AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We talked a little bit more about where our teams stood and how they were doing. I didn’t even realize how many others there were, like gymnastics and cross country. We apparently even had a golf team. That one surprised me.
And at the end of this month, we were going to be transitioning into winter sports like swimming. I at least knew that much. Micah gently reminded me that there was also basketball, wrestling, more gymnastics, indoor track and field, and a cheer team.
I almost felt bad for not realizing how many teams we had and how decent many of them were. We’d won some championships, or at least ranked high up there. Granted, we also had some teams that unfortunately struggled to do well.
“Cadence.” A boy wearing a soccer jersey came walking over with a grin on his face.
Micah was on his feet in a moment, eyes narrowed. “Shut your mouth, turn around, and walk away,” he warned.
“I just wanted to say hi.”
“You just did. Now you can walk away.”
“Micah,” I warned, taken aback by his intense reaction. I almost expected him to throw a punch at the poor guy.
He still didn’t look at me, his hands fisted on the table.
The boy looked between us, shrugged, and went back the way he came.
“What the hell was that?” I practically hissed at him.
Micah sat back down. When his dark gaze met mine, it was filled with fury, but also apprehension. Reacting like that couldn’t have been easy. Micah was a nice person at heart. He hated being in opposition to people and tended to shy away from confrontations. Yet, he didn’t hesitate for me.
“I’m not giving anyone a chance anymore when it comes to you. Not after what happened.”
I reached over and squeezed his fisted hand. “Thank you,” I said. “But you don’t need to try to create battles where there isn’t one.”
“You’re wrong, Cadence. I do. Because they need to understand that you aren’t to be touched.”
My throat closed as I realized how all my shit was affecting him. He had been devastated when he realized what had nearly been done to me. So much had happened, all of it out of his control. Micah liked control, liked knowing things were going as they should. So much of his life was watching as things happened to his family and knowing there wasn’t anything he could do. He was forced to watch as his mother got sicker and sicker, as she had to fight to live. He couldn’t do anything as his father struggled to support them, as their family became strained from all the stress and grief. He hated when random acts of life happened and he was powerless to stop it.
“What’s up?” Paxon asked, putting his book bag on the table and joining us.
I jumped slightly, not expecting him. I gave him a wavering smile as my heart thudded against my chest.
“Sorry.” His sheepish smile showed his sincerity.
“We’re talking about Thanksgiving plans,” Micah spoke, effectively making our conversation go in a different direction.
“Oh, what are your current plans?” Paxon asked.
“Current plans? For what?” Toby joined with Bryan and Justin.
“Thanksgiving plans, apparently,” I said, staring at Micah, not happy about the change of topic. There was still more I wanted to say, but I wasn’t about to do that in front of everyone. I made a mental note to talk more with him about what had just happened. For now, I caved and let everyone talk about Thanksgiving instead. I was curious about everyone’s plans anyway since it was only a few weeks away.
“I won’t be around.” Toby looked a bit down. “I’ll be with my parents and brother.”
Right. He lived with his aunt, but his parents lived nearby with his brother. Toby moved in with his aunt to make it easier for his parents after his younger brother was in an accident and became quadriplegic.
“It’ll be good to see him,” Paxon said. “The last time you saw them was at the end of summer, right?”
Toby nodded but didn’t say anything else, opting to frown down at his water bottle instead.
Paxon spoke up next, looking at me. “We don’t spend Thanksgiving together too much,” he explained. “I’ll be with my dad and brother, and some other family from my dad’s side. I know Seth is going to take a trip out to go spend it with his parents. That was one promise he made before his parents moved.”
“Makes sense,” I said, realizing that it seemed everyone already had plans. Where would that leave me? By myself? With my dad? The idea of spending that time alone with my dad didn’t sit well with me.
Bryan scowled. “Fancy family dinner for me with parents and relatives.” He shuddered.
