Bending Under Pressure

by Lindsay Paige

  “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.

  “Are you ready?” she asks.

  “Yes!” I lock the door and walk toward her car. Once we’re on our way to the football stadium, I ask, “How long have you been dating Cameron?”

  “Since freshman year. We’ve broken up a few times, but we always get back together. I think it could be a forever kind of love.” She keeps her eyes on the road, a goofy smile lifting her lips. “What about you? Did you leave a boyfriend behind? What’s going on between you and Keelan? Cam said you had dinner with them earlier