I decided against it. I would be the best patient he’d ever had.
Coach wasn’t too thrilled with the news. He told me to make sure I kept my arms and core strong in the meantime. Together, we made a plan to work out after school instead of going to cross country practice. He gave me several exercises to do at home, including some that worked my leg muscles without putting any pressure on my ankle.
I didn’t stay after school to work out with the team. Instead, I went home and did them in the privacy of my room. I hated that I was missing out on time with the team, but it made the situation with Chase a lot easier.
Amy had tried to bring it up a couple times, but each time I directed the conversation toward her. With the excitement of running varsity, it was easy to do.
When race day came, I was still using my crutches. It wasn’t enough to stop me from going to the meet though. Amy came over to my house early, so we could still do our signature twin braids and green ribbons. I wore the same tracksuit as everyone else, but instead of having my uniform on underneath, I wore a long sleeve shirt and leggings.
“I’m so nervous,” Amy squeaked as we made our way off the bus. She held my crutches until I made it down the steps. “What if I embarrass the team?”
I lifted my brows and looked down at my wrapped ankle. “More than me?”
“That wasn’t your fault,” she argued.
“No, but I’m still letting the team down. I should be running today.”
“Yeah, but at least you’re here to cheer everyone on.”
“Very true.”
Not only that, I even had a cheesy sign to hold up. I’d written “Kick Some Asphalt” on it with big block letters and covered it with glitter. If I couldn’t run, I was going to be the best cheerleader I could.
The guys had gotten a kick out of it on the bus on the way to the meet. Neal had been particularly vocal about how cool and funny I was. I wanted to bask in the compliments he gave me, but my eyes went to Chase with each new kind word.
He hadn’t made eye contact with me the entire bus ride and had jumped off as soon as the driver had parked and opened the door.
“So, have you given Neal an answer yet?”
Ugh. I’d been so busy deflecting questions about Chase, I hadn’t come up with an answer to that. I had told Chase I wouldn’t go to Homecoming with Neal, but that was before he showed his true colors.
I shook my head.
Amy sighed. “I know I’m the one who told you to play hard to get, but even I think this might be too much. Homecoming is in two weeks. If you think you might say no, at least give him a chance to find another date.”
“Why are you so concerned? It’s not like you’re even going after what happened last year.” The words were meant to hurt, and I hated that I said them to Amy. She was only trying to help, and I was punishing her for that.
“I’m going to assume you’re just feeling angry because of your foot and that you don’t mean to be so rude,” she said calmly with an annoyed tilt of her head. “I’m going to go with the rest of the varsity girls and see if there’s anything I need to do before the race.”
We’d just gotten to the host school, and the guys hadn’t lined up yet. There was literally nothing she needed to do, but I let her go, happy to wallow in my self-pity.
I audibly groaned when I saw Chase walking over to stand where Amy had just been.
“What do you want?” I spat as he stood next to me. He faced forward, his eyes on the runners.
“I’m sorry about what happened the other day.”
That was the second time he apologized for kissing me. It must have been pretty bad for him to make such a big deal out of it. I shifted on my crutches and considered hitting him with one of them. “Don’t be,” I sighed. “As far as first kisses go, it could have been worse.”
He turned his head and looked at me. The weight of his stare was heavy, but I refused to look at him. I kept my eyes trained on Amy and Cassidy as they talked excitedly.
“I was your first kiss?” I nodded. “Then I really am a piece of crap. You deserved better than something on the side of the road.”
I shrugged. His words were empty platitudes to make the unpopular girl feel better about herself.
“Nicole, please look at me.” I turned my head. “I really can’t get involved with you. I’m your coach. You can see how wildly inappropriate that would be, can’t you?”
I nodded my head again, even though I didn’t agree.
“It’s not you.”
“You’re a real piece of work, Chase. You don’t think I don’t know what the ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ speech means? Of course, it’s me. And that’s fine.” Or will be, I thought. Once I get over the mini-heartache that accompanied our not-exactly-a-breakup breakup.
“I probably deserve that.”
He started to walk away toward the runners but stopped and looked at me. His blue eyes pleading with me as he spoke. “But I’m serious when I say I don’t think you should be with Neal. Please don’t go to Homecoming with him just because you’re mad at me.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nicole, guys talk. It’s not always nice. I’ve heard the things Neal has said about you and other girls behind their back. And if you just had your first kiss, you’re not ready for the kind of things he expects.”
I snorted. “You’re unbelievable. You’re like a toddler and his toy. You don’t want me, but you don’t want anyone else to have me either.” I looked over at Neal who was watching the interaction between Chase and me. His eyes were suspicious, but I didn’t blame him. No doubt he felt threatened by Chase. Well, he didn’t have to—not anymore.
“I’m not a toy, Chase. And I don’t think your games are funny.”
“I know that,” he answered.
“If you don’t want to pursue anything with me, that’s fine. I get it. Hell, I expect it. But don’t start making excuses for yourself.”
