I shook my head. “I don’t expect anything from you. I don’t expect anyone on this team to like me at all, and I don’t blame you. My ex-best friend terrorized your lives and I stood by and let her. And I let her because at the time, being her friend was easier than being her enemy. But I’m here, telling you how sorry I am for all that she did and all that I didn’t do, Cause’ I should’ve done a lot. But all I can do now is show up and prove to you that I am not like her, I am my own person, who is sorry, and who wants to be on this team.”
The three of them stared back at me, arms crossed and eyes uncertain.
“I’m not asking you guys to forgive me today, or tomorrow. But I do want you guys to be able to trust me and know that I am here for the right reasons.”
Alexis nodded her head. “Fair enough.” She stepped closer and handed me the baton. “We’ve got work to do.”
We spent the next hour on the track practicing hand-offs. They showed me the areas that I was supposed to pass it off in and the proper way to pass. There was a lot to remember, all while I was sprinting and racing other people. But I was ready to learn.
“We will practice more tomorrow,” Alexis told me as we packed up to leave.
“Think we will be good by the meet?” I asked as we left the locker room.
She shrugged. “It’s going to be tight. It is more than just handing off. Each person has a different way of grasping the baton and passing it, so you need to get comfortable with the runner behind you and who you pass it to. Relays are difficult.”
I listened carefully, trying to understand everything about it. “Got it.”
“We will keep practicing and hope for the best.” She started to walk toward her car.
“Alexis,” I stopped her. “Thanks for giving me a chance.”
She didn’t move, she just looked at me. “I’m doing it for the team, I still don’t trust you.” She threw her bag in her car and shut the door, leaving it at that.
It wasn’t great, but it was progress.
As I returned home, just wishing to lay in my bed, I found Dani in my kitchen.
“Hello?” Dani was stirring something over the stove and Rhylie was standing on a chair helping.
“Becka!” Rhylie yelled and came flying at me, her green cast along with her. “You’re home!”
“Hey, Bug.” I smiled and hugged her. “Dani? What are you doing here?”
“Making dinner!” she yelled. She was wearing black leggings, a red, razorback tank top, and her dreads were up in a bun on her head.
“What?” I was confused.
“Dani is teaching me to make chicken stir-fry!” Rhylie jumped up and down and then raced back over to the kitchen.
“I am so confused.” I rested my head on a placemat at the table.
“Well,” Dani wiped her hands on the towel and came over to me. “You have been so busy with studying and track that I never see you anymore. James and Matt see you more than I do.”
“I know, I’m sorry.” I felt bad about how busy I had been.
“So, I took it upon myself to show up with groceries and cook dinner for everyone.” She smiled.
I laughed. “You’re crazy. But I love you.”
“Love you too. Now go take a shower before everyone gets here and dinner is ready.” She returned to the stove and helped Rhylie stir something.
“Who’s everyone?”
“Matt is coming after his shift, and James said he is coming after practice.”
“Matt and James?”
“It’s a family dinner!” Rhylie yelped with excitement.
“Alright,” I shook my head. “Where’s Mom, Bug?”
“Studio.”
I made my way to my mom’s studio and I found her on the floor with yellow paint everywhere.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, you,” she looked at me and smiled. “How was your day?
“Good,” I smiled. “It was a good day.”
“I’m glad. How was practice?” She was very carefully outlining her canvas with yellow.
“I made progress with the team. We have the understanding now that Ashleigh is not my friend, but they still don’t trust me.”
She looked at me skeptically. “And this is a good thing?”
“It’s better than being ignored. At least they can accept that I am on the team now.”
“Look at you, being all positive.”
“I’m trying.” I nodded towards the kitchen. “Have you seen what is going on out there?”
She nodded. “Dani came over with arms full of stuff and asked if she could make a family dinner. I’m not opposed to a good meal.” She looked back at me. “I like her; she is good for you.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
After I showered, I threw on a white tank top and some jeans. I kept the green flannel on, hoping Matt would once again notice. When I got downstairs, James was at the kitchen table surrounded by crayons. He was already under Rhylie’s spell.
“Hey, James,” I said when I came into the kitchen. “What’re you doing?”
“We’re coloring!” Rhylie yelped again.
“Yes Becka, we’re coloring.” James lifted his coloring book and showed me his half-colored princess. I took my seat and joined them, focused on filling in all of Rapunzel’s hair. I was just about finished when the doorbell rang.
“That’s probably Matt,” Dani said from the stove.
I could already feel myself smiling. When I opened the door, he was still wearing the blue shirt from school.
“Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.” He smiled back at me, really making me feel it. “I heard we are having a dinner party?”
“Ask your sister,” I moved aside and gladly let him in.
“Matt!” Rhylie jumped out of her chair and hurdled toward him. He scooped her up and let her wrap her tiny legs around him.
“What’s up, Rhylie?” He squeezed her tightly before putting her down. “How’s the arm doing?”
“Still broken, but it’s green!” She held up her broken arm as high as she could.
