AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I glance at Susie, and she’s eyeing me suspiciously, so I look back at Ashley. “Hopefully, this is the last one.”
“But what about your dad?” Susie asks, raising her eyebrows knowingly.
“We’re just working over the phone. Thank God we don’t have to meet in person again.” I hope I answered that smoothly.
Marcus and Ashley are suddenly off in their own world, not even paying attention to my response, but Susie heard me loud and clear, and I don’t think she’s buying my lie one bit.
I stare at the clock until it’s time to go.
I went and bought a few more pairs of workout pants before I came home from school. Now that I’ve felt the difference firsthand between running in jean shorts or soft, formfitting leggings, I will never run in anything else but those.
When I arrive, I’m surprised to see Dalton already there standing next to a chair and a blanket set up, making me stop in my tracks.
What the hell is he doing?
He notices me from across the river and motions for me to cross to his side.
“What is all of this?” I ask when I get closer, hoping he doesn’t hear how nervous I am all of a sudden.
He holds up his guitar. “I told you I would bring my guitar today.”
“So …” I pause and look around. “No running?”
He lets out a soft chuckle. “Nah. I figured your legs must be killing you. It’s good to take a break. I also brought stuff to help you roll out.”
“Roll out?” I ask, almost afraid to know what that means.
“Don’t worry. It feels good most of the time and will help with the soreness.”
I look down at his setup, impressed with all he brought. “Snacks too?”
A few bottles of Gatorade, bananas, and wrapped bars of some kind are sitting on the blanket haphazardly, like they were thrown down.
He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “This is always what I eat after practice. Just brought some to share.”
He sits on the chair, and I instantly give him sass. “What? You get a chair, and I don’t?”
He quickly sits up. “You can have it.”
I hold my hands out, palms facing him, waving them from side to side. “I’m kidding. The ground is fine.”
“I only brought the chair so I could play. It’s hard, playing on the floor.”
“Makes sense.” I grab a banana and peel it open.
Our eyes meet as I take a bite. A weird electricity flies through the air between us, making me turn my head to the side, pretending to see what kind of bars he brought. That’s when I see the bag open with things inside that I’ve never seen before.
“What are those?”
He leans down and grabs a circular black pipe-looking thing that has little bumps all over it and is about five inches wide. Holding it up for me to see, he says, “This is how you roll out.”
I raise my eyebrows in question. “Come again?”
He drops from the chair to his knees so he’s right next to me. “Here. Lie down on your stomach.”
“Excuse me?”
He laughs softly. “Trust me.”
