“I'm not wasting any more time on this,” Alexis stepped in. “We either work and win together or we lose together. What’s it going to be?”
Lauren and Emma turned to each other this time. They both looked in pain, but it worked out in my favor.
“When you are waiting for the baton,” Emma spoke up, “you keep looking behind you for it. That is killing your run. You need to keep looking forward. Just keep your hand out and trust that I will be there.” She sounded peeved to have to admit that, but if I had known that an hour ago, we would have been better off.
“Okay,” I agreed instead of arguing her stubbornness.
“When you hand it off to Alexis,” Lauren chimed in this time, “you stutter when you hand it to her, almost like you’re nervous. Sprint as hard as you can, and her hand will be there. You just have to do it.”
“Okay.” I walked away from them and onto my position on the track. I wanted to do this not just for myself but for them. It needed to be done and it needed to be perfect.
Alexis ran first, starting her lap strong. Her hand-off to Lauren was perfect. They stayed in the parameters and Alexis placed it into her palm carefully but firmly. There was no way Lauren would drop it. Lauren did her lap and completed her hand-off to Emma. I watched Emma when she grabbed the baton. She didn’t look behind her to make sure Lauren was there, she trusted her to be in the right place at the right time. When Emma’s lap was almost up, I got in my area. I stared straight ahead and listened for her.
“Now!”
My feet lifted off and my arm was out. I ran forward, not worrying about her behind me, knowing she would be there. And then she was. I felt my hand instantly grip around the warm baton and I took off running. I could already feel the improvement. I ran my lap strong straight up to my next pass off with Alexis.
“Now!” Alexis’ feet moved on the track and I sprinted to meet her, not wanting to miss my window. Her hand was out and like a magnet to a fridge, we connected. I didn’t overthink it or panic, I did what I needed to do. Alexis began her second and final lap and we each started and completed each hand-off.
The four of us met on the field once I finished my lap. I didn’t know what to expect from them. Each time I felt like I was making progress, it got stomped on again, I was just hoping for the best.
Alexis met us with a smile. “That is how it is supposed to work.” I let out a sigh of relief. “We worked together; we were a single team.” She looked at Emma and Lauren for more words of courage. “What about you? What do you guys think?”
“It was much better,” Lauren said.
“Good job, Becka.” Emma shyly smiled at me, unsure if I would accept it.
“Thank you for giving me a chance. I know you don’t think I deserve it but thank you.”
“What’s done is done. Let’s move on, agreed?” Alexis asked Lauren and Emma. I was thinking about crossing my fingers, but I didn’t want them to notice.
“Agreed,” they said together.
“Agreed,” I ended it, closing the chapter. “You guys want to run it again before we go?” This was something we all could agree on.
On my way home, while singing to match my happiness, my phone rang.
“Well, hello.”
“Hello, yourself,” Matt said. “What are you doing?”
“I am driving home from track. What are you doing?”
“Well, I got the night off from work, and I was wondering if I could take you to dinner?”
Butterflies were under attack in my stomach. “Really?”
“Yeah. I mean, I’d like to.”
“For pizza?”
He laughed loudly. “Sadly no, I have a better idea.”
“What! No pizza? It’s like my own personal freedom of expression.”
“Are you making fun of me?” he asked loudly through the speaker.
“Who me?” I joked. “That doesn’t sound like me at all. I think you might be thinking of someone else.”
“Am I now?” he laughed. “Who else would I be thinking of?”
“I don’t know because I am just delightful.”
He kept laughing through the phone. “So, is that a yes?”
“That’s a yes.”
“It’s a date. Pick you up in an hour?”
I got home and explained to Mom that I was going to dinner with Matt. Of course, I got unorthodox smiles from her and Ryan, and I couldn’t blame them. I was beyond pumped myself.
When I got out of the shower, I decided on jeans, a black peplum, spaghetti-strapped tank top, a black and white striped cardigan, and black sandals. I kept my hair wavy and I did my makeup lightly. I didn’t want to go overboard, but I really wanted to look nice. It was our first date.
I hung out with my family until Matt showed up. He rang the doorbell and sent butterflies through my stomach. When I opened the door, his smile was contagious.
“Hey,” I invited him in. He looked so cute in jeans and a light blue button-up.
“Hi, Becks.” He walked in and looked for Rhylie. “Where is she?”
“Matt!” Rhylie came barreling down the stairs and hurled her body at him. He caught her in his arms and squeezed her tight.
“Hey Rhylie, how are you?”
“I’m great!” She leaned back to look at his face. “Are you going on a date with Becka?”
I slapped my palm to my face. Was this really happening?
Matt smiled back at her. “Yes, I am. Is that okay with you?”
She looked at him skeptically for a moment, but it wasn’t long before she was nodding. “That’s okay, just bring her back, okay?”
He laughed. “I will, I promise.”
“Okay!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed it. “Bye, Matt!” She jumped down and bolted back up the stairs. Matt turned to look at me as he fought back laughter.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me,” I scolded.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he held the door open for me. “After you.” I tried to hide my smile, but it wasn’t working, and he was enjoying it too much.
