“Sorry?” Embarrassment flooded me as I quickly yanked my shorts up and looked away.
“I didn’t mean to be so,” I heard him swallow and I could feel his eyes on me “rough.”
I shook my head before turning to face him, “It’s ok, I liked it,” I muttered. “You don’t have to treat me like glass.”
“So my girl likes it a little rough?” he smirked. My Nick was back and I breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll make note of that for the future.”
“Can you roll down the windows?” I sighed.
“Yeah, why?” he looked confused.
“Because I can’t breathe in here with your ego taking up all the space,” I giggled.
“My…ooh. I’m gonna get you for that,” he chuckled.
“I bet you will. Now, where was it that you were gonna take me?” I glanced around. I couldn’t see much, but we were in a driveway of an old rundown house.
“Here,” he grinned proudly.
“Uh. Where exactly is here?” I looked around and couldn’t really gather my bearings.
“Come on,” he motioned as he opened his door to get out. “I wanna show you this.”
When I climbed out and rounded the front of the truck, Nick was standing there waiting on me. He had a look on his face that I really couldn’t place. Pride? Fear? Love? Expectancy?
“What is this place?” I murmured.
“Well, you know I’ve been working crazy hours, right?” He looked over at me waiting for an answer.
“Yeah,” I drew it out slowly.
“So I’ve been saving. I want to be able to give you the life you deserve, Leah, and I don’t mean a date here or there. I’m trying to build a future for us,” he gripped the back of his neck. “So,” motioned toward the house “I bought this for us.”
“What?” I gasped. Panic filled me and I felt the color drain from my face. I was thankful for the darkness because I knew my reaction was going to crush him. I couldn’t live here. I wanted out. I wanted away from here, away from Pittsford. “Nick,” I shook my head and covered my mouth.
“I know we’re young, but I want you know that I’m serious. I want forever with you and I’m going to do my part to make sure that you’re taken care of. I’m gonna fix it up. I’ll make it special. I can have it ready by the time you graduate. We can move in here, and when you’re ready, we can make it official.”
“Official?” I squeaked.
“Yeah,” he turned and moved to stand in front of me. He cupped my cheeks in his hands and leaned in close to my face. “I want it all, Leah, and I want to share it with you. What do you say?”
“Um,” I stammered. This was all happening so fast. I couldn’t do this. I loved him, but I was only eighteen. I wanted to go out into the world and live. I wanted to go to college. Thoughts of Coach Wilson and Mr. Stallings flitted through my mind. He’d told me he’d be back. He’d told me I could go anywhere with the way I ran today. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t give all that up for this. Surely, Nick wouldn’t ask me to.
“Say something,” he begged breaking the silence.
“It’s a lot to take in; I need time,” I mumbled.
“Time?” his voice cracked.
“I’ve had a long day, Nick, and you kinda sprung this on me. It was totally unexpected,” I tried to hide the fear in my voice. I was gonna loose him. I could sense it, but I didn’t want to admit it, yet.
“Well, you’ve got three months until graduation. You think that’s enough?” he grinned. “I don’t wanna wait any longer.”
“Sure,” I nodded numbly. “I’m really tried after the meet. Can you just take me home?”
“Ok,” his shoulders slumped. “I love you. You know that, right?”
I forced a smile, “I love you, too.”
“Come on,” he turned and headed back around to his door. “I’ll take you home.”
As Nick drove back through town, putting more and more distance between us and the little house, I couldn’t help but sag in relief. This was all too much. He was talking marriage and forever. I just wanted to graduate. How was I going to do this? How was I going to convince him to come with me? How was I going to protect my heart and my future? I had a feeling that one was going to suffer. I was going to have to choose. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the one decision that I thought was going to be easy was going to be the hardest I’d ever make in my life.
Chapter 17
Leah
A week had passed since Nick had sprung the whole house thing on me, and as bad as it sounds, I kinda pushed it to the back of my mind. Impressing Mr. Stallings was at the top of my ‘things to do’ list and I wasn’t leaving room for anything else. Nick had been working like crazy, and even though I missed spending time with him, I was glad for the separation. Time away gave me clarity and cemented the idea that I needed to tell him I couldn’t live in that house. I knew he’d be hurt, and that was the last thing I wanted but the plan was to leave Pittsford, not put down roots.
“Is Nick bringing you home tonight?” My mom smiled as she carried over a plate of pancakes and set them in front of me.
“I don’t know,” I muttered. “I haven’t talked to him for the last two days. I can always drive myself. I’ll just stay at school instead of bringing my car home.”
“Everything’s ok with you guys…right?” My mom sat down beside me with a concerned look on her face.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “He’s just been busy.” I’d made the excuse so many times over the last week that I was beginning to believe it myself.
“Well, your dad and I are sorry we can’t make it today, but things are crazy at the shop,” she placed her hand on my arm and squeezed gently.
“It’s ok,” I shrugged. “You come all the time. I know you can’t be at all of them.”
“I still feel bad when I can’t,” my mom sounded wistful.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” I wrinkled my forehead as I turned to face her.
