Page 121 of Bump and Run

Twenty-Nine

Junior

My phone vibratesand I check it so fast, I nearly drop it on the concrete floor.

She had a fight with her dad.

I lean against the locker, reading it over and over again, allowing for it all to sink in but it never quite does.

There’s only one thing they could have fought about to make Eliza this upset.

He knows.

“Everybody gather around…”

Cary Pierce stops in front of us, his eyes scanning the team in their uniforms and he grins with pride.

“This is it, guys,” he says. “You’re one more win away from playing in the regional championship game.”

The team erupts, screaming and slamming their fists against the lockers. He raises his hand to calm them down.

“But to me… it won’t matter if you win or lose tonight because, in my mind, we’ve already won. The group of guys I met back in September isn’t in this room anymore. They were weak, they were losers. You are bigger, you are better. And tonight, you’re winners.” His eyes fall on me. “All of you.”

I look away, doubt coursing through me. Maybe he doesn’t know after all. If he does, he’s not showing it.

“This is as much of an achievement for me as it is for you,” he says, finally looking away from me. “I came to this school to make a difference and I’m pretty sure I did. Win or lose, the world knows who you are now. And they will not forget.”

The team bangs and shouts again, drawing a thick grin to his face.

“But still… I’d rather win, so let’s go out there and be winners, guys.”

I grab my helmet from my locker and follow the rough scrape of cleats across the floor as the team rushes for the field. Their enthusiasm pulses through me, forcing all doubt and fear aside and replacing it with powerful adrenaline.

I pass by the coach and he lays a thick hand on my chest to stop me.

“Hold on…” he says, adding pressure.

I fall back against the wall, feeling the power in his hand even beneath my pads.

The rest of the team passes by without notice and race outside onto the field along with Bob.

Once their shouts echo away, Cary Pierce looks at me and smiles.

“I’m proud of you, Junior,” he says, keeping his hand on my chest. “You’ve come a long way.”

I nod, absolutely torn between fear and admiration. “Thank you, Coach.”

“The night we met, I told you one thing. Do you remember what it was?”

“You said I had a legendary arm,” I shrug, letting my nerves get the best of my words.

He doesn’t react. “What else?”

“I’m sorry, Coach,” I chuckle, looking at the field. “I don’t remember.”

“I told you to stay away from my daughter,” he says, staring hard at me. It’s odd but this is the first time I’ve noticed that he and Eliza have the same blue eyes. “Do you remember now?”

His hand slides off my chest but I still feel the weight of it, along with the crushing heft of the last few months. Every kiss, every minute spent inside of her. All behind Cary Pierce’s back.

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