A Tantalizing Kiss

The next two weeks passed quickly. By some miracle, I was managing to balance the musical with soccer with barely anyone finding out. The musical was progressing along wonderfully. I was surprised at how much fun I was having every rehearsal. I had most of my lines memorized now, but Pierce had shown up to every practice, leaving me useless. True to Macy’s word, Stein was getting more critical as our show date approached, but she was nothing compared to Coach.

The State Cup was fast approaching and practice had begun to end in a heap of
exhaustion. The Saturday practices were killing me. As it was just me there, Coach felt that
he didn’t need to hold back at all. A few times, he would join me, but most of the time he was
next to me, showing me how to improve or yelling at me for slacking off. Despite everything,
the anticipation for the big game overrode any annoyance at Coach. Everyone knew how
important this was for our team. Everyone understood why he was getting short tempered.

Yet, before the State Cup, we had the games before to get through. It seemed every
Friday and ever Saturday we were playing a game in some town three hours away. I didn’t
mind though. Coach usually drove me after Saturday to the game, stopping at McDonald’s
every time.

The play practice had just finished up, everyone staying around to chat with their friends
as they waited for their rides to arrive.

I hopped off the side of the stage, landing gracefully on my feet. I turned around to see
Rose walked down the stairs on the side.

“Wimp,” I teased, meeting her at the bottom.

She rolled her eyes, “I don’t feel like breaking my legs right before the show starts.”

“It’s not that big of a jump!”

She sighed, shaking her head as she walked over to where our bags sat. Rose picked
hers up, crossing her arm over her chest.

“So I was thinking….” I said as I grabbed mine, slinging over my shoulder.

“Does your head hurt now?”

I shot her a look, “Hardy har har. But seriously, this Friday…”

“I’m not going on a date with you.” She sighed, her voice slightly annoyed. I’d been
relentless about asking her on a date. She’d been relentless on declining me.

“I wasn’t going to ask that—”

“Yes you were. And I’m not going.”

“Would you let me finish?!” I laughed.

She pursed her lips, crossing her arms and waiting for me to go.

“Alright. This Friday, what are you doing?”

“I knew it!” She groaned, stomping her foot dramatically.

I chuckled, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and pulling her along with me as we
walked out into the lobby. “Just answer the question.”

“I don’t think I have anything going on, but I’m not going on a date with you.”

“I’m not asking you on a date!”

“Then why do you want to do know what I’m doing on Friday?”

I sighed, stopping. I pulled her over to a wall, leaning my back against it. I stood her in
front of me, resting my hands gently on her shoulders. She looked around, confused.

“This Friday we have our home game against Chancellor here at the school. It’s only
seven to nine usually. Will you go?”

She bit her lip, narrowing her eyes, “This sounds suspiciously like you’re asking me out
on a date again.”

I laughed, “I think you like me asking you out.”

She rolled her eyes.

“But seriously, will you?” I smiled softly,

She hesitated before nodding, “Alright. I guess I will. As long as you promise not to do
anything stupid.”

I stuck out my pinky, “I promise.”

She hooked hers around mine, her face entirely serious.

“I’ll get you a ticket tomorrow.”

“No—”

“It’s cheaper if I buy it because I’m on the team.” I argued, knowing that I was right. “I got
this, Doll. You just need to show now.”

“Are you sure?” She asked quietly, looking up at me from under her bangs.

I was tempted to kiss her. I wanted to so badly. She looked adorable like that, her eyes
wide, sparkling slightly in the light. Her small body looking up at me, her teeth biting gently
into her bottom lip as she waited.

“Yeah, don’t worry.” I said, coughing once. I pushed past the urge. “I’ll see you then,
Doll.”

“I’m not kidding about that promise.” She said, warningly.

I rolled my eyes, pushing myself up and off the wall. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

We walked over to the doors, pushing them open. The warm air swept past us, blowing
our hair around.

Rose stopped once we hit the edge of the sidewalk, the road before us. She turned her
body slightly the opposite way I was going, “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow Mason.”

I grinned, “Catch you later, cutie.”

She rolled her eyes, flipping me off. I laughed, heading over to the soccer field’s parking
lot where I would meet Caden.

I was surprised to see Joey in the driver’s seat instead. She sat hunched over slightly,
hands gripping the wheel in a death grip. Her hair was falling out of her bun and her lips
moved as if she was speaking to herself.

Knowing Joey, she probably was.

I climbed into the passenger’s side, not saying anything. She didn’t ask why I wasn’t in
my soccer uniform, or why I wasn’t sweating. She pulled out of the parking lot, driving down
the highway well over the speed limit.

“Joey, slow down.” I said as the needle approached ninety.

“Shut up,” She hissed. She passed a car sharply, going into the express lane. The
annoyed drive honked loudly. Joey rolled her eyes, sticking her hand out the window and
flicking him off.

“Slow down and I will,”

“Shut up Mason,” Her voice was tense, but the needle declined to eighty.

Considering her state of anger, I figured that was good enough.

Apparently not.

The wail of a siren sounded, the dreadful blue and red lights flashed in the rearview
mirror. It appeared behind us, not moving in the lane.

Joey cussed her under breath, switching her signal on to pull over at the side of the
road.

“Just great,” She hissed, talking more to herself, “Just fucking great. Of all the fucking
days, it has to be today.”

She pulled off to the side, turning the car off. Joey leaned back in the seat, sighing in
defeat. I thought it wasn’t a good time to point out that if she had listened to me, she could
avoid the speeding ticket.

The cop car pulled behind us. I watched in the mirror as he dug around in the front seat
before getting out and coming over to the driver’s side.

