Page 8 of The Perfect Steal

The girl looked out at the court, and her eyes turned the size of saucers. “Even the volleyball lines?”

Stephanie nodded, pointing in front of us. “Every line you can see.”

“Are we ready?” Coach asked.

I turned toward Coach Adams, trying to avoid the smirk on his face as he knew what we were about to go through.

“We’re doing this twice today, ladies, so give it your all.”

“Twice?” Stephanie and I said at the same time.

“Has he lost it?” she said.

I stepped out front of Josie, knowing she’d give me the encouragement I’d need every time I came back to the starting line. Mentally, it would be easier to just get it done than watch the rest of them go through all the pain as anxiety continued to claim my stomach.

The whistle blew, and I ran, making sure to stay as low as possible to the ground, touching and pushing off each of the lines. I was one of the tallest on the team, but that didn't mean I was going to be the slowest.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

Minutes ticked by, and I was on the last line at the end of the gym, heading back to the finish. I pushed my stride longer, knowing I could rest for a few minutes before having to do it all over again. The lunch I’d had a few hours ago threatened to come up, but I was so close to the line.

Fifty feet. Twenty feet. Ten feet. Done.

My legs just wanted to collapse underneath me, but I knew I had to keep walking.

“Go get a drink while you wait,” Coach Adams said. “Make sure you stand up and keep walking around for a bit until you catch your breath.”

I grabbed my side as I trudged through the door, following a couple of the other girls. The side ache only intensified, and I dropped my breathing to slow draws, hoping it would go away soon enough.

“That was rough,” Stephanie said, her words coming out in spurts. She’d been named to the all-state team the year before and was touted as one of the best point guards in the state, so the fact that she said that made me feel a little better. It wasn’t like I hadn't been working out to stay in shape; I just hadn't mentally prepared myself for so much running today.

“Wow, you guys look like you had a rough day,” a voice said from behind us. Nate Everton. Not the person I wanted to see right now. I shouldn’t have cared that he saw me after I’d just run a ton and still had another round to go, but I would’ve preferred no one saw my splotchy red face.

Now that I was partners on that assignment with Nate, it was like I’d seen him everywhere throughout the last few days. I hadn't even had time to go over that assignment yet, with a big paper I still needed to write for my English class and then studying for a calculus test.

“This is what happens when you actually have to run, Everton,” Josie said, wiping her mouth after stepping away from the drinking fountain. Her words were harsh, and for a second, I saw pain cross his face, quickly replaced with a nonchalant mask.

Guilt trickled through me as I thought about my comments the day we’d been paired up. Had I sounded as hurtful as Josie?Nate could definitely be a pain in the you-know-what, but I wondered if things weren’t all perfect in his world.

“We baseball players run our fair share. But the advantage to hitting a home run is that you get to jog around the bases.” Nate glanced in my direction, giving me a half-grin, and I could see the defiance in his eyes now, as if he wanted Josie to challenge him.

“I’ve got to head out, but, Brynn, call me later so we can get together.” He snapped his fingers and pointed at me like an idiot, but it was as if I were seeing him for the first time.

Maybe his life as the mayor’s kid wasn’t that much different than my own. I knew my parents loved me and my fifteen-year-old brother, John, in their own strange way, but they’d failed at dealing with their grief, ever since the accident, and mostly just checked in with us every once in a while.I could imagine that his father’s work made it hard for much of a relationship, but that was from an outside perspective.

I hadn’t realized I was still staring at the door where Nate had left when I felt a nudge against my side.

Stephanie stared up at me. “Are you two a thing?”

“No, please no. Just got matched up in Life Skills for a project.” I grabbed a quick drink and walked back into the gym, where the second group was only to mid-court. All the frustration I’d felt about being matched up with Nate had subsided somewhat, making me wonder if he just needed someone to give him a chance. I could at least give him that, while not getting tangled up in the process. What would everyone think if my three best friends and I all started dating baseball players?

“Good luck with that,” Stephanie said, leaning against the pads on the wall.

I needed to ask Penny, Serena, and Kate if they knew anything else about Nate, any pointers that might help me help him. Suddenly, I’d gone from grumpy teenager, thinking my life was going to end by the sheer amount of stuff I had to do, to the girl who believed anyone could get back to themselves with a little help.

I still held out hope that my mother would get back to her old self if I made it easy enough for her by staying out of the way and keeping my grades up. But that was also a selfish move, as I didn’t want to stick around here for long. My gut told me things would change soon, that my parents might not stick together like I’d always imagined. My hope was that they’d wait the threeish years until John graduated to do anything permanent.

Mrs. Rhodes had called it. I’d gone by her classroom the day before, hoping I could be partnered with someone else in the class, doing my best to plead my case. She’d looked up and said, “Brynn, sometimes we have to give people five or more chances until they finally get it right. This is one of those times. Give him a chance to show you who he really is, instead of the surface jock.”

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