by JL Paul
“Yeah, I have to keep this on for a week or two then the doctor wants me to work on strengthening my ankle before he’ll allow me to play.”
The coach hugged her. “Well, you should be ready to go before the end of the season. And it’ll be good as new before softball. Those scouts from the State Team will be here watching you, you know.”
“I know.” Ally eyed the container full of basketballs, her hands itching to feel one beneath her fingers. Her legs ached to bend and shoot. “Do you mind if I work on free throws? I can’t run or do lay-ups yet but I can shoot a few hoops.”
Coach Morgan smiled and kicked the basket full of balls closer to Ally. “Go ahead. Mr. Johansen doesn’t lock up the gym until seven so take your time. And when you’re finished, just leave the balls in the basket – Mr. Johansen will put them in my office.” She started to walk away but paused to smile once more. “But Ally, don’t overdo it!”
***
Cole sighed as he finished his dinner and pushed his tray away. He scrubbed his cheeks as he gazed at the doors.
“What’s up, dude?” RJ asked.
“Where the hell is Ally now? She’s never around much anymore,” he complained. “I know she’s still mad at me but that never stopped her from hanging out with you two.”
“I know,” RJ mused. They both looked at Jamie.
“Don’t look at me,” he said. “She says ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ and that’s about it.”
“If you’re looking for Ally,” Stephanie said, plopping down next to Cole with a tray brimming with chicken. “She’s in the gym.”
“What the hell is she doing there?” RJ asked.
Stephanie shrugged. “I saw her as I was leaving. She was talking to the coach.”
Cole sighed again and got up, Jamie and RJ behind him. “Catch you later, Steph,” he called as they walked out of the cafeteria.
They could hear the THUMP THUMP THUMP of a basketball hitting the floor as they approached the gym. They opened the door in time to see her limping after a ball that bounced off the wall and skirted past her.
“No crutches, huh?” Cole asked as he grabbed a ball and threw at the hoop. The ball bounced off the rim and Jamie got the rebound.
“They’re over there on the floor,” she muttered, pointing at the bleachers. She grabbed the ball she’d been chasing and dribbled it as she limped back towards the free throw line. She ignored them as she bent her knees and shot the ball, holding her pose. It floated effortlessly through the hoop and bounced away. Jamie caught up with it and threw it back to her. She bounced it three times, bent her knees and shot it through the hoop once more.
“Shouldn’t you guys be at dinner?” she asked, catching Jamie’s pass.
“Shouldn’t you?” RJ asked.
“I ate after my doctor’s appointment,” she shrugged shooting the ball once more. Jamie passed it back.
“You’re lying,” Cole smirked.
She held the ball still and glared at him. “How do you know?”
He snatched the ball out her hands and loomed over her. “Because I know you. You probably raced back here after your appointment, found the coach and told her you’d be able to play again in a few weeks. Then, because you can now stand without crutches, you asked if you could shoot a few. In your excitement, you forgot all about dinner time. How’d I do?”
Her mood was too good and her spirits too high. “Right on the mark,” she muttered, smile playing around her lips.
Cole threw the ball to Jamie who put it with the rest in the basket. “I think we need to celebrate,” Cole said, taking her hand.
“Absolutely,” RJ agreed, draping an arm around her shoulders. “James?”
“Hell yeah, but you guys are buying.”
Her smile grew as she allowed her three best friends to lead her out of the gym and not once did they mention calling Stephanie to join them.
Chapter Nineteen
“Hey, Ally! Wait up!”
Ally glanced over her shoulder and stopped, stifling a groan, and allowed the group of girls to catch up to her. She recognized three of them as basketball team members and tried to smile as she yanked her coat tighter around her body.
“What’s up?” Ally asked.
“Are you going to be able to play?” Robin Duncan asked, glancing at the brace on Ally’s ankle.
“Hopefully,” Ally said. “We’ll see.”
