Page 6 of This Changes Everything

I placed another ball on the tee.

Back on the horse. It’s out of my system. Trade the bad for the good. Calm down. Calm down, Ellie. Calm down and swing. Calm down and—

SMACK!

Well, I did it again. The lady yelped a little louder. My eyes shot up to Rory, who had just hit a ball and had squared his body to the range. His eyes were wide. He pretended not to have seen or heard what happened. His club was over his shoulders . . . which were . . . shaking. Rory held back a smile so tight that it looked like he might strain something.

Awesome. Super awesome.

“Ellie, be careful,” my dad said in a not-so-whispery whisper. “Rory’s right in front of you. Six inches higher and you’ve killed the kid.”

I could hear Cameron start to wheeze. I looked all the way over to Blair, and he was the only one looking back at me, shaking his head with a playful smirk.

Here we go again. I placed another ball onto the tee. I have to hit at least one solid, mind-blowing shot, or I, 100 percent, will die. Let’s do this. No more messing around. Here we go.

WHIFF!

Not only did I miss the ball entirely, but my club slipped out of my hand, and I accidentally threw it into the rain. My whole body spun wildly with my momentum, and the wind delicately knocked the ball off the tee.

“That’s one,” my dad joked as if those two inches were my intended shot.

“Isn’t the ball supposed to go farther than the club?” an elderly man grumbled with a condescending chuckle as he walked past us, his empty bucket in hand.

I could hear the boys laughing now. I looked up. Blair and Cameron had fully spun around to enjoy the show. Rory was standing, holding his club in front of him and leaning it against his shoulder. He was looking directly at me with a tight-lipped smile, staring straight into my soul. His dark-brown eyes sparkled as brightly as a Christmas tree.

My insides shriveled as I stepped out into the grass to retrieve my club. The rain was dumping on me, and everyone at the range had to stop what they were doing so as not to hit me with their flying balls.

So this is how I die. This will be on the news, no doubt. “Ellie McCain, twelve, died in the rain on the fourth of November from embarrassment at Juniper Golf Club.”

I couldn’t lift my head or connect with the ten or so sets of eyeballs that lit me on fire as I made my way back to my stall. I set my jaw, picked up my whiffed ball, and popped it back onto the tee. I was stubborn and furious and swung for dear life.

SMACK!

This time, I shanked it so hard that the ball left a dent in the barrier between me and Rory.

“Ellie!” My dad couldn’t control his shout. The woman screamed. Blair threw his body forward in hysterics, clutching his belly. Cameron cackled, “Oh my god! It’s like a magic trick!” And Rory tossed his head backward from laughing so hard. He threw his free hand over his eyes, which were squeezed shut.

I stopped and held my club to my chest with crossed arms. I waited for the laughter to subside. Rory pulled at his sleeve and wiped away his tears, his smile taking over his entire face, building up his cheeks, and pouring out of his eyes.

Once he, Cameron, and Blair finally settled, Rory and I locked eyes.

“You done?” I attempted to conceal my mortification.

“I don’t know. Are you?” Rory quipped back. We held each other’s stare for a moment longer than I was prepared for, and my heart rate quickened.

“How about this,” my dad interrupted. “How about once you boys are all finished up here, you come and have some hot dogs with Ellie and me in the clubhouse? Her sister, Hannah, will be up there, too. It’ll be fun!”

Blair responded with an enthusiastic “That would be great! Thank you, Dr. McCain!”

Rory looked down. He bit his bottom lip to stop himself from breaking into another full-blown, face-morphing smile, but it wasn’t working. Once everyone resumed positions, I heard Rory whisper, “You’re funny.” He pulled a ball out with the head of his iron, then took a smooth swing, cracking the ball perfectly down the middle. “Anyway, we saw that other shot when you didn’t know we were watching.” His eyes flicked up to meet mine, which dropped like boulders.

I looked down at my last ball, took a deep breath, squared my body, and swung.

THWACK!

My attention darted to Rory. He was watching my ball arc through the air. Once my ball hit the ground, he glanced back over at me and smiled. Impressing Rory somehow suddenly meant so much more than impressing anyone else ever. I would never be the same. He quickly looked over the barrier between us at my empty bucket.

“You’re already finished?” Rory asked quietly.