“Just like Becka’s shirt!” He smiled with my sister, even though I knew it was meant for me. “What are we coloring today?”
“Princesses!”
“Let’s do it,” he grabbed her hand and let her pull him to the coloring table. My smile wasn’t big enough.
I made my way over to Dani, keeping her company as she prepared dinner.
“So, what’s going on with you?”
“Nothing much, just watching you fall in love with my brother.”
“What?” I was already blushing.
“Oh, come on Becka, you know you are. Just look at you. You have googly eyes.”
“I do not have googly eyes.”
“You have heart-shaped googly eyes and they are all over my brother.” She hip-bumped me.
I put my hands over my face and tried not to laugh. “So…”
“I knew it!” She punched her fist into the air as she yelled.
“Shhh!” I frantically turned to the table but thankfully no one heard her.
“Oh, stop it, they can’t hear me. And who cares if they did?” She shook her head. “Becka, you don’t have to hide this. This is a good thing.”
I looked over at Matt as he colored with my little sister and I knew she was right. “It feels like a good thing.”
“Then why aren’t we doing anything about it?”
“Doing anything about what?” Mom asked as she came from her studio, heading for the sink to wash all the yellow from her hands.
“Becka likes Matt.”
“Dani!” I threw my arms up. “Can we not tell the whole world?”
“I think the whole world knew besides you, honey,” Mom said as she washed her hands. This, of course, made Dani laugh.
“Lovely,” I put my face back in my hands in embarrassment.
“Are we making a move or what?” Dani asked. “Cause’ we need to get this show on the road
.”
I shook my head. “No. No shows on any roads. Right now, things are easy, and I like it that way.”
“We’ll see about that.” Dani winked at me and grabbed some bowls. “Dinner’s ready!”
I passed out bowls to everyone while the guys helped clear the table. Dani had made a massive serving of food and it smelled incredible.
The door swung open and Ryan came through with his backpack in hand.
“Ryan!” Of course, Rhylie greeted him at the door with a huge hug.
“Hey, Bug,” he patted her back before coming to see what was going on.
“Hey sweetie,” Mom said with a mouth full of food. “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, I’m starving.” He looked at Dani and James strangely. “Sorry, do I know you?”
I laughed. “Ryan, this is Dani and James. Guys this is my brother, Ryan.”
Matt and James got up to shake his hand, which I found to be extremely impressive.
“Hey, I’m James,” he introduced himself.
“You run track with Becka, right?”
“Yeah, right.”
Ryan and Matt secured handshakes and head nods like they were old friends.
“How’s it going, Matt?” Ryan asked.
“Good, thanks.”
“What’s for dinner?” He headed for the stove to look at the food.
“Dani made stir-fry.” I got up and got him a bowl from the cupboard. “How was class?”
“Boring. I’m so hungry, I haven’t eaten all day.” I piled massive heaps of rice and chicken onto his bowl. “What’s with the dinner?”
“Dani said she missed me, so she wanted a family dinner.”
He furrowed his eyebrows, but he went along with it. “Uhm, okay. That’s cool, I guess. And Matt, he’s the one you like, right?”
“How does everybody know that?” Ryan’s awareness really shocked me.
“He was over here last night,” he pointed out the obvious. “You guys were talking on the couch forever yesterday, and lately all you do is text him or talk about how he is helping you with this, this and that. It’s pretty obvious you like the guy.”
Ryan made me all flustered. “Well, I’m trying to keep it to myself.”
“Why? He’s clearly a good dude. What’s the deal?”
I looked over at Matt as he laughed with Rhylie and I felt nervous. “Just with everything from before, not sure I’m ready to dive into something again.” I kept looking at Matt, and within a few seconds, he looked back at me and smiled.
“Don’t be scared, Becka. You’re gonna have to get back out there at some point.” Ryan headed for the table and left me with my thoughts. He was right, I knew he was. But easier said than done.
Once we finished eating, we sat around the table and joked. It was nice having friends that could fit in with my family so well. It had never happened before, and I didn’t want it to end.
“Thank you so much for making dinner, Dani,” my mom praised her as she leaned in for a hug. “It was delicious.”
“Anytime, Ms. Adams.” Dani smiled back at her.
Mom shook her head quickly with a disgusted look on her face. “No, I don’t like that. It sounds terrible. Just Maggie.”
Mom started taking in the dishes and fighting us off when we tried to help. There was no arguing with her. Dani, James, and Rhylie sat on one couch together, coloring their princesses. Matt and I sat on the other couch, talking quietly to one another.
“How was work?” I asked.
“Busy, people were in and out all afternoon. I was happy to get out of there.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Why do you want to open up your own gym?” I had always wanted to know. Each time we discussed it he was so sure of himself.
