Page 71 of Kickoff

“I know. It makes me happy to do it.”

“Oh, okay.”

I draped an arm over her shoulders to make sure she did not run away when we crossed paths with a pissed-off Tanya, who murdered me with her brown irises framed by thick eyeliner and fake eyelashes.

“Wanna go to the weight room during lunch?” Melinda asked once we halted in front of her classroom. “I was thinking we could get ahead of that schedule of yours.”

Hope swirled inside me. It was the first time Melinda offered to spend time with me on her own. I usually schemed to find excuses to be with her.

“Sure, but we went for a run earlier, and you have swimming practice after school. Isn’t it too much in one day?”

“Nah. I can take it.”

I stared at her with one raised brow.

“I swear.”

“Okay then. Coach wants to talk to me after the bell about Friday’s game, but it shouldn’t take more than five minutes. We can walk there together. Won’t you be hungry? I know I will, but I have a free period after lunch, so I’ll eat then.”

“I’ve been snacking all morning. I’ll do the same this afternoon. It’s easier to go for smaller meals throughout the day than a big lunch when I have practice. It’s part of the latest diet plan I worked out with Coach Vivien. We’re trying this new thing to see if it helps with my performances.” She turned to walk away. “See you later, Mase. And thanks for doing this.”

My name rolling on her tongue had never sounded better. She flashed me one last smile over her shoulder. Every part of me prayed the happiness shining on her face had everything to do with me.

My eyes were trained on her backside as she disappeared through the mass of students entering her homeroom. Something had changed about Melinda since her surgery. She looked frailer. More fragile. Perhaps it was all in my mind. The protective part of me, who had been scared she wouldn’t make it that night, had been stuck in worry mode since.

I was being silly. She was fine. She told me so herself. Her coach would intervene if it weren’t the case, right?

With one last glance in the direction of her classroom, I walked away, silencing my thoughts.

The heel of my hand hit the row of lockers, the sound filling the empty hallway.

Something didn’t sit well with me. I just wished I could tell what it was.

I shook my head to chase the feeling away.

Why was my life so confusing these days?

19

Do you trust me?

When we halted in front of my house, Melinda and I bent forward, our hands pressing on our folded knees, breathing hard. We had gone for a ten-mile run and raced the last mile. The sun was shining high for a late October morning, and I felt like tearing the fleece off my body. Even the breeze wasn’t enough to cool me down right now.

Melinda guzzled the rest of the water from the bottle she had left on the front lawn earlier and pinched the fabric sticking to her abdomen away from her as if to air her upper body. “I think I gotta stretch now. Geez, I had to run twice as fast as I normally do not to lose track of you. How fast are you?”

“My long legs can be considered a superpower, Shepard.”

She panted. “I-I…I won’t argue with that statement.”

“Glad we agree.” I peeled my shirt off and used it to wipe the perspiration from my nape. When my gaze returned to Melinda, she stood there, a few feet from me, ogling my sweaty, bare chest. “See something you like?” The heat of her stare was enough to burn holes through my flesh.

She dropped her gaze to her feet. “Huh…it’s not…I should go. I’ll see you later.” She looked flushed, and I relished the blush coloring her cheeks.

“Mel.” I stepped closer and held her upper arms before she could flee the scene. “Look at me.”

She stared down, pretending to adjust the hem of her shirt, not meeting my eyes.

“Mel. Look. At. Me.” She lifted her eyes to mine in the slowest possible motion. She swallowed, and I followed the movement of her slender throat. I pulled her closer, my other hand landing on her hip. She felt thinner than usual underneath my palm. Our breaths mingled. Her chest pushed against mine, and I could feel the wild rhythm of her heart. Her lips parted, stealing every bit of my attention. Even if I tried, I couldn’t look away. “There’s something I’ve been thinking about doing for a very long time.” I inhaled and gathered all my courage. “Do you trust me?”