Charlie. I hear him call after me, but I really can't. I just walk further, make my way towards the locker rooms, where Charlie is. I hear how she beats her fists against the lockers. When I step inside, she has thrown a bench on its side and she sits under the shower head. With her head between her knees.

My heart aches seeing her like this. So broken. I walk further into the room. I throw my bag towards hers and while I keep looking at her I take off my shirt and shoes.

"Charlie." I say carefully. She breaks down hearing my voice. Her shoulders shake while she cries and let me tell you that she cries rarely. I swallow the big lump that's forming in my throat and step closer to her. I'm drenched within seconds but I don't mind.

The shower is off, so I bend in front of her. "Baby." I whisper, but she still doesn't look up, she grabs a hold of my wrist when I try to pull up her face. I know she hates crying, she thinks she's weak when she does, but she isn't weak, she's so strong.

I peel her hand away, cares the back of her hand softly. "Please look at me." To comfort her more I stroke her leg gently. "Please." I plead.

She let me tilt her head, her eyes are red and puffy from crying, but she's still beautiful. Even when's she's sitting in soaked clothes. "I'm here." I let my hand rest on her cheek and I know it's okay when she lays her head better in my hand. "He's not going to hurt you okay."

She nods slowly. She follows my breathing and when I know she's doing okay again, I check her knuckles. I sigh a sigh of relief when they are nothing more than a little bruised. They are not broken or split so that's good.

I move myself so I'm sitting next to her. I pull her towards me until she rests her head on my chest and I'm gently massaging her scalp. Her eyes close so I know I'm doing a good job. "It's okay." I whisper. "He can't hurt you, I will beat him up." She chuckles.

"You can't." Her voices comes out raspy and it kind of turns me on a bit. "You will break your hand."

"Excuse me." She chuckles again. "I have legs, I can kick very hard, do you want a demonstration?"

She shakes her head. "No thank you, but I won't let you fight him."

"Because you know I'm unstoppable?" I say with a grin.

"Because I don't want you near him, ever." We look into each others eyes at the same time. I caresses her cheek. "And I will kill him if he even looks at you."

I don't know how to react on this so I just kiss her. "Don't." I rest my forehead against hers. "I don't want you near him either." She smiles onto my lips.

We just sit her on the floor of the locker room, drenched and in silence. Holding onto each other. After a while I can't take it anymore.

"Do you want to go home?" I whisper.

"Yeah." She whisper back.

I get up and pull her up after me. I grin when she wraps her arms around me and kisses my neck. "I'm not letting go."

"Well you have to, if you want to get home." I let her kiss me for a few seconds before I struggle out of her grip and change into my normal clothes.

"I hate to say this, but I do need to learn for a hour." I hear her say. I turn towards her, I know she didn't want to say this. I learned her to say things when they were important or on her mind, because she's bad at lying and pretending that everything is fine. She spaces of dozens of times.

"That's okay, I do want you to graduate, you know." She smiles at me. "And it gives me time to finish an assignment I didn't had to finish because of you."

"Because of me!"

I give her a look. "Last night...?" I tilt my left eyebrow. "I was almost done, but you had different plans."

She can't keep the grin of her face. "I'm sorry, but you looked really good in my shirt."

"Ah, was that it?"

She rolls her eyes. "And I needed to relief some stress from all the learning." I give her a look. "And fine, yes, I was horny." I grin.

I grab her face and pull her in close. "Did I say that I minded?" I kiss her soft lips.

We've been dating for quit a while now and although we clearly drive each other crazy by just standing in the same room. Learning was never easier than with her next to me, it kind of calms me.

"I really hope I'm getting into Harvard or Stanford." I roll my eyes at her.

She gets a whole covered scholarship for both schools. When the scouts saw her they directly contacted her for the women's teams. It's going to be a bit different tho, she has to play softball will she continue in playing the sport. That's what's making her doubt.

"Babe, they both want you." I say. "It's your choice, you have to make it." I know Stanford is her favorite. She wants to get away as far as possible and she dreamed of Stanford as a kid, because they are good at the sports.

"I'm... I..." She sighs.

"What?" I look at her.

"I don't want to be 44 hours away from you."

My eyes find hers and I kiss her lips so light she barely feels it. "Don't make your choice because of me, this is about your future, okay." I kiss her cheek. "I will figure it out okay, it's just for a year."

