Chapter 2

Chapter Two

DANE

W atching her now takes me back.

The moment she walked into my garage for our tenth-grade experiment, something changed. I saw her in a whole new light, no longer wanting to be best friends but something more. Someone I could kiss and make blush.

Mr. Christy paired us together for a science project. He gave us a list, and Lettie chose the "Bouncing Balls" project. I'll never forget how she looked at me and said, "We should do this one. Because you know… you like to bounce balls." Her laugh somehow struck me differently than it had in the previous ten years. It zipped through me, making me question what the hell I was thinking.

Why was I imagining my balls slapping against her skin with her green eyes staring into mine, wanting me to be her first? She wasn't being flirtatious. She was being Lettie. Open. Funny.

Lettie smacked my arm, bringing me back to reality. "Dane, I've finished recording the temperatures of the balls. It's your turn to drop the balls so we can see how high each one bounces."

"Sorry , I was thinking about the basketball tryouts."

She furled her lips and if I translated that to Lettie speak, it meant liar.

I would venture to say Lettie and I know more about each other than any pair of best friends. But one thing she couldn't know were these con feelings I was having for her.

Lettie shook her head as I dropped the ball that had been sitting in the sun, and it bounced thirty-five inches. The one in the freezer falls to the ground after only three inches. Next, I released the ball that was in the microwave, then the one that was soaking in hot water.

Lettie's brown glasses sat on her nose. Her forearm held the notebook while she charted the results with her pink gel pen. I remember it like it was yesterday, having been the first day my stomach flipped over Lettie.

Her hair sprung a leak, and a blonde tendril fell by her cheek. She tucked it behind her ear, showing off her gold horse earrings I gave her for her thirteenth birthday. My mom said I should buy her something nice, and teenage girls love jewelry, so during one of my basketball tournaments in Lexington, we went to a little store, called Alternative Jewelry. It wasn't one of the fancy diamond stores. It offered eclectic and one-of-a-kind custom jewelry.

When I spotted the pair of horses, my mind was made up. To make them special, he had the edges beveled.

When I gave them to her, her eyes lit up with excitement. "It's the best birthday present ever," she said, hugging my beanpole frame.

Lettie wore the earrings nearly every day but when she exposed her ears the day we worked on the project, I noticed how small her earlobes were. We'd been best friends since we were six years old. I thought I knew everything about her and here I was, ten years la ter, discovering new details.

Subconsciously, my fingers touched her ear, and she laughed. "What are you doing?"

"Your horse was on his back. Just turning it around." My voice squeaked and strained. Like any other sixteen-year-old, I couldn't stop the rated R thoughts running through my mind about my best friend.

Wanting to hear the melodic tone of her laughter, I picked up a red ball and threw it at her.

"You're messing with the wrong girl, Greathouse." She dipped a ball in the water and threw it back.

We raced around my yard, nailing each other with the balls. As Lettie ran away, I hurled myself forward and grabbed her by the waist. Her legs swung to one side like a rag doll. I lost my balance. Somehow I managed to land on the ground, shielding her from injury. Her body bounced on top of mine, and an awakening took place in my pants. One that I had to hide.

Laughter echoed through the mountains of Appalachia. I swear every animal peeked out from their hiding places to get a glimpse of the beautiful girl with a heartwarming laugh.

As the seconds ticked by, our laughter faded, aware that something was different between us. For years, I'd never thought of how her body would feel underneath mine, and there I was, wanting to draw her face in closer and kiss her.

I tried to clear the cotton webbing my throat. We stared at each other, and her head fell an inch. I couldn't let her take control. I was supposed to make the first move. But while I was lost in my ideas, Lettie did what she always did—diffused the situatio n with laughter, and she blew a raspberry on the pocket of my shoulder.

"I won. I won." Lettie jumped up, her body swaying as she celebrated her victory. But it wasn't just her physical movements that I noticed; it was the thrill of victory in her eyes.

