Don't Hate the Player...Hate the Game (8 page)

While the Asshole shot me a death glare, Mrs. Nelson
bobbed her head. “Good. Then you’ll be willing to help me.”

“Um, help you?”

“Yes,” she said, as she started over to us. I
would’ve committed high crimes for a mint at that moment. I covered
my mouth with my hand, trying to appear like I was deep in thought
to mask my alcohol breath from hell.

“Obviously, there’s a girl out there who my Jake
truly loved—enough to want to be married to her. I want to know who
she is, and I want you to find her.”

Forgetting all about my heinous beer breath, I let my
mouth drop open in disbelief. “Y-You want me to do what?”

“I want you to find the girl who this ring belongs
to. Even though Jake didn’t get the chance to give it to her, I
want her to have it.”

I stopped myself from blurting, “
Are you insane,
Mrs. Nelson? I know you loved your little boy, but he was a major
panty chasing manwhore! I’d have better luck finding all the girls
he deflowered or potentially gave an STD to than the one girl he
might actually have had feelings for!”

But at the desperate look on her face, I drew in a
resigned breath. “Sure, Mrs. Nelson. I’ll try my best.”

She smiled. “Thank you, Noah. I appreciate that.” She
threw a wary glance at the others before she flounced back in the
house and slammed the door. Mr. Nelson rolled his eyes and followed
her.

As soon as his parents were safely inside, Jason
punched me on the arm. Hard.

“Ow, what the hell was that for?” I cried.

“Man, why didn’t you tell us about the ring?” he
demanded.

Uh, oh, I hadn’t thought about that one. Yeah the
Asshole made me promise not to tell Mrs. Nelson, but he hadn’t
mentioned anything about Jason and Jonathan. At the expectant look
on his face, I decided to fudge the truth a little. “You heard me.
Your dad said not to tell anyone.”

Jonathan snorted. “Figures. The asshole.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Could we focus here for a
minute, Johnny Boy? You do realize our brother must’ve thrown down
a hunk of change to buy that ring!”

I knew Jason was right. A ring like that must’ve cost
a small fortune. Sure, the Nelson’s were fairly wealthy—the Asshole
was an executive with Coke, but at the same time, they weren’t
giving their sons thousand dollar monthly allowances or anything.
With Jake’s intense sports schedule, he didn’t get in a lot of work
hours either.

Suddenly, Jonathan smacked himself on the forehead.
“Baseball cards!”

We all exchanged looks. “What the hell are you
talking about, bro?” Jason asked.

“Remember like a month ago when Jake decided to sell
some of his baseball cards on eBay?”

Jason nodded.

“I bet that’s where he got the money. I mean, he had
some that were worth a lot of money that Grandpa Nelson had given
him.”

“I’ll be damned,” Jason muttered.

Jonathan sighed. “Course, we’re forgetting
something.”

“What’s that?” Jason asked.

“Um, how about the fact our baby brother was thinking
about marriage? That’s pretty damn near shocking if you ask me,”
Jonathan replied.

Alex, who had been quiet for most of the morning,
cleared his throat. “Yeah, I was pretty shocked when I saw that
ring. I mean, Jake didn’t impress me as the marrying kind—well, at
least not until he was thirty or forty.”

Jason grunted. “I figured he’d be more like some Hugh
Hefner and have about three women living with him.”

Jonathan laughed. “Me too, man.”

Sean shook his head. “Forget about marriage. I can’t
believe he was actually in love for once.”

The others murmured in agreement. “Knowing Jake, it
wasn’t about love,” Ryan said.

“What do you mean?” I asked. Nibbling my lip, I
debated telling the guys about the flashback I’d had the night
before about Jake admitting to being in love.

“Probably some chick heard about his reputation and
told him she wouldn’t sleep with him without a ring on her
finger—you know to prove she wasn’t just some conquest. Since there
wasn’t a piece of ass Jake couldn’t have, he probably liked the
idea of the challenge, so he bought the ring.”

“Man, that’s a pretty screwed up theory and screwed
up view of Jake!” Ryan argued.

Jonathan shook his head. “Yeah, it is, but it also
sounds like something Jake would do. Hell, he’d probably let the
chick keep the ring in the end, too.”

Scratching the back of my neck, I said, “Nah, I don’t
think so.”

Jason raised his eyebrows. “Oh really? You think Jake
actually had a conscience and wouldn’t do something like that?”

I nodded.

Jason snorted. “Words of wisdom coming from the kid
Jake duct taped to his chair in kindergarten.”

While the others howled in laughter, I merely shook
my head. “He was changing. You know—like maturing or
something.”

“Are you serious?” Jonathan asked.

I thought of the brilliantly vivid flashback I’d had
last night. “I know he was sincere about the ring because he told
me he’d fallen in love with a girl.”

“Really?” Jason asked.

“Yeah. But he wouldn’t tell me who she was because he
hadn’t had the chance to tell her yet. He thought she deserved to
know before I did. So like I said, he really was changing into this
caring and compassionate dude.”

“Wow, that’s deep,” Jonathan replied. He stared out
over the water. “Deep like the deep end of the pool…”

I exchanged a glance with Alex. “Um, Jonathan, what
the hell are you talking about?”

He turned back at me. “No, you’re right. Jake really
was good guy sometimes.” Jason coughed next to him. “No, man, he
was. You and I both know that. He was better than the both of us
put together.”

Jason sighed. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” He shook
his head. “Sure as hell doesn’t say much for us, does it?”

“So, just how do you propose to find this girl?”
Jonathan asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

He snorted. “It’s not gonna be easy!”

