Out of the Shadow (30 page)

She wiped her face as she approached the stands, her parents, followed by Gretchen, Mark, Jamie, Nate, and Robby, climbed down the bleachers.

“
Great game, honey,” Liz said, kissing Ally’s cheek.

“
Thanks,” Ally said, her brow furrowed. She watched as Robby and Nate discussed the finer points of the game and wondered why Stacy hadn’t come.

“
You looked real good, princess,” Jay said, grinning. He hugged her and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. “If you’d played the last quarter I’m guessing you might have broken some sort of scoring record.”

Ally rolled her eyes and winked at Jamie. “I don’t know, Dad.” She extracted herself from his embrace and thanked the others for coming. “I need to get to the locker room and shower. What are you guys doing tonight?”

“
Nate and I have to scout a band tonight,” Jay said. “Mark and Gretchen are tagging along.”

She nodded, knowing her father wouldn’t want to stick around the campus long, already several people were gawking at him, Nate, and Mark. “That’s fine,” she said. “I’ll hang out with the young people.”

“
Hurry up and shower, cuz,’ Jamie said.

She waved, scooped up her warm-up gear, and jogged to the locker room, her ponytail bobbing and weaving behind her.

“
I told you it was Jay Jones,” Ally heard a girl whisper to her friend. “And did you see Nate Crawford and Mark Winston, too?”

Ally drew in a deep breath and breezed by the gossiping girls as if she hadn’t heard a thing. She collected her shower things and headed toward the showers, pretending like no one around her was staring in awe.

Once she showered, she crammed her gear in her locker, eager to escape and hang out with Jamie and Robby. But the excited girls weren’t about to let her go quite so easily.

“
Ally!” Cora Evers said, her brown eyes shining. “We saw your dad out there. Will he come to all of your games?”

Ally smiled at the other girl and held tightly to her patience. “I’m not sure. He travels a lot for his job.”

Cora returned her smile, inserting a bit of sympathy. “That’s too bad.” She touched Ally’s arm. “I didn’t ask so I could bug him or anything,” she hastily added. “I just love his music. They’re one of my all time favorites and I just thought it was cool that he was here. That Nate and Mark were here, too.”

“
Thank you for that,” Ally said, not able to express properly that it was nice to hear someone simply say that it was cool to see her dad and not ask her for any favors concerning him.

“
You played a great game,” Cora added.

Ally tried to respond but was interrupted.

“
Ally won’t introduce you to anyone, Evers, so don’t bother sucking up,” Danielle sneered as she leaned against the lockers. “She’d rather keep them all to herself even though not all of them want her.”

Danielle’s words cut straight to Ally’s heart and her hands clenched into fists. She took a step toward Danielle but Cora snagged her arm.

“
Butt out, Danielle,” Cora said. “If any of Ally’s friends or family wanted to meet you, then they’d ask her to introduce them. Leave her be.”

Danielle snorted and narrowed her eyes dangerously. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at the two girls. “Ally’s just embarrassed because her boyfriend dumped her – probably for that hot new singer Redden Records signed. She’s gorgeous.”

Ally’s teeth grinded together so hard that she figured her dentist was cringing wherever he was at that moment. She attempted to rip her arm out of Cora’s grasp but the other girl just tightened her hold.

“
Butt out, Danielle,” Cora said as she yanked Ally away from the lockers and toward the other exit. “Get a life.”

Once they were safely away, Cora released Ally’s arm. Ally rubbed it absently while her mind basked in the red fury still filling her head.

“
She’s trying to taunt you, Ally,” Cora warned. “She was the same way last year – taunting and baiting the girls that were better than her. I’m surprised the coach let her on the team.”

“
Yeah, well, one of these days soon I won’t be able to walk away from her,” Ally said as they turned a corner and pushed the gym doors open. “And I hope for her sake she’s prepared.”

Cora smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Just, watch out for her. Don’t get yourself in trouble because of her, okay?”

“
Yeah, sure,” Ally said as her eyes searched the stragglers that had remained in the gym. She found Robby leaning against a wall near the door and sprinted to him, her anger slowing evaporating. “Hey.”

“
Hey,” he said, his brows scrunching together. “Everything all right? You looked pretty angry when you came back into the gym.”

“
Nothing,” she said with a long sigh. “Where’s James?”

Robby chuckled. “Some girl called him – Marissa, I think. Anyway, he said to apologize.”

She groaned and hefted her bag further up her shoulder. “I’m telling you, Robby, that boy is going to get himself into trouble one of these days.”

“
Ah, let him sow his oats now,” Robby said, a dimpled smile slipping across his face. “He’s still young.”

Ally lifted a questioning brow. “And what are you – old?”

“
Getting there,” he teased. “Just turned twenty-two over the summer.”

“
Wow, you’re ancient,” she said sarcastically. She watched as the last of the spectators filed out of the gym. “So, what now?”

“
Let’s go grab something to eat and then you can catch me up on all that’s happened while I was in L.A. for Thanksgiving,” he suggested.

