Grand-Slam

∞Chapter 13∞

Song: Can't Help Myself- Jake Miller 

"You can't keep dancing with the devil and wonder why you're still in hell." -Anonymous

After Kenny dropped me off the night before, I was in a pretty bad mood. Apparently, after I walked into the house and unintentionally locked the door because I knew my parents wouldn't be back for the night since they were going to my grandmother's to help find my dog Daisy, since she had somehow run away, and I assumed Nate was already home, I had locked Nate out of the house, and he slept in his car-- or, at least, attempted to.

The next morning, when I finally unlocked the door, Nate was standing there, his eyes narrowed with black circles hanging under them. I jumped out of my skin when I saw him there, and his glare intensified as he pushed past me and stormed up to his room. I watched him walk up before I slowly walked back to my own room, determined to sleep a little longer.

When I awoke, the bad mood I had from the night before returned, especially when I woke up with cramps so severe, I swore someone was stabbing me with a butcher knife. Ah, mother nature. I still hated you, and I definitely didn't appreciate your demonic monthly gifts.

Cursing a line of profanities, I cleaned up and slipped on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I pulled my hair up in a messy bun and walked downstairs to the living room, only to see Nate lying on the couch, scrolling through his phone. My hormones must have been through the roof, because I was distracted by Nate-- not him in general, but the holy body he had that must have been personally hand crafted by God.

So, now you acknowledge that he is attractive?

Hell no. It was just my hormones acting on things they shouldn't. I hated him, and he was nowhere near attractive, no matter how nice his abs were. But I did wonder what it would have felt like to touch them or run my hand--

"Shut up before I shut you up myself." I muttered to myself, while walking into the living room to sit in my chair, calling my name.

Sadly, the table was in the way and I shoved my toe right into the leg, screaming out, "Son of a bitch!"

"Well, someone's on their period." Nate mumbled, still scrolling through his phone, and I flipped him off as I walked over and plopped down on the chair.

"Put a sock in it, mouth piece."

Nate let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "Anderson, I was just stating the obv--"

"Shut the hell up and make yourself useful." I yelled, wincing in pain as my stomach cramped again. "Rub my back or something instead of being a dick."

"Sweetheart, if you wanted me to touch you, you could've just asked." He teased, and I flipped him off again. He laughed. "Come over here and I'll rub your back, love."

I hesitated at first, but then I got up and walked over to him. Nate opened his arms, and I slowly laid down on him, burying my head into the crook of his neck and wrapping one arm around him. He started rubbing my back, and in all honesty, it felt amazing. No one had ever rubbed my back that good. What made it even better was the way his warmth enveloped me like a blanket, and slowly, my pain went away, and I drifted off to sleep.

***

I didn't wake up until I heard a faint knock on the front door, but even then, I didn't want to open my eyes. I was so warm, and it made me wonder if someone had warmed my comforter. God bless their souls if they did, because it was the best sleep I had in a long time. My eyes slowly fluttered open, and the first thing I noticed was my pillow was moving, and then when my eyes fully opened, I realized I was still in Nate's arms on the couch. For once, I didn't care that it was Nate, or that I was close to him, because I was warm, and I didn't want to move, surprisingly. So, I closed my eyes again and snuggled back into him, and his arms tightened around me. I started drifting back to sleep, when I heard him groan as he shifted under me.

"Brooke, wake up." He mumbled, his hand gently rubbing my back, and I snuggled into him more. "Come on, sweetheart, someone's knocking at the door."

"I don't want to move." I whispered, clutching his bicep with my hand, and he let out a raspy chuckle, sending a chill down my spine.

"I'm flattered, love, but they keep knocking and I don't think they're going away."

I sighed before I rolled off of him and walked to the front door. When I opened it, Kenny was standing there, smiling.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked, and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a hug. Oddly enough, I didn't feel the same warmth I felt when I was wrapped in Nate's arms, and it concerned me. Kenny was my boyfriend. Nate was not even my acquaintance. Kenny kissed my cheek, and then he held my hands in his.

"I thought maybe we could go for a walk. I just finished baseball practice, and I wanted to see you." I smiled before sliding on my flip-flops and grabbing his hand. We started walking down the sidewalk, talking about anything and everything. As we were walking, the sun started sinking behind the horizon. The sky faded from deep orange, to the dark blue night sky, and we were halfway through the neighborhood when the sun had completely set and the sky had turned black. I started shivering, since the night was always cooler than the day, and Kenny glanced at me, a small smile playing on his lips. "Here, you can wear my sweatshirt."

Kenny lifted his Jacksonville High baseball team sweatshirt over his head, revealing the start of a six-pack as his shirt lifted with it, and then handed me his hood. I slipped it over my head, his cologne engulfing me. We continued walking, and he cracked some jokes, making me fall into fits of laughter.

"Alright, alright. This time I actually have a good one." He assured me, and I shook my head, laughing and swinging our intertwined hands.

"I'm listening."

"What did babycorn say to mamacorn?" He questioned, pausing for me to answer, and I shrugged, causing him to smile. "Where's popcorn?"

I busted out laughing, not because it was good, but because he was making an attempt, and it was so cheesy and cute. He might not have been good at jokes, but he was good at making me smile, and after everything that had been going on lately, I needed to smile and laugh. When we reached my house, Kenny walked me up to the front door, still holding his hands in mine as he whispered, "I had fun tonight, Brooke."

I smiled. "I did too."

The urge to kiss him surged through me, and when I started leaning in, he placed his finger against my lips before kissing my cheek. "I don't want to get you sick. As soon as I'm better, I'll kiss you. I promise."

My smile faltered slightly, but I still nodded, watching as he walked down to his car. He waved at me once more, and then I walked into the house. Nate was sitting at the kitchen table with my mom, and mom was frantically typing stuff on her computer. Dad was talking to someone on the phone, and he looked angry.

"What's going on, mom?" I questioned, slowly sitting down beside her at the table, and she glanced at me, a sad look sweeping across her face.

"We looked everywhere, Brooke. We couldn't find Daisy." She sighed, placing her head in her hands, and I glanced between her, dad and Nate, my heart dropping. When I glanced at mom's computer, she was making "Lost" posters, and my eyes welled with tears. Slowly, I stood, and walked to my room.

Life really loved throwing curve balls at me.

************************************
Hey guys!

So Kenny is "sick".. How do we all feel about that?

Teaser: Brooke meets Nate at the studio, and when they get home... let's just say y'all will be  either shocked, fangirling, or wondering why in the hell something would dare to ruin such a good thing. (;

Make sure to comment, vote, and spread the word!

Thanks for reading! 

Much love, 

-Abby