Page 102 of Sing Me Home
Also, she’s the best sister a guy could ever ask for and one of my best friends. Psst: Don’t tell Jane or Emily.
Christy and Anna each held one side of their sign.
The truth is...
Charlie didn’t disappear.
She was still in every prayer, every meal, every hope, and every conversation. We’re SOOOO glad she’s home!
I swallowed the lump in my throat. My heart felt like it had grown three sizes just like the Grinch. Combined with the running, I could barely breathe.
“I love you guys!” was all I could get out. I hugged each of them, overwhelmed. They hugged me back, and then, like the others, they took off ahead of us.
“You did this,” I said to Cash after I caught my breath. It wasn’t a question anymore. I knew. Maybe my family had agreed and made their own signs, but Cash was the ringleader.
“Just repaying the favor.”
“What favor? I’ve done nothing but drag you down since I got home. Pulled you into my mess. Ruined your concert.”
“I was talking about that one time right after I found out that Braxton wasn’t my real dad, and you organized that whole Cash Dupree: The Greatest Hit You Never Knew You Wrote night. Complete with slideshows and presentations. You knew it was going to be hard for me and you did that, trying to catch me up on all the memories I’d missed out on. Helping me ease into becoming a Dupree.”
“Well,” I said with a teasing huff. “You waited long enough to return the favor.”
He winked. “Nah. I waited until the exact right time.”
My chest squeezed. Part of the reason I hadn’t been able to fall asleep last night was because I’d made the mistake of reading the comments of the two TikTok reels that were already going viral of me and the Delta Gamma showdown.
Some people had stuck up for me, but there were still plenty of haters. Not gonna lie, I’d been feeling like maybe I’d be better off disappearing again, this time to a foreign country. I’d get a nose job, cut and dye my hair blonde, and live in a hut on a beach somewhere. Exist off of fish I caught with my bare hands. I hated seafood but even that was beginning to sound more preferable than this nonsense.
The only thing stopping me? My beautiful family, who was reminding me this morning just how awesome they were. And the hurt I knew it would cause the guy running by my side.
“Is this how the whole race is going to go?” I asked. “Someone cheering me on at every obstacle?” I didn’t know if my heart could take it. Or my tear ducts.
“Not every obstacle. Just the first thirteen. Believe it or not, they’re all dying to run the race. But they were excited to do this for you.”
“So, how is this working then? They obviously crossed the start line way ahead of us.”
“Dupree House Rules for this race only.” Finally, sweat was running down his cheek. I’d smelled like a guys’ locker room since the very first hill. “Times don’t count. It’s all about who crosses the finish line first. They did their obstacles up until their stopping point. Then they have to wait for us and they’re not allowed to run until we get there. But once we pass them, it’s gloves off.”
Just then, a side-by-side zoomed past. A guy was sitting in the bed, facing us, videoing.
“What’s with all the cameras?” I asked.
“Typical Spartan Race stuff,” he grunted, then tossed his chin up. “The Olympus is next.”
“Crap.”
The Olympus was a twenty-foot-long, obtuse angled wall that had to be crossed without grabbing the top or touching the ground. And all they gave you to hold onto were scattered holes, stubby rock grips, and some short, dangling chains. It was going to take upper body strength that I probably didn’t have, since my arms were already beat from the bucket carry. Other than the spear throw, I was more afraid of this obstacle than any other.
“No worries,” Cash said. “I got you.”
And he did.
He stayed right behind me, hands out, ready to catch me if I fell. I almost made it completely on my own, but it was a struggle. Two feet from the end, my foot slipped and I nearly ate it, but Cash was right there, hands on my waist until I slapped the bell.
Then he went back to traverse it himself. His biceps, triceps, calves, and quads bulged with the effort, but he was across in fifteen seconds flat.
Once again, a family member was waiting to cheer me on. This time, it was Bowen and Maggie. Bowen grinned, completely shirtless, hair pulled into his signature man bun, sunlight glinting off his piercing. His sign made me laugh.
