AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Huh?” Sawyer’s mouth was full of sticky pancake, not a good look.
“Cullen fell asleep on the couch during the movie, so I just left him there. Now Coach is angry that he stayed over.”
“Why?” Sawyer asked. “Cully drove.”
“I know,” I hissed, “but he was mad that Cullen came to our place.”
“I don’t get it,” Sawyer said, clueless, more concerned with stuffing food into his mouth.
I shook my head in frustration. “Can you message him and see if he’s all right? Gee, why didn’t I wake him and tell him to go home?”
“What’s the big deal about sleeping over?” Sawyer must have been starving because he was feeding himself like he was in an eating race.
“Coach specifically said no parties and he thinks we were partying,” I said.
“Oh yeah, a raging party,” Sawyer said with mock sarcasm.
“I told him we weren’t,” I said, worried that he wasn’t taking me seriously. Well, of course he wasn’t. He didn’t know how merciless Coach Mercer could be in private. For some reason I pictured Cullen doing press ups with bricks on his back. I didn’t even know if that was a thing.
“Just text him please.”
“Why don’t you?” Sawyer was now looking at his phone which had been pinging with notifications.
“I don’t have his number,” I seethed.
“Message him,” Sawyer said as if it was the most logical, straightforward thing.
And it was true that I was friends with Cullen on several social media platforms, but that was to follow his football. It wasn’t a direct line of contact to him.
“So, how long did you stay up?” Sawyer asked.
“Me? Ah, not much longer,” I said breezily. But heat crept up my neck and onto my cheeks like a blazing inferno as the memories of Cullen’s kisses intensified in my mind. “Cully fell asleep pretty much straight away.”After our kisses,I thought.
Sawyer frowned, making me wonder if he’d read my mind. What would my brother say if he knew Cullen and I kissed? Would he even care? What about Coach Mercer? He didn't approve of relationships during football season, so were we going to have to sneak around? Were we even in a relationship? “Uh, so what happened with Amanda?” I asked, keen to move the conversation along. “Is it all over?”
Sawyer pinched the bridge of his nose like he had gone into deep, dark despair. “Please don’t mention that name,” he said tersely.
Feeling guilty about upsetting my brother, I offered to bring him back a coffee and retreated in haste.
Mom suggested I go shopping with her at the River Valley Mall, saying I needed some winter clothes, and she wanted to get organized for Thanksgiving and for our weekend away. We were having a family dinner on Thanksgiving Day, and the next day we would travel to Hampton Lakes where we rented a cabin for three days. It was a family tradition, going back as far as I could remember. Mom and Dad called it a breather, a time to commune with nature and relax before the manic month of December. Though all the activities like hiking, kayaking, boardgames and even roasting marshmallows ended up not being relaxing but a competition. That’s how it was when the whole family were together, and this year my older brother Reilly was bringing his girlfriend, Freya.
While Mom loaded supplies into the cart, I lingered in the gift department, looking for cute things for my friends. I picked out some cards and stickers and notebooks, and then my heart thundered in my chest as I wondered if I should get something for Cullen. Or was that too premature? We had kissed, but it was now the afternoon and I hadn’t heard anything from him. If I could message him through social media, then he could message me. But what if he was lugging rocks up Covington hill? Or out on the track doing sprints? I quickly grabbed one more card and stuck it in the middle so Mom wouldn’t see it.
Driving back to Covington Heights, I kept my eyes peeled for a lone figure running a marathon by the river, yet there was no relief when I didn’t see him, just more angst. By the afternoon, I couldn’t stand it any longer. My heart was completely wound up with worry about Cullen. And then I had a brainwave—I could return Cullen’s towel and swim shorts. It would be the perfect excuse to go to his house.
Yet, I made it into something sneaky.
“I might go for a bike ride,” I announced. “See if Emma’s home.” And in a barely audible mumble, “And I could take Cullen’s swimming stuff back.” Emma conveniently lived around the corner from the Mercers.
Neither Mom nor Dad thought this was unusual, and Mom suggested that I put on a jacket and Dad was quick to remind me to wear my helmet. The bike ride was pleasant for the first two blocks, but as I continued I doubted my own sanity. Was this really a good idea? Would Cullen want to see me? Would Coach even let me in?
I cycled past Emma’s house, unable to see her Mom’s car in the driveway. Probably Emma would be at music or band practice. I carried on, my heart pounding from both the physical exertion and the bundle of nerves that I’d become.
I’d never been afraid of Coach Mercer before, but as I rode closer to the Mercer’s front door, my legs were shaking. The garage doors were closed and there were no cars to be seen, but that didn’t necessarily mean no one was home. Taking off my helmet, I fluffed up my hair and approached the door like I was facing gladiatorial gates and about to be thrown to a pride of ravenous lions.
The chiming doorbell elevated my heart rate even more, the chance to flee gone.
“Sierra!” Mrs. Mercer stood in front of me in a green and gold Green Bay Packers apron, her hair tied up in a short ponytail. “Hello, sweetie!”
