Chapter Twenty-four

After Ash and Doni followed me to Abuela's and found out about my secret, I was so ecstatic they were able to spend time with Sophia. I was afraid they would think less of me for having a baby at seventeen, but there was no judgment. They were supportive, loving, understanding, and overprotective. Not just with me, but with Sophie.

Things at home haven't changed much. I've barely seen Mom since she's been working double shifts. Josiah's been working non-stop at the club. He still has ties with Hector, which worries me, and I dread and wonder if he is back to selling and dealing drugs. Josiah bought a very expensive stroller for Sophia which I know his salary at the club could not afford.

Sitting on Tia's bed working on my calculus assignment, I watch her in amusement as she shakes the upper part of her body to our favorite Latino artist Yandel, "Sumba,"while painting her toenails.

My phone beside my book alerts me to a text message.

Ash: Hey Curly Sue. Do you need a ride to the game tonight?

Me: ???

Ash: Don't fight me on this. You. Are. Going.

"Who are you texting?" Tia asks as she finishes the final touches on her toes. She painted her toes black and orange for Halloween.

"Ash wants me to go the football game with him tonight at his school."

"Ooh! You are so fucking going," she shrieks while turning her ass around like a lazy Susan to face me.

"Um, no I'm not. I don't do football games, you know that."

"Who cares about that. Just go! Who knows? You might enjoy yourself." She blows air on her wet toenails.

My phone dings again.

Ash: U R coming even if I have 2 drag you.

Tia gets up from the floor and sits beside me on her bed.

"I know what you're thinking. You don't feel like you deserve them, but you have no idea how much you do. They need you too, you know. You weren't the only one who lost part of yourself. Them wanting to be near you has to count for something." She rubs my arm.

"You have no idea how much you mean to me."

"You mean a lot to me too, babe." She gives me one tight squeeze and jumps off the bed.

"Alright!" She clasps her hands together with excitement. Tia walks toward her closet and glances over her shoulder at me.

"What?"

"We are going to the game." She slides clothes on the hangers over the bar until she finds exactly what she's looking for.

"And we are going to have fun tonight cause I'm going with you." She pulls out a pair of dark blue sexy ripped boyfriend jeans and a dark maroon lace long sleeve casual top that will show a little cleavage.

"Tia, don't you think that's a little fancy to wear at a football game?"

"Um…no. Who says you can't look sexy and casual at the same time?" She throws them on the bed and demands I change my clothes.

While Tia gets ready, I send a quick text to Ash.

Me: Tia is coming with me, so I'll ride with her.

A few seconds later, he responds.

Ash: Fuck yeah! Here's the address. I'll meet you at the gate.

I giggle to myself and tuck my phone in my purse. Tia emerges from the bathroom looking sexy as hell in her tight skinny jeans, black belt with a decorative silver buckle, a cold shoulder black link chain V-neck top that reveals her lace black bra, and hair pulled back in a ponytail. Only Tia could make a simple ponytail look sexy.

"Are you seriously wearing those to the game?" I point at her six-inch stiletto heels. She looks down at her feet and shrugs. "Yeah, so? They're comfy." She walks over to her vanity and puts on her deep red lipstick. She pops her lips together and blows me a kiss.

"Let's go before you change your mind." She grabs her coat and leads the way out the front door.

I call my abuelita to check in with my baby girl before we head out.

Ash is exactly where he said he would be when we pull up to the school's parking lot . He's wearing his letterman jacket while glancing at his phone. But that isn't what's causing my head to ache. Donovan is standing beside him also wearing his letterman jacket with his baseball cap on backwards and with both hands in his pockets, looking out in the parking lot like he's searching for someone. And that someone is me because once our eyes meet as I'm getting out of Tia's car, he doesn't look away. When Tia slams her door shut, the sound causes Ash to glance up, widening his smile when he sees us. He puts his phone in his pocket and jogs toward me, but Donovan stays behind, eyes still locked on me.

"Oh shit," Tia says as if she didn't mean to say it out loud. I glance over at her to see the hunger of lust in her eyes.

"Tia," I warn in a low grumbly voice.

"What?" She dismisses me and put on her seductive smile as Ash makes his way toward us. "Only D boy is off limits. His brother is fair game."

"Hey, hey! You made it!" He lifts me off the ground and squeezes me in a hug.

Ash puts me down and looks over at Tia, scanning up and down her body. He smiles back at her with interest. He picks Tia up into his arms and twirls her around in the air while she squeals.

"Hey, Shorty." I turn to face Doni and the warm feelings that are bubbling up inside me cause my cheeks to burn with desire. He grins once he notices the redness on my face.

"Hey,."

"Alright!" Ash walks toward me. "Let's go." He looks over at Tia. "Are you sure you're going to make it with those things on?" He flicks his eyes toward her feet. Tia rolls her eyes. She ignores him by walking ahead of him, shaking her hips back and forth. She looks over her shoulder and gives me a wink. I grin and shake my head.

"Okie dokie then," Ash says as he jogs until he catches up with her.

