Player Loves Curves Box Set #1-3 by Hope Ford
Trinity
I knewthat Sheena wouldn’t be happy about me moving out, especially since I’m usually the one that gets stuck with the rent, but I hadn’t expected her to act so angry about it.
Finally, after she finished yelling at me, telling me how selfish I am, she glares at me.
Throwing my hands up in frustration, I ask her, “What’s your problem? You’re my sister. I thought you’d be happy for me.”
She shakes her head and something changes in her face. She’s been weird since she got back into town last weekend after going to watch Carter play. Jasper had invited me to go, but I wasn’t able to take off work. Unlike Sheena, I didn’t have someone to bail me out—well, maybe I do. I know Jasper would help me if I needed it, but I wouldn’t want to ask him for money.
I sit down on the couch next to her, taking a break from packing. “Talk to me, sis. What’s going on?”
She’s looking at her hands and starts to mumble, “I want to be happy for you but I can’t. You don’t know what you’re getting into. You were right about baseball players.”
My stomach sinks with foreboding, but I dismiss it quickly. “Jasper isn’t like Carter. He’s different. I’m sorry you two broke up but only because I know you’re sad about it. You deserve way better than Carter.”
“And you deserve better than Jasper,” Sheena says. “Look, it’s been killing me not to tell you, but I hooked up with Jasper while I was out of town at the after party. I was drunk, but I still feel I had to come clean because the guilt is killing me.”
Her words are like an anchor tied around my neck, pulling me underwater. I jump off the couch and walk backwards away from her. “You slept with Jasper – my Jasper?”
She slowly nods her head and when she looks at me with guilt in her eyes, I run to the bathroom, throwing up my lunch. When I retch until I have nothing left, I lean my head on my arm. What was I thinking? I should have gone with my gut. I trusted him… completely.
I get up, brush my teeth and walk out of the bathroom. Sheena comes toward me, but I hold my hands up for her to stop. “I can’t right now. I can’t deal with you, not now.”
Her voice is soft. “Sis, c’mon?”
Shaking my head, I walk into my bedroom and slam the door.
Minutes later, I hear the front door slam and I know she’s left.
I fall to my bed, devastated. The future I was planning only minutes ago is already a distant memory. How could he do this to me? To us?
* * *
Jasper
I arriveat her apartment to surprise her before I have to be at the field for tonight’s game. Tomorrow is moving day and I can barely stand it, I’ve been so excited. But as soon as I open the door, I know something’s wrong.
Trinity is standing there with red-rimmed, puffy eyes. As soon as I see her, I want to find out what hurt her and hurt it. I step toward her, but she holds her hand out to stop me. When she does, her hand hits my chest and she cringes, dropping it to her side. Almost like she doesn’t even want to touch me.
“What happened? What’s wrong?” I ask her.
A single tear trails down her face and it kills me a little that I can’t hold her. “Sheena told me what happened.”
I shake my head, knowing how humiliated she must be that her sister was trying to hook up with me. I really can’t believe that Sheena came clean, but I’m glad she did. I wasn’t looking forward to that conversation.
I reach for her hand. “I’m sorry, honey,” I say to her, and then am startled when she jerks away from me.
“Then it’s true! I will never forgive you for this, Jasper Reilly. You’ve shattered my heart. I hope scoring sisters was worth it to you.” She tries to yell at me, but she’s crying harder and harder until I can barely understand what she’s saying to me.
Scoring sisters?
Trinity slams the door in my face and locks it before I realize what she’s doing.
I pound on the door until my hand is red. I holler for her over and over, but she never answers me. That damn Sheena. She fed her lies.
I sit outside her door, refusing to leave until I speak to her. I keep knocking, begging her to answer the door, but she never comes. Neighbors are all looking out their windows and doors at me, but I don’t care. I can’t lose her.
A policeman arrives, telling me that the neighbors have complained about the noise and that I need to move along.
“Wait, you’re Jasper Reilly, aren’t you?” he asks me.
I nod my head and look to the window of Trinity’s bedroom. I see the shade moving and I know she’s right there, probably watching me through the window.
“Yeah, I’m Jasper,” I tell the policeman, hoping he’ll lay off and leave me be.
He starts asking me for an autograph and I give him one, hoping he’ll leave after that. But no such luck. He tells me I have to go.
I lean against her window. “Trinity, I’m leaving, but I promise you, I didn’t do anything with your sister. She came on to me and I told her no.” I plead my case one more time before I leave. I’m miserable.
I no sooner get to my car, and I’m dialing her number from my phone. The call goes straight to voicemail. Banging my hands on the steering wheel, I scream “Fuck” as loud as I can, hoping to relieve some of my stress. But it doesn’t.
My phone rings and I pick it up, hoping it’s her, but it’s not. It’s Shawn, our third baseman and my good friend.
“Yeah?” I say into the phone.
He doesn’t mince words. “Where you at, brother? Coach is losing it. Henry’s out today, and you’re going to start the game. You better get here.”
“Fuck. I’m on my way.”
I hang up the phone and look toward Trinity’s apartment one more time. I pull away, heading toward the field, hoping that I’m not leaving my future behind.
