Don't Hate the Player...Hate the Game(28)

“Maybe he was real with you, and you just didn’t realize it.”

“Huh?”

“In all the years that you guys were friends, you’re telling me you never saw a different side to him?”

I closed my eyes in thought. My mind whirled in a mosaic of colorful memories. I thought about the camping trip when Jake saved my life. I thought about the Father/Son camping trip in Scouts that Jake refused to go on just because I didn’t have a dad to go with me. And then I thought about the six weeks when my grandfather was sick and how he stayed by my side like a brother. How could I not see before how self-less he truly was? I mean, sure he had his epic douchebag moments, but even before he was ‘changing’ into a so-called better person, he did kindhearted things. Deep down, I guess he was a truly giving person, but I’d just been too blind to always see it.

A knot formed in my throat. I swallowed several times before murmuring, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Maddie smiled. “He talked about you a lot.”

I snapped my head to stare at her. Oh, holy hell. “He did?”

She smiled. “Yeah, all the time.”

I didn’t respond for a few minutes as I contemplated all the wild nonsense he could have said. “What did he...say—you know about me?”

“That you were a good guy and a good friend—too good of a friend than he sometimes deserved. Oh, and he told me the duct tape story!”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course he did.”

Maddie laughed. “Don’t worry, I told him what a jerk he was to do that to you.”

I laughed. Miss Choir Priss was full of surprises. “You did?”

“Uh, huh, and you know what he said?”

I shook my head.

“He said, ‘Well, I didn’t know how else to get him to be my friend’.”

A strange burn radiated through my chest. It continued up my throat to where I choked. “Yeah, he had some issues, but he was a good friend,” I finally said.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. Maddie cleared her throat. “Um, I guess I better call my dad. He dropped me off on his way home,” she said.

“I can give you a ride,” I suggested.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I don’t mind.”

I held my hand out and helped her up off the grass.

“Thanks,” she replied, with a smile.

“No problem.”

When I opened the Jeep door for her, I wanted to slap myself. I didn’t have a freakin’ clue what had gotten into me. I had never done that for a girl in my life. I shrugged the thought away.

Maddie told me how to get her to house. She lived in a nice subdivision only a few streets over from where I lived.

After I eased the Jeep behind her dad’s car, I turned to look at her.

She smiled. “Thanks for the ride.”

“No, problem. I was glad to do it.”

She hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Would you like to come in for a while?”

I don’t know what I was more surprised about. The fact she asked me in, or the fact I agreed. Seriously, I was ready to cue the music from The Twilight Zone. As Maddie walked ahead of me, I eyed her suspiciously, contemplating what kinda weird hold she had over guys. A part of me was tempted to run back to the Jeep and bail. I mean, Jake’s miraculous conversion happened sometime after getting involved with Pastor Dan’s rehabilitation program. Maybe he had some weird brainwashing wing, and she helped him by luring in unsuspecting teens.

Yeah, I was losing it!

When she breezed through the front door, Maddie called, “Hey guys, I’m home!”

Pastor Dan poked his head out of the kitchen. “Wasn’t I supposed to pick you up? Don’t tell me you hitched or something?” he asked with a smile.

Maddie laughed. “No Daddy, Noah gave me a ride home.”

“Hey, Mr. Parker,” I said.

“Hi there, Noah. Thanks for being so kind.”

“I was glad to, sir.” Sir? Okay, something had seriously gotten in to me. I rarely if ever referred to anybody as sir. I swallowed nervously as the brainwashing cult idea flashed in my mind.

“We’ve ordered a pizza for game night, Maddie. Noah, would you like to stay?” Mrs. Parker asked.

I glanced over at Maddie. She nodded and smiled. “Okay, that sounds great. Just let me text my mom to let her know where I am,” I replied.

Pastor Dan smiled. “Good, we’ll be more than happy to have you.” He looked over at Maddie. “Will you go get Josh and tell him the pizza is on its way?”

“Sure,” she said.

For some reason, I followed Maddie up the stairs. Maybe it was because I was afraid to be alone with Pastor Dan. Like I was afraid he’d really whip out the religious hoodoo on me if we were alone.

When we got to the top of the landing, Maddie stopped. She turned back to me and bit her lip. “Um, Noah. There’s something I should tell you about my brother before you meet him.”

Before she could say anything else, a kid who look about eight or nine, came bounding out of a room at the end of the hall. “Hey Maddie!” he cried.

I froze in the hallway. The kid had chalky white skin, and he was bald. He couldn’t have been more than seven, so I knew he didn’t have male pattern baldness at an early age. He was sick.