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“We talked about it last night. You gave me a hug.”
“Huh?”
God, why do I have to be such an asshole? The memories of last night begin returning slowly. Alex’s upset look, the hug, the talk. I remember encouraging him, telling him it’ll be alright. “O-oh,” I breathe, my face heating, feeling like an idiot for being such a dick to him. Still, knowing Alex didn’t make it feels like a sucker punch to the gut. What does that mean for a guy like me? I’m only scrambling to catch up to Alex, and the only reason why I am even interested in joining the Olympics, is showing Alex that he’s not any better than me.
“Do you remember now?”
I nod my head. “Y-yeah,” I whisper. “I remember.”
“You were so nice last night.” Alex chuckles, yet the sound is strained, as if he’s trying very hard to control himself. I know what it’s like to feel defeated, to feel broken. “Do you feel like tormenting me now?” He shakes his head and pushes his red locks away from his face. “All that training, wasted. If I would have known, I would have—” He chokes on his words and inhales deeply.
“I’m sorry.” I don’t know what else to say. It sucks. I, for one, can empathize with how he feels, knowing that someone will always be faster than you, stronger than you. It’s a terrible feeling knowing that you’ll never be enough.
“Anyway,” Alex starts, wiping the tears from his eyes. “I guess now I know. I can do something else with my life. I can finally be that doctor my parents always thought I would grow up to be.”
I frown. That doesn’t sound like Alex at all. He’s fast. He’s intense. He’s a star athlete. I can’t see him working day after day in a hospital, greeting patients with a clipboard and doing whatever else doctor’s do.
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “You should give it another go.”
Alex sighs. “I don’t know if my parents will let me. I’ve already wasted so much—”
“It’s not a waste,” I say while stepping toward him, resting a hand on his shoulder. Other than the times we are with Rachel, I don’t think I’ve ever touched him, or allowed myself this close to him. “Don’t think like that. You can still tryout. Use this time to train harder.”
Alex shakes his head. “I don’t think—”
“Stop being negative. You’re better than this.” I hold his stare, trying to break through that crazy head of his, hoping he heeds my words. “If I had your talent, I know I would try again. It was probably a fluke anyway. Your head probably wasn’t in the game.”
Alex’s eyes widen. His lips tremble as if he’s going to cry. I get it. He’s put so much time and energy into running, into the hope he can be something other than what his parents planned for him. Sometimes, he reminds me of Lucas.
“Apply again,” I urge. “If you don’t get in after ten tries, then maybe look into another career plan.”
Alex laughs, covering his hand with his mouth. He bobs his head up and down and I smile when I hear him say, “Okay.”
I glance over my shoulder, finding Rachel waiting for us at the corner. Well, not quite waiting. She’s pacing back and forth and if I listen carefully, I can hear her mumbling. I nod toward her and pull Alex’s arm. “Come on. We have a duty. We can be all teary-eyed later.”
Alex chuckles and wipes his eyes. “I wasn’t crying.”
I scoff. “Sure you weren’t.”
It takes us about ten minutes until we reach Charlie’s apartment, which isn’t that far from North Ridge Apartments. It’ll probably take another five minutes until we’re with… Lori? Lela? Lucy? I know it begins with an L. Rachel should be happy I remember Charlie’s name, and the only reason I do, is because the blonde is also at the games and drinking our beer.
I try to hide my grimace as we approach Charlie, who’s outside her apartment, pacing back and forth while holding a phone up to her ear. She looks completely different without makeup, yet I don’t see a hint of a blemish or a pimple on her face. Lucky genes, I suppose. Although, there are bags under her eyes, and her eyes are swollen, as if she’s been crying. Looks like everyone is having a rough Saturday morning.
“Fuck!” Charlie shouts, shaking her phone as we approach her. She stabs a long finger at her cell before holding it up again, her eyes wide with worry.
“Charlie,” Rachel says softly.
Charlie jerks toward Rachel, her eyes wide like saucers. “What the hell happened to your face?” she shouts, her hand reaching toward Rachel.
Rachel flinches and steps away from her friend. I notice she doesn’t say anything, which makes me even angrier. Four-eyes has a knuckle sandwich coming to him for laying a hand on my girlfriend.
“What’s going on?” Rachel asks, nodding toward the phone.
“I’m trying to call Lauren,” Charlie says hoarsely. We wait for a few moments, the soft sound of ringing and the light blow of the wind rustling the trees the only sound. Charlie groans before turning off her cell, tears streaming down her cheeks. “She’s not picking up,” she says while looking between us. “Why isn’t she picking up?”
“She’s probably sleeping,” says Alex, always one for thinking positively.
Although, right now, that might not be a bad idea. I nod and take Rachel’s hand, lacing my fingers with hers and giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “There are loads of things she could be doing right now,” I say, choosing my words carefully.