“We heard this morning on the radio that your dad and his band are retiring after this tour,” Amy Swetin declared, her eyes wide.
Ally blew a breath at her hair and rolled her eyes. “Rumors – that’s all it is.” She turned her back on the girls and headed toward her dorm, eager to get out of the cold and away from the questions. It’d been the exact same thing the week before for Alec when a bunch of his classmates had hounded him between classes.
“Are you sure, Ally?” Robin said, snagging Ally’s arm before she could escape. “I mean, do you really think parents tell their kids everything?”
“Look,” Ally said, stomping her feet to rid them of cold. “I spoke to my dad and to Nate and to Richie and to my uncle Mark and they all said that it was nothing but a bunch of rumors. They have no plans to retire or split up or anything.”
Amy’s eyes grew even wider at the mention of each band member’s name. She smiled at Ally in awe. “It is so cool that you know them! That you’re related to them!”
“Yeah, it’s wonderful,” Ally said, irritated.
“Well,” Robin said with a sympathetic smile. “It’s just that, people love them and all these rumors are going around - not to mention the fact that a lot of people have tickets to see them in Indianapolis and Louisville. They’re worried that the band will break up before then.”
Ally rolled her eyes. “I assure you that my father’s band will not break up before that,” she said, yanking her arm out of Robin’s grasp. “I need to go.”
She stormed away to her dorm before they could pelt her with more questions. She wondered if it would ever end.
***
Ally pondered her relationship with Cole as she drove home. Winter break had arrived, along with a light dusting of snow, and she carefully watched the road in front of her. Alec sat silently in the seat next to her, occasionally playing with the radio.
“Ally?” he asked.
“Hmm,” she answered, slowing down behind a lumbering semi-truck.
“Are you and Cole dating or what?”
That’s the million dollar question, she thought. “I think so,” she said honestly. “But truthfully, sometimes I just don’t know.”
“Well, you two don’t act like other couples at school do, which, I’m thankful for,” he said with a smile. “I don’t think I could stand to see my sister making out with one of my friends in the middle of campus.”
She laughed. “Yeah, I understand. That’s not my style anyway. Nor is it Cole’s.”
“I thought it was cool when you two hooked up but now,” he paused and looked at her. “Now, I don’t know. Sometimes you seem so sad and it makes me so angry with him.”
She patted his leg. “It’s not him,” she reassured her brother, not wanting to cause bad feelings between Alec and Cole. “Mostly, I’ve been a little down because of my ankle and those rumors about Dad. Are people still bugging you about it?”
He nodded. “Yep but I just blow them off. Are Mom and Dad home yet?”
She shook her head. “They won’t be home until Wednesday.”
“Can you take me to Ray’s later tonight? I’m staying there with Ray and Trevor.”
She agreed, wondering vaguely what she would do in that big house by herself all weekend.
***
She stared out the window at the pole barn the next afternoon and yearned to be in there, shooting hoops and doing lay-ups. Her father had had it converted it into an impressive gym years ago when he’d had a huge garage built. She used the gym year round, honing her skills in whichever sport she was currently participating.
It had a half court inside and a batting cage added to the back. It wasn’t much compared to the gym at Nate and Cole’s house, but they’d all enjoyed it over the years. She smiled as she recalled the times the four of them would play a pickup game; although RJ and Cole would never let Jamie and Ally on the same team.
She was surprised that RJ and Cole didn’t participate in more organized sports. They both were pretty athletic, although, Ally thought with a smile, she could kick both their butts in just about any sport they challenged her. Still, they preferred dedicating their spare time to music rather than sports.
The doctor had upgraded her to an ankle brace and released her for light drills, but he had insisted she continue the strengthening exercises and to not overdo. She grabbed her phone, thinking she’d call Jamie and have him come over to work with her. She didn’t want to be too horribly out of shape when the doctor released her to practice and play.
She frowned as the phone rang and rang and nearly resigned herself to the fact that she’d have to leave a voice mail when he finally answered.
