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“It’sCaptainon the field and especially when you’re screwing up.” She shrugs and then walks off. “You can deal with whatever is going on in your life, or continue to suck.”
I toss my equipment onto the ground and start a lap around the field beforeCaptain Nikkitells me to do it. It’s to keep me off the bench and to keep our fragile frenemy-ship intact. I had expected to be captain of the team this year, but Nikki was more determined. Also, her Uncle Lloyd is a men’s basketball coach at the school. Nicki watches me closely as I round the bend in the lane before heading back to the other players. I can never tell her what happened.
I haven’t even told Amanda. I tried telling Lucas and felt a fool until I was proven right that night at the party. I would’ve preferred to be thought crazy than have my fear come true. When I saw Elijah again standing over me, I thought I would die of fright, but a part of me also felt relieved to know that he was alive. I wanted to jump up, wrap my arms around his neck, and just hold on to him. But his expression formed a barrier of hatred that kept me pinned to the ground. I don’t know how he found me or why. I would have asked, but I was shaking too hard to ask. Why is he here?
I hear someone running up behind me on the track, but before I can turn, fingers clutch my shoulder. I let out a piercing scream and leap away, ready to run in the opposite direction. Lucas stares at me in disbelief, and concern alters his cheerful expression.
“Not the welcome I wanted,” he says. “What’s the matter with you, Livi?”
The practice field is five acres accommodating several teams at once, and people are watching us. Unfortunately, they’re less interested in practice and more interested in seeing why I’m screaming my head off like a car alarm. I glance over toward Nikki, who is craning her neck to see. She’s taken an interest also, so I start running laps again. Lucas follows.
“You just startled me,” I explain hotly. “I was in the zone.”
“In the zone.” He laughs as if it’s funny. “Hey, where did you disappear to last Friday? I thought I saw you at the party, and then you were gone.”
I stall, trying to think up a reply so he’ll drop it. “I wasn’t feeling well, so I took off.”
Lucas keeps pace with me easily, though I know he could outdistance me. “Did you get a ride home?” There’s a pause. “Or at least call an Uber?”
I grimace and don’t answer the question directly. “Look, I get it. I should be careful, but I can’t run around scared of my own shadow under my feet. I refuse to be that way.”
“I agree, but it’s okay to ask for help.” He pauses. “I have tickets to see a local band on Saturday.Uncharted Plan. Want to come?”
“Maybe.”
That’s all the encouragement Lucas needs as his face lights up as if he’s scored the winning touchdown. I’ve been blowing off his suggestions since freshman year. But now, my life has taken a sharp turn, and it’s not in a happy direction. If Elijah is lurking around, he may think twice before trying to grab me again if Wakehurst’s quarterback is holding my hand. I can’t get over how much Elijah has changed from a cute little boy with a lopsided smile to someone who could hurt me. Well, hurt me again. I glance over at Lucas, thinking he could match Elijah muscle to muscle. But the anger isn’t there. Still, I need someone to cover my back.
“Okay, I’ll go,” I say to him, and he smiles. “Text me.”
Nikki continues to watch us as we round the curve, heading back toward the practice field. She blows three short blasts on her whistle, calling everyone onto the field, which includes me.
“Hey, I have to go.” I pick up speed, but before I can get away, Lucas grabs my wrist. It’s unexpected, and I receive a wicked tug on my shoulders. It hurts like a fucker. I scowl at him, but he won’t release me. “Okay, so ouch,” my voice drips in sarcasm, “and do you mind? I have to go.”
“I just want to talk to you before you go sprinting off,” he explains.
Nikki is looking straight at me when she blows her whistle again. I really don’t need to give her an excuse to bench me. It won’t take much for that to happen. The girl is definitely my frenemy, and sometimes the competition between us is intense.
“Lucas!” I yank free and tear off running.
“I’m driving you home later,” he shouts. “Wait for me. Non-negotiable.”
Nikki has her hands on her hips, and I match the annoyed look on her face with my own. “Okay, now that we’re done socializing, maybe we can accomplish something on the field,” she says.
“I wasn’t flirting,” I speak under my breath as I grab my equipment.
She doesn’t bother to look at me. “If you want to keep the bench toasty warm with your ass during the season, it’s fine by me.”
I pull my mask down over my face. “Whatever.”
***
My plan is to look for a job as a freelance content writer after graduation, emphasizing technical writing. It’s a safe career choice that will supply an income, so I won’t have to move back home. No matter what happens, I can’t go back there again. My father was upset when I didn’t come home over summer break, but maybe he understands why I stayed away.
But my dream job would be anything that involves graphics, so I added a photography class this semester as an elective. Our assignment is to create a layout highlighting the history of a building on campus. The campus theater seems a solid choice, with a history stretching back centuries before the college was built. I worked all night on my storyboards for tonight’s class. I’m pleased with the professional look of what I have so far.
I’m so into my work that I don’t notice that class has begun. I look up, and the room flips over in a slow-moving circle as I stare at the man in the front row. I swallow hard and only just manage to keep the scream from escaping my mouth. It’shim.
Elijah Harlow sits at the front desk closest to the window. The professor is speaking to him and nodding at a piece of paper he’s handed her. She smiles at him as if he’s a decent person.He’s not, I want to shout. Professor Francine Harris hands back the paper and walks to the front of the room.
