Chapter Thirteen

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I sit on the porch and watch as Liam shows them what to do. He looks graceful as he skates back and forth with ease. He is in a plain white shirt and black jeans. His hair keeps falling into his eyes, and he pushes it back, running his fingers through the dark curls. When he spots me, his face breaks into a lovely smile, and he waves at me.

It troubles me just how gorgeous he is. I give him a small smile and wave back. I watch as he grabs Zach and throws him over his shoulder. Zach laughs out loud, screaming. This is a nice view.

I smile a little brighter.

My brothers don't really have a male figure in their life. They see our father once every two weeks if he's in town and cares to take them.

Liam puts Zach down and holds Dean's hand running alongside him as Dean struggles to skate.

"Hey!"

I turn around to find Becky. The girl next door, hugging Lux and smiling at me.

"Hey, Becky." I smile.

She's in Zach and Dean's class. I used to babysit her when her parents had date nights. She flashes me a smile, revealing her braces.

"Your brothers got skateboards?" She asks, playing with Lux's hair.

"Yes, they did." I nod.

"I asked for a skateboard for my birthday. But my mom said it's not appropriate for a lady."

I hold back a peal of laughter. Lady? What's Mrs. Grover thinking saying this to an 8 year old? This is the 21st century, for God's sake. Gender roles are pretty much nonexistent. Or atleast, they should be. Besides, who said skating was for boys?

"I'm sure Zach doesn't mind lending you his skateboard sometimes," I tell her.

"Are you kidding? Zach hates me. He says I dress like a zombie."

Damn you, Zach!

I glare at him even though he can't see me.

"But I think I kind of like him." She says.

I snap my head her way, and she looks at me with embarrassment.

"You do?" I ask her.

"Please, don't tell him." She puts Lux down and looks at me pleadingly.

"You see that guy over there." I point at Liam.

"Yes." She says.

"I think I kind of like him," I tell her, and she gasps.

"Really?" She asks, her eyes twinkling with curiosity

"Yes." I nod.

"Does he like you back?" She asks.

"I don't know. What do you think?" I ask, but before she can reply, we are interrupted by Zach.

"Jess, come try it with us." He says.

"Try what?" I look at him.

"Skating, come on!" He pulls on my hand, and I get up.

"I can't, but Becky here wants to try." I smile and wink at her.

"What?" He looks at her, and then he looks at me. I know that look.

No, you don't! Mr. Zachary Grayson.

"If you show her how to skate, I promise I'll try." I try to compromise. He silently considers this.

"Fine!" He finally sighs.

"Really?" Becky smiles, standing up.

"Come on!" He snaps at her and leads the way.

Jerk!

Liam chuckles when he sees me coming.

"You agreed." He grins.

"Did you send Zach?"

"I assumed you would say no to me." He shrugs.

When have I ever?

Liam steps off the Skateboard and helps me onto it. I latch onto his shirt, staring down like I just stepped on the ledge of a tall tower.

"It's not as hard as you think." He assures me.

"What if I fall?"

"I won't let you fall." He says, and my heart flutters.

"Take a step, and as you do, push against the ground. Keep your arms stretched out to help your balance."

I try to do as he says, but I wobble, and I feel my legs give out. But he catches me.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"I'm fine."

I try again, and the same thing happens. This happens over and over. I'm so in my head that I can't even maintain my balance for 5 seconds.

"What is wrong with you? Even Becky is doing it." The frustration is clear in Zach's voice.

"Listen, Jess, don't be afraid. The moment you let your fear get the best of you is when you lose your balance. Just trust yourself." Liam tells me.

Okay, Jessica! You've got this, damn it!

"Okay, I can do this," I say, pushing him away.

"Are you sure?" He hesitates.

"Yes," I assure him, and he steps away.

I start pushing against the ground, and I hold my hands out for balance. I actually start skating.

I'm skating!

I turn around.

"I think I got thi..." Before I can even finish with my sentence, I'm losing my balance and swaying from side to side. I snap my head back and throw my hands up trying to regain my balance but its too late. I send my hands down for support and land flat on my ass, crushing my fingers in the process. I wail as all my weight rests on my wrists. The pain is excruciating.

All four of them rush to me.

"Why did you turn around?" Dean asks, kneeling beside me.

"Are you okay?" Liam takes ahold of my wrists.

"Ahh!" I cry out as a sharp pain ripples from my hand all the way to my brain.

"Does your hand hurt?" He holds it up, and I wince.

"I think you sprained your wrist." He says.

