Fourteen by C.M. Smith (short story to read .txt) 📕

my head was telling me, and neither of them ever agreed with each other. After so long of being the butt of every joke, it was so hard to believe that anyone meant what they said.

Christina and Vince had been the only ones that I could trust and talk to for so long and now that Evan, Kyle and Ashley had been added into the mix, it was as if my entire world was spinning in a different direction. Yesterday at lunch, Christina had told me to give him a chance to explain, and Vince agreed with her. They had both noticed the changes in Evan, and Vince said Evan had been entirely focused on practice, no longer hanging out with his friends and joking with them.

“Whoever he was on that video, he’s not that person anymore,” he’d said. “I don’t know what you did to him, Anna, but he’s done a complete one-eighty.”

Vince wouldn’t lie to me. I knew that.

So why was I so scared?

“Anna?”

I looked over my shoulder to see Ashley—her camera swinging at her wrist—and Sherri, Evan’s sister, walking up with big cups of soda.

“Hey,” I said, forcing a smile.

“Come sit with us,” Sherri said, grabbing my hand. “Your butt will be numb in five seconds, but you’ll be able to see the game.”

As Sherri dragged me through the screaming crowd, I tripped over people’s feet and just tried to smile and apologize.

“Anna!”

I looked up when I heard Evan’s mother, and my breath caught in my throat as Sherri sat down next to her, pulling on my hand and demanding that I sit between them.

“Hi,” I managed, smiling awkwardly and sitting down. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Hello, Anna.” His father peeked around and smiled at me. “How are you?”

I’d only met the man once—when I’d gone to his house after the fight with my father—and he intimidated the hell out of me then. This situation wasn’t any better. Who really wants their son’s ex-girlfriend sitting with them during a stupid baseball game? This didn’t make any sense to me whatsoever.

“Oh, I’m fine,” I said. “You?”

“I’d be a lot better if Kyle would hit the . . . Yes!” he yelled, standing up and pumping his fist in the air. “Go, go, go!”

I looked over at Sherri and found that she was on her feet, screaming too. Ashley was cheering as well, her voice rising high above the rest even as she brought the camera up and snapped a few pictures.

“You’ll get used to this,” Evan’s mom said in my ear, her hand on my arm.

“I don’t know anything about baseball,” I admitted sheepishly.

“That’s Kyle, number thirty-four, running toward second base, and that’s Evan, number eight, jumping around by the dugout. Those are really the only two you need to focus on.”

“How come?”

“Because we’re biased.” She laughed. “And those are the only two we’re really here for anyway.”

I looked out to the field.

“He’s missed you.”

My breath caught in my throat, and I just sat there, not knowing what to say and thinking that coming here was a very bad idea. She patted my arm and leaned away from me, as I numbly watched Evan smack a bat against the sides of his foot.

I sat with his family, watching and trying to join in whenever they screamed and jumped around. We were still winning when our school got its third out, and all the players ran together to change positions.

“We’re gonna go and get something to drink,” Evan’s mom said, stretching. “Do any of you want anything?”

“No, thanks,” we all said in unison.

She laughed, grabbing her husband’s hand and leading him down the bleachers.

“So, Anna.” Ashley leaned back against the abandoned bench behind her and set her empty cup down, “I hear Kyle kind of browbeat you into coming.”

I shrugged and laughed nervously, playing with the hem of my shirt.

“He’s been pretty miserable,” Sherri said, propping her feet up.

“I’m going to talk to him,” I said.

“When?”

“I don’t know.”

“Tonight would be good.”

“He’s kind of busy.”

“The game doesn’t last all night, you know.”

“I’m just trying to process everything.”

“You know the truth, don’t you?” Ashley asked. “I gave him those pictures . . .”

“Yes, I know. I just . . . I don’t know,” I said, leaning forward to twist a strand of my hair around my finger.

“We all make mistakes,” Sherri said.

“I know.”

“All right, enough,” Ashley admonished. “Sherri, come with me. I want nachos.”

“You want to come, Anna?” she asked as they stood.

“No,” I said, sitting up straight. “Thanks.”

“Do you want anything?”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

“All right. We’ll be back.”

I wished high school and crushes and feelings weren’t always so damn confusing all the time.

Someone had informed Evan that I was there because as soon as the teams were situated and back in the dugout, Evan popped back out and looked directly at me. I’d wiped my palms on my jeans and tried my best to ignore the fact that his family and Ashley were staring hard at me. We ended up winning the game and everyone rushed the field, hugging, screaming, and laughing as Kyle pranced around in circles. I stayed up in the bleachers, just watching everyone.

I stood and spotted Evan in the crowd, laughing and slapping Vince a high-five; Kyle tackled the both of them and a random baseball went flying in the other direction. I started down the bleachers and stopped at the bottom, not sure whether or not I should go over to them. He seemed like he was in a good mood, and I didn’t want to be the one to ruin that. He was with his friends and family, and he was celebrating—I truly had no place there.

Deciding I’d talk to him tomorrow, I turned on my heel, starting in the direction of the parking lot. I dug my keys out of my pocket and played with the key ring as I walked to my car.

I would talk to him tomorrow. We’d get through the