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Kodi: Figure out what it’d take for her to go to the Italy tournament with you
Ricci: Yes!
Taylor: Did * y’all * at least figure out if she already had holiday plans?
Kodi: She didn’t mention any and she was super bummed when she realized Christenson wouldn’t be around for the holidays
Me: Really? I know Christmas means a lot to her, but I didn’t think I did
Kodi: Damn, okay, we’ll add verbalizing her feelings to Leah’s list
Me: No, I just know she’s used to and likes her alone time, so I didn’t expect her to want me around
Brooker: Give Leah more credit, she really likes your ass, otherwise she’d have dipped when the girls brought up homework
Kodi: Can confirm that despite whatever her hangups are, she’s trying
Kodi: So you better try too. Take tomorrow’s rest day and actually rest, with her
Me: Yes, ma’am
The Lunch Break
Niall
“Hi, um, visitor’s pass to see Ms. Walton, please,” I said when I got to the front desk of Leah’s school. I’d been in the building a whopping ten seconds and already it felt weird. The door handles, the water fountain, even the front desk, were all made with children in mind. And while that should’ve been obvious, I couldn’t help comparing it to my memories of elementary school, when everything felt natural and not so … small.
“Right, she’s already put you down, but I’ll need to see your ID to confirm your identity,” the woman behind the low desk said, squinting at a clipboard to the side of her computer.
“Of course.” I set the bag of food I brought for Leah on the desk and fished out my wallet. As I handed over my ID, a Black woman with a shaved head and a sharp suit set stepped out of the main office, eyes widening when they landed on me.
“Are you Niall? Leah’s Niall?” she asked and a buzz of giddiness flew through my chest at being described as Leah’s.
“I am, nice to meet you,” I said, reaching out to shake her hand.
“Yes, nice to meet you. I’m Nicole Banks, the principal and Leah’s … work friend, I hope.” We both laughed a little.
“Yeah, she’s … slow to open up.”
“Mmm. But since she’s met you, things have gotten better, yeah?”
I’d known that since bringing Leah to the stadium, she’d gotten close to Kodi and Rosa. To some extent, I figured their friendship was more on the part of the other two initiating. But to hear Leah’s opened herself up to more folks … I was proud of her. She was facing a big fear and while the baby and I might’ve been the catalyst for it, she took that step with this woman on her own. It might’ve scared her, but I was glad to see that her world, her support system, was growing.
“Dang, I thought I’d beat you to the front desk,” Leah said, rounding the corner to the entrance area. “Hey, Nicole, did y’all meet?”
“Yes. But we can talk more later. Y’all enjoy your lunch.” Nicole gave us a smile before turning back into the office.
“We all good, Mavis?”
“Uh-huh,” the woman said, handing my ID back and a sticker with my name on it. “Lots of things came up when searching his name, but he’s not on any lists.”
“Good to know,” Leah said, fighting laughter as she wrapped an arm around mine and led me further into the school, barely giving me time to snatch the food back up.
“So did your secret spies report back?” Leah asked, bopping me with her hip.
“I don’t know if I’d call it a report, but they did give me homework.”
“You too? Damn, well I guess we’ll never need couple’s therapy when we’ve got all these nosy friends. What’re your tasks?”
