Chapter 2: Chapter 2

ODETTE

I knew I should have called Sterling instead of waiting to see him. I was aware it would cause an argument, but I didn’t want to deal with him last night. To be honest, I didn’t want to deal with any of this shit.

“I thought I told Wren to have you call me when you got up yesterday,” Sterling snapped.

“He did, but it was late, and I knew I was seeing you today, so I thought it could wait. I did a lot of driving yesterday.”

“I know you don’t get along with Julie, but I need you to humor her while you’re here. Don’t be mean to her and don’t have inside jokes about her with the other siblings, okay?” Sterling’s voice was stern, reminding me of his “father” voice he had when I was growing up.

“Is this what you wanted to talk about? Do you think I’m going to ruin your wedding?” I asked in a hurtful tone.

“I just know how you are.” Now I was more offended than hurt.

“What is that supposed to mean, Sterling?” I snapped.

“It means you can be a bit mean to people you don’t like, and we don’t want the wedding ruined.”

“I would never ruin your wedding, no matter how much I dislike Julie,” I yelled.

It hurts to know what he thinks of me. After our parents died when I was fourteen, Sterling kept Wren and me out of foster care and took us in while studying physical therapy. He’s more of a father than a brother to me, and I feel like I’ve let him down.

“I want this to be perfect for her, and you’ll let your temper get the best of you,” Sterling argued.

“You’re the one person who I thought understood me the most, but I was wrong. I’ll gladly bite my tongue and do what needs to be done, but don’t ask me for anything else since you can’t trust me,” I yelled.

“That’s not what I meant,” Sterling said with a sigh of frustration.

“Really, what did you mean then?” I was beyond angry and didn’t want to be here anymore.

“Come on, Etta, don’t be like that,” Sterling said, trying to calm me.

“Like what? Crazy, emotional, too much like a girl?” I couldn’t hold it back anymore. This is what always happened when Julie was involved in the conversation.

Maybe I was crazy and emotional. I was lashing out at my brother, and I wasn’t even sure we had a valid reason to be arguing. I was at times mean to Julie, but in my opinion, she deserves it. Most of the time, I ignored her, and I wouldn’t ruin shit for Sterling. He knew that, but part of me wanted to make this difficult for him because he assumed I’d fuck everything up.

“What’s going on?” Julie asked as she walked up to Sterling.

Of course, Julie would come in at the worst time.

“Nothing, I was just leaving,” I snapped.

“Don’t forget the bridal fitting at two today,” she yelled as I walked toward the door.

“I won’t, I promise. I won’t fuck this up for you,” I said sarcastically.

“Etta, please don’t leave while we’re mad at each other.” Ignoring Sterling, I left his house and headed toward my car.

Since I didn’t have my own place, I had no choice but to head back to Wren’s.

I was a little thankful to see Wren’s car gone when I pulled up to the front of his condo, but I was surprised to see Reece sitting in the living room when I swung the front door open.

I let out a sigh and tried to walk past him.

“Are you okay?” Reece asked.

“Can you not bother me right now?” I mumbled.

“It is clear that you are upset,” Reece stated.

“Why the fuck do you care? It’s not your problem,” I snapped.

He put his hands up in defense, his eyes wide with shock. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

I huffed and flopped on the couch.

“My life is a mess. My brother thinks I’m a fuck-up,” I said, trying to hold back tears.

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Reece tried to reassure me.

“Sterling wanted to talk so he could tell me not to ruin the wedding for Julie. On top of that, I have no idea how to tell them that I can’t go back to where I was living—that I’m staying here.”

“Why can’t you go back?” Reece asked. I didn’t mean to let that last part slip out.

“I just can’t, Reece.”

“Did something happen to you?” he asked, with a bit of anger in his voice.

“It doesn’t matter, and it’s none of your business,” I said with a sigh.

“Of course, it matters. You’re crying,” Reece snapped.

His voice was so loud that it made me flinch. He must have noticed because he quickly apologized.

“I’m sorry. I guess this is what Sterling was talking about. My emotions have been hard to contain lately. Sterling was right; I haven’t been too kind to Julie,” I admitted.

“You need an outlet. It would help if you did something with the built-up frustration you have. I think I know something that will help. Do you have plans?” he asked.

“I have to be at the bridal store by two,” I said, feeling defeated.

“Great, that gives us plenty of time. Let’s go; I’m driving,” Reece said as he jumped up.

“Where are we going?” I asked, annoyed.

“You’ll see.” Reece was smiling, and all I could think about was how the smile lit up his face.

***

The ride was somewhat uncomfortable. Conversation topics were limited, and I had already shared more information than intended before agreeing to let him drive my car. Fortunately, it was only a twenty-minute journey.

“A batting cage?” I inquired.

“Trust me, swinging the bat and hitting the ball will be beneficial,” Reece responded.

Reece handled all arrangements, even though I insisted on paying for myself.

“You look nice in a helmet,” he mentioned softly.

“No one looks good in a helmet,” I replied jokingly.

“Well, you do. Are you ready? You’re going first.”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I answered.

“Great, get in there and hit the ball,” Reece said enthusiastically.

“I understand how this works; I’ve just never been to one before.”

I entered the cage and waited for the red light to turn off. Once it did, I got into my batting position.

I heard the machine click and anticipated the ball. The ball arrived faster than expected, and I missed it when I swung.

I missed the next two swings as well and sighed in frustration.

“This isn’t helping. If anything, I’m more annoyed than before,” I stated.

“Press the pause button to your right,” Reece instructed.

I quickly pressed the button and observed the yellow light come on. Once sure another ball wouldn’t be pitched, Reece entered the cage.

“Stand right here,” Reece directed, pointing to a spot in front of him.

I moved to stand in front of him. Reece placed his hands on my shoulders.

“You need to concentrate. Listen for the click of the ball and count the seconds it takes to reach you, then swing at the next pitch.”

Without waiting for my response, he turned me by my shoulders.

“I’ll assist with this one,” he added.

He stood behind me and adjusted his body against mine in a batting stance. “Are you ready?”

I nodded.

“Press the pitch button,” Reece instructed again.

The machine made a thumping sound, and Reece started counting. His voice made concentrating difficult. I shifted my head back slightly to look at him.

“Focus on the machine, not on me.” Reece was smiling, and it momentarily distracted me.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

“And swing,” Reece coached.

The ball made contact with the bat. This resulted in a sense of accomplishment and happiness.

“Now, I’m going to step out of the cage, and I want you to repeat that.” Reece’s calm voice helped maintain focus.

After several rounds, I left the cage feeling relieved.

“You were correct; the sound of the ball hitting the bat and the unrestricted swinging does help,” I commented.

“I thought it might help, but your phone has been ringing,” Reece pointed out.

“I’m late for my appointment at the bridal shop.”