We finally get to our seats which have a perfect view of the field. Holy shit. It's a freaking state-of-the-art stadium. Tia looks back at me, reading my thoughts when she mouths "wow." Doni sits at the end on my left, and Tia on my right beside Ash. While Tia and Ash are going back and forth about her shoes, I look around as the school colors fill the stands.

"How's Sophie doing?" Doni asks.

"She's good."

He nods. "That's good. And your grandma? How is she?"

"Good. She asked about you guys."

"Oh yeah?" He looks surprised.

"Yeah. She wanted to know when you guys were coming over for dinner." I pull my hair into a messy bun since the wind makes my curls smack my face.

He chuckles.

"What are you doing for Halloween?" He asks.

"Tia and I are going to Seb's house for his annual Halloween party." I clear my throat. "He's a good friend of ours."

His face is expressionless while he nods, staring out into the field.

"Are you guys having your birthday party on Halloween like you used to?" I tuck my hands underneath my thighs to keep them warm.

"Yeah, we are. We're having it at our family cabin." I can feel his eyes on me. He leans forward, staring directly into my eyes. I hold his gaze. The intensity of his blue eyes, almost angelic, renders me powerless, succumbing into his compulsion.

"I want you to come. You can even bring Tia." His smile is contagious and dangerous. I will do whatever he commands me.

"I'll think about it." I briefly look away into the field and watch as Doni's school's football team makes a touchdown. The crowd goes wild as they stand from their seats, cheering them on. Tia and Ash continue to bicker back and forth in a friendly and flirtatious way. I catch Addy glancing in our direction from the field, shaking her pom poms in the air. Tia suddenly stands and climbs over Ash, grabbing my hand, and says, "Let's go and get some snacks. I'm hungry."

After we buy pretzel bits with cheese to share and two fountain drinks, we make our way back to our seats. Before we reach them, Tia pulls me aside out of view from the guys and says, "So, what's going on with you and D-boy?" She hands me my Coke.

"D-boy?" I laugh, grabbing the Coke from her.

"It fits him." She shrugs. "Seriously, though, you guys haven't said one word to each other. It's awkward as fuck to watch."

"Then don't watch." I grab a pretzel bit and dip it in the cheese before putting it my mouth.

"Well, he wants you."

"What? What are you talking about?" I cast her a skeptical look.

Tia takes a sip of her drink. "Have you seen the way he looks at you? He wants to rip your clothes off." She pops a bit in her mouth without the cheese. The cheese gives her the runs.

"That's ridiculous." I take another bit and groan because it's so good.

"God. You sound like you're having an orgasm."

"I nearly choke on my pretzel. She pats my back.

"It is not ridiculous.."

"Tia, we're just friends." The words are like poison on my tongue.

We walk until we stop on the top of the stairway.

"Yeah, well, I know what I see."

"Like he's found his other half." She looks toward where Doni is sitting a few rows down talking to a few guys.

"I'll let you sit on that. Come on. Let's go back because I'm freezing my ass off and sitting next to Ash keeps me warm."

"Hey, what's going on with you and Ash anyway? You two seem pretty cozy." I wiggle my eyebrows at her.

"Ha! He wishes. I don't think he can handle a girl like me. We don't have anything in common, well, besides you."

"Come on. You don't think he's handsome?"

She stops midway and turns to me. "Yeah, but we go further than friends." She takes several sips of her Coke as we walk down the steps toward our seats.

Yeah, I don't buy that one bit. She's attracted to him just as much as he's attracted to her. She deserves someone who will treat her like a queen, and Ash is the perfect guy for her.

We freeze our asses off the rest of the game when Doni returns to his seat during the last quarter. I caught him glancing at me a few times, but the cold wind numbed my body along with my brain, so I stopped paying attention. Whitecrest won the game 16-38 against the Wolverines from Northview Academy. I sit in my seat waiting until the stadium clears out to avoid getting trampled to death. Ash stands up and stretches as he looks over at me and winks.

"You feel like going to Palermoscape for some good old-fashioned pizza?" Ash takes his jacket from Tia's lap and wraps it around her shoulders.

Awe. You see? He's so sweet.

"There's only once place that serves the best fucking good old-fashioned pizza and it ain't on this side of town," Tia proudly says.

"Oh yeah? And where's that, sexy mama?" he teases as Tia blushes.

I've never seen Tia blush! I'm loving this side of her.

"It's called Francisco's." She stands up and turns her back to Ash to face me. "You wanna go get some pizza, babe?"

"Yeah. I could eat."

"Yes!" Tia jumps up and down. I catch Ash staring at her ass. He catches me looking.

His face turns red, but he smiles. So adorable.

"I'm down. What about you, D?" Ash asks his brother.

"Yeah." He looks at Ash when he responds, but then looks down to me with a sweet smile, sending all kinds of warm and tingling feelings to my heart. "I'd love to."

"Ok, let's get the hell out of here before my nipples fall off," Tia says, and we all laugh.