“My dad opened his garage right after he and my mom got married. And it was rough for them. Some months were really good and some months they couldn’t afford to keep it open. But my mom supported my dad through all of it. And there was one point when my dad thought about closing it, but my mom stopped him because she knew it was his dream to have his own garage. If it weren’t for my mom, it wouldn’t be there today.” He paused, stretching out his hands. “And I’ve always wanted that. I’ve always wanted to do something that I believed in. And I know my mom would’ve believed in me.” He looked back up at me. “I guess to answer your question, I’m doing it for me and I’m doing it for my mom.”
I loved when he opened up to me. There was nothing else quite like it. “Well, for what it’s worth, I think you’d be an amazing trainer.”
“Your opinion is worth a lot to me.”
“Are you trying to make me blush?” I covered my face with my hands, shielding my cheeks from his view.
“I wasn’t trying to, but I’m enjoying it.” He smiled and nudged me with his leg, making it worse.
“You make this too easy,” I whispered.
“How so?”
“It’s too easy to talk to you, and just be around you.”
“Is too easy bad?”
“No. But it’s scary.”
“What’s scary?” he asked, looking deeply at me.
“Just the trust thing.”
He reached over and held my hand in his. His skin was so smooth and warm, it made my heart rate slow. “You know where I’m at, and I agree it’s easy, but I don’t want you to be scared.” I felt safe with him and safe in my own skin. “Let me know when it’s not scary, okay?”
“And then what?”
“And then we will go from there.” He squeezed my hand. “But I’m not going anywhere. This might be easy, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to walk away from.”
“I don’t want to walk away.”
“Good, me either. Let’s just keep it easy, okay?”
“Easy is perfect.” I enlaced my fingers with his.
“How was practice?”
“I’m running the two-mile relay for the meet.”
Matt’s eyes widened. “Woah. That’s intense.”
“Trust me, I know. But bright side, I’m making progress. The other three girls on the relay-team are willing to work with me. They still don’t trust me, but at least it’s a start in the right direction.”
“That’s good! I mean, it’s not great, but it’s better than before.” His smile was so supportive.
“I’m pretty terrified about this relay, though. I can’t act like it in front of the team, but my fear is alive and well.” He chuckled at my dramatics.
“I’m sure you will do great. I’m excited to see you run.”
I think my heart stopped for a moment. “You’re coming to my meet?”
“I was planning on it.” He smiled that amazing smile again and the blood-rush came back. “Is that okay?”
I nodded quickly, unable to play it cool. “Yeah, it’s okay.” He stayed grinning, putting his head down to hide his chuckle. “What?”
“Nothing…it just blows my mind how you react sometimes.”
“What do you mean?”
His eyes looked back at mine differently, sweeter almost. “Like when I brought you that muffin, you were so…shocked. Like you were uncomfortable. And when we talked on the phone the other night, and I told you that I like being around you, you didn’t even know what to say.” I knew he was trying to make a point, but I was embarrassed. He must have sensed my nerves. He squeezed our hands together firmly, wiggling his fingers. “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, not at all. It just blows my mind.”
“What does?” He thought for a moment, staring down at our hands joined together.
“It blows my mind that you don’t know what it’s like for someone to genuinely like you. That someone caring about you is almost new for you…because it is so easy for me. It’s so easy for me to want to be there for you and want to get to know you and want to do things for you and with you. It’s crazy that no one else did this because it is so easy.”
The pure sweetness o
f his words had stopped my heart.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry no one thought to do these things for you.”
“It’s okay.” My voice was so shallow it came out lower than a whisper.
“But I’m also not sorry, because I’m hoping that means I get to be the first one.”
“Becka?” Rhylie yelled from the other couch, catching me off guard. I was spellbound by Matt’s words, I had almost forgotten anyone else was in the room.
“Yeah?” My voice crackled.
“Are they going to come trick-or-treating with us?”
I smiled back at Matt. “I don’t know. You will have to ask them.”
Matt tried to hide his smile. “You’re evil. You know I can’t say no to that face.” Like lightning, Rhylie was already in front of him. Matt tried to put up a fight, but it didn’t last long.
“Alright, you got me. I’ll be there.”
“Yay!” She wrapped her tiny arms around him and clutched tightly. “And Dani and James too?”
“Go and ask them.” I set her loose on the other two.
“You are evil.” Matt nudged me again.
“You know you can’t resist her cuteness,” I laughed. “But thank you, she likes you guys a lot.”
“On one condition.” His smirk was dangerous, making me laugh. “You have to come out with us after.”
“I think I can do that.”
We sat and talked for a while before James made his exit, explaining that he still had homework to finish. He gave my mom a hug as well as Rhylie before leaving.
“I should probably head home too,” Matt mentioned, making me sad. “Are you coming with me, Dani?”
“No, I’m sleeping over.”
“You are?” I asked her, confused.
“What did you think I meant by ‘we are having a sleepover’?”
“You never told me we were having a sleepover.”
“Oh…my bad…well surprise! We need time to ourselves. And I never see you anymore.” She clasped her hands together and pouted. “Please?”
I smiled and rolled my eyes. “One day I will learn to say no to you.”
“Yes!” She held out her hand to take Matt’s keys. “I’ll be back. My bag is in your car.”
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