The Game Changer The Final Score - By L.M. Trio Page 0,45
down the window. “Are you okay?”
She slowly turns to face me. “If you could do it over, would you do it different?”
I nod.
“How?” she asks.
“Well, if you want to hear, you’ll have to get back in.” I lean over to open the door.
Hesitantly, she gets in. She keeps the door slightly ajar, making it clear that she is not planning on staying long.
“You have to know, I am filled with so much regret over the way I handled things.” I look into her eyes with my hand over my heart. “If I could go back, I would never let even one day pass without talking things out with you. I should have leaned on you, let you take care of me. I was such a wreck, I couldn’t think clearly. I know you would have been strong for me. I would have asked you to wait. No, I would have expected you to wait. I think if we talked it through, we could have made it work.
You would have left for USF as planned. That wouldn’t have been an option. I would have pounded it in your head until you realized how upset it made me to hear you say you were going to give up your scholarship. It would have killed me, knowing that you gave it up. I think I should have trusted you enough to know that you would have listened to me if we talked about it reasonably, but I never gave you that chance… I’m sorry. We could have written, talked on the phone, been there for each other.
Anyway, that’s the way I like to think I would handle it if I had the chance for a do-over. To be honest, JJ, if I knew then that I would have been out in less than two years, I know we definitely could have handled it, but the only numbers I heard back then were three to five. Five years, now that would have been hard. How could I have asked you to wait for five years?”
She sits there a second, absorbing what I have said. “I also would like to think we would have been fine if we stuck together. We could have done the five if we had to.” She looks at me with regret, giving me a forced smile.
“Probably,” I tell her, brushing the back of my hand along her cheek.
Without saying another word, she pushes the door open and gets out. The knot in the pit of my stomach is so tight, I can barely swallow. It’s a mixture of a dream and nightmare. The fact that I was able to see her and touch her once more is a dream. The thought of never being able to do it again is a nightmare.
Chapter 12
(Deanna)
Mya is curled up on the couch, sleeping. I was just about to nod off, myself, when I hear the creaking sound of the front door opening. I immediately jump from the chair and wrap my arms around JJ. I was so worried about her and am glad that she is home safe.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, clinging to her. “Are you okay?” I grab her hand and lead her to the chair. She sits uneasily on the arm as I take a seat beside her.
“I think so. It was something we needed to do. I’m glad he found me and made me listen,” JJ says with a strained smile.
“You’re soaked.” I notice.
“I know. I don’t think either of us realized it was raining.”
Mya sits up, rubbing her eyes. “Hey, Jess… I didn’t hear you come in. I was worried about you. I told him where he could find you,” she confesses guiltily.
“It’s okay, Mya. I’m glad you did, we needed to talk. I don’t think either one of us would’ve ever been able to truly move forward without having that talk. Thanks.”
“What are you saying, you didn’t work things out?” Mya asks.
JJ glances at me. She can see the disappointment in my face. She gives me a partial smile. “I wish it was that easy. I’m not sure we can ever get back what we lost, or if I’d ever want to. I don’t know what to feel. It was a lot to take in.”
“How did you leave things?” I ask.
She pauses, as if she almost forgets how they left things. “I guess we both said what we needed to say. We cried, we held each other, we listened. Then, he brought me home.”