Page 15 of The Kid Sister

I suggested adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to Dad’s Protein Pancakes, that’s because I’d learned that Cullen was a fan of cinnamon, but Dad applauded me saying cinnamon was renown for its anti-inflammatory properties which was ideal after a tough game. It could help with tissue repair. I wish I’d known that last night and could’ve informed Coach Mercer that my cinnamon donuts were indeed a recovery food.

I kept wondering if Cullen had eaten the donuts, but I tried not to get my hopes up. It only now occurred to me that perhaps he hadn’t appreciated them. If he was on a strict diet during competition season, forcing donuts on him was totally out of order. What if he was mad that I’d left them? What if Coach had seen them and punished him? Maybe the reason he was running all the way to the river was to burn off the calories from the donuts?

Gah, I really hadn’t thought it through.

And now I was crazily dreaming that Cullen would call me (even though he didn’t have my number), but he could message me via Sawyer, or drop around to our place to say how delicious the donuts were and how I was a wonderful baker. But as the day went by, there was nothing, and true to his word Sawyer only left his room to eat.

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At Monday’s assembly, Principal Porter congratulated the Chargers on their victory and applauded their upcoming semifinal appearance, the first for Covington Prep in many years. When Cullen was invited onto the stage, my heart jumped and I sat up straighter. Monday morning assemblies were usually boring and I’d already started inspecting my fingernails. Cullen strode up the steps, no indication that he’d run six or seven miles the previous day. I sat mesmerized as he spoke about how well the team played and praised them for their commitment and effort. Along my row, Red and his friends playfully punched each other when Cullen mentioned the work of the defensive line. I wondered if Cullen had rehearsed it or whether he was ad-libbing.

“I also want to thank all the people who support us. Of course, the coaches and trainers but also Sierra, our Water Girl, who does a tremendous job of keeping the team hydrated, Mr. Beesley who drives the team bus...”

Emma had poked my ribs, and Red had leaned forward and was giving me a thumbs up gesture to gain my attention. I flashed a smile to him, my cheeks heating up, but Cullen was now thanking Millie who was the team reporter.

Cullen finished with a pump of his fist as he declared that the Covington Chargers would do their best in this week’s game and hoped they’d make the school proud. Everybody cheered and clapped as he exited the stage, returning to his seat in the second row. He glanced around before he sat, but his eyes never landed on me, though it was silly to think he might be looking for me. Plus, there were hundreds of us, all dressed in identical uniforms so I was hardly going to stand out. Some of the kids started singing the Chargers chant.

Chargers play

Chargers dare

There’s only one reason

The Chargers are here!

Go, go, gooooo Chargers!

Principal Porter tapped the microphone and called for order, but he’d lost control and the chant went for several rounds before he finally got the room quiet again.

My knees were knocking beneath my skirt, and I placed my hands on them to keep them still. It was surprising that Cullen had singled me out in front of the whole school, but he’d also mentioned Millie so I tried not to overthink it. After Millie’s story about me in the Covington Times, a lot of kids had reached out to me, most saying they had no idea that I did it for the pure love of the game. It had been my two seconds of fame.

Coach Mercer took a few minutes to praise the team before practice, but then it was straight to business. Training had to be lifted to another level, every player had to dig deep, a place in the championship final was on the line.

Busy mixing the energy drinks, I carefully measured out the correct powder to water ratio and filled the bottles. At the first break, I dashed on field with my baskets, careful with where my feet landed. I was never going to take a fall again.

Red was the first to me. “Hey, Sierra, looking good!”

“Just make sure you drink enough,” I replied, smiling politely at his kind words. The lime green fluorescent vest was hardly high fashion or flattering.

“This is good,” he said of the ice cold water. “Hey, do you have more donuts?”

“No,” I said, “you ate them all, remember?"

“They were the best,” Red said with a wink.

“C’mon boys, let’s not waste time. Get a move on, Phillips.” Cullen’s voice resounded behind me, asserting his authority and making Red hurry away. I turned around to see Cullen squirting water into his mouth. I quickly bent down to get a bottle of energy drink for him.

“Oh hi. Do you want this?” I asked, holding it up tentatively.

He was squirting water over the top of his forehead, but his eyes were watching me, kind of like he was angry. An attack of nerves caused me to fumble the bottle as he shook his head, flicking a spray of water around. I gripped the bottle as if my life depended on it. Crouching down into a squat, Cullen picked up his helmet and reached his hand up for the sports drink.

“Thanks,” he said, his fingers brushing mine, which had refused to let go.

My heart started beating with the magnitude of an earthquake off the Richter Scale as I stood tilting the bottle for him to drink. After a mouthful, he sprung up in one strong and sudden movement so that he towered over me, our bodies colliding, our faces so close I was forced to stare into his steel-blue eyes, if only for a moment. With a casual swing of his arm, he steadied my shoulder, then wiped his forehead with the back of his hand before slipping on his helmet and running off.

Be still my beating heart!

The loud sound of a whistle spurred me into action, remembering that I had a job to collect the bottles and refill them. I raced back to my station, working furiously until the next group took a break.

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