Chasing Love (Mountain Creek Drive Book 3)

by Kayla Tirrell

  I laughed at the memory and immediately wrapped my arms around my torso. “I had no idea there were so many muscles in my stomach. I’d be lying if I said I wanted to do that again.”

  “He’s turning it into a weekly thing.”

  I groaned, and this time he laughed. “Don’t worry, the first time is always the worst. It gets easier, and then you’ll start sporting abs like this.”

  Neal lifted his shirt, giving me a small glimpse at a surprisingly chiseled midsection.

  I waved my hand at the sliver of skin. “I doubt a six-pack like that would be nearly as attractive on me.”

  “You think I’m attractive?” I looked up to see a playful smirk on Neal’s face.

  I swatted his chest, my hand met with hard muscle. Yeah, it would be perfectly fine if Neal was into me. The dude was built.

  I blushed at the direction my thoughts went. Thankfully, the bell rang saving me before I could embarrass myself further. We happened to be standing right outside my math class, so I ducked in quickly leaving Neal in the hall.

  The day passed quickly, and before I knew it, we were out at the tree. Cassidy led warm-up again, and it took everything in me to make it around the track without complaining about the sore muscles in my stomach.

  I hoped a nice run would loosen everything up and make movement, in general, more tolerable.

  Neal kept giving me strange looks as we stood around the circle stretching. My mind went back to the memory of his hard chest. I shouldn’t have been as shocked as I was. Every part of him that was on display, from his arms to his legs, were defined. It only made sense that he would be ripped on the unseen parts.

  My face heated at the thought, and I kept my gaze purposely far away from Neal, fearing he would somehow be able to read my thoughts. Even if he was interested in me, I didn’t need to think of him like a piece of meat.

  Unfortunately, my eyes found Chase in my efforts to keep them from Neal.

  I couldn’t help but compare the two as I stared. Chase was slightly taller than Neal, the muscles in his arms and legs not nearly as bulky. That didn’t mean they weren’t there. His body was lean muscle, much more understated. I wondered if they would feel the same beneath my touch.

  What was wrong with me today? I’d just told Amy I wasn’t interested in them, and yet I couldn’t stop thinking about their muscles.

  I was the worst.

  Thankfully, Coach started spewing off orders about our run, which meant I would be able to put some distance between me and the boys I couldn’t get off my mind. “Guys, I want you going the full five miles out, and five miles back. Ladies, you are welcome to do whatever you feel comfortable with, as long as you make it at least two miles out.”

  A couple of guys groaned about double standards, but Coach ignored them and kept going. “I put small markers on the path, so you’ll know how far you’ve gone. Now, get moving, you don’t want to be here all day.”

  “Nicole?” I looked up to see Amy watching me. “Are you okay. You looked a little flushed during the warm-up.”

  I fanned my face with my hands. “I’m good, just a wave of… something. I’m going to grab a quick bottle of water before I set off.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I reassured her that everything was fine, and watched as she set off. I grabbed the water I didn’t need but made a show of properly hydrating. I rocked back and forth on the balls of my feet to keep my muscles warm as I guzzled down the water as quickly as possible. Just great. I was going to have to pee before I made it halfway out.

  I sighed as I threw the empty container in the nearby trashcan.

  “Nicole,” another voice called. “You okay?”

  Seriously? I looked up to see Chase watching me with the same concern in his eyes that Amy had. Tip top shape, boss. Just thinking about the way your muscles would feel if I were to reach out and grab you. I willed my skin to stay its pale shade, with no clue if it was working.

  I nodded my head, wishing I had started running before he came over. I started walking toward the start of the course. “Yeah, just a little overheated.”

  “In October?”

  “Mmm hmm.”

  He squinted his eyes, never taking his gaze from my face. “I think I’m going to stay back with you today.”

  “What?” My step faltered.

  “Just to be safe. It’s part of my job, you know.”