She shakes her head. "It's only a year if you choose Stanford too, but I know you."

"Charlie, please." I say. "Don't make this decision based on me."

"I will follow you anywhere." Oh Charlie.

I stroke her cheeks. My love. "Just think about it alright, you still have a great amount of time."

"This will be the best summer ever." I grin and let her kiss me.

"And now we are really going." We grab our stuff and make our way towards the parking lot. Thank god everyone left.

In about a month Charlie has her final exams she's working her ass off learning and a lot has been on her mind. Ever since AJ, god ever since she told me about her dad. So that makes it a lot harder. And we are almost 8 month together, well not officially, but we are almost 8 months dating without anyone knowing. This is complicated.

I think almost everyone knows at this point, it's almost impressive that Keith still doesn't knows about us.

But because the finals are getting closer, Charlie's more stressful. Especially about her decision. Both schools want her. And she want me. She even made a pro's and con's list and let me tell you that Charlie does not do lists.

I just want her to think about her future. I want her to make the decision that makes her happier, even tho that means it's getting harder for us. We can get through it, I just know it.

-------

A knock at her door part our lips. I fall back on the bed with a groan. It's good that someone interrupt us because we will never learn if we keep making out. But it's also frustrating.

"What?" Charlie yells.

"Are you guys changing? Can I come in?" Charlie rolls her eyes at her brother.

"Keith what do you think we are doing in here? Doing a fashion show?" She mocks.

He opens the door. "I don't know, I'm not a girl." He seems surprised when he sees our textbooks. "Learning, you guys are learning?"

"What do you want?" She says annoyed.

"I don't understand you guys." He shakes his head, while speaking more to himself than to us. "I just wanted to say that I'm staying this weekend at dads, there is still a spot for you if you want it."

"No thank you." She says almost immediately. She sits up.

"You sure, you know you can just have dinner with us and go, right?" He straightens the strap of his travel bag. My eyes find Charlie, I know she's getting panicked again.

"No, I don't want to, just go." She says turning her head away.

"Char-"

"Keith, can I ask you something. Downstairs?" I say, interrupting him. I have to hold a mocking laugh when I see the hope in his eyes.

"Y-y-yeah yeah, sure." He gives me a bright smile before leaving her room.

"Char, baby, look at me." I say.

She takes a deep breath before she does. "Why?"

"Look in my eyes." She does what I say. "Breath in and out, slowly, it's okay." I cares her cheek. "I will be right back alright."

She pulls me back before I can leave and she kisses me. "If he touches you -"

"He won't." I push my forehead against hers for a few seconds. "I promise." When I know she believes me I make my way downstairs. Keith is casually standing against the kitchen counter, drinking out of a bottle of water.

"What's up." He tries to say it cool, but it doesn't really work out. After a few seconds he knows I'm not her to ask if he wants to get a drink or something he thought about in his mind.

I shove my hands in my pockets before looking at him. "I know you like me, Keith."

"Well, yeah." He slowly says. "It's a bit obvious isn't it?"

I chuckle. "Yeah it is." He walks over to me, I have to say this fast. "I... I'm sorry but I don't have feelings for you, Keith."

He doesn't stop tho, he stands a few inches away, barely presses his body against mine. "Are you sure about that?" He looks me straight in the eye. "Because I'm not."

I put my hand on his chest to keep him from getting closer. "You're just a friend Keith and I'm sorry I didn't told you this sooner."

"Nah." He shakes his head. Omg, this dude is making me so damn angry. "You like me." When he pushes through my barrier I can't take it anymore.

"I'm seeing someone." I step back baling my hands into fists. "I'm dating someone for quit a while now."

Keith steps back in utterly disbelief. "What?"

"I'm not single." I sigh. "Sorry but I'm seeing someone."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He says. "You let me on for fucking months, Jay." I deserve this. "I hope you really, really have fallen in love so that prick can cheat on you."

My head shoots right up and I see how his eyes fill with regret. "So I will come running right towards you? Huh? Fuck you, Keith!" I spit the words in his face. "You're a fucking jerk."

"Jay -"

"Just go." I say, turning away my head.

"Jay, I'm sorry."

"I thought higher of you, I don't even know If I should even call you a friend." My eyes burn with anger.

He closes his eyes for a moment. He shakes his head and walks towards the front door. "I hope he threats you well." And with that he slams the door shut. Fuck!