“Hey, Ally,” he said.
She raised a brow. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
He laughed. “Nah, taking a break. What’s up?”
“Come over! I’m so bored by myself and I want to work on some basketball drills,” she pleaded. Falling onto her back on the sofa, she blew a puff of air at her hair. “I’ll even make you dinner!”
He snorted. “Pizza?”
“You’d rather me cook?” she asked.
“Good point.” He paused and her attention suddenly focused on the raucous voices in the background.
“Where are you?” she asked, although the answer was dangling in front of her face.
“At Cole’s,” he said slowly, almost reluctantly. “RJ and I came over and we kind of just started goofing off in the gym with Cole and Stephanie. Why don’t you come over here?”
“Nah,” she said, pushing the stinging feeling in her heart away. She wouldn’t think about it. She was determined to stop being so jealous and territorial over the boys. She needed to accept Stephanie’s place in their lives now. “I’m just going to hang out here. I’m not really in the mood to go anywhere.”
“How about if I come over later tonight?” he suggested.
He was just trying to smooth things over and he was probably feeling a bit guilty for not swinging by to pick her up or something equally noble, but she didn’t fault him – sometimes they just needed guy time.
So what’s Stephanie doing there? her mind asked. She pushed the question away with a long, drawn out sigh.
“James, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I’ll probably just do my exercises, take a long, hot bath and veg out in front of the TV.”
“You sure?” he asked, quietly.
“Yes. Call me tomorrow,” she said. “Bye, James.” And she hung up before he could argue.
A huge, lead weight settled in the pit of her stomach and she fought off the urge to throw her body on the couch and have a good cry. Instead, she went to the mud room, tugged on an old pair of riding boots, and tromped off to the stables.
***
“You playing or what, James?” RJ yelled.
Cole watched curiously as Jamie sighed and flipped his phone shut. He tossed it on his discarded t-shirt lying on the floor and returned back to the game, though his heart wasn’t in it.
“Who was that?” Cole asked, mopping his sweaty face with a towel, although judging by the guilt on Jamie’s face, he could hazard a guess. His heart dropped as he thought about how things were still so iffy with Ally. He didn’t know how to fix it this time but he did know he wanted to. He missed her.
“Ally,” Jamie said softly.
“Did you tell her to come over?” RJ asked.
“I tried. I take it neither one of you asked her to come over today either,” he accused. Cole and RJ exchanged guilty looks. “I didn’t think so.”
“What’s the big deal?” Stephanie asked. “I mean, I didn’t think Ally was a high maintenance type that would get all upset if you didn’t include her in something.”
“She’s not upset,” Jamie defended. “And she usually doesn’t get upset if we don’t include her in everything. Problem is, I don’t think we’ve included her in much of anything lately.” He grabbed his t-shirt and his phone. “I’m going to go over there and check on her. She’s by herself and she wants to work on basketball drills. Knowing her, she’ll overdo it and mess up that ankle. It’ll kill her if she doesn’t make the State Team this year.”
Cole groaned, knowing he needed to take the opportunity to talk to her – reason with her. Maybe they could call a truce and things could get back to some sort of normalcy. “Give me a second, man. I’ll come, too.”
***
Cole’s nerves started in on him as he pulled through the gates to Ally’s house and parked his car in front of the dark pole barn. The four of them got out and Cole frowned.
“She’s not in the pole barn,” Cole announced as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know if that’s a good sign or not.”
“Let’s just check the house,” Jamie suggested.
They dashed up the steps and Cole unlocked the door with his key. They kicked the snow off their shoes as they listened for her footsteps.
“Al,” Cole yelled. “Are you here?”
“You know,” RJ said thoughtfully as Jamie ran up the steps toward her bedroom. “You two don’t act like much of a couple. Are you or not?”
Cole snorted. “Who knows? I never know what’s going through that head of hers.”
“She’s not up there,” Jamie reported as he dashed down the steps.
