Finding You

Chapter Eleven

Sarah

I got out of my last class of the week later than usual.

When I burst into my room, I find Rebecca already dressed and ready for the game. I set my books down before she says anything.

“About time, I was wondering if you forgot.”

“How could I forget? It’s the reason I haven’t seen D.J. in a week. Plus, our school looks like it threw up our team colors.”

She laughs.

“Professor Dingbat held us over. I’m pretty sure that he’s trying to make a statement about how they shouldn’t let students out of class whether it’s sports related or not.” I roll my eyes as I walk into our bathroom.

“Wow, I thought all teachers let athletes get away with everything because they wanted them to win. Interesting.” She says as she follows me into the bathroom.

“I guess not all of them. In a way, I kind of agree.”

Rebecca scrunches her face at me, “What?”

I shrug my shoulders as I turn the shower on.

“I don’t know. I’m just being bitter. As much as D.J. loves to play and as much as I love to watch him, I just miss him.”

Giving me a sympathetic look, “I think all girlfriends of athletes feel that way. Look on the bright side, after tonight you won’t have to worry about it until Spring. Now hurry up so we can watch our men win the championship.”

She walks out of the bathroom but turns and winks at me before shutting the door.

I grab my phone and type out a text to D.J.

Sarah: see you tonight. Love you

I hit send and jump in the shower.

A little over an hour later, we make our way to our seats minutes before kickoff.

The game was amazing. It was head to head for most of it but we pulled it off in the end. Walker even surprised us by showing up about ten minutes into the game.

We decided to meet the boys back at the house instead of waiting for them at the packed stadium.

It took us awhile to get out of the parking lot and even longer to find somewhere to park at the house. We finally find a spot and hike our way up to the house.

The players aren’t here yet but the house is full of bodies who want to celebrate.

“Want a drink?” Rebecca asks.

I remember what happened the last time I had a few drinks and cringe.

“No. I just want water.”

She tried to hold back her giggle as she watches me but it doesn’t work.

She tugs on my arm, pulling me toward the kitchen. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge while Bec makes herself a drink.

I spot Walker talking to some girl.

I can tell that he’s just being polite because his eyes keep darting around the room looking for a distraction.

Rebecca walks over, my eyes are still on Walker, “You think we should go rescue him?”

Her eyes follow mine and we both laugh at how uncomfortable he looks.

“We could give him another minute but he looks like he’s been tortured enough.”

He must have felt our eyes on him because his head turns our way and he gives us a pleading look.

It makes us laugh even harder which makes him glare at us.

I walk around and jump on his back like I used to do when we were kids.

“Piggy back ride. Go.”

He laughs as he grabs ahold of my legs.

I look in front of him as I hear, “Ahem.”

My smile drops a little as I play dumb. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I interrupt something?”

I recognize the blonde as Brad’s sister. I’ve never met her but I’ve seen her around.

“Actually, you did. Right, Walker?” She crosses her arms making her chest pop out more.

I hate to break it to her but that’s not the kind of thing that wins Walker over.

“No, she’s not interrupting much.”

I watch her smile fall from her lips as Walker tries to step around her. She steps with him to get closer to me.

“You’re not a princess, Sarah. Don’t think that these guys want you for more than a night.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Walker sounds irritated but she cuts him off.

“You heard me. Everyone knows what happened with Mike.” She looks smug.

I try to climb off Walker’s back but he won’t let me.

“First of all, he’s my brother,” I nod to Walker. “Second of all, you obviously have no idea what happened with Mike. And third, Walker was a damsel in distress. He looked like he was being tortured by your conversation so I came over to save him.” I nudge Walker forward, “Oh and all the guys want in my pants because they know that if they got in yours they would probably get a disease.”

Her eyes bug out of her head.

I didn’t realize that everyone was listening until the kitchen roared with laughter. I feel bad but she brought it upon herself.

I whisper to Walker, “Get me out of here.”

He finally started to give me my piggy back ride as he says, “Anything for the princess.”

I roll my eyes even though he can’t see me.

We get halfway across the kitchen when I look up and see D.J. smiling and shaking his head at me. Walker sets me on my feet and I launch myself at him.

“Congratulations champ,” I say before my lips meet his, kissing him senseless.

We break apart as people catcall and tell us to get a room.

“What was that for?”

“I just missed you,” I tell him.

“I missed you too, sweetheart.”

I don’t want to let him go but I do with our hands still intertwined.

D.J. looks toward Walker, “How’s the damsel in distress?”

A couple of people around us chuckle as my cheeks go red.

Walker glares at me but then smiles, “This damsel isn’t distressed anymore thanks to the princess.”

I make a face at him making them both laugh.

I spot Jake headed our way and give him a hug, “Congratulations.”

As I let him go, I feel a hand on my shoulder.

“Sarah, can we talk?” Brad asks.

“Sure. Is everything okay?” I pause.

“Oh my gosh, before I forget, Congratulations.” I say giving him a hug.

When I pull back he looks stunned. “Brad, are you ok?”

I feel D.J. behind me but I don’t take my eyes off of Brad.

