Page 12 of Bending Under Pressure

Turning, I take my can of soda and begin to walk toward the doorway.

“I’m not your enemy, you know,” he says.

His words cause me to swivel on my heels to face him. “Maybe not, but just because you married my mom doesn’t mean we’re family. My family is my mom and my dad. You’re not my enemy, but you aren’t family either.” I fold my arms over my chest, waiting for his response.

“Yeah? And how many times have you seen your father, who is part of your family, in the past six months?”

This is the first time Walter has ever brought up my father to me. My jaw drops and tears sting my eyes. How does he know I didn’t see him yesterday? God, even Walter knows my dad tossed me to the side like trash. I don’t know if I should be pissed or hurt that Walter basically threw my barely there relationship with my father in my face. Before my building rage and hurt can release the words in my mouth, he speaks again.

“Haley, all I’m saying is that I’m here, too. I don’t have to be family or a friend, but I can be here if you ever need something.”

I’m sick and tired of not knowing what I feel. I don’t like Walter. I don’t know why my parents divorced or if he had anything to do with it. All I know is that he’s offering to be here for me, and my own father rarely answers my calls and never shows up. My shoulders sag in defeat. Silently, I turn and walk away.

I’m in the middle of my homework when Walter peeks his head into my room.

“Dinner’s ready. Your mom is going to be late, but she said we should go ahead and eat.”

Walter’s company is not what I want right now. “If I decide to eat in my room alone, are you going to tattle on me?” I ask, lifting my head from where I sit on my bed.

He gives me a small smile. “Nope. I’ll tell her we sat at the table and you were your usual talkative self.”

“Thanks,” I mumble, closing my book and crawling off the bed. Maybe Walter isn’t too bad.

“30 – Love.” I toss the ball into the air, bringing my arm forward in time to hit it across the court. Jess and I are up two points in our doubles match, with our opponents having none, or love as it’s called in tennis. All we need is two more points and we’ve won the game. We have three more before our second set is done. If we can keep the lead through the next set, we’ll have won the match.

I’m impressed with how well Jess and I play together. It helps that she can volley like no one’s business. She’s better at the front of the net, while I’m better in the back. Unfortunately, I can’t stay in the back the entire game. Coach Spell already pulled me aside after my singles match to let me know we’re going to be working on my volleys more. It’s my one weak area.

“You!” Jess shouts as she lets the return pass by her.

My left hand grabs the handle as I bring the racquet back on my left side to prepare for my backhanded hit. I swing in perfect timing, the ball landing just inside the outer line; one of our opponents rushes for the return, but she hits the net. The tennis ball is tossed back to me. I try to relax my shoulders as I prepare for my next serve. I stand along the serve line and bounce the ball five times. It’s part ritual, part giving myself time.

“40 – Love,” I call out before I serve. The ball lands so perfectly inside the line and I can’t help the squeal that comes out as the girl misses the ace serve. There was no way she could have returned it. Jess gives me a high-five before we change the scorecard and start the next one.

The girls put up a good fight in the last set. We rally back and forth a ton. It starts to feel like it’ll never end, but it does and we walk away having won the match. I glance around to realize we were the last ones playing. I also notice we have two new spectators, Cameron and Keelan. They must have come over after football practice.

Coach Spell rallies us together, tells us we played well, and tomorrow, we’d be working harder on some things he’d noticed. Then he dismisses us. Jess grabs my elbow and drags me as we meet the guys. Cam wraps his arms around her and kisses her temple.

“Gross,” Jess says. “You guys haven’t even gone home to shower yet. You’re all sweaty and gross.” She still hugs him back though.

“Y’all are great together,” Cam tells me, ignoring Jess. “I thought Jess’s serves were crazy powerful, but I think you have her beat.”

“Thanks.” I smile and glance at Keelan. He was quiet again today, but he seems more relaxed now.

He grins. “You were fantastic, Hales.” He’s about to say something else, but he’s interrupted.

“Good job, Haley.” Ugh. Walter.

“You did great,” Mom adds as I turn to face them. “Are you going to introduce us to your friends?”

“Sure.” I point as I name them. “Mom, Walter, this is Keelan, Cameron, and Jess. Y’all, this is my mom and her husband, Walter.”

Pleasantries are exchanged and I want to separate my friends from my family for some reason. Luckily, Cam breaks our group up by saying they should head home. Soon, we all go our separate ways.

Before I know it, the first week of school is over. Friday is game day and the energy is palpable, coursing through everyone at school. Football is the sport around here, much like it was back home. There’s an exciting buzz in the air. The day starts and ends with the principal mentioning the big game and how we should show our school spirit by attending tonight.

Walter and Mom are supposed to be working late tonight. I’m about to leave a note telling them where I’ll be when I hear a knock on the door. I won’t lie. A part of me is excited to see Keelan in his uniform and to watch him play his game, like he’s seen me play. I open the door to see Jess wearing jeans and a cute blue top that shows off her figure. I went with jeans and a Virginia Tech T-shirt, just because I smiled when I saw it in my closet. It made me think about Keelan and how he’s not a fan of the university.

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