Of course, I imagined her attraction to me and cursed myself inside for almost kissing her. Who would want a skinny, tall boy like me? I hated being a foot taller than everyone in my grade, sticking out. Each day I could see Mr. Hager's bald spot spreading and would give an update to the class as his hairline disappeared.

With a new goal, I started lifting weights. I couldn't do anything about being tall, but I could damn sure not look scrawny. When I had muscles, Lettie would see me as more than a friend.

"Okay, Lettie. Let's make a banana split." Her eyes widened, and she dragged me inside my house, still laughing.

Even now, six years later, that sound blows me away and because I'm a complete pussy, I watch other men make my best friend laugh, and it twists me in knots. I chuckle, thinking about how her granny would wring out the laundry before hanging them on the line to dry. It's a perfect metaphor for how other guys making Lettie smile, feels.

A voice breaks me from my memories. "Having fun?" Reed asks. He's the captain of the hockey team and has become one of my closest friends. His girlfriend Brooke is Lettie's girl bestie and secondly, he saved me from a burning building last year building an unbreakable bond.

A harsh puff of air rushes from my throat. "Yeah."

I love w atching Lettie flirt and guys' hands skimming her body.

Reed follows my line of sight straight to Lettie, who's standing with Brooke and a couple of my teammates.

"Still in the friendzone?" he asks.

"It's not like that."

"Whatever you say."

As we watch Lettie and Brooke, I realize that I'm the boy version of Brooke. Lettie likes having opposites in her life. Brooke is similar to me in that she's quiet and prefers to be in the background.

Lettie's the life of the party. I prefer to watch her at the party.

Lettie will graduate with honors. I just finished summer school.

Lettie loves chocolate. I love vanilla.

Lettie's five-foot-six. I'm a power forward on the Stallions basketball team.

Leaning against the wall with a blue plastic cup in hand, I bring it to my lips. Not because I'm thirsty or need a drink of beer; I need to hide my feelings from Reed.

"If it were me, I would make sure your teammates knew who she belongs to," Reed says as he takes a swig.

"Man, you know our story, so why are you pushing this?" I take a good-sized swallow because maybe I do need to drink. "I just don't want him to use her."

"It's c ollege. That's what both sexes do. We experiment. Like tasting every brand of beer until you find the one that makes you want that particular brand for the rest of your life."

Reed had been quite the playboy on campus before meeting Brooke and her son Caleb.

Brooke whisks Lettie away down the hallway and probably up the stairs. More than likely to my apartment. I have two keys, and Lettie has one in case I lose mine.

Upperclassmen live the life of luxury in our new basketball lodge. My apartment or suite has a bedroom, a study area, a walk-in closet with floor-to-ceiling shoe cubbies, a bathroom, kitchenette, and a fairly large living area. I'm one of four upperclassmen since most move on to the NBA within a year or two, so they only built four.

I chose to stay my full four years. Why? Because Lettie is my whole world. I'm not sure she knows it though.

"One question. If it was anyone but Lettie, would you care if Nick was touching her?" Reed asks with a glance.

Ignoring his question, I say, "Come on, let me give you a tour of our new digs."

We go to the basement of The Stable , the name of the basketball team's new lodging. There are three rooms with a gaming setup. State of the art gaming chairs with sensory components built in. A wall of headphones engraved with the players' names.

"Must be nice to be the kings of campus," he throws some shade.

"I'm no t sure about that, but this place makes us feel like it."

We wander into the basement kitchen, grab a beer, and head into the pool room. He breaks, and the balls scatter across the blue felt with the Stallions logo in the center. Three striped balls sink into the pockets. With a smug grin, he says, "I guess, I'm stripes."

Damn I can't even catch a break in pool. When it's my turn, I hear Lettie bouncing down the stairs. "Where's Dane the Great?"

She's called me that since middle school.

When Lettie and Brooke walk into the pool room, I'm bending over the table, and her legs are directly in my field of vision. The slight shadow between her thighs grabs my attention right as I pull the cue stick back.

"Dane, guess what?"

I muff the fucking cue ball.