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“We had a couple injuries out there last year,” Luke said, “because the asphalt is all twisted up. Since then the kids haven’t really been too keen to use it.”
That was similar to what Miranda had told her, and Lydia filed away the information.
“Hey, Luke!” a kid called from the other side of the court. He’d just missed a rebound and the basketball game progressed back across the gym without him. “Is that yourgirlfriend?”
“Gosh,” Lydia laughed. “They got right on that rumor, didn’t they?”
“And what’s up with your hair, man?” the kid yelled, grinning a gap-toothed smile. He was scrawny and moved like he wasn’t quite used to his growing limbs yet.
Luke reached up, sweeping his hand through his curls. “This is a fresh cut, Marcus. Why are you hating on it?”
“Oh, I’m Luke, look at my hair,” the kid jeered.
“You’re just afraid me and my fresh cut will embarrass you on the court.”
Marcus grinned, holding his arms out in challenge. “Yeah, right.”
“One second,” Luke whispered to her. He darted onto the court with unexpected speed, and with a delighted laugh, Marcus chased after him. Luke broke into the game and stole the ball, dribbling backwards. The teams dissolved and it became everyone versus Luke as he surged between the kids, dodging and twisting, putting on an impressive display. He waited for Marcus to deke after the ball. The moment the kid’s sneakers twitched, Luke ducked past him and went straight to the basket for a layup.
“Nothing but net,” Luke crowed as he sank the ball. He turned around, facing Marcus and the others. The kids laughed as he did a little victory dance. Marcus waved him off the court. Luke returned to her side a moment later. “Sorry,” he said, huffing. “I had to defend my reputation as the greatest ball player this gym has ever seen.”
“I’m not sure Marcus would agree with that assessment.”
Luke led her up the bleachers to an empty row where they could watch the rest of the game. “I missed one free throw one time and now Marcus will never let me live it down.”
“Was this supposed to be a game-winning free throw?” Lydia asked.
“Yes. Our team lost,” Luke said.
“Did you miss the shot on purpose?”
Luke eyed her, his cheek twitching. “Maybe.”
A cheer drew her attention. Lydia’s eyes found Marcus again. He was quick, zipping up and down the court, with a pretty wicked three-pointer for a preteen.
Every time he scored, he found Luke in the crowd, grinning impossibly wide.
“The kids really seem to gravitate toward you,” Lydia said.
“I’ve volunteered here for a long,longtime. For some of them, I’ve been around as long as they’ve been coming to the center. I used to come here as a kid with my siblings too, so I suppose in a way, I never really left.”
“This place must mean a lot to you,” Lydia said, nudging him gently with her shoulder. For a second, she didn’t pull away. Not until he looked at her. When he did, it wasn’t Trainer Luke staring back at her. It was someone else. Someone she was just getting to know. Someone that knew nothing about her mile time or all the ways she liked to get out of doing burpees. Her heartbeat quickened as she realized how much she wanted to get to knowthisLuke.
“It does,” he agreed softly. “A lot of these kids come from complicated homes. Single parents. Low-income households. They don’t always have the support they need to succeed for one reason or another. The center gives them a safe space to hang out. To play. To learn. When I was a kid here, they sometimes gave us dinner. Handed out winter clothes when we were short on hats or gloves or scarves. Although they mostly helped with homework.” He gestured to Marcus on the court. “And encouraged talents.”
“Do you help with homework?” Lydia said, intrigued.
“Not usually,” Luke chuckled. “Though I can rock some science.”
“Yeah?”
He nodded. “Throw me some biology. Some chemistry. Let me tell you about mitochondria. A little sprinkle of the Krebs cycle.”
“You’re just a regular old Bill Nye.”
“Guess you were the math girl, huh? I can imagine little Lydia out there measuring angles with her protractor. Making sure her lines were straight.”
“You’re totally making fun of me! The nerds are supposed to stick together. I can’t believe you.”