I stormed off the best I could still using my crutches. I stomped with every landing of my good foot, and every time my crutches connected with the grass that covered the area we were all gathered.
I made my way straight to Neal, who was still watching me.
“Is everything okay?” he asked as I got closer to him.
“I want to go to Homecoming with you.”
Neal smiled at me before looking over my shoulder. “Great.”
But when I looked back at Chase and saw his expression, I felt like it was anything but great.
Chapter Twenty-One
“You’re not going to work in those, are you?”
My mom was referring to the shortest shorts in the history of man. I’d bought them at American Eagle during the summer but had been too embarrassed to wear them. They barely covered my butt, and I wasn’t used to showing that much skin.
I shrugged.
“And your makeup,” she cried. “You look like a hooker.”
“Gee, thanks, Mom. You really know how to boost a girl’s self-esteem.”
My mom crossed her arms over her chest. “I can’t imagine your boss will be impressed by that outfit, Nicole. It doesn’t exactly scream professional, now does it?”
“Oh, because working at Blockbuster is such a fancy profession in the first place.”
“Honey,” she said, her voice gentler. “You are the youngest shift manager that store has ever had. I know it’s just a high school job, but I’m so proud of how well you’ve done there. It makes me hopeful about your success when you go off to college and into the real world.”
I was suddenly filled with shame. I still hadn’t told her about my demotion. With any luck, she wouldn’t find out. I couldn’t stand to think about how she would feel about that little pep talk if she knew I had been technically stealing from my work.
“It’s a short shift tonight.”
“And it’s freezing outside. I don’t think you should wear them.”
I went upstairs, careful to hold the handrail
on the way up. I didn’t need my crutches anymore, but my ankle hurt if I didn’t baby it. Once in my room, I got changed into a sensible pair of khakis but stuffed the shorts in my purse. One of the benefits of them being so small was they didn’t add any bulk to my bag.
“Bye, Mom,” I waved to her as I raced out the front door, as fast as I could, and out to my car. I still needed to stop someplace to get dressed and didn’t want to be late.
Even with a pit stop at the gas station to change back into my shorts, I still got to work with two minutes to spare. John had given me the heads up that this was technically supposed to be Chase’s first manager shift but asked if I would make sure he did everything correctly.
It was so weird, and I hated it.
I hated Chase.
He was alone when I walked in, looking down at a stack of papers in concentration. I could only assume the closing procedures were outlined on that paper, and he was working hard to make sure he did everything right.
Perfect, dependable Chase and his perfect, dependable honor.
“Hey, Nicole,” he called out, not looking away from his task. “John had to leave a couple minutes early, but knew you’d be here soon.”
I deepened my voice into a sultry purr. “So, it’s just you and me, then?”
He looked up, and when he saw the way I looked tonight, his face scrunched up—not exactly the reaction I had hoped for.
“You look… different.”
I lifted one corner of my mouth, hoping it looked as good as it had when I practiced in my mirror earlier that day. “Good different?”
He sighed. “I don’t know. I like when you look like you.”
No, you don’t, I thought. If you did, you’d be the one taking me to Homecoming after our hot kiss on the side of the road. Oh, gosh. Now I sounded like a hooker.
Instead, I said, “I can’t not look like me. Maybe this is me finding myself.” But the words fell flat even to my ears. I suddenly felt foolish, like the little girl caught playing in her mother’s pearls. I pulled down the hem of my shorts hoping to cover my upper thighs, knowing it was a fruitless effort.
I clocked in and got started on some work, careful to avoid looking over at Chase. I thought I was going to come in here and act like some kind of temptress and he was going to fall to his feet. But what would be the point? And was that fair to Neal since I agreed to go to the dance with him? A date didn’t mean dating, but it still felt like a betrayal, and I had had enough of that to last me a lifetime in these past couple of weeks.
Chase didn’t say anything and gave me space during our shift together. The silence was so uncomfortable, I thought it might have been better if John had fired me that day.
Avoiding this awkwardness would be worth it.
It wasn’t until we turned off the open sign and locked the doors, that Chase talked to me. He was in the back office counting down the registers. “Nicole, would you mind double checking my counts? I’m paranoid about messing it up on my first night.”
“Sure.” I walked back to the office and sat down opposite of him at the small desk John had in the back.
Chase sat quietly watching me as I went over everything he’d written down in the manager’s book. It was no surprise when the numbers all added up perfectly.
“It looks good.”
He said something under his breath that I didn’t quite make out. I couldn’t be sure if it was a comment about my appearance, the way he’d been a total jerk about our kiss, or something harmless about the numbers on the page in front of us. Regardless of the words, I could tell something was up by the way he stared at the desk between us.
“Chase.” I sighed, exhausted of the strange back and forth between us. I decided to be brave and just say what was on my mind. “Do you like me?”
His head lifted from the desk. “It doesn’t matter if I like you, Nicole. I’m your coach and now your boss. I’ve already told you, it wouldn’t be right to pursue anything.”
“How old are you?”
“Nineteen.”
