Stay in your Lane (On Hold)

Chapter Six ~ Persuasion

Chapter Six

The moment I wrote my name on that list, I expected the Earth to open up and swallow me. I thought for sure the bowling alley would go silent, and all eyes would turn to me, vacant, gaping, for I had just committed a cardinal sin. I'd betrayed my sex. Stepped out of my place.

But, nobody noticed.

The chatter kept going, the pins kept falling, and the clipboard sat just as it'd been.

Travis grinned. "You sure you want to do that?"

No. Yes. Fuck if I knew. "You're welcome to cross your name off if you've suddenly changed your mind."

But he just smiled, turned, and headed toward the snack bar.

I scanned the lanes, feigning interest in the bowlers while my eyes kept stealing glances in his direction.  Him speaking to Sawyer. Him handing over his money. Him pressing buttons on the jukebox. Then his back as he walked toward the exit and left without saying goodbye.

I stared at the door for a long time after it closed behind him. That couldn't be it. He had me trapped here, in an environment where I couldn't be outright mean to him. I couldn't imagine him passing up the chance to torture me.

Unless he had someone else waiting for him.

The red head. I'd forgotten all about her. The way she'd hugged him after his win, they had to be a thing. For some insane reason, the thought of Travis being a thing with anyone made it hard to swallow.

Then the song on the jukebox ended, and John Michael Montgomery's "I can love you like that" started to play. I swallowed hard, emotions warring as my mind wandered. Had he played it? Of course he had. It was the song that'd played that night at prom; the last night I'd seen him.

Memories surfaced like a dream. The dim room, the dancing white lights, the way his hands had held my waist, and the way our eyes had locked. Then his mouth on mine, soft, tasting. In that moment, I hadn't thought about who we were or what we had. I hadn't thought about ruined dresses or irritating remarks. Everything about it had been right, then too soon, it had all went wrong.

Travis and I hadn't gone to prom together.

Justin Taylor—Mama's golden boy choice for her debutant little girl—was not the type to let another guy take what he deemed as his. Before I could process what was happening, he yanked Travis away and hit him hard in the face.

I'd never forget the crunch. The blood. The chaos that ensued as Travis hit him back, and the two fell to the floor in a violent mess of flailing limbs.

Then Patsy, Travis's date, appeared through the crowd and threw her punch down the front of my dress. A dress I'd picked out myself. A dress I'd dreamed about for years; one of the only ones I'd actually wanted to wear. Ruined. Just like everything else in my life.

"You think trailer trash like you belongs with a girl like that?"

I winced as Justin's words filtered through my memory. I should have stepped in. Should have told Justin he could never be half the person Travis was. But instead, I'd left. I'd ran. I'd gone to the one place I could rely on. The bowling alley.

And because he knew me better than anyone else, Travis found me.

I really wished he hadn't.

Sawyer plopped a plate of pizza onto the counter, pulling me back to reality.

"I didn't order that," I said.

He lifted a brow. "I think Captain Bowling wants to bang you."
***