Fair Catch (Love and Sports Series) (41 page)

             
She just shook her head. She wasn’t even giving him a chance. “No, Jake. I need to do this myself and I can’t have you around when I try to figure things out. I’m sorry.”

             
He finally was able to take her hands and he put them up to his beating heart, he felt tears prick his eyes. “Please Lex, please don’t do this to me. I need you.”

             
She looked away from him as tears fell down her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

             
“No, baby.”

             
She pulled her hands out of his grasp and cried into them. “Please go.”

             
“I can’t. I need to make everything ok.”

             
“Jake, GO!” she shouted. “I don’t love you anymore. ok. Don’t make this harder than it is.”

             
Jake’s heart stopped beating from the heinous words that flew out of her mouth. His entire body went numb and anything he was feeling completely vanished. There was nothing anyone could say to him now that could hurt worse. It was as if her words instantly removed his soul.

             
“You don’t mean that.”

             
She looked him dead in the eyes and said, “Yes, I do. Now leave!”

             
Jake took a step back from the venom that was pouring out of her eyes. This was not the Lexi he loved, this was a confused Lexi that was trying to salvage a life she thought she wanted and nothing he did was going to change that. Jake took one more step back and then turned for her door. He looked over his shoulder as she crumpled to the floor and sobbed. He wanted to go over there and console her but he knew it wouldn’t do anything. Instead, he walked out of her door and out of her life like she wanted.

Chapter 17

             
Screams vibrated through the apartment as Margo sat in her room and listened to Jake and Lexi yell at each other. Normally listening to them fighting wouldn’t be such a big deal, they had at least one major fight a week so hearing screaming coming from Lexi’s room didn’t faze Margo. What made Margo nervous was how closed off Lexi was when she got home from the game, how she left Jake without celebrating with him and how she didn’t get out of bed this morning to go train like she always did. Something was wrong, something was very wrong.

             
She went out to the kitchen to grab the bagel she toasted and put some peanut butter on it right when she heard Lexi scream at Jake to leave. Margo cringed from the hateful tone Lexi used. She didn’t want to get caught eavesdropping so she quickly put the peanut butter away and went to grab a drink from the fridge but that was when Jake left Lexi’s room and made eye contact with Margo.

             
Never had she ever seen such hurt and dejection in his eyes. Margo wanted to reach out to him and make him feel better but she knew she had to be there for Lexi. They just stared at each other and the only reason Margo broke the stare was because she heard Lexi sobbing from her room.

             
Margo went toward Lexi’s room, leaving her bagel and drink behind. When she passed Jake she squeezed his arm and he bent down and whispered, “Take care of her for me, Margo.”

             
The tightness in his voice from not wanting to cry nearly brought Margo to her knees. Jake was always the strong, hero type guy that everyone could rely on. He was everyone’s rock when they needed him. To see him so helpless killed Margo.

             
“What’s going on?” She asked as quietly as possible so Lexi wouldn’t hear her conversing with who now Margo assumed was the enemy.

             
Jake shook his head and squeezed the bridge of his nose then rubbed his eyes. He sucked in a huge gulp of air and slumped his shoulders. “I have no fucking clue. She broke up with me because I control her life apparently.”

             
Margo stopped listening after he said she broke up with him. She shook her head in disbelief. “She what?” Margo practically hissed.

             
He put his head down and shook it. “She broke up with me.”

             
Margo pulled him into a hug and shook her head. “No, she didn’t mean it. I will fix this, Jake.”

             
Jake pulled away. “No, I don’t think you can. I’ve never seen her like this. She doesn’t want to be with me. She called me a hindrance to her life. It’s over, Margo.”

             
With that he pulled his keys out of his pants pocket and left their apartment. Margo just stood in the middle of the living room watching Jake leave. Lexi broke up with him? What was wrong with her? She was so in love with him, they were going to live together. He was going to propose. He told Margo all about it, it was the sweetest thing. There must be something seriously bothering Lexi for her to leave Jake and Margo intended to find out what that was.

             
She grabbed a tissue box off the coffee table and headed toward Lexi’s door. Margo’s heart broke from the sniffles and hurt radiating from Lexi’s room. Lexi had always been a strong girl and took care of Margo, even during her worst. It was time Margo returned the favor. She needed to make everything ok, if not for Lexi then for Jake. She might not have been on board with Jake taking her into his world and Lexi following him around but she sure as hell didn’t want them to break up.

             
Margo instantly felt an enormous amount of guilt settle on her chest. Was she one of the reasons why Lexi pulled away from Jake?  Were her and Parker’s comments the reason why Lexi broke everything off with Jake? Margo quickly grabbed her phone from her room before heading into Lexi’s. She sent a text message to Parker.

Margo: Help! Lexi broke up with Jake just now. She is sobbing in her room.

              Margo paced back and forth for what seemed like forever to receive a message back from Parker but in reality it only took him a couple of seconds to respond.

Parker: WHAT?!? I’m on my way!

Margo: Door is unlocked. I will be with Lexi.

              Margo took a deep breath and entered Lexi’s room. The curtains were drawn and there were no lights on. The only reason Margo was able to see Lexi as a heap of human on the floor was because there was light beaming through the creases of her window. Margo slowly walked over and sat down next to Lexi who was curled up like a ball on the floor. She gently placed her hand on Lexi’s back and Lexi jumped from the touch. She didn’t even realize Margo had walked in the room.