“Nineteen,” I said in disbelief. “I turn eighteen next month. That’s one year between us. Cross country season will be done in a couple of months, and since I’m a senior, it won’t be an issue after that.”
“But—”
“And,” I interrupted. “If you’re about to say you’re my boss, you’re wrong. John is my boss. It’s his name with manager written beneath it on the front door. He hired me two years ago, he writes my schedule, he decides if I’m fired when I make bad choices. Not you, Chase. Just like I wasn’t your boss when I was the shift manager. The title doesn’t mean anything.”
Chase looked hurt by the last part, but I kept going. I just couldn’t seem to stop myself now that I was in the middle of my tirade. “Someone has to be the authority. Someone has to be responsible for certain duties. And that’s great, but don’t think for one second that you being the shift lead is a good excuse for not wanting to be with me. If you don’t want to date me, just say it.”
“I don’t want to date you.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t expecting that. I was so sure I was right about everything. I assumed he was scared, or something. I was an idiot. Holding back tears, I nodded my head. “Okay.”
“What I mean is…”
I put my hand up to stop him. “I get it. I’m going to finish straightening up the store. Let me know when you’re ready to lock up and go.”
As I left the office, I wiped the tears away, careful not to let him see.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Neal surprised me on Monday with coffee.
Amy and I had just pulled up to school in my Mustang when I spotted him leaning up against his car. He looked relaxed as he stood there, one coffee in each hand.
“What are the odds one of those is for me?” Amy asked as we parked.
I hated that she felt like the third wheel when her friendship had meant so much to me over the past year. “You can have mine. I’m sure Neal won’t mind.”
Amy’s hand went to her mouth. “You are even worse than I thought. Chica, I was kidding!”
“I just thought—”
“I’m a big girl. I’m sure I can walk to first period on my own. I’ll catch you at lunch.” Amy put her hand on my shoulder. “Unless Neal whisks you away for some fancy lunch.”
I laughed.
“Actually, scratch that. If Neal takes you to some fancy lunch, you’d better bring me too. I can handle missing out on a morning latte. I don’t think I could forgive eating cafeteria food by myself.”
I would have threatened to kick her out of the car, but she was already opening the door, letting the cold morning air in. “I’ll see you in English.”
I quickly pulled down my car visor and gave myself a quick once-over.
Hair? Good.
Makeup? Still there.
Breathing? Barely.
I grabbed my backpack and got out of my car. Neal pushed himself off his car when he saw me. He held out a hand with one of the drinks in it. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got you a caramel macchiato. Seemed like a crowd pleaser.”
I greedily snatched the cup from his hands, savoring the warmth coming from the paper cup. The heavenly smell tickled my nose as I took a sip. It. Was. Perfect.
“Thanks, Coleman,” I said with a wink. “A girl could get used to this.”
He slung his free arm over my shoulder as we walked toward the building. “Ha! Little do you know this is just a ploy to get you to fall for me.”
I took a dramatic breath. “No!”
He nodded solemnly before leaning in and whispering, “Is it working?”
We were approaching my class, and I had the craziest idea to keep the hard-to-get act going. Inside, I was a ball of nerves, hoping I didn’t screw things up. But on the outside, I was new and improved Nicole with the confidence of a head cheerleader.
I ducked out from underneath his arm and walked toward the door of my class. I lifted a single shoulder.
“I’ll let you know.”
Without waiting for his reaction, I walked to my desk and had a seat. My heart was pounding in my chest. I felt like the star of every teen romantic comedy. A small smile hit my lips as I looked at the coffee cup on my desk.
Everything felt unreal.
“You know it won’t last, right?”
I turned to see Victoria leaning forward in her desk, eyeballing the coffee Neal had given me this morning.
“What are you talking about?”
Her laugh was cruel, like almost everything else about her. She waved her finger at me. “This.” She pointed to the cup. “That. All of it. You can run fast and all of a sudden you think you’re the all that? I know you don’t have a clue about anything, but Neal is not going to be your boyfriend. You won’t ever be good enough for him.”
Neal and I hadn’t defined our relationship, I had no delusions we were dating. But Victoria’s word’s still hurt. I sat up in my chair and continued to pretend I had a lot more confidence than I really did. “You’re jealous, aren’t you? Neal’s not interested in you, and you can’t stand the thought of him being with anyone else.”
It reminded me of Chase. I wasn’t good enough for him, and yet he didn’t want me to go to the dance with Neal. It was like he and Victoria were perfect for each other.
She just rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Oh, Andrews. Don’t forget I warned you.”
Victoria’s words stayed with me the rest of the day. I had a hard time concentrating on my classes, and lunch was a blur. I vaguely remembered Neal giving Amy and me space, saying something about girl time being important. But everything else? Who knew?
When school was out, I planned to go home and continue with my personal workout, but Neal stopped me before I could make it out to the parking out. Amy had already gone to the girls’ bathroom to dress out, so it was just the two of us in the hall.
“So, I was thinking maybe you should come workout with the rest of us today,” he said.
Chasing Love (Mountain Creek Drive Book 3) Page 12