You and Everything After (Falling #2)(96)

“Yeah, I’m Cass,” she says, looking at me, like I know who he is.

“Hi, uhm…okay, well, I’m the beat reporter for the McConnell Times,” he’s nervous, and he’s dropped his pen twice in the span of a single sentence. Heaven help this kid if he ever tries to become a reporter anywhere bigger than a school with an enrollment of twenty thousand.

“Okay,” Cass says, waiting for him to get to the point. I’m waiting too. There’s a game about to start. Why is this not important to everyone else?

“I was wondering…would you let me ask you a few questions, maybe for a short profile, for the women’s soccer team? Since you’ve overcome so much, playing with MS and everything,” he’s getting his ground now. Unfortunately, he’s hit on that taboo topic. I feel for the kid, really.

“You know what? Yeah, sure. But we have to sit back here—they’re really into the game,” she says, shocking the hell out of me.

“You sure?” I whisper to her as she steps in front of me to follow the reporter to the last row.

“I’m absolutely sure. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, about talking about my MS. There aren’t a lot of teenagers out there who are like me, but there are some. And they need to hear what I have to say,” she says, nodding with a smile as she steps to the back, a few rows behind me.

I can still hear their interview, and even though my heart is focused on my brother and on the field, a part of it is also stuck behind me, so unbelievably proud of my little Ninja Princess.

“So, what are your thoughts on the whole Chandra scandal? Did you have any idea about her drug problem?” he asks. I listen close to this question, waiting for Cass’s response, and when I turn my head to the side, I notice that Paige is listening too. She’s looking at her phone, but nothing’s open. She’s eavesdropping.

“I had no idea. I was shocked, and it’s a big blow to our team for sure, losing her. But you know what? We’ll get through it,” Cass says, not dwelling on Chandra for long at all. While she talks, I watch Paige’s reaction, and her mouth curls up slightly to the side. And it’s more than just being proud of her sister and her ability to dance around a tough question.

“Crazy how that whole Chandra thing blew up, huh? The way those pictures found their way online?” I say, looking at Paige, calling her bluff.

“Yeah,” she says, everything about her expression disinterested, as if she couldn’t care less. But her eyes—they’re just narrowed enough, and I read her loud and clear. “Definitely...crazy,” she says, her lips careful with that word.

She stands up and tells Houston that she’s thirsty. She steps around him, and looks back at me one last time as she walks up the ramp. Her nod was just slight enough, not enough for anyone else to notice. But I know what she did for her sister. And I’ll keep this secret for her—because damn, I’m impressed.

We get through the National Anthem, the play-ball kid and the first pitch, and by the time Nate’s up to bat, Cass is back sitting next to me, Rowe on my other side. And they’re both crossing their fingers, holding their breath. They get it. No fussy fuss.

After he hits for a double with one RBI, I lean over to Cass and kiss her cheek. She sweeps her hair behind her ear when I do, then turns to me, her cheeks a little pink from the warm spring sun.

“What was that for?” she asks.

“Nothin’,” I shrug. “Just proud of you, I guess.”

I turn my attention back to the field, cheering loudly as my brother steals third, but Cass keeps her eyes on me. I can feel the heat of her stare, and I grab my hat from her head and tilt it to the side to block her view, because wow, I’m getting a little inspired by her attention.

She grabs my hat back and puts it on her head, where it really belongs, then puts her hands on my face, pulling me to her lips, stopping just short of a kiss.

“You know I love you, right?” she says, and I smile and pull her the rest of the way in until her mouth crashes into mine. I kiss her longer than I should at a baseball game, and I totally miss my brother sliding into home. I miss the next two batters too, and I don’t stop until I’m sure every single guy at the stadium has seen me kiss this girl.

This girl.

My sexy Ninja Princess.

The only girl I need to know…anywhere.



THE END





Don’t miss book 3 in the Falling Series!

The Girl I Was Before – Paige and Houston’s story

Coming 2015




Preview:





Paige


I’m only half listening to Chandra bark orders at me over the phone.

“We’re going to need more food. The homecoming parties are always crowded. Sigma is coming, and they’ll easily push us over five hundred. And get more shrimp. You didn’t get enough shrimp.”

Somewhere along the way, she hung up. I must have said goodbye. I’m sure I said goodbye.

I hate her.

I hate her for what she did to my sister, when she confronted her about her assaulter in front of people. I hate her for this invisible power she has over me because she’s the president of our sorority. I hate her because her boyfriend is friends with my boyfriend.

I hate her because part of me wants to be like her, and I hate her because the weaker part of me doesn’t.