  I started into a slow jog, feeling slightly sore and overwhelmingly embarrassed. “What exactly is your job, Chase?” I lashed out, masking my own insecurity. “I mean, you work at Blockbuster and are taking classes at UC Boulder. Why are you doing this too?”

  His hand went to his chest. “Ouch. Someone might think you don’t want them here.”

  “Well, someone just seems to be everywhere I look these days.”

  I regretted my rude tone when Chase hesitated to answer. It wasn’t his fault that I was wildly attracted to him and felt weird about it. “The parentals cut me off. My dad wanted me to go to the Air Force Academy. He’s retired Air Force and thought I might feel inspired after 9/11.”

  Well, that wasn’t what I expected. “But you didn’t?”

  He didn’t answer until after we passed the first mile marker. “I’ve never felt a pull toward military life. And believe me, my dad’s been trying to convince me my entire life.”

  “What do you want to do?” I asked. I hoped I wasn’t pushing him to talk about something he was uncomfortable with. But I was enjoying seeing another side of him.

  Chase managed to shrug, even though we were running. “Sports medicine.”

  His mood had turned somber with these new revelations, and I wanted to lighten the mood. “Typically jock,” I teased, earning a smile.

  “I asked Coach if there was anything I could do to earn a few bucks, and he told me I could be his assistant. The pay is crap, but it’s money for something I would do anyway.”

  I snorted. “Hang out with a bunch of high schoolers?”

  “I meant go running.” Chase reached over and gave my arm a pinch. It made me lose my rhythm. I smacked his hand and picked up my pace. It was enough to lose him for precisely two seconds.

  When he caught up to me, I shamelessly giggled.

  “You’re something else Nic, did you know that?” I couldn’t stop the smile that formed on my face—or the fact that it stayed permanently glued to my face for the rest of the day.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The rest of the week went by in a blur, and before I knew it, Amy and I were riding the bus to our very first cross country meet.

  The sun still hadn’t risen by the time we made it to Pinebrook, the host of that morning’s race. Amy and I had put double French braids in each other’s hair and tied the bottoms with little green ribbons. We looked more cheerleader than runner with the extra frill but had agreed we needed to offset the ugly uniforms.

  Like, you ain’t got no alibi ugly. They were bright orange with a giant green stripe that cut across the front. The tracksuits we wore over them weren’t any better. They were green, which should have been an improvement, but the pants were covered in orange stripes, and the back of the jacket had a large, orange screen-print of our mascot, the Mountaineer, on it. No matter which we were wearing, none of us were in any danger of getting lost, even when the course cut through the small patch of woods near Pinebrook’s campus. We were just too bright and gaudy.

  Chase and Neal carried a large cooler off the bus. Inside were drinks and post-run snacks. Coach had been clear about our dietary restrictions. Load up on carbs the last couple of days, and eat a light, but energizing breakfast before the race.

  Already I could understand his instructions. My nerves were on high alert, and I knew my food would end up behind a bush somewhere if I had eaten any more than the banana and toast I’d choked down an hour and a half earlier.

  The air was biting cold, and a fog covered the hills that surrounded the school. Parents of runners were bundled up in jackets a
nd hats as they set up different areas for the schools they supported. They would serve as a home base for the students from that school. I looked at where our school parents set up. My mom and dad were both working during my very first track meet. To say I was bummed was an understatement. My mom had calmly explained that there would be more meets. They would come to the next one, assuming I “stuck with it long enough.”

  The comment still stung. She was right, I’d never stuck with any club for very long, but I wished she and my dad could see how different this was. I was good at running, and I enjoyed it.

  “Andrews!” Coach’s voice boomed through everyone’s excited chatter.

  I jogged over to him, all too aware of Neal and Chase’s eyes on me. Did they know something I didn’t?

  “I want you behind Cassidy in the line-up today.”

  Cassidy was the top runner on the team, she would be first from our school at the starting line. It was huge that Coach was asking me to start behind her.

