Why Wait?

1

~~~volleyball game~~~
"Paisley, here," I yell as the ball heads over the net and straight to her.

But she messed up. Hitting the ball but making it go backwards. None of the other girls made a move for the ball. So I did what I could do. I run through our side of the court and dive. I hear something crack in my knee and let out a cry of pain. The ball goes high up in the air seconds before touching the floor.

Janessa quickly recovers from her trance and makes an attempt at hitting the ball. It goes over the net---by some miracle--- and hits the ground on their side.

Making the game tied.

Sidney and Coach Jackson make their way over to me. A worried look spread across their faces.

"Are you okay?" Sidney asks, bending over to help me up.

I cry out again. "It hurts. It hurts so bad."

Coach Jackson purses her lips. "Your parents are going to kill me."

The nurse walks over to us with an ice pack. "Is it broken?" She pokes at it for a while, making me start crying.

Sidney takes her phone out and dials 911, handing it to the nurse. She takes it and leaves us for a while.

Coach goes to call my parents and tell them to meet me at the hospital in a few minutes.

~~~the hospital~~~
"Oh, honey," mom say as she walks in the room. "Look at you. What was I thinking when I let you play sports?"

I roll my eyes. "Mom, I'm fine. I just dislocated my knee a little.

She glares at me. "A little?" Then her eyes widen. "You didn't do this on purpose, did you? To get out of your brother's tour?"

My eyes narrow. "That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard, mom. But to answer your question, no. I dove for the ball and landed really hard on my knee."

After a very long while, she relents. "Very well then. I brought your laptop and phone so you can continue working in the cities for your brother's tour. Also, which stadium we'll be performing at."

"Seriously, mom? In a hospital?"

She nods again. "I don't see why not. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to call your father and tell him you're fine. Then I'll go ask the doctor if we can just go ahead and take you home."

~~~my room~~~
I was sitting on the couch in my room with my leg propped up. Mom had me change a few cities from the schedule. I trade one of the Floridas for Pennsylvania and Tennessee for New York. Madison Square Garden is supposed to be a surprise. My brother has been wanting to perform there for ever. He's going to be excited when I tell him I scored him a concert there.

My boyfriend Cody walks in with a plate of food and a glass of water. He takes a seat beside me and starts eating.

"You know," he says, his mouth full. "Since you and I have been dating for over six months, I should start getting paid."

I look at him. "What?"

He shrugs. "I want two things: money and popularity. You haven't given me either."

Setting my laptop down, I turn to look at him. "I thought you wanted me," I say slowly.

His eyes flicker down to my lips. "Can we just start kissing now? I've missed you."

After a while, I nod.

Smiling, he takes a sip of water then sets his plate down. He leans in to me. His soft lips brush against mine before he starts kissing me.

Cody has a way with things. It's what I like about him. And no, I don't really care for him. But he just basically said the same thing about me. So technically, I'm using him as well.

About ten minutes later, I felt Cody get ripped away from me. Opening my eyes, I see my furious brother.

"What are you doing?" I ask him.

The famous, overnight sensation, Austin Ross glares at me before turning to face Cody. "You need to leave right now," he says angrily.

Cody looks at me, a threatening glare. "Seriously?"

I wipe at my lip and look down. "Sorry, Cody. But he's right. I have work I really need to do."

Cody's eyes flash. "Whatever," he snaps at me. "Just don't expect me to be there when you leave."

Austin's fists stayed balled up until we heard the front door close. He then relaxes a little and looks up at me. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

Slowly, I shake my head, feeling my cheeks redden.

He sits beside me, taking the spot Cody was in moments earlier. "Kelli," he says softly.

"What?" I ask, a huge lump in my throat.

He pulls me into a hug. "Just leave him."

A silent tear spills down my cheek. "I can't, Austin."

Austin sighs. "You deserve someone who actually likes you, Kelli. And Cody is most definitely not that someone."

I lay my head on his shoulder. "It's not that easy," I tell him. "Cody may be a stuck-up jerk but he's actually there. And he hasn't threatened me in a while."

"Kelli," he starts. "He's not---"

"I know," I cut him off. "But you just don't understand."

After a while of arguing, he finally apologizes. "I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I just want to see my baby sister happy."

I nod, already putting it behind us.

"Do you have all the tour cities done?" he asks, changing the subject.

Smiling, I nod. "I was wanting to talk to you about that," I say excitedly.

"Talk to me," he says, smiling.

I give him my computer and let him read through the list. His eyes widen at the last one. "No way," he breathes. "Is this some kind of joke?"

Laughing, I give him a hug. "Congratulations, Austin Ross. You get to perform in Madison Square Garden."

He stands up, shock written all over his face. "They're letting me play? Like, for real?"

"Don't be surprised," I say softly. "You definitely deserved it."

"Thank you so much, Kelli," he says. "You have absolutely no idea how much this means to me."

And that's what I wanted to hear.

HEY!!! SO, I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS ONE. AS YOU CAN SEE, I'M NOT VERY GOOD WITH SUMMARIES. BUT I REALLY HOPE YOU GIVE IT A CHANCE.

WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT CODY? IS HE WORTH HER TIME?

DID YOU LIKE AUSTIN?

AGAIN, THANKS FOR GIVING IT A CHANCE!!