Joey rolled down the window, turning her head to face him as he poked his head in,
leaning his forearms on the edge of the window.

“Ma’am, do you know what I pulled you over for?” He asked.

“Yes.” Joey sighed.

“You were going twenty over the speed limit.”

“I know, I’m just having a bad day.” She groaned, “Nothing’s going right.”

“I’m sorry ma’am.” He didn’t sound sorry in the slightest. If anything, annoyed that she
was wasting his time, “License and registration please.”

She looked at me, “Please hand me my purse, Mason.”

I grabbed it from the ground by my feet, giving it to her. She reached into it, pulling out
what the policeman had asked of her. She gave it to him and he moved off to his car to type
the information into his computer.

I glanced at my sister wearily, noticing how her eyes were watering. A small tear slipped
out and raced down her cheek.

She left it there.

I grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently.

Joey left her hand limp in mine, not moving.

~*~

Joey’s mood an only worsened when the police officer handed her the ticket. Though
she kept to the speed limit, she was constantly beeping or cussing at the drivers around her.
I kept my mouth shut, staying out of her hair.

Joey slammed the apartment door shut, storming in.

I stood in the threshold a few minutes longer before walking in. The house was quite
and clean, something that wasn’t supposed to be.

I hesitated by the kitchen, looking around, “Joey…?”

“What.” She snapped from the kitchen, filing up a pot with water.

“Where….Where’s Caden?”

“Left.”

I cussed under my breath, “Is that why you’re in such a bad mood?”

She slammed the half full pot on the stove top, turning the dial all the way up. Joey’s
fists clenched and unclenched in her anger, “That stupid little asshole had the nerve to leave
after everything! He packed up and left! I knew I never should’ve told him! It was a mistake! I
knew he would leave me! But after everything we’ve been through… I thought there was a
chance!”

Her voice broke at the end. She glared at the pot as steam rose up.

“What are you talking about?”

“He left. Gone. Didn’t even say good bye. Packed up and left.”

“Are you sure?”

“He’s going to Colorado!” Her voice cracked again, “I called his work and they said he’d
transferred! That damn coward!”

“What’s going on?”

Joey leaned back against the fridge, sliding down. She buried her face into her hands,
mumbling something I failed to make out.

“What?”

She raised her head. “I said I’m pregnant.”

I blinked, “What?”

“You heard me!”

“You’re pregnant?!”

“It was one time!” She yelled, eyes watering again, “One time we didn’t use a condom!
One time I forgot to take my little pill! One time I didn’t think to get the morning after pill! One
time, Mason, and now I’m pregnant!”

“Joey, are you serious?!”

“Of course I’m serious!”

I felt my knees go weak. I sank down on the ground with her, the wall opposite her. My
hands were against the cool tiles of the kitchen, my eyes wide with disbelief.

“How far along?” I whispered.

“Three weeks.”

“Are you keeping it?”

“Of course I’m keeping it!” She snapped, “I’m not like Mom! It’s a living thing inside of
me! I’m not just going to throw it away! I’m twenty-eight!”

“Joey, you can’t keep a baby.”

“I’m going to try! I thought Caden would help. I thought he’d be my superhero! I thought
he’d at least offer some kind of help! It’s his kid, after all!”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m not a whore, Mason! He’s the only one I’ve slept with in the past six months! Of
course it’s his kid!”

It was silent between us.

My sister was pregnant.

The dad had bailed.

Wow.

“I have a doctor’s appointment next Monday,” She said softly, “It’s going to be hard,
Mason. But I… I can’t just give it up. It’s my baby.”

Her hand moved protectively overtop of her stomach. She rubbed it gently as she spoke,
the slight bulge barely visible.

“Joey…”

She looked up, meeting my eyes.

“What did you mean by you’re not ‘like Mom’?” I asked hesitantly.

Joey looked away, staring at the floor by my feet. It was silent for a moment before she
looked back at me, opening her mouth to speak.

“You know Mom was going to get me aborted?”

I raised my eyebrows.

This was the first I was hearing of it.

“She had me at sixteen. She was going to get me aborted because she thought she
was too young.”

I opened my mouth but no words came out.

“I can’t get this baby aborted.” She whispered, “It’s just wrong. It goes against everything
I stand for. Even if the father won’t be here, I can’t. I’m twenty-eight. I should be old enough to have a baby on my own.”

“But Joey…”

She shook her head, standing up, “I guess if it’s a miscarriage, then everything will be
over. But until then, you’re going to have a niece or a nephew soon.”

The shock ran through my body.

I didn’t know if I should be happy that I was going to be an uncle in nine months.
I didn’t know if I should be angry with Caden for leaving us to fend on our own while she
was expecting a baby.

I didn’t know if I should be worried the baby because Lord knows Joey wouldn’t be the
best parent.

I didn’t know anymore.

Everything was swirling around my mind rapidly, a mix of confusion.

“I’m making spaghetti.” Joey said, walking over to the cabinet and grabbing the dry
pasta from the top shelf.

“Did he take your car?”

“The one he just bought me?”

I nodded.

“No. He left that here. Probably will come send someone to retrieve it in a week or so.”
She shrugged.

“Are you going to let them?”

“I’m not going to use it.”

“Don’t. You’re car’s a piece of crap now, Joey. If you’re going to have a baby, we can’t
risk that thing breaking down.”

She shook her head, “You don’t understand, Mason. I can’t drive that car. I don’t care if
I’m going into labor. I’m not getting in that car ever again.”

“Joey…”

“Just drop it!” She hissed. Joey took a deep breath to steady herself, before changing
the topic, “Can you please set the dinner table?”

I nodded, reaching above her to grab two plates.