Page 45 of The Fundamentals

“Are you seeing Ward tonight?” Quinn asked me. “It’s cute how attentive he’s been to you lately.”

I nodded. I would be seeing Ward, because I was sure that he was waiting at the gate of Woodsmen Stadium for me right now. It was funny how I’d wished for that before, how I’d envied the other girls whose boyfriends or husbands or families had stood outside the stadium to greet them after our first preseason performance. Now, the thought of seeing him—

But as he’d been reminding me a lot, I’d brought it on myself. I wasn’t trustworthy so he had to watch me. That meant spending most of our time together, or as much as he could make it happen. He wasn’t allowed into the stadium complex during the week so he waited at the gate, just like he waited across from the building where I had most of my classes at the college, and like he sat in the parking lot of Roy’s Tavern and watched for my departure from the NGS when I was done with my shifts there. When he wasn’t physically present, I knew that he was tracking me on his phone, making sure I was where I’d said I’d be and that I wasn’t deviating from the plans I’d had to text to him in advance.

“Sissy?”

I looked up at Danni. “Was I talking again?”

“No, but we’re the last people here. You’ve been standing in front of your locker for a while, looking at the closed door. Are you ok?”

I almost told her that no, I wasn’t. “I’m fine. It’s all good,” I said instead. There was nothing that Danni could do about this anyway, but it was nice of her to ask. “We’ll be all right in the game tomorrow.”

“I’m not worried about the game. You haven’t seemed like yourself for the past few weeks, Sissy. Is it your foot injury? Is something happening at home?”

Well, yes. Yes, my foot was aching enough that I was sure that something was wrong, but this was my last season and I wasn’t going to give up the chance to be on the squad. And yes, something was going on at home, but I wasn’t sure what it was. My dad was acting even more secretive, disappearing for hours from the house and then refusing to tell me where he’d been. He didn’t smell like he’d visited a bar or even gone drinking by himself, but it was still very worrying, especially since a few times, he’d been out all night.

“No, it’s fine,” I told Danni, but she didn’t seem at all convinced.

“Is it something about Aubin?”

“Aubin?” I repeated. “What do you mean?”

“I just heard…nothing. I’m glad that everything is ok, but if you ever want to talk, I’m here.” She picked up her dance bag but I put out my hand.

“Danni, what? What about my sister?”

“I know that Jess has been saying that their business is having some problems, that’s all. But that’s what happens when you try something new, right? It’s hard at first. I’m sure that Aubin can power through anything. She’s in total control.” Her words may have been complimentary, but the tone wasn’t. For the first time, I realized that Danni’s feelings about my sister were probably just the same as Aubin’s toward her.

I always defended our team captain to my sister and I was going to do it the other way around, too. “I haven’t heard about that but you’re right, Aubin can do anything,” I announced. “She’s destined for success because she’s smart and determined.”

“Yeah.” Danni nodded. “Yeah, let’s get out of here. We probably all just need some rest before tomorrow.”

I nodded back but I had to force my feet to move through the parking lot to my car. “Bye,” I called to the last stragglers, and then I pulled down the mirror to check myself before I backed out, too. I was a hag, I decided, all pinched up and exhausted. I hadn’t been sleeping very well. I pulled out of the lot very slowly, and at the big curve in the stadium drive, I slowed even more. If you looked back from a particular angle right at that spot, you got a glimpse into the players’ parking lot and I knew that they’d been here too, out on the field for a walkthrough practice.

I didn’t see a black truck, though. I had only spotted Bowie at the games and once driving past me as he’d left practice, but nothing more personal than that.

“What took you so long?” Ward asked as I passed through the gate and stopped next to his car.

“I had to get dressed. And talk to the coaches,” I lied.

He frowned at me. “Didn’t you do your hair? What’s wrong with it?”

“The outlets in the locker room don’t work so I couldn’t dry it,” I explained.

“My grandma is going to think you don’t care enough to get dressed up for her,” he told me.

She hated me anyway, so what was the difference?

“I can go home,” I started to say, but he shook his head.

“There’s no time. Follow me,” he ordered, and whipped his car around. I drove behind him as we went to his grandma’s farm. It was far out in the country, away from other houses and even cell phone towers. She had a tall, strong gate at the entrance to her driveway and an equally tall fence surrounding the rest of the perimeter of her land, kind of like at a prison. I watched Ward get out and punch in the code, and the gate swung slowly to permit our entrance.

“There’s my wonderful boy,” Diane greeted him as we walked up the steps to her big front porch. Her eyes flicked over to me. “And here’s Sissy. I see that you didn’t bother to dress up. Why are you late, then?” She didn’t wait for my reply but linked her arm with Ward’s and they walked inside together. His parents, Valerie and Kevin, were already in the front room and they said hello to me, but as always, the atmosphere was tense. Ward and his grandma got along great, but the rest of us struggled with her—including her own son Kevin and also her former husband. He’d taken off fifty years before without a goodbye to anyone and he hadn’t shown his face since, and I didn’t blame the guy except that he’d also left his son to suffer.

She and Ward kept up the conversation over the meal, which was delicious. She went all out for these family dinners, but despite how good it tasted, I was having trouble eating. I cut the food carefully and took small bites, forcing them down my throat.

“Is it not to your liking, Sissy?” Her words sounded sweet but her tone was chloric acid.

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