Page 72 of Under the Lights
The last person to climb onto the float was Coach McDonnell, and he gave them all a smile. “Fine day for a parade, boys.”
Chase hadn’t expected to see him again before he said good-bye but, now that he thought about it, it made sense that Coach would ride with them. They had chairs and a cooler stocked with sodas and water. The boys no doubt had coolers, too, but they were stuck standing on hard metal truck beds.
Coach didn’t make eye contact with him, and Chase busied himself looking around at the last-minute preparations going on around them. Maybe with a little distance, Coach would come around to the idea that Chase was doing the right thing, but right now all he could see was his misconception that he’d disrespected the man’s daughter. Since Chase wasn’t going to clarify the situation, all he could do was accept Coach’s silent disapproval.
Far up ahead in what was beginning to look something like a line, they heard the chief’s siren sound and knew the parade was starting. Because they were toward the end, though, it seemed like forever before Gretchen’s truck started rolling and the trailer lurched.
“Smile, everybody!” Jen was on the ground, timing departures, and she waved as they went by. “Enjoy yourselves.”
They all did as they were told, smiling and waving as the parade made its way from the school, into town and around the square. They passed the trophy around, taking turns holding it high and making the crowd cheer. The boys were tossing candy from their helmets behind them, and the cheerleaders walked alongside the float and trucks, leading Eagles chants.
Throughout the entire route, Chase did his part, but he couldn’t help looking for Kelly. While he wasn’t ready to talk to her, he was surprised he hadn’t seen her from a distance. He knew the parade meant she was probably on duty but, even if she hadn’t been, she wouldn’t miss it.
It wasn’t until they turned onto the state road toward the end of the route that he saw her. She was manning a barricade erected to stop traffic, which gave her an excellent vantage point of the parade as it passed by.
As if she sensed him watching her, she turned her head and their eyes met. Her expression changed, the friendly and open smile fading, and her gaze skittered away. Deflated, he turned back to the people lined up on the sidewalk and forced himself to wave.
When their float reached the corner, she once again went out of her way to avoid eye contact with him, even though he was the alumni player waving the trophy around at the time, and he felt the dismissal like a fist to his gut.
Kelly didn’t want to see him.
Whatever had been between them was over and she was already putting it, and him, behind her. As she’d said, once he was gone, everybody would forget all about what had happened between Chase Sanders and Kelly McDonnell during Eagles Fest.
He gritted his teeth and suffered through the rest of the parade with a smile. But once they pulled back into the school parking lot and began to disband, he faced the other alumni players before they could escape the float and told them he was leaving.
“Something came up at home and I’m going to head out.”
One by one he shook their hands, and he realized he was going to miss these guys. They’d all exchanged contact info as they arrived in order to reach each other about activities, and now they promised to keep in touch. He wasn’t sure how long it would last, but for now they all seemed sincere about it.
When he got to Coach, he extended his hand. “Thank you for taking me in, Coach. And for everything. I hope your team kicks ass this year.”
“So you’re really leaving?”
Chase wasn’t even sure how to respond to that. The night before, this man basically told him to get out of town, and don’t let the door hit him in the ass on the way out, and now he looked disappointed Chase was going.
“I have to go,” was all he said, because the explanation was too long and too personal, and Kelly’s dad would probably be the last person who’d want to hear it.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Coach took his hand and then pulled him in for a hug. “No matter what, my door’s always open to you, son. Always.”
Chase choked up then, and all he could do was nod and climb down off the float before his vision blurred up. Then he almost ran smack into Gretchen.
“Did I hear you say you’re leaving?” she asked.
“Yup. I need to get back.”
She looked at him for a long time, and then gave him an obviously forced smile. “We all appreciate you coming back to Stewart Mills, Chase. I hope everything works out for you at home, and Kelly was heading toward the station to put the barricades away if you want to say good-bye.”
He thanked her, and then made a beeline for the last place he’d seen Mrs. McDonnell. That good-bye was even harder, because she got emotional and wouldn’t let go of his neck.
“Promise me you’ll keep in touch,” she said when he’d finally untangled himself from her arms. “Even if it’s just an email. I want to know how you’re doing.”
“I will,” he said, wondering if he really would. Eventually, maybe. It would be a while before he’d be able to handle hearing about Kelly without remembering how much this was hurting.
Once he’d said good-bye to almost everybody, he walked away from the milling crowd. When he reached a junction in the sidewalk, he stopped. His truck was one way, and the police station was in the other.
He didn’t want to say good-bye to her. He was afraid she’d see the truth of his feelings on his face and reject them. She hadn’t even wanted to look at him earlier, so he wasn’t going to get the response he desperately wanted from her.
He walked to his truck and jammed the key into the ignition. When he’d been driving for a little while and stopped for coffee and gas, he’d send her a text. Nothing heavy or serious. He’d give her the kind of good-bye that ended meaningless flings.
