AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Am I missing something?” I asked.
“Lillian and Bryan don’t exactly get along,” Toby said.
“Shut up,” Bryan snapped at his friend.
Toby’s eyes widened, and he pressed his lips together. They exchanged glances, and I realized whatever was going on between Bryan and Lillian was probably something I was never going to learn about. And frankly, it only put me on edge with Bryan and felt more suspicious of the twins. My interactions with Lillian had always been good. She seemed like a good girl.
So what happened to make Bryan look so pissed off? Then again, there seemed to be a minefield of reasons that could make him angry. I was really good at stepping on those mines. Was Lillian the same way?
For some reason, I couldn’t stop wondering about it as class went on. Once the bell rang, I grabbed my bag and took off, needing to use that short walk to clear my thoughts.
I met with Paxon and Justin outside for our last class of the day—PE.
“How was your first day?” Paxon asked.
“Exactly what I expected,” I said. “A lot of reviewing, a lot of introductions, a lot of homework.”
Paxon smiled. “Same.”
“Everyone gather!” A tall lean man stood out by the football field, waving his arm to get our attention.
“Better go before Coach gets angry.” Paxon grimaced.
“He’s your coach?” I asked.
Paxon sighed. “Yeah, unfortunately.”
Justin made a snorting noise. “You love him.”
“He pushes us.”
We walked over together as Paxon talked about his coach. As soon as we were in hearing distance though, he went quiet. Coach Stolly had thick brown hair and dark eyes that landed on us, stopping on Paxon. His mouth curled into a smile.
“Paxon. Good. You can show these slackers what fitness is really about.”
Paxon groaned as he headed to the bleacher. Justin followed. I stayed by the teacher.
“Miss Wiles?” he said in a curious voice.
Hiding my surprise that he remembered my name, I dug in my pocket and held out my medical note. I had never been a student who stood out in gym, always doing just enough to pass. The teacher stared at the paper with a frown before grabbing it and unfolding it. I had kept folding it until it was a tiny square, and his fingers were big, so it took him a moment.
“I heard about what happened,” he said in a softer voice as he read it over before folding it again and tucking it in his pocket. “Until you give me an all clear note from your doctor, you’ll be sidelined. I would suggest asking about swimming once we get to that section during the winter. That might be good for you.”
“Thank you,” I said, having trouble looking at him.
I’d tried to keep the whole incident private, but the school had to know about my situation so we could work together in order for me to continue school comfortably. That meant my teachers knew. Good thing they were all keeping it a private matter. Outside of Coach Stolly, the others didn’t make a point of talking about it since it didn’t affect their class.
“Go sit down.” He went to reach for me, but I stepped back and headed over to the bleachers with Justin and Paxon. They stared at me with questions, but I pretended not to notice as I took the spot next to Justin.
“What was that about?” Paxon asked, leaning forward so he could see me. “Is everything okay?”
“Of course,” I said.
It was clear that Paxon wanted to ask more questions, but then class started as the teacher went over the rules and curriculum. By the time he was done talking to us, there wasn’t much time left, so he had them kick a soccer ball around or walk around the track.
Most of the girls went for a walk around the track while most of the guys went for the soccer field. Paxon was practically jumping with excitement. I could see his love for soccer as he was greeted by the other guys and they practically fought to have him on his team.
“Are you going to walk the track?” Justin asked, standing up and stretching. His shirt rose, showing off his defined abs, and I had to force myself to look away before I got caught checking him out. Some of the other girls weren’t as polite as they stared at him with hungry eyes. Justin didn’t seem to notice.