“Wow..”

I don’t know what I was expecting but that wasn’t it.

“Umm..”

“I came over to apologize for her but before I can even get to it, you hug me.”

He looks shocked.

I laugh a little unsure.

“That’s nice but I was rude to her too.”

“You wouldn’t have said any of those things if you weren’t provoked. So, I’m sorry.”

I nod, “We were both in the wrong. No hard feelings?”

He smiles, “Thanks.”

D.J. pulls me back toward our group.

Rebecca is telling a story about some guy in one of her classes but I’m barely listening.

“You are sweet, you know that?” D.J. whispers in my ear.

“Mmm,” I say as I lean into him

“That’s one of the things that I admire about you. No matter how harsh the world is, you’re still you.”

He kisses my cheek as he laces our fingers together.

Sarah

It’s late and I’m getting tired.

The excitement from the game must have taken a toll on me.

I have no idea how Jake, D.J. and all the other players are still awake.

I spot D.J. from the couch that I’m half asleep on and stand up to walk over to him.

“Hey, I’m gonna go lay down. I’m getting really tired.”

“Okay, I’ll come with you.”

As much as I like the idea of cuddling up and falling asleep with him, I would feel bad if he left the celebration.

“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to,” I say but he’s not hearing it. He tells whoever he’s talking to goodnight and grabs my hand.

We make it a few steps before a few other people stop to talk to him. I stand with him for a few minutes but I’m so tired that I’m about to fall over. So I let go of D.J. giving him a smile to let him know that I’m ok and start to walk to the bedroom.

I’m almost out of the living room when someone yells, “Cunningham.” I thought maybe I was too tired and imagined it but then I heard it again, louder this time.

My heart speeds up as I stop into my tracks and turn around, trying to track the voice.

My eyes land on the guy that’s yelling. He looks familiar but I don’t think I’ve met him before. My heart pounds as I try to spot who he’s calling “Cunningham”.

I want to move but I’m rooted in place. The anticipation of seeing the guys face is killing me.

Could it be?

Could I finally have the answers to questions I’ve had for seven years?

I manage to take a couple steps closer, keeping my eyes on them.

I hold my breath as they make it to the guy. His head starts to turn my way. His eyes lock with mine and we just stare at each other.

I’m so confused, why would someone call him Cunningham?

It isn’t until I take in his whole face that I see a mixture of emotions.

Guilt, shock, fear.

I’ve seen that exact face with that exact expression before.

It’s the same face that I saw when I cut my foot in the creek over seven years ago.

The guy that shouted “Cunningham” is trying to get his attention again but D.J. doesn’t take his eyes away from me.

I put my hands on my knees and breathe, hoping to slow down my aching heart.

Jake comes out of nowhere, asking if I’m ok.

I nod my head yes and stand up.

Rebecca hands me some napkins and that’s when I feel the tears rolling down my face.

Jake pulls me into a hug but pulls away enough to look me in the eyes, “What’s wrong?”

My eyes flick to D.J. who is now standing right behind Jake, looking fearful.

“I never meant for you to find out like that,” he says quietly.

Jake turns.

“What did you do?” he says menacingly.

“Oh shit.”

It comes from my left but I don’t bother looking to see who said it, I know it was Walker.

I don’t want anyone hurt, I just want answers.

I have to clear my throat before I say anything. “He’s not who you think he is.”

Jake looks as confused as I feel.

I look to D.J., “How do I know who you really are?”

He looks at me with sad eyes, “I have proof.”

Rebecca, Jake, Walker and I follow D.J. to his room. The room I should have been asleep in with my boyfriend wrapped around me.

D.J. pulls a small box out of his closet and sets it on his bed. “Take a look.”

I stare at it, hoping that if I don’t open it then this could all go away. But that’s not the case.

I breathe deep before I open it.

The first thing that my eyes catch have the tears flowing again.

Pictures.

Several old pictures with popsicle stained faces, by the creek, birthday parties, etc.

Then I pull out a few bracelets I made him. One of them identical to the one I have safely tucked away in my dorm room.

“That is so messed up.”

I forgot we weren’t the only people in the room and by the sound of it, Jake was about as upset as I was.

“How could you?” I whispered. “You just left out of nowhere. I was so depressed. I...” I pause, “You ruined me.”

I’m so baffled and I have so many questions but I can’t even manage to look at him yet.

“All I can tell you about the day I left is that I didn’t have a choice. The reason as to why though, that’s not my story to tell.”

“What does that mean? Not your story to tell? You left without a word and you don’t think I deserve to know why? Well, I definitely didn’t deserve to be lied too.”

I feel my heart slowly ripping the rest of the way.

He runs his hands through his hair, “That’s not what I meant. I didn’t want to lie but I didn’t know how you would react. I thought that maybe if you got to know me then it would lessen the blow a little bit.”

He walks over to me, grabs my hands and looks me in the eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Sarah. I wanted to tell you so many times. Even Walker told me to tell you but there was never a good time.”

My eyes latch on Walker as he shoots daggers at D.J.