“I realize that.”

“Jake may have been changing like you say, but man
was he ever a player. Hell, he got more ass than Jason and I
combined!”

Jason nodded. “I don’t know what it was about him. I
mean, yeah he was good-looking and all, but man, did he have the
way with women!”

Alex started laughing with the others. When I shot
him an exasperated look, he abruptly stopped. Once he’d regained
his composure, he leaned forward in his pool chair. “So what are
you going to do? Start taking depositions from girls like some
wacked out
Law and Order
or
CSI
show?”

I refused to answer him. Instead, I fumbled under my
chair for the beer I was drinking before Mrs. Nelson’s appearance.
It was half full. I quickly chugged it down. I cut my eyes over to
the guys who were waiting expectantly for my answer.

I sighed. “Look, I haven’t a freaking’ clue how I’m
going to do it, but I do know it’d be nice if I you guys had my
back a little more.”

Jonathan nodded. “Hey man, you’re right. We all need
to be in on this for Jake.” He grabbed his beer can out of its
hiding place. “For Jake,” he said and raised his can.

We all brought our cans together—even mine that was
empty. “For Jake,” we murmured in unison.

***

I left Jake’s house around four after I’d
sobered up enough. Visitation at the funeral home was to start at
six. But instead of heading home to an empty house with Mom at
work, I swung by Grammy’s house because I was sure she’d cook for
me.

“Hey Grammy!” I called as I headed side door.

She was bustling around the kitchen in her favorite
apron that read ‘Kiss the Cook, Sugah!’ She glanced up at me and
her face fell. “Noah sweetie, I wasn’t expectin’ you.”

“It’s okay. I should’ve called.” I leaned in as she
gave me one of her signature wet kisses on the cheek.

Grammy is one of a dying breed of Southern
women—right down to her twangy drawl. My Granddaddy’s people, who
were all Irish ‘Yankees’ from New York, use to love sitting around
listening to Grammy talk. Nowadays there’s nothing she loves more
than to be in the kitchen cooking or out in the yard working in her
flower beds. She still goes to the beauty shop every week to get
her bouffant hairdo cemented into place.

After kissing me, Grammy pulled me into her arms. “Oh
baby, I’m so, so sorry about Jake. I’ve done cried my eyes out all
day and night after your mama told me.” She patted my back, and for
that moment, I closed my eyes and let her comfort wash over me.
Instead of letting my arms lie limply at my sides, I wrapped them
around Grammy’s waist and squeezed. “You poor, poor thing. Losing
your best friend in the whole wide world. Besides ol’ Jake, there
wasn’t a person you were closer to besides your Granddaddy.”

At the mention of my grandfather, I stiffened. It had
been two years since he’d died of cancer, and I still missed him
each and every day.

With one last pat, Grammy said, “Now you just go on
and sit down. I’ll whip you up something real quick just as soon as
I finish this cake. Okay?”

“Sure Grammy.”

I slid onto one of the bar stools and propped my
elbows on the counter. Grammy’s house was home to me. After all,
I’d grown up here since my mom couldn’t afford for us to have our
own place until she finished medical school. Besides, Mom and I
both loved the love and support we got while living with Granddaddy
and Grammy.

“So whatta you doin’ in the neighborhood? I was
expectin’ you’d be at school or at the funeral home.”

“I was over at Jake’s…”

Grammy whirled around from the cake batter she was
stirring. Tears eyes welled in her eyes. “Lord almighty, I don’t
believe I’ve evah heard anythang so sad and so tragic as what
happened to Jake—to be killed like that...”

I shifted on my stool. “Yeah.”

Grammy eyed me. “How you doin’, dahlin? I mean, how
you holdin’ up?”

“I’m fine, Grammy.” At her pointed look, I sighed.
“Really, I’m fine.”

“Umm, hmm,” she harrumphed. She continued eyeing me
over her shoulder as she snapped on the antique mixer. Its archaic
hum echoed through the kitchen. “You still runnin’ from your
emotions, Noah?”

Grammy was another one who could always see through
my bullshit. “I’m not running from my emotions.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

Grammy pointed her chocolaty spoon at me. “Don’t say
‘yeah’, young man. You sound completely common!” Her worst fear was
for me to sound vulgar or common. The poor woman would have
probably had a heart attack if she’d heard the way I talked
sometimes.

“Yes ma’am,” I replied.

I eyed the clock over the sink. “I’ve got to be at
the funeral home at six. You think I could get ready here?”

“Of course, sugah. You go right on upstairs and get
ready. I’ll just be fixin’ you somethin’ to eat while you’re
getting ready.”

I grinned. I could always count on Grammy.
“Okay.”

After heading up the familiar staircase, I went into
my old bedroom. Grammy had basically kept it the same way I’d left
it. Mom had bought us all new furniture—a symbolic gesture for our
fresh start at the new house. I still kept a few pants and shirts
in the closet.

I took a quick shower and then put on a pair of black
dress pants and black shirt. I’d talked to the guys, and we’d all
decided to wear black pants, black shirts, and a silver ties. Yeah,
we sounded like a bunch of silly girls coordinating what to wear,
but at the same time, we wanted to show our unity—the same way the
football team was all going to wear their jerseys in honor of Jake
being a four year letterman.

Grammy was just taking up the fried chicken—my
all-time favorite—when I came back into the kitchen. She’d fixed
all my favorites vegetables too with green beans and creamed
potatoes. Since I wanted to enjoy my meal, I knew I needed to
mention the unmentionable.