"I'm gonna go get mom," Zach says, but I shake my head.

"No, it's okay. I'll go to her." I struggle to get up, and Liam helps me. But he accidentally holds my hand a little too tight, and I feel the pain shooting to my ears.

I wince.

"Fuck! I'm sorry, baby."

Baby?

For a moment, I forget how to breathe. Butterflies erupt in my stomach. I never cared to be called by anything other than my name when I was with Elliot, but it somehow has a different effect on me coming out of Liam's mouth. But he doesn't even seem aware that he's said it as he helps me to the door.

"Will she be okay?" Becky asks him, eyes full of worry.

"I'll be fine. You guys go play, okay?" I smile at her reassuringly.

Once inside, Liam informs my mom what happened. She makes me ice my wrist and wraps it in a bandage and tells me to elevate it to avoid swelling. There is no way I could ever skate again. Yeah, I give up just like that!

I tell Liam I want to rest and head up to my room.

I can't remember how I fell asleep, but I wake up to my phone vibrating. I slowly open my eyes and reach for my phone, but I wince as sharp pain travels up my arm. I forgot about my stupid wrist!

"Hello," I say, picking the phone up with my good hand.

"Jess, it's me, Steff." Steff says.

"I'm aware it's you. What time is it?" I ask groggily.

"It's 8. Don't tell me you're already asleep."

"Not anymore. What's up?" I ask.

"I feel bad about what happened today. I know we haven't been spending much time together. I miss you."

"I miss you too," I say, sitting up.

"I'll come by tomorrow. Will you be home?" She asks.

"Yeah. I have a lot to tell you. And I met my father today, details tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." She says.

"Goodnight." I hang up and lay on my back.

I wonder if Liam left after I came up or if he stayed and played with the twins some more. I hope he did. They seemed to like him.

A knock comes on my door.

"Yeah?" I yell.

Mom opens the door and lets herself in.

"Oh, good! You're awake. Somebody's here to see you." She says.

"Who?" I ask, confused.

"Jayden?" She raises a brow.

I leap to my feet, and I rush to the mirror to fix myself up before I run downstairs.

He's standing with his back turned. He's looking at the photos on the shelf.

"Jayden," I call. He turns around.

"Hey!" He takes two steps, and he's embracing me in a hug.

"Ah." I cry out in pain as he crushes my hand underneath him. He pulls away immediately and looks at my hand for the first time.

"What happened?" He asks, shocked.

"I sprained my wrist," I tell him.

"Clumsy much?" He arches his brows.

I glare at him.

"Sorry. I just think you should be more careful." He holds my hand delicately and examines it.

"Why are you here, Jayden?" I ask, taking my hand back.

"Because I don't want you to be mad at me. What I did was impulsive and dumb. I can't leave until you forgive me." He says, and I sigh.

"I just don't get what it is with you two."

"That doesn't matter. You mean a lot to me even though we haven't known each other for too long. I'm not sorry about the things I said to him. I'm only sorry that I hurt you."

I nod. Getting into it all over again is no good. I know that at this rate, they will never be willing to tell me the truth.

"So, are we good?" He asks, searching my eyes.

"Of course, we are." I smile.

"Good." He holds my gaze. All of a sudden, there is tension in the room, and it is very new for us.

"Well, I'm gonna..." He gestures at the door.

"Yeah, yeah."

He reaches and gives me an awkward half-hug. My hands hang limply on my side because I wasn't expecting that. I then walk him to the door, and we say our goodbyes. I lock the door and turn around to find my mom staring at me with penetrating eyes.

"What?" I ask.

"That boy likes you."

I choke out a burst of laughter.

"No, he does not."

"I know longing when I see it. He was looking at you with hearts in his eyes." She says, and my eyes widen.

"Wow! All this happened just now? Where was I?" I mock and walk past her.

"Are Liam and Jayden friends?" She asks.

"More like mortal enemies."

"Sounds like a recipe for disaster." She says, sounding an awful lot like my subconscious.

My mind goes back to their fight, but I shake my head. There's no way.

"You're wrong," I tell her and head up.

Liam and Jayden hated each other long before I came into their lives. Even though I have no idea why. I bet Red Miss Perfect knows. Something about her just doesn't sit right. Or it could be the fact that she and Liam make a dynamic duo, and I just can't stand the thought of that.

***

Hello, dear, dear readers :) I know this chapter is short so I'm going to update another one in a short while. Don't forget to vote.

Smooches!

Love, Becca.


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