My eyes bounce back to D.J., I see the same heartache on his face that I feel in my chest.

This is too much. I need to get out of here.

I back out of the room dragging Walker with me.

“Where are you going, Sarah?”

“I’m walking away. Just like you did, Daniel.”

I wince as I say his name but keep walking. I don’t stop until we are at Walker’s car. He turns it on and starts to drive.

“You knew.”

I wasn’t asking him but he nods his head anyways.

“I had a hunch. The way he would look at you all the time as if he was making sure that you were real. Daniel always looked at you as if you were special. Magnify that by a million and that’s how he looks at you now,” he pauses. “Hell, he has a lot of the same mannerisms that he did when he was a kid. He even looks the same. Honestly, I’m shocked you didn’t figure it out.”

“I wonder how I missed all of that.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You were trying to forget him. No one can fault you for that,” he pats my knee.

“Last time I was here, when we watched that movie, I talked to him. The way he talked about you and how happy he looked. I knew it right then. I didn’t have to ask,” he looks at me solemnly.

I want everything to be okay.

In a way, I’m relieved but still hurt.

“And you didn’t bother to say anything? You were okay with him lying to me?”

He pulls into a parking spot outside of my dorm and really looks at me.

“Are you kidding? Of course not. But you seemed so happy. It was rough seeing you so upset for so long. You didn’t act normal until you came here. It’s so good to see how different and happy you are now. I didn’t want you to go down that black hole again.”

He seems desperate to get me to understand.

“What did you think would happen when I found out the truth? I would be too happy to care that he lied to me?”

“A guy can dream, can’t he?” he tries to get me to smile but I can’t.

“This is so messed up.”

I look at Walker one last time, giving him an exasperated look as I open the car door and climb out. I wave at him as I jog to the front door.

As I put my key in the lock, I glance behind me to make sure that Walker didn’t follow me up here and open the door.

D.J.

The one girl that I have loved since I was nine just walked away from me and she probably won’t be coming back.

Now, I’m standing here waiting for my best friend to punch me but all he does is sigh loudly, looks at me as if he’s exhausted and walks out of the room with his girlfriend behind him.

Even reminding myself that we won the championship doesn’t even make me happy.

“Man, this is so messed up.”

I collapse on my bed and wait for sleep to evade me while trying to figure out if I can fix this.

D.J.

“What’s up?”

I look to the side to see Brad pulling up a chair to sit beside me.

The backyard has been my oasis since Sarah found out the truth.

I shake my head, “Nothing much.”

I can feel him studying me before he says, “Look, we’re heading out to drink a little bit. Why don’t you come?”

I’m surprised because they have all been avoiding me like I have the plague.

“Thanks for the invite but I don’t think so.”

“Come on. It will help get your mind off her.”

“I don’t think anything will get my mind off of her. Trust me, I tried for seven years.” I hesitate before shrugging, “but it’s worth a shot.”

He looks shocked when I agree to go. Heck, I shocked myself but I know I need my friends and I don’t want to lose them too.

It’s nine o’clock by the time I pull up. Everyone else is already here.

I took my time because I really don’t want to be here but I can’t hide away forever. I drag myself through the door and up to the first open bar stool that I find. I wasn’t there five minutes before they all spotted me and came over.

“What can I get you guys?”

I look up at the bartender and she winks at me.

Great.

I ignore it as I order a coke.

“With Jack?” she asks.

“No, just coke.”

“Bad night?”

“More like a bad couple of weeks,” I mumble.

Brad walks over and puts his arm around me.

“My boy here lied to his girl and he expects for it to be ok.”

Shrugging him off, “I don’t expect that. I know that I messed up, I get that. I just want her back.”

“What’s so special about her? I’m sure you can have girl you wanted. Why her?” she asks.

I glance at Brad who has a s**t eating grin on his face.

I turn and play with my glass of coke that just got put in front of me before I answer.

“Yeah, I probably could,” I agree. “But you don’t understand. She was my best friend. No one knows her like I do.”

I hear a throat clear on the other side of me.

I turn my head to see Jake sitting on the barstool that’s been empty since I sat down.

I’m shocked so I don’t say anything but at least now I know why Brad was smiling.

“Two beers for my buddy and I,” Jake tells her.

The drinks are set in front of us but I don’t pick mine up until he gestures for me too. I wasn’t planning on drinking but I don’t want to make him even more mad than what he already is.

The guys beside me start to get loud but I tune them out.

“You gonna go after her?” Jake fiddles with his bottle while waiting for my answer.

“I don’t think she wants me to,” I answer.

“If you seriously believe that then you don’t know her as well as you think you do.”

I look over at him, “Yeah, maybe.”

Jake takes a couple swigs before he replies.

“I hated you, ya know. You really hurt her then.”

He looks tired but I’m waiting for the “so, what happened” question.

I sigh.

I know the truth is going to come out eventually but I don’t want them to hear it from me.

“I know I did. I never would have if I had a choice. I loved her even then,” I pause. “If you guys really want to know what happened back then, you need to ask your parents.”

I took a swig of my warm, barely touched beer and walked out the door.