Ace's Wilder

The end, the beginning and Puerto Rico (again)

Ace was never happy to go home, especially in the summer. But, she was about to start her sophomore year, and she needed a few things for school, she supposed, so she let her parents talk her into coming down for a weekend.

As soon as she got home, it seemed, she remembered why she didn't enjoy visiting. Or well, her dad was fine. Dr. Love always seemed happy and jovial. Quinn Love was much more...mercurial when it came to her mood.

It started innocently enough.

Have you washed your hair this week?

Ew. Yes.

But soon it always escalated into some version of "when are you going to stop spending so much time being Jase Wilder's groupie and get a life of your own?"

This had been a subliminal campaign, and then an outright issue for her mom since Jase had left for low-A ball his rookie season after he graduated high school.

"Oh, my god, mom," Ace found herself groaning, head in her hand, riding shotgun in her mom's Audi on the way back from the mall that weekend. "When is this going to stop? I have a brain of my own. I have a life."

"It just seems to revolve completely around a guy, Gracilynn. That's not healthy," Quinn repeated the lines as if she rehearsed them in the mirror between conversations with her daughter, lips pressing together in a hard line every time Ace took a breath before responding.

Ace herself felt like a broken record at this point. "I'm happy. Isn't that all you're supposed to want?"

Quinn scoffed. "You only think you're happy. You've pinned your happiness onto one person. It's not real."

"I don't get you," Ace grunted, crossing her arms and looking out the window. "Why can't we just go to the mall and have a nice day without you always coming back around to this. Jase loves me."

"You only know Jase when he's around you. What do you know about what happens when he goes on the road? He's young, and successful, and attractive—"

"Ew, mom!"

"—and he probably gets a lot of attention when you're not around."

Ace frowned. "I trust Jase a hundred percent."

Her mom pressed her lips together again and glanced over at her. "Are you telling me that, or trying to convince yourself?"

Maybe Quinn knew what she was doing from the outset. Maybe she had no idea that she'd planted a seed of doubt in her daughter's head. But as far as Ace's mom was concerned, the situation couldn't have played itself out more perfectly.

They were still teenagers. In hindsight, Ace figured it probably would have happened that way eventually. Or, maybe it wouldn't have. Who could really say? She spent a lot of time trying to convince herself one way or the other, depending on the day.

As August gave way to September, and Jase ended his season on the road with Bowie and the Double-A squad, Ace let her imagination run wild.

Jase's pitcher threw a no-hitter to end their year in Binghamton. The team partied out at some bar before heading home the next day. Apparently, Jase's phone died sometime before Ace could get in touch with him. That was the beginning of the end.

They spent the rest of the month arguing about just about everything. Jase was offered a spot on another fall league squad, and decided it would be in their best interest if he left town for a while.

Ace, who'd finally realized she may have in fact, been afraid to be alone in this new city that wasn't so much hers, but theirs, to that point, took out her frustration with herself on him. She told him to leave and forget about coming back to her. He packed up his apartment, put his things in storage, and left.