             
Her friend cried her heart out as Margo rubbed her back in silience. Margo lowered herself on the ground and pulled Lexi into her embrace so she was spooning her.

“
Shh…” Margo whispered in her ear. “I got you Lex.”

             
Margo didn’t know how long they laid there like that because next thing she knew Parker was bursting through the door wearing sweats and a t-shirt with his hair stinking sporadically out of his head. If Lexi wasn’t so upset, Margo would have taken the time to really soak in Parker’s I-just-got-out-of-bed look.

             
He bent down and picked Lexi up, pulled her close to his chest and sat on her bed. Margo instantly felt a twinge of jealousy but quickly stored it away because Lexi needed Parker. He would be able to help her. Parker nodded toward the window so Margo went over and opened the curtains. The light was almost blinding since she had been lying in the dark with Lexi for so long. Lexi buried her head in Parker’s chest trying to avoid the light. He didn’t let her.

             
“Lexi,” He said in a soothing tone. “You need to talk to us.” He looked up at Margo. “Can you get her some water?” Margo nodded and left the room. She heard Parker whispering things to Lexi in her ear but couldn’t make out what he was saying. She wished she was in Lexi’s place, how weird was that?

             
When she came back in the room Lexi had her face pulled away from Parker’s chest and was wiping away tears. Her face looked swollen and red and her eyes were completely bloodshot. Margo’s heart went out to her friend. Why was she doing this to herself? If she was in this much pain, why did she break up with Jake in the first place?

             
“Lexi, tell us what happened.” Parker said.

             
Lexi sat up a little taller but still in Parker’s lap. “I broke up with Jake.”

             
“We gathered that.” Margo said. Parker kicked her with his foot. “What? It’s obvious.” Parker just scowled at her.

             
He directed his attention back to Lexi. “Why did you break up with him, kiddo?”

             
“You guys were right.” Crap, Margo thought, they did have a hand in this. “I was living in Jake’s shadow, I kind of lost who I was and I finally realized it. It took me a while, but I realized it. I need to find out who I am and what I’m going to do with my life. Not ride around on Jake’s coattails.”

             
“You were never riding his coattails.” Margo said while rubbing Lexi’s arm. “You were helping him achieve his goal but we just wanted to see you have goals for yourself as well. You didn’t have to break up with him.”

             
“Yes, I did.” She said while getting off Parker’s lap and standing up, looking more sure of herself now then she was a couple of seconds ago. “If I stay with him there is no chance I will be able to figure out what I want to do with my life.”

             
“But don’t you love him?” Margo asked, not trying to drive a stake through Lexi’s heart but just trying to figure out her reasoning.

             
Lexi put her head down and grasped it with her hands. “I do. I love him so much.”

             
Parker got up and pulled her into a hug. “Lex, you don’t have to let him go. You guys can work at this together.”

             
“No.” She pushed away. “I have to do this on my own. I need to.”

             
Parker and Margo both nodded. “You can stay with me.” Margo said. “I have an apartment lined up for after we graduate. It will be small but you can stay with me so you don’t have to go back home.”

             
Lexi looked up at Margo with tear soaked eyes. Lexi flung her arms around Margo and squeezed her so tight Margo was afraid her head was going to pop off her neck.

“Margo, I can’t even tell you how much that means to me. I know I want to do this by myself but I can’t do it back home. Thank you.”

              “Of course, sweetie. It’s ok to ask for help you know. You’re not alone here.”

             
“I know. Thank you.” She grabbed Parker’s hand and Margo’s in hers and looked between the both of them. “You two are the most amazing friends. Thank you for everything.”

             
Parker placed a kiss on her head. “You’re welcome but are you sure you want to break up with Jake?”

             
Lexi nodded her head. “If we are meant to be, then we will find our way back together.”

             
Margo hoped so because she had never seen Lexi so happy in her life then when she was in Jake’s arms. Margo only wished she had that kind of relationship with someone. She glanced over at Parker who grinned at her. He would be leaving soon. Rumors were he would be going to the Atlanta farm system, but those were just rumors. The thought of him being so far away killed Margo. It was a whole other time zone.

             
Pushing the thoughts of Parker out of her head, she focused on her future. She had a fundraiser to take care of and a job to get ready for. She was going to be starting a new chapter in her life soon and unfortunately for her heart, Parker was not involved.

                                                        ***

              Darkness surrounded him as Jake sat on his bed. He didn’t know how long he had been there, he didn’t even really know what day it was. All he knew was Lexi ripped his heart out of his chest and stomped all over it. He didn’t believe what she said. He didn’t believe that she didn’t love him. If she didn’t love him then there was no way she would have been as upset as she was when he left. No, she loved him. She was just pushing him away, which hurt. They were supposed to support each other. He didn’t understand why that concept kept fleeing from her mind.

             
There were many times in their relationship where she didn’t trust him with his help. Jake thought he showed Lexi how much he wanted to be a part of her life, how much he wanted to be there for her and how much he wanted to walk through life together. Why was she shutting him out now?