More Than This by McLean, Jay (best books to read for teens txt) 📗

trying to stop the tears from falling.

There’s a soft knock and Jake pokes his head through the door. I motion for him to come in and he sits at the edge of his bed and waits till I’m done.

“I’ll call you when I land and find a hotel to stay in and a rental. I’ll let you know if I need to go to the hotel first but I’ll try to be there as soon as I can, okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Do I go to James’ house or Megan’s?”

I can see Jake tense from the corner of my eye, he must be able to hear the conversation.

“Um, neither, I’ll give you the address when you call.”

“Okay, honey.”

“Umm, Aunt Lisa?”

“Yeah, hun?”

I turn so my back is to Jake, I don’t want him to see my humiliation. “Do you think you could go past a store on your way here? I um, I kind of have no underwear.”

“What, like none?”

“No, we umm, we had prom last night. I only had the dress on. Like, only the dress.” I’m beet red. “Um, I need bras, and panties.” I basically whisper the last word.

“No problem, hun. Same size as the ones I sent you for christmas?”

“mmhmm”

“Okay honey, no problem, and Kayla?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m so sorry, honey.”

“Me too.”

We hang up.

I sit next to Jake on his bed. I’m still wearing his clothes. I subconsciously cross my arms and cover my breasts, so he can’t see my nipples through his thin white shirt, although he probably already has.

He clears his throat. “So your aunt’s coming?”

“Not my real Aunt, just my mom’s best friend. She already found out from someone else, I guess she was already on her way here.”

He nods his head.

“So…” I say, trying to find my voice. “Your mom tells me you’re kind of a big deal. Baseball, I mean.”

He blushes shyly and looks away. “My mom has a big mouth.”

Silence.

“Thank you, Jake.”

“You’re Welcome, Mikayla.”

Chapter 10

*Jake*

Mikayla’s ‘Aunt’ Lisa is on her way over here, I guess they need to discuss funerals and things. I’m just glad she’ll have someone around that she’s known for more than two days. I see her phone going off constantly and she ignores it every time, I bet it’s James.

I had to practically kick my agent out of the house this morning. He wouldn’t take no for an answer, then he saw the swelling and bruises forming on the knuckles of my ‘pitching’ hand and lost his shit.

My dad hadn’t seen it either, he wasn’t very happy about it. When I told them what happened, Ryan, my agent, told me not to let bitches ruin my dream. That’s when I told him to fuck off, in a nicer way, before I left and came upstairs to check on Mikayla. The whole time I sat there, all I could think about was her.

When I went upstairs I didn’t expect to walk in on her conversation with her aunt about having no underwear. Like, none at all. I couldn’t help but look up at her when she said it, her nipples were poking through my shirt.

I know, I’m a dick. The girl’s so fucking fragile right now, she’s just lost everything, and I’m the creepy perv, staring at her tits. I’d punch myself in the face if my hand wasn’t so fucking sore.

***

The doorbell rings and I open the door to a tiny pixie haired lady about my mom’s age. She smiles warily at me.

“I assume your Jake?”

“You must be Lisa, come in. Have a seat,” I gesture to the sofa in the family room. “I’ll just go get Kayla, she’s upstairs.”

“Thanks, hun. Oh, and give her this.” She hands me a bag. Bras and panties.

I run into my mom on the staircase and tell her that Lisa is downstairs waiting, she leaves to introduce herself.

I knock on my bedroom door and open it slightly, peeking in. She’s in the middle of my bed in the fetal position, quietly crying. My heart breaks.

I clear my throat and she looks up at me.

She sits up and wipes frantically at her tears.

I sit on the bed next to her. She’s showered and wearing my mom’s sweats which are a little small for her, they hug her curves, but I don’t look too long.

I grab her face in my hands and start wiping the tears away with my thumbs. I don’t know if she means to, but she leans into my hand a little and it takes everything in me not to kiss her.

“Your Aunt Lisa’s here,” I tell her. “And she wanted me to give you this.” I hand her the bag.

She blushes. “Thank you, uh, I’ll just go to the bathroom and… dress… just wait here, okay?”

I nod, because being in the next room while she tries on underwear is going to be fine.

She’s out within minutes and a shy smile creeps on her face. She sits down next to me on the bed.

“I know that I’ve already said this but I don’t think I can say it enough, Jake. Thank you, for being here, and for helping… and your mom… I need to thank her too. And your dad, I haven’t even met him yet… god, I’m so rude. I just-"

“Kayla, stop. It’s fine. We honestly don’t mind. And you’ll meet my dad soon, he should be home with Julie any minute now.”

“Julie?”

“My little sister, she’s eight.”

Sadness shadows her face, she must be thinking about her sister. “How old is, I mean was, Emily?”

“She was nine.” She stops breathing for a second and closes her eyes. When she opens them, there’s a resolution there, like she’s made a decision, or accepted this horrible fate.

She grabs my hand in hers. “Come with me, please? Just be there… with me.”

I lead her down the stairs and into the family room where Lisa is waiting for us. Mom’s there too and there’s tea set out on the table. Lisa stands when we walk in and they hug for