Cole strode through the kitchen and opened the basement door. “Al! You down there?”
“The basement is huge, dude.” RJ said. “Do you think she heard you?”
“When I looked out on the deck, I noticed footprints,” Stephanie said as she joined them in the kitchen. “Do you suppose she went out for a walk or something?”
“Duh,” Cole said, rolling his eyes as a smirk lit up his lips. “I bet she’s riding.”
He brushed past Stephanie and hurried to the French doors, swinging them open and following the footprints to the barn, the others on his heels.
“I didn’t know she had horses,” Stephanie said, delighted. “Isn’t it too cold to ride?”
“Not for Ally,” RJ said, pulling his coat tighter around his body. “She’s a freak.”
“I heard that RJ,” Ally said as she came around the barn leading a gray horse. “You’re lucky I don’t lock you in the stall with Ginger.”
“Who’s Ginger?” Stephanie asked, scooting closer to the saddled horse nudging Ally’s coat pocket.
“An evil devil horse,” RJ said with a shudder that had nothing to do with the weather.
Ally laughed and pulled half a carrot from her pocket and offered it to her horse. “She’s not evil. RJ thought he was being cool once and he upset her so she bit him.”
“Are you getting ready to ride now, Ally?” Jamie asked.
“Just got in. I was hot walking Dancer before I put him back.”
“Can I see the other horses?” Stephanie asked.
Ally nodded and motioned for her to follow. She led her horse to a hitching post inside the barn, tied him up and pulled off his saddle. “Go ahead and look around,” she told Stephanie. “I need to take care of Dancer real quick.”
“James and I will show you the evil horse,” RJ said, grabbing Stephanie’s arm and throwing Cole a meaningful glance.
Cole approached Ally from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. He leaned over and placed his mouth by her ear. “I think I’ve been neglecting you lately.”
She shivered and clutched the brush in her hand, holding it near the horse’s flank. She started thoroughly running it over Dancer’s thick coat. He could see the moisture glistening in her eyes and it tore at his heart. “I’m used to it by now, Cole.”
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“I told you I was terrible at this stuff, Al,” he pleaded, squeezing her tightly.
She turned in his arms and sighed, butting her head against his chest. “I know. I guess I’m not too hot at it either.”
He lifted her chin and gently brushed his lips over hers. He edged back and smiled. “All right, let’s try this. Let me take you out on a real date and we’ll just sit back and relax – not worry about how terrible we are at this or anything else. How about if I take you out tomorrow night? Dinner, movie, whatever you want.”
She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Okay,” she agreed before pulling his mouth back to hers.
“And this,” RJ boomed out in his best tour guide voice, “Is two humans engaged in a rather racy display of public affection.”
Ally pulled away from Cole and pointed the brush in her hand at RJ. “What are you talking about, ‘racy’? And since when is my barn public?”
RJ flashed his most charming smile and pecked her quickly on the cheek. “Just playing with you, Ally, that’s all.”
Ally giddily invited them back into the house and ordered pizzas. Cole passed out soft drinks as they settled around the kitchen table, discussing the past few weeks of school.
“The people at school are relentless,” RJ complained as he snatched another slice of pizza. “They just don’t quit.”
“Tell me about it,” Ally moaned. “The girls are pretty horrible, too. Did you know that my freshman year, some girl asked me if I’d set her up with my dad?”
Jamie grinned and leaned across the table to leer at her. “Was she hot?”
Ally threw a piece of pizza crust at him and hit him right between the eyes, causing RJ and Cole to roar with laughter.
“Yeah, well, I hope it settles down soon,” Ally continued. “I think it’s getting to Alec.”
“I caught a couple of juniors bugging him the other day,” Cole said. “They wouldn’t leave him alone.”
“Who?” Ally demanded, fury rolling off her body in droves.
“Don’t worry about it, princess,” Cole said as he sipped his drink. “I took care of them. You know I got Alec’s back.”