“I was just thinking the other night. You’re going to be going off to school soon and we won’t see you as much. That’s hard for a mom to come to grips with. I just want to make sure that I’m coming to as many meets as I can.”
“I know, Mom, and I love you for it, but I’ll be fine. I can get Avery to bring me home if I need to,” I smiled as I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I gotta go now, or I’m going to be late for school.”
After grabbing my back pack and heading out the door, I climbed into my little Honda. Dad had found it used a few months back and we finally got it running. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it got me around. Not having to rely on others to give me rides was the best part.
ooooooooo
As I stared down at the text on my phone, I felt a wave of anxiety. Nick wasn’t coming to the meet today; he was working, instead. Something about overtime and needing the money to buy building supplies for the house. I knew I needed to tell him that I didn’t want to live there, but I wasn’t even sure I could now. Knowing that I needed to clear my mind, I grabbed my things, and headed into the team locker room.
A few of the girls were chatting about their latest dates, or whatever plans they had for the evening, but all I wanted was an escape. Mr. Stallings might be back today. He’d said that he was going to keep up with me and I hadn’t seen him at the last meet. Today was a big one for us. Our rivals and that meant scouts.
I sighed as I finished dressing in my uniform and plugged my earbuds in. I leaned back against the lockers and closed my eyes. I had an hour before I needed to warm up and all I wanted was to get lost in the music.
When the meet started, I pushed all the unwelcome thoughts that I had to the back of my mind. I didn’t have the time to worry about anything but running. I needed to repeat the time that had set the scouts in motion, and I needed to focus on me, for once. My brain had been so tied up with everyone else lately, that I’d neglected myself.
As I sat in the infield and scanned the stands, I saw him. He was back and
he was back to see me. That both excited and terrified me. What if I wasn’t good enough? What if the last time was a fluke? He must have sensed me staring at him because moments later our eyes connected and he nodded. He knew I knew he was there.
Before I could think too hard about it, they announced the 400 meters. I stood and made my way over to the designated area to warm up and stretch. “You ready for this, Leah?” Coach Wilson smiled at me. “It’s in the bag. You know that, right?” He grinned.
I swallowed, “What if I can’t do it again?”
“Don’t think that way. You can and you will. Tune the rest out and focus on the prize. Tom’s got an eye for these things. He knows what he’s doing. Trust his judgment.”
I blew out a breath, “Ok.”
“That’s my girl. I’ll see you at the finish line,” he chuckled.
“I’ll be the one that crosses first,” I laughed as I bounced on my toes, ready for action. This had been our banter for as long as he’d coached me, and as the words died in the air, I truly realized how much I’d miss him.
ooooooooo
You hear all the time about how there are moments in your life that change everything. Moments that define you, make you into the person that you were destined to become. That moment happened at the end of the meet for me. I’d won, and even though I was riding high on the adrenaline from it, I knew that something was different. Coach’s reaction was different, and the look he sent me from across the grass as I saw him talking to Mr. Stallings was sending up all the warning flags that my life was about to change. I didn’t know it then, but I was getting ready to face the offer of a lifetime.
“Hey, Leah,” Coach Wilson shouted across the field, motioning me to head in his direction. He was standing beside Mr. Stallings.
“What’s up, Coach,” I panted as I jogged over and came to stop in front of him.
“Tom came to watch you today; he has some news that I think you’d like to hear,” he grinned proudly as he watched us shake hands.
“It’s nice to see you again, Sir,” I nodded as a confused look began to spread across my features.
Mr. Stallings leaned in closer, “I’m sure you want to know why I’m here to see you, Miss Carmichael.” His smile widened even more, “You’ve made quite a mark in the record books and I wanted to follow up since the last time I was here. I saw where you applied to the University of Georgia. Is college really what you want to do?”
“Are you scouting for scholarships?” I gasped. “I mean…to run… for the Dawgs?”
“Not exactly,” he chuckled.
This confused me even more. When he was here the last time, he hadn’t told me anything about who he was scouting for, “I don’t understand.”
“I’m scouting for the Olympic trials. I need someone to pick up the anchor in our relay team. Your name was at the top of our list. You could leave next week, get to our training facility in Atlanta, and start training with our coaching staff.”
My head began to spin as I replayed the words. Leave next week? I still had three months of school left. If I had any chance of graduating, I had to finish school.
“What about graduating?” I gasped.
“We have on-site tutors. They’d help you and you’d graduate like a homeschooled child would.”
“I really need to think about this. Can I have some time?” I swallowed. What was I saying? This was my dream… my ticket out… the chance to follow my dreams.
“I can give you two weeks. After that, I need to go back to the books and keep looking if you’re not going to join us. I just don’t have the luxury of time right now,” he smiled at me. “I know it’s a big decision, one that you’ll want to talk over with your parents, but this is a chance of a lifetime and it won’t come around again.”
“Thank you, Sir. I…I don’t know what to say. I’m honored and stunned. I’ll think about it and get back to you just as soon as I’ve made a decision. “
“That’s what I want to hear and I hope to see you training with us by the end of the month,” he shook my hand one last time before turning to walk toward the parking lot.