  “But I’m not the second fastest,” I argued for some reason.

  Coach Smith crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m well aware of where you stand.” His eyes drifted to something over my shoulder. I started to turn my head, but his voice stopped me. “I’d like to see what you can do on race day if given the chance.”

  “Thanks, Coach. I won’t let you down.”

  He made a grunting sound that almost sounded like agreement. I took it as my cue to head back to my teammates and watched as Chase almost immediately took my place. They immediately started in on one of their secret conversations. What could be so exciting about cross country, that those two got riled up every time they spoke?

  I joined the girls, but my gaze kept going to where Coach and Chase stood, overseeing the boys varsity team. Neal and the rest of the guys had stripped their tracksuits and were jogging in shorts bursts around the clearing where everyone was gathered.

  “This is so exciting!” Amy squealed.

  “Uh, huh.” Chase caught me staring, and I quickly turned to my friend.

  “What did Coach want?” Amy asked, tipping her head in his direction.

  “He put me second at the starting line,” I answered absently, stealing another glance in their direction. This time, Chase wasn’t looking at me. He and Coach were involved in a conversation that had them standing rigid.

  “Nervous?”

  I shrugged, unsure how to answer that. I was incredibly nervous, but also excited. This was exactly why I had been pushing myself at practice and during the weekends. I wanted to do well, I wanted to earn my varsity letter. This was going to get me into that college far away from Marlowe Junction.

  “Want to go line up next to the starting line to cheer them on?” Amy suggested.

  This time, I nodded.

  It was amazing to see all of the guys standing behind the starting line. Some bounced on the balls of their feet, others were swinging and stretching their arms. Others still were already in the starting position waiting for them to fire the gun that signaled the start of the race.

  “Come on, Rosemark!” Amy yelled from beside me.

  I shot her a questioning look, and she smiled in response.

  “We’re jocks now. It’s time to get into the school spirit.”

  I laughed at her enthusiasm. Cross country had been really good for Amy. She was making friends with a lot of the other girls on the team, and they all loved having her. And when I stopped to think about it, the same was true for me.

  Soon, an older man was walking up to the sideline and speaking into a microphone. I couldn’t understand most of what was said between the noise of the crowd and the crappy speakers. But I didn’t need to know what he was saying to know what his speech signified.

  The race was about to start.

  “Ready,” the man said into the microphone. “Set.”

  A gun fired, and the guys all started running. They all sprinted to get a spot toward the front of the crowd. I spotted a bright orange uniform making its way through the sea of scantily dressed guys.

  “Go, Neal!”

  Amy arched one of her eyebrows when I turned back to face her.

  “What?” I lifted my shoulder. “When in Rome, right?”

  We waited until the majority of the runners disappeared into the woods before running over to the one-mile marker. It wasn’t too far from the starting line.

  Amy and I were the only ones from Rosemark. There were a couple parents of runners from other schools. It made me sad my mom and dad weren’t here to see me, especially seeing the enthusiasm in other families. One lady held a sign with a bright red and yellow number three.

  We smiled at one another but quickly broke eye contact as several boys came around the bend.

  “I could get used to this,” Amy whispered loudly from beside me.

  My eyes were wide as I looked at her.

  “What? It’s like a boy buffet.”

  I snorted. “Yes, I’d like some thigh please.”

  She smacked me, but my attention was already on the orange blob coming around the corner. Neal looked amazing as he rounded the corner. His thick arms pumping with each stride, his expression serious as he ran down the path.

  “Woo, Rosemark!” Amy and I yelled, gaining his attention.

  When he spotted us, he flashed a brilliant smile. The dude was hot, and he knew it. I felt a blush spread down my neck. Thankfully, it was covered by the hideous tracksuit I wore.

  Amy and I stood in the spot until three more of our guys passed by. With each new Rosemark runner, we yelled and clapped. Each guy smiled in return, but none of them brought forth the same reaction in me.

