Lonely Roads

Chapter 4

I wipe my eyes and dragged myself out of my comfortable bed. I suddenly remember that Jacob has a baseball game that I promised I would attend, so I slip on my favorite pair of jean shorts and a Fall Out Boy T-shirt. I open the shades and am blinded by the sunlight, which surprises me. I check my clock and see that it's already 10:45.

Shit! I scream internally and sprint down the stairs, only having a few minutes to eat my muffin and brush my teeth. I scramble to get ready while Jacob yells at me to hurry up, claiming we'll be late. I take my breakfast to go and slam the car door behind me.

The car ride is long and quiet, and I silently curse at myself for forgetting my headphones at home.

We pull into a gravel parking lot and Jacob is nearly jumping out of his seat. I roll my eyes and reluctantly get out of the car, banging my head on the car door.

I scream, "Jesus Christ!" I instantly cover my mouth with me hand and hope no one heard me.

My mom glares at me got a second before wishing Jacob good luck. We walk over to the bleachers behind the first base line and pick two spots in the front row. We bicker for a while, arguing over silly things like how my shorts are supposedly too short.

"There's a reason there called shorts, mom. Because they're supposed to be short," I say with a chuckle. She just shakes her head and ignores me until the game starts.

Jacob's team is away, so they get to bat first. Mom and I stand up from cheering when Jacob hits a double as the lead off batter. My heart swells with pride, although I would never admit this to him.

I sit back down, still wearing that cheerful smile. My mom gets up to go to the bathroom and I rest my head on my hand, staring off into space as the next batter gets ready. I jolt awake from my trance when I feel a tap in my shoulder and snap my head towards the poker. My eyes open in surprise when I see Daniel, the boy from my walk. His arm is draped across a beautiful girl about my age. Her blue eyes are striking and her arm is wrapped around his waist, causing me to cringe slightly.

"Hello, Emily."

"Hey."

"Don't act so happy to see me," he says with a smirk.

"What are you doing here?" It slips out, sounding a little too hostile.

"My brother's on this team, Sherlock. Noah Finley."

I almost smack my head out of stupidity. It makes perfect sense, they share the same green eyes and dark hair.

"Jacob's my brother," I inform him.

"I figured. You two both have hair brighter than the sun."

I wrap my blonde hair around ny fingers, suddenly feeling insecure.

"I'm Rose," says the girl clinging to Daniel.

I give her a small smile and say, "Hi, I'm Emily."

She returns my smile but it appears that she struggles to do so. Her smile shows a tiny hint of remorse.

There's an akward silence between the three of us and I expect them to leave, but they won't let me return to watching the game just yet.

Daniel states, "There's a party tonight, my place. You in?"

His sudden invitation shocks me and for a second I consider declining. I'm too tired... I have chores to do... I decide that it can't hurt to have a night out, so I tell him I'll go. He snatches my wrist, pulls a pen out from his pocket and scribbles his address on my hand. He holds onto my hand for a second longer and then lets it fall to my side.

"See you later, Emily," he remarks with a wink. He walks away with Rose by his side, only looking back once to find me staring at him. I blush and look away, but I hear him chuckle as he sits down a distance away.

I start to panic, wondering why he invited me and what I'm going to wear. I'm so concentrated on that boy that I miss Jacob hitting his first ever home run, winning the game and the MVP award from his coach. Everyone else is on their feet cheering, but my mind is somewhere else.