The Olympics? Was I gonna be an Olympian? This was so surreal that I almost forgot where I was. What would my parents think? What would my friends think? What would Nick think? Could I leave? Could I really do this…in two weeks?
Chapter 18
Leah
When I arrived home that night, my parents were in our family room watching some Lifetime movie. My mom was curled on her side with her head in my dad’s lap. I could tell by looking at them that they’d both had a long day. They’d both had to work instead of coming to my meet, and I’m sure that they hadn’t been home for very long.
“Honey? Is that you?” My mom called out as I walked into the kitchen.
“Yeah! I’m just getting something to drink. I’ll be in there in a minute,” I returned as I rummaged through the cabinets for a glass. After filling it with water, I leaned against the sink. I knew I needed to tell them about my offer, but I wasn’t sure where to start. They’d been so busy lately that we really hadn’t discussed college or when I would leave. I think they thought I’d have all year to make that decision. Little did they know, my life was getting ready to soar to the clouds.
“How was the meet?” My dad’s eyes connected with mine.
“Really good, actually,” I twisted my fingers together nervously as I shuffled into the room. I slowly lowered myself onto one of the chairs and took a few deep breaths.
“Leah? What’s wrong, honey?” My mom sat up and stared at me. I knew she could tell that something was bothering me, but she was trying to wait and let me bring it up.
“Well,” I bit my lip. “A scout came today,” I blew out a breath.
“Really? That’s great!” My dad beamed as he sat up a little straighter. “Is it for one of the schools that you really wanted?”
“Not exactly,” I mumbled as I looked away.
“Well…where?” He pressed as he narrowed his eyes.
“He was an Olympic scout,” I rushed the words out and then turned pleading eyes on them. “He wants me for the Olympic team.”
“Leah!” My mom gasped. “That’s…wow!”
“I know,” tears began to trickle down my cheeks.
“Wait!” My dad held his hand up. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“They want me next week,” I sobbed. “I don’t know if I can do it,” I waved my hand frantically. “Leave…next week,” I pinched my eyes shut as the room fell silent.
“Leah, you can’t let this opportunity pass you by. If Coach says you have it in you, you need to go for it,” my dad’s voice was strained. I could tell he was trying to understand why I was hesitant.
“I know, Dad, I just don’t know if I can leave Nick. I love him.” The words came out before I could stop them and it was as if a tornado was swirling inside me. All the feelings I’d been dealing with for the past two weeks were coming to the surface and I was powerless to stop them.
“Nick would never ask you to give this up, baby. This is the big time. This is your chance to make something of yourself. You always said you wanted to run in the Olympics one day. This is it,” he begged me. “Tell them yes!.”
“Please don’t ask me to decide on this tonight. Please, Dad…I need to think about it.” I shook my head as the tears continued to fall. “I need time to let this all sink in.”
“When do you have to have an answer?” His voice softened as he watched me struggle.
“Mr. Stallings said I could have two weeks, but they would really like to know as soon as possible.”
My dad nodded silently before reaching up to run his hand through his hair, “Why don’t you get some sleep? We can talk more about this tomorrow. It’s the weekend. The shop doesn’t open until three. We can have a family breakfast and talk about this.”
“Ok,” I nodded. “I’m going to bed,” I motioned to the stairs before disappearing into the hallway.
“Nite, Sweetie!” My mom called as I trudged up stairs all the while trying to process exactly what I was going to do.
ooooooooo
When I woke the next day, I could hear my parents in the kitchen laughing. It was a welcome sound, and one I hadn’t heard in a while. My dad been working more hours than ever, and my mom was right there with him. Normally, when I got up, the first thing I did was go for a run, but today I decided to forgo that. I wanted the family breakfast that my dad had talked about the night before, and now after sleeping on it, I knew what I was going to tell Mr. Stallings.
When I stepped into the kitchen, my mom smiled at me, “Morning.”
“Morning,” I smiled back. “I’m gonna take it,” I rushed the words out and waited for their reaction.
“Sweetie, you have time to think about this. Are you sure?” She sat down at the table beside my dad.
“Yeah,” I nodded quickly before a smile began to split my face. “I am.”
“I’m so proud,” my mom clapped her hands as she rushed around the table to wrap me in a giant hug. “What made you decide so quickly?”
I sighed as I pulled back, “I don’t want to look back and wonder if I was good enough. This way I’ll know. If I fail, then I’ll know I wasn’t good enough, but if I succeed? It’ll be like magic,” I grinned.
“Oh, honey,” she sighed as she kissed the top of my head. “I’m so proud of you. You’re so mature.”
“Thanks…I think,” I giggled.
“So what do we need to do now?” My dad folded the paper he was reading and turned to face me.
“I’ve got to tell Coach that I’m telling them yes. He’ll know what to do after that,” I sipped my juice.
“Aren’t you forgetting someone else you need to talk to?” My dad’s look was sympathetic.
“I’m going to tell him next,” I murmured. “Dad, he’s gonna hate me. I’m gonna break his heart and he’s gonna hate me.”
“He’s not gonna hate you. He might be hurt, but he won’t hate you. If he loves you as much as you say he does, then he’s gonna be proud of you, just like we are.”
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