  Once the crowd started to die down, I looked down at my watch. “We should probably get back to the group. Our race starts in fifteen minutes.”

  We quickly made it back to where our fellow runners were gathered. The varsity girls were stripping down to their uniforms. Amy and the other JV girls, plus the JV guys, stayed covered.

  “Knock ‘em dead, Nicole,” Amy said with a smile. “I’ll catch you at the mile marker.”

  I gathered with my fellow varsity girls at the starting line. Cassidy was first, bouncing on her toes—the other girls behind me doing the same. I was doing a different kind of dance altogether.

  “I think I have to pee,” I announced to no one.

  My teammates and even some of the nearby girls from other schools giggled.

  Cassidy turned around to face me, a warm smile on her face. “It’s just the cold and pre-run jitters. I promise it’ll go away as soon as we start.”

  A girl from a neighboring team joined in. “She’s right. This is my fourth year on cross country, and I still get it. Just clench everything until the gun goes off.”

  I laughed at her blunt solution. “Okay.”

  “I think it’s really great Coach put you in second for your first race,” Cassidy cut back in. “It’s obvious you’ve been working really hard to get your time down.”

  I searched her face for any hint of malice and was thrilled not to find any. Most of the girls shared her encouraging smile, even the girl I’d taken the spot from.

  Over the last couple of weeks, my interactions with my teammates began to feel like actual friendship. Some of the girls on the team had started coming up to Blockbuster more often. At first, I thought it was because of Chase, especially after the comments Cassidy had made on that first day. But they would show up when he wasn’t working and talked more to me than him even when he was.

  Even in the halls, they would smile and wave. It was something I wasn’t used to.

  But there was one girl who didn’t share the same excitement as most of the team—Victoria. Over the last couple of weeks, she kept her distance from me. Victoria didn’t come into the store when I was working and would avoid eye contact when we passed each other in the halls. Now, she wore a frown that said she wasn’t thrilled to have me starting before her.

  I tried not to let her grouchy attitude get
to me, especially on such an exciting day. I bounced on my toes until a muffled voice was booming through the loudspeakers. The announcer spoke fast, and before I was ready, the loud bang of the gun fired through the clearing.

  Everyone started running.

  I pushed my way through the crowd of girls, trying to stay as close to Cassidy as possible. I knew she would eventually lose me, but I wanted to give myself an edge. Sticking near her was just what I needed.

  We bounded through the woods, still packed together. Each girl was on a mission to break free of the pack, and very few were succeeding.

  One by one, I passed girls from other teams. I could see the lead Cassidy had on me was growing, but I didn’t care. No one was passing me anymore. I would make it my goal to maintain and also to pass the girl immediately in front of me.

  And then the next. And then the next.

  Doing that, made the race a lot more fun. It was like a game. I started counting the girls. One, two, three. By the time I passed Amy on the sidelines, my number had grown to nine. I wondered if I could make it fifteen.

  I focused on putting one foot I front of the other, so much so, I was caught off guard when I heard my name being called somewhere around the two-mile mark. Neal and a couple of other varsity runners were on the side cheering.

  “Come on, Andrews.”

  “You got it! Keep going!”

  I flashed them a smile that hopefully didn’t look like a grimace, as I ran by. Their cheers were enough to give me a boost for the last stretch of the race.

  I had been running as fast as I could without exhausting myself, and already knew this would be a new personal record for me. There was something about running my first meet that gave me the extra energy I didn’t know I had.

  I could see the finish line. Near it, was a large clock with red numbers. It was a timer for the race.

  21:13

  That was faster than any of my previous times. I just needed to make it through the final stretch. I widened my stride, pumping my arms and legs as quickly as possible. A flash of orange appeared beside me in my peripheral. I didn’t dare turn my head to see who it was. I focused on my sprinting and the finish line.