Her heart twinged but she nodded and followed him out of the building.

He took her to a crowded fast food place close to campus and they found a booth near the back. She nibbled on her burger, feeling the weight of his eyes on her. She set her burger down and sighed. “What?”

“
I heard that you and Cole didn’t work things out,” he said, concern flooding his eyes. “Do you think it would help if I talked to him?”

“
No,” she snapped. “Not in the least. I know I shouldn’t have kissed you, Robby, but he doesn’t need to make such a big deal out of it. I mean, how much time does it take?”

She picked up a fry and jabbed it repeatedly into a cup of ketchup. Robby placed a hand on hers to stop her. “He’s hurt, Ally. He wants to get over it so you two can make things right.”

“
That’s what I kept telling myself,” she admitted quietly. The fire of rage sparked in her stomach as she recalled the ugly words he’d said that night. “Until he said some pretty nasty things to me. So, I figure, if he thinks that lowly of me then forget it – I don’t need him.”

“
Whatever he said was probably out of anger and pain,” Robby reasoned. “Just like when you kissed me – you were acting out of anger and pain. It works both ways.”

A touch of red stained his cheeks and it endeared him to her. But she focused on his words, knowing he was right. She sighed and slumped in the booth. “Yeah, I guess. But I just don’t know what the deal is anymore. Every time we’re together, we end up hurting each other. Maybe it is best if we step back and give each other space.”

Robby smiled softly. “Spoken like a mature, young woman.”

She snorted as she picked up her cup and took a drink. “More like a confused idiot.”

“
Nah,” he said as he took a bite of his burger. He swallowed and tilted his head. “Relationships are tough in the best circumstances – it’s bound to be harder for you and Cole.”

“
You sound like you speak from experience,” she said, leaning over the table to narrow her eyes suspiciously at him.

He laughed. “Not at all. I just watched my sister go through the same sort of thing.”

“
Oh?” Ally said, her interest peaked. “And how did that end?”

“
Don’t ask,” Robby said with a grimace.

Ally groaned and flopped back into the booth. “Great.”

“
But you and Cole are two different people than my sister and her boyfriend,” Robby pointed out.

She watched him finish his burger as a smile crept across her face and her heart thumped erratically. She leaned closer. “And what about you, Robby Redden?”

He gazed at her, confusion all over his handsome face. “What about me?”

“
Don’t tell me someone who looks like you doesn’t have women chasing him,” she said with only a smidgen of embarrassment.

Robby, on the other hand, had the decency to blush. “Nah, that’s not my style.”

“
You’re right,” she said, considering him carefully. “You’re a one woman sort of guy.”

“
Perhaps,” he said, gathering their garbage and avoiding her eyes. “Are you finished?”

“
Sure,” she said slowly, watching him apprehensively. “Who is she?”

He snorted as he stood, tray in hand, and lifted a brow. “Like I’d tell you.”

“
Hey,” she protested as she slid out of the booth and followed him. “Tell me.”

He smirked as he pulled on his jacket and held the door for her. Her lips set in a straight line as she grabbed his arm and dragged him to the car. He unlocked it and opened her door, still maintaining his maddening smirk.

“
Robby,” she warned as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. “Come on! I tell you everything – which I’m not going to do now. You traitor.”

He laughed and she could make out his dimples thanks to the streetlights illuminating the car. She continued to stare at him, silently, as he drove through the dark streets toward her dorm. She strained her brain, trying to think of who might have caught his eye – perhaps one of the secretaries at the studio?

No, she thought. Most of them were a bit older than he. But there were temps and assistants and they were young – college aged. She cocked her head, admiring his profile. He was very handsome and she guessed that he was probably a hot topic in the ladies room or around the water cooler. She wondered if she should ask her dad or Nate…

“
Jeez, Ally, quit staring,” he said, still smiling. “You’re sort of creeping me out.”

“
Just trying to figure out what sort of girl would catch your eye,” she said.

His smile fell as he lifted a hand from the steering wheel to push the hair off his forehead. “I wish you wouldn’t try,” he said, his voice a mere whisper as he pulled into the parking lot closest to her dorm and put the car in park.

She giggled. “Why not?” she asked and then it hit her as he turned to face her. Her heart flipped and thudded as a shy smile graced her face.

“
Ally,” he said in a low tone as he read her face.

She shook her head and inched closer, her eyes wide. She fisted his jacket and yanked him closer, her heart in overdrive.

He cupped her cheek and took a deep breath. “Ally, no.”

“
Why?” she asked.

His thumb caressed her cheek as his eyes softened. “Listen to me, okay? You’re very confused right now. You and Cole just broke up and I know you still love him. You’re hurting and jumping into something with me isn’t going to help.” He swallowed and sucked in another deep breath, releasing it slowly. “I’ll be a friend to you – a good friend – but that’s all. For now. You need to give yourself time to think and figure out what you want. Starting something with me may only end up hurting both you and Cole in the end. I don’t want that.”