We drove toward the city. I still didn’t know where he had planned, but I was excited. We had been spending so much time together, but this was very different. This was a real date.
“So where are you taking me?”
He shook his head no. “You’ll see.”
“Should I be nervous?”
He wiggled his eyebrows, making me laugh. “We are almost there.”
We parked in a parking garage and walked a few blocks before arriving at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. You had to take a flight of stairs underground to get to the door, and on it was a bright sign reading LUCY’S PLACE. I had no idea where I was or what this place had to offer, but Matt held my hand the entire walk over, so I was already beaming.
We sat at a table toward the back, away from everyone. The restaurant was dimly lit, giving it a mysterious feel. Part of me was nervous, but not as nervous as I had been during both dates with Aiden.
“Is this okay?” Matt asked, looking at me with wonder.
I nodded. “What made you pick this place? I’ve never been here.”
A secretive smile appeared on his face. “You’ll see.”
A younger guy came over with two menus and two glasses of water.
“Hey, guys. How we doing?”
“Good, thanks,” Matt answered.
“I’m Andy, I’ll be your server. Let me know if you need any recommendations. I’ll give you a minute to look over the menu.” He passed me a menu and the giant writing caught my eye: BEST MAC-N-CHEESE IN TOWN!
My heart swelled to the size of Texas. It was over a month ago that I told Matt my favorite food was macaroni-and-cheese. We’ve talked about so much since then, but he remembered.
“Matt.”
“Hmm?” he mumbled, still looking through his menu, trying not to draw attention to his thoughtfulness.
“Thank you.”
He flipped the menu page nonchalantly. �
�I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I rolled my eyes, but there was no turning my smile off. He was amazing.
Andy came back to take our order. I was pumped to try this mac-n-cheese, regardless of the carbs. And Matt couldn’t deny it either.
“How was your day?”
“Great,” I leaned back and smiled. “It was great.”
“Why’s that?”
“I didn’t butcher track practice and they don’t hate me anymore.” I was excited to share my news.
“What?” There was no hiding his surprise. “They don’t hate you anymore?” I shook my head. “What happened?”
“Alexis. She stood up for me and said we need to work as a team or else we will lose as a team, not because of me. And they listened. They helped me with my hand-offs, and we killed our practice.”
“That’s fantastic!” Matt yelled.
“It’s over. It’s finally over.”
“I’m so happy for you, Becks.”
“Me too.” Being there with him made it all worthwhile. “What about you, how was your day?”
“It was good, can’t complain. Dad gave me the night off, so I was able to take you out, finally.”
“Lucky you,” I joked.
“Very lucky me. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while.” His smile was making me feel some type of way.
“You better stop looking at me like that.”
“Why?”
“Cause’ it gets me all flustered and it makes me blush and blushing is embarrassing.” I sipped my water after my word-vomit.
“What if I like it when you blush?” That sexy smirk was back.
“I figured you did with how often you make me do it.” I laughed at myself, unable to meet his eyes. He reached his hand out to me. I held it willingly across the table.
“I’m sorry if I embarrass you, I just like you. And because of everything you’ve been through, I just want to give you full honesty.”
“I appreciate that, I really do. I’m just nervous…”
“I know,” he whispered again, “it’s okay. You have every reason to be nervous, but not with me.” He looked down at our hands and enlaced our fingers. Each time he did that, the warmth rushed through my body. It didn’t make me nervous or giddy, it made me calm. “I’m not going anywhere,” he told me. “I don’t want you to overthink this. This is easy. Let’s just keep it easy.”
“Easy is perfect.”
It wasn’t long before Andy reappeared with two piping hot bowls of deliciousness.
“Woah.” I stared down at the steam coming off my meal. It looked amazing.
“For real,” Matt agreed, looking at his food. “It’s a good thing you’re back on carbs.”
“I could never say no to mac-n-cheese. It’s my weakness.”
We ate and talked. It wasn’t serious or stuffy or boring. It was easy. It was just what I needed.
“What time is your meet on Friday?” he asked through bites of macaroni.
“The first event is at four, but mine won’t be until later.” I set down my fork and looked at him. “Are you sure you want to go? It’s going to be pretty boring.”
He smiled. “I told you I would be there. And I’ll be there to go trick-or-treating with Rhylie. When I tell you I’ll be there, I’ll be there.”
“Okay, okay. I believe you.”
“What is Rhylie going as?”
“A turtle-princess.”
Matt looked confused. “I’m sorry, what?”
I sighed. “I took her to the mall, and she saw a green princess dress with a matching crown. And she was pumped because it matched her cast, so we decided on a princess. And then right before we checked out, she sees a turtle shell. And she starts crying. Like horrifyingly loud tears.”
“Why was she crying?”
“Because she didn’t know how to decide between the princess and a turtle, so we decided that she could be both. This year my sister will be a turtle-princess.”
“Only Rhylie,” Matt smiled. “And what about you? What will you be?”
“I’m a good sister.” I took a bite of my noodles quickly and smiled.
“Oh, come on. No costume for you?” he asked again. I shook my head no. “Why not?”
“Childhood scars will not be reopened,” I said it quickly enough that hopefully, he would understand.
He nodded his head. “Say no more.”
“What are we doing afterward?”
“There’s a party at the clearing, we were planning on going to that.” I felt reserved. The parties I used to attend were less than fun. But Matt read my mind. “It’s not one of those parties, it’s fun, I promise.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your crease said differently,”
I laughed. “I’m going to need to get Botox or something for that thing.”
He shook his head no. “Don’t you dare. I like that crease.”
We finished our food and sat for a while, just enjoying each other’s company. I thought about the first time I met him in the cafeteria.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“The day I met you.”
He nodded and thought about it too. “Your hair was long.” He remembered the memory.
“Feels like another lifetime ago.”
“It kind of was.” And he was right.
“Thank you for this. And for remembering my favorite food.”
He shrugged with a smile. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Maybe not to you, but it is to me.”
He paid for our meal against my wishes and we left the restaurant. When we got in his car, he connected my phone to his Bluetooth.
“Play something,” he said. “Whatever you want.”
“On one condition.”
“What’s that?” he asked, looking suspicious.
“Don’t take me home yet.”
He smiled. “Deal.”
As I looked through my music, I wasn’t sure if I should do it, but I couldn’t help myself. A light guitar came through the speakers, and it wasn’t long before a sweet, male voice followed along with it. I stared out the window, just trying to keep a straight face. It went on for about thirty seconds before Matt finally spoke up.
“Who is this? It’s not bad.”
“You don’t recognize your own song?”
Realization hit his face and he stared back at me. “Seriously? Shawn Mendes?”
I snorted with laughter, unable to hide it any longer. “You are very talented.”
“Hilarious, Becks.” He was trying to hide his smile, but it wasn’t working very well. “You better change this before I take away your music privileges.
“Alright, alright.” I scrolled through my phone, looking for one specific song. Within seconds, the beat of Bodak Yellow was bumping from his speakers and Matt started laughing. He shook his head no, but right on cue, he rapped along with Cardi B. Matt knew every single word and he was doing it perfectly. My cheeks were starting to ache from laughing so hard. Matt finished the entire first verse without any mistakes.
“Oh, my gosh!” I couldn’t stop laughing. “Matt!”
“You didn’t think I could do it!”
I was holding my face with my hands to try and control my achy cheeks. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
“We still have the rest of the song to go.” Matt turned up the volume and rapped along some more. My stomach hurt so bad from laughing and my smile was about to be permanent.
“You are totally impressed with me now, aren’t you?” Matt joked with me once the song ended.
“If I didn’t like you bore, I definitely do now.”
Matt drove us to the park where we went night running. I had a new love for this park. It started as the spot Rhylie got hurt, but it turned into so much more. We really got to know each other here, and now it was one of my favorite places.
Matt turned down the music as he parked and looked over at me. “W
hy didn’t you want to go home?”
“I wasn’t ready to say goodnight.” I looked back at him. “I’m still not.”
He smiled. “I can’t argue with that.” He reached for my phone. “Can I see what music you have?”
“Sure.” I handed him my phone and immediately got nervous. Music was always an escape, and some of my choices were odd. They made sense to me, but most likely not to other people.
“You have so much music,” he said as he scrolled through. “How can you get through it all?”
“It all depends on how I’m feeling,” I explained. “I usually know what artist I’m looking for, but it all depends on what mood I’m in.”
“I like that about you. Music isn’t just music. It’s a feeling.” He handed my phone back to me and connected his own. “I found a song for you.”
I lost my breath at his words. “What?”
He nodded as he scrolled. “I remembered what you said about finding a song that correlates to what you’re feeling. So, I wanted to do that for you; a song for what I’m feeling about you.”
My body invaded with goosebumps. That was the nicest thing someone had ever done for me. I knew he was sweet, but holy crap. Did it get sweeter than this?
“Do you want to hear it?” he asked.
I nodded, still unsure if I was breathing. “I do, but I’m not gonna lie, I’d feel awkward just staring at you while it played,” I chuckled, trying to fight back my nervousness.
He smiled. “Then will you dance with me?”
“What?” That couldn’t have been what he said.
“Will you dance with me?” he asked again like it was a normal thing to say.
“Now?”
“Come on.” He got out of the car and met me at my door, holding his hand out for me. “Will you dance with me?” I was in shock, unable to move. Was he serious? Like seriously serious? “Come on, Becka. Dance with me.” Matt’s smile was gleaming in the moonlight. There was no way I could say no. I unbuckled my seatbelt and took Matt’s hand. He walked me over a few feet before stopping and going back to the car to press play on the song. He turned the volume up full blast, filling the park with the music. The warmth was back, and it was taking over my body.
Matt came back to me and lifted our hands together, putting his other hand on my waist. The sensation of his fingers rubbing lightly on my back underneath my sweater put me in a frenzy. The song began to play, and we began to dance.
I Go Where You Go Page 22