The Light in the Wound by Christine Brae Read Free Book Online

game.”
     

     
    The next few weeks were spent watching any baseball game I could catch on TV after school and in the evenings. Jesse invited me to another home game shortly after that. This time, I went without Betty and sat in the stands to wait for him after the game. It was another win for his team, with Jesse batting the tie-breaking home run. There seemed to be the same set of girls who were waiting for him at the end of this match as well. This time, Jesse spoke with them briefly and then ran up the stands, two steps at a time, to catch me before I had a chance to leave.
    “Isabel, don’t leave, okay? I’m going to take a shower and will be right back in ten minutes. I’d like to be the one to take you home this afternoon.”
    I gave him a smile and nodded. As I watched him walk away, I couldn’t help but stare at his backside. Despite the loosely hanging jersey, the ridges of his back muscles and arms showed through its material. His baseball pants showcased the tightest and most well-built set of thighs and legs I had ever seen.
    Sure enough, he showed up in less than ten minutes, his hair dripping wet and smelling like sweet licorice. He took my hand and we walked toward his car. Somewhere along the way, another group of girls called out his name and he waved at them. I pulled my hand away, embarrassed to be infringing on what could be someone else’s turf.
    Jesse’s calls continued every night after that last game. He would wait for me outside school on the days that he coached. We only spoke for a few minutes each time because Evie and Alicia needed a ride back to my father’s house. With school, coaching, his student council activities and his games, there wasn’t really much room for me. Not that I was looking for anything, really. Those reliable phone calls did ease my loneliness every night after having dinner all alone or while waiting for my mother to come home.
    His calls would come late at night after I had gotten ready for bed. I would cradle the phone by my ear and wait for it to ring.
    “Hi, it’s Jesse,” he would start out.
    “Hi,” I would say. My eyes closed, big smile on my face.
    “How was your day? Sorry it’s so late, just got out of practice.” He always spoke in a hushed tone, and I wondered whether there were other people in the room with him.
    “That’s all right. Mine was good. My mom’s not home yet, so I’m kinda dozing on and off. Rode for an hour today then came home to study for my Chem test. How about you?”
    “Studied a bit before practice. Practiced. That’s pretty much it ... so tell me what you reviewed for Chem.” He chuckled.
    “Hmm, I’m so tired, I don’t even know anymore.” I giggled.
    “Is it obvious that I’m just trying to keep you on the phone a little longer? I love the sound of your voice. Let me keep you company till your mom gets home,” he whispered.
    Training for the equestrian events going on at the club was taking most of my free time after school. Pepe and I had just begun to build such a good chemistry that I won blue ribbons in many competitions that year. Betty and I also went out with Leigh and his friends. They were a fun bunch, and most of the time we were at one of their houses playing Scattegories and other board games. Once in a while, Betty would tell me that so-and-so was interested in me. I think that although I didn’t admit it at that time, I was really saving myself for Jesse.
    One day after one of his games, he picked me up from the stands and introduced me to his mother. The way that he said my last name made her look straight at me with a sharp look of concern.
    “You’re Claudia Holtzer’s daughter?” she asked.
    “Yes, ma’am. It’s very nice to meet you.”
    “Mom, I invited Isabel over for dinner after the game.” I kept my stare on him, refusing to glance over to see his mother’s reaction. I remembered the fights I caused in grade school trying to defend Alicia against the nasty rumors that were