Coach's Daughter

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Uh so I went to the store and you weren't there." Jesse said with annoyance as I answered my phone.

"Ah, shit." I swore, sitting up straight. "I forgot to tell you I didn't have to work."

"Well thanks for the heads up." Jesse mumbled. "Are you coming over or what?"

"Uh... Sure? I can't drive, though." I looked at the joint in my hand, knowing that even there was no "law" about driving while high, this was not a good idea.

"What? Why?" Jesse asked. "Are you stoned? It's the middle of the afternoon."

"So." I laughed, taking another hit and blowing it out of my window. "What else would I do?"

"Can you just like, bring wine over or something and we can watch movies? I don't really wanna go out tonight..." Jesse sighed. "Let's just get drunk in my room, if you're up to it."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I put the joint out against the brick on the outside of the house. Tossing it in the garden that my dad never looked at, I pulled my hand back inside the window and stood up.

On opposite ends of the age range, I was turning 19 at the end of October and Jesse would be turning 17 in a week. She was young for our grade, I was painfully old.

Our friendship developed by chance, both of us mild loners at the beginning of sixth grade. I had just been relocated again due to my mom's service and I was old enough to be an eighth grader, forced back into sixth grade due to non-transferrable credits and less than stellar academic performance on my part.

Jesse was the tiny girl with literal headgear, not even kidding, and the two of us naturally gravitated towards each other. Both seemingly hopeless causes, we surprised each other by the time freshman year came around. She became breathtakingly beautiful, landing a spot on the varsity dance team freshman year, a feat not many could claim. And I made a name for myself with soccer. Most goals and most assists on varsity freshman year, everyone knew who I was by the time sophomore year rolled around.

We coasted through high school, our age difference not mattering that much, with Jesse being more mature than most. But now that senior year was starting, the age difference was painfully obvious as I prepared to be independent (financially and physically) and Jesse was still restricted by a state curfew of 10pm.

But I just sighed and knew that she was still my best friend, and this was just my obligation as the only one old enough to have a convincing fake ID.

"Red or white?" I raised my eyebrows, wondering how I was going to do all of this in my current state.

"Surprise me." Jesse said excitedly.

"Red it is." I sighed, the pain in my lower back reminding me of my night last night.

"Yo your brother was at my house today what's up with that?" I asked curiously, hoping it wasn't going to be a sensitive subject.

Jesse let out a long sigh, indicating that yes, it was going to be a sensitive subject.

"So I kind of didn't tell you but my mom maybe got busted again and she's kind of in a court ordered six week rehab program so Kade's home being my legal guardian or whatever." Jesse sighed, sounding like she'd tasted something sour. "She blew the money my dad left me so that's a time."

"Get a job." I suddenly blurted, my eyes widening with how harsh that had been. "I mean like, don't let your mom fuck up your life before you get a chance to. Do something about it. Prove you're not gonna let her mistakes screw you over." I turned it into a motivational speech instead.

Jesse let out a sigh, the sixteen year old 'what the hell' sigh as if I'd deeply and purposely insulted her, which I probably actually had.

"Like you know anything about that. You work to have booze and weed money." Jesse said harshly. "Your family is loaded, you can go to any public or private university in the world and not even bother about scholarships."

I bit back my words, offering up a smile to sound more cheery.

Not even Jesse knew about my plans.

I didn't really know why I hadn't told her, I mean she is my best friend and we tell each other everything from when we need to take a shit to the deepest darkest thoughts that cross our minds.

But only two people who personally knew me knew about my plans. My boss and my guidance counselor.

To everyone else I was making connections with at U of M, I was just Annabelle Harrison, a girl from Metro Detroit going to Michigan in the winter.

"Yeah, sorry, what do I know?" I muttered. "But Kade's here for an extended period of time?"

"Yeah like the whole semester at least. I dunno, never see him around the house though. He's been staying elsewhere for like at least the past week."

"Cool." I muttered, grateful that even if he'd be around, he wouldn't be at their house. And I wouldn't have to awkwardly tell Jesse that I'd drunkenly done him without even knowing.

She'd never buy it.

"So are you coming over or what?" Jesse asked impatiently.

I sighed, looking down at my still-sweaty body from the workout earlier.

"I'm going to run over and then shower at yours." I said confidently.

"What the fuck?"

"Well I can't fucking drive."

"But you can run five miles?"

"Duh."

"Gosh you're weird. I'll figure out the booze. Just hurry up yeah?"

"On my way." I laughed, stepping into my shoes before I even hung up the phone.

"I'm going to Jesse's!" I yelled to my dad as I walked through the kitchen.

"Sure hope you're not driving!" He yelled back.

I froze, peering my head around the corner to the living room.

"Come again?" I grinned, my heart pounding in my chest.

Dad gave me a look over his glasses as he paused the film that he was watching.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about but I am running to Jesse's to get in an aerobic exercise thank you very much." I grinned, leaning against the door frame.

"My window's open too ya know!" He called after me as I rushed out of the front door. "Can smell you from a mile away."

Whoops.