AllFreeNovel
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Me: I’ll do it for you every night. It might not pay the bills.
Lettie: All we need is each other.
Me: And to be in the same city.
Lettie: Three more weeks.
Me: Twenty-three days to be exact.
Lettie: Is it Wednesday or Thursday?
Me: Wednesday
Lettie: Sorry, so is this your really busy day?
Me: Yeah, call me on your lunch break.
Lettie: Will do. Wait, is today the open team scrimmage?
Me: Yeah, tonight. Just one more thing on the to-do list.
Lettie: Good luck. Knock ‘em dead, Dane the Great.
Me: You know it. Ride like the champion you are today, and maybe Jasper will go easy on you.
Lettie: Not likely.
I park myself at our usual table in the Stallions cafeteria, balancing a tray of questionable food in one hand and a backpack in the other. With my ear pressing my phone into my shoulder, I listen for Lettie to answer. When she doesn’t, I set the tray down on the white table and leave a message, “Hey, guess we don’t have the same lunch. Miss ya.”
My best friend on the basketball team, Devon, is already sitting there, scrolling through his phone. “Is Lettie already forgetting you?”
"Fuck off.” I greet him with an eye roll, setting my phone face up.
"Wow, you’re in a good mood." He raises an eyebrow, not convinced.
"What can I say? The dining hall's finest delicacies have put me in a great mood," I reply with a sarcastic smirk.
He pushes his phone to me. “Oh, I thought you were upset over this.”
I give him a questioning glance before I take his phone, and it opens to the training center where Lettie has been tagged. It’s a picture of her smiling while looking up and over her shoulder at a rugged, older man. There’s no doubt he’s a nice-looking guy. A twinge of jealousy rolls up my spine when I read the caption.
When trainers and riders are on the same page, it makes for a glorious ride. Olympic hopeful shines after a week with new trainer, Jasper Cole.
I never thought to look up Jasper’s credentials, much less to see if he was Lettie’s type. But hell, I don’t even know if I’m Lettie’s type. I check a few boxes, but we’ve never had a conversation about what kind of man she wants long term. We always shied away from those conversations.
Swallowing a mouthful of meatloaf proves harder than usual, I mumble, “I’m happy she beat her time. Just wish I knew before the world.”
Mac Callaghan, with his hat on backwards, pulls out a chair, spinning it around, and straddles it. He crosses his arms over the chairback. “Hey, how’s it going with Lettie? I just saw Reed, and Brooke hasn’t heard from her.”
Brooke hasn’t talked to her either. I don’t know whether to be relieved or worried. Is Lettie truly that busy, or is Lettie getting busy?
“She’s working longer hours than we are. Working toward the Olympic Trials is no joke.”
“That sucks. You just got together and have to do the long-distance thing. I tried it my freshman year and damn, I moped around until we eventually cut ties,” Mac says with a hint of sadness lacing his tone.
Devon chimes in and smacks me on the shoulder, “It’s this guy’s own fault. When Lettie and I… umm..”
“When you and Lettie what?” I ask as a red wave of anger betrays me.
