The Arrangement

Balls Again

We had found a routine and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't starting to enjoy my summer. We both went about our business. I danced and saw friends, but never pushed my curfew. Likewise, Dan would go out but always returned early. My biggest complaint was that he often took Hershey with him.

I was jealous he was off with his artist and I had been dumped. The problem was I liked sex and had never gone long between boyfriends. I couldn't date now with this living arrangement, so I felt myself becoming frustrated.

Determined to release some of my pent up frustration, I took the handheld shower head and directed it towards my most sensitive area. I shut my eyes and tried to think of my go-to image ─Channing Tatum. I felt myself responding when suddenly without warning the vision in my head changed. Again that naked torso and his face smiling the way he did when we were getting along.

Damn! I can't even get off without him invading my space.

At least David was coming for the weekend. We were halfway through this ordeal. Dan was anticipating his brother's visit as much as I was.

On Wednesday, any headway we made was ruined, when my friend Tanya who worked in accounts receivables came to see me.

"I thought you might like to know your old boyfriend is sniffing around one of my coworkers. I heard him say Dan forced him to break up with you!"

"What! That ass! I was starting to trust him. Why would he care?" I felt the muscle tension build as my anger bubbled up. "I'll admit we had no future, but what business is that of Daniel's?"

"I don't know, but I say you're better off without him. Maybe Dan likes you. I'd get a divorce for Daniel Currier."

"He and I have barely gotten along since we hit puberty. He does not like me!"

I decided not to confront him. I would just ignore him. That plan lasted a day. Just before dinner was ready I was in the kitchen while he was on the porch. I listened as his phone rang.

"Of course, I can..." He laughed. "Absolutely, I'll be right there."

He came into the kitchen. "Patty, something came up. I've got to go."

My resolve was forgotten as I yelled with my fists clenched and blood boiling. "Sure you can go screw your artist, but you made sure I'm alone. What right did you have to tell Nate to stop seeing me? NO RIGHT is the answer!"

"What the hell! You know you really are a ball buster. Every time I start getting along with you, you bust my balls!"

His face was red with his jaw set.

"Oh my God, not your damn balls again. They sure weren't broken in high school when you were screwing Ashley. I can guarantee your little friend wouldn't have made a booty call if they were broken now."

"I'm out of here! For your information, I never screwed Ashley!"

"Ha, that's a lie." I hollered at his back as he walked out the door. Hershey sat whining. Did she miss the bastard or did our yelling upset her?

"Every time I start getting along with you..." Damn, we were getting along. I was enjoying his company. Why did I think he had changed?

The summer before our senior year, we had gotten along really well. I actually thought he liked me. Lord knows, I felt something for him. At seventeen, I was convinced I loved him, but what did I know?

He was even nice to me at the senior picnic held the day before school started. Through the years, we never acknowledge each other in school. I had thought senior year would finally be different.

When teams were picked for a scrappy game of baseball, he picked me. It was probably because he knew I wasn't bad at catching, but I told myself it was because he liked me.

It wasn't my fault. It really was an accident. I had a strong arm, for a girl, as David always reminded me, but I couldn't hit the damn ball. When instead of striking out on the third pitch, I hit the ball sailing over heads, I was so excited I threw the bat with my strong arm and ran.

What I didn't know until I reached second base and saw the commotion was my bat hit full force into Daniel's groin area. He had been standing right behind me and encouraging me to swing.

I get it was humiliating to go down in front of his friends, but I never understood his anger towards me. I didn't do it on purpose. He made my life hell our entire senior year. I could take the talking behind my back and the insults, but when he started going out with my friend, Ashley, it hurt.

Ashley and I danced together and as I suffered from my ankle injuries, she was capturing center stage. She had Daniel and dance. I was left with nothing, but my books.

He may deny he had sex with her, but she told me directly, that he'd recovered from his injury and everything worked perfectly. The one thing, that I wasn't, was stupid.

Why can't he just get over it?

Patricia sat shaking her head. I had forgotten she witnessed our verbal battle.

"What? It was an accident? What's the statute of limitation on accidents?" I was irritated.

"Honey, you are forgetting something. For a seventeen-year-old boy, it was mortifying. I also know he ended up in the emergency room. He was really hurt and then he had to show his parts to doctors and..."

"Okay, I get it. Still, he didn't need to ruin my relationship with Nate."

"No, but are you mad about losing that guy or about Danny's involvement?"

I knew Nate was not right for me, but it was my choice to keep seeing him. I didn't answer, I couldn't. Instead, I took Hershey for a long walk and then curled up with her until she ran to greet the ass when he came back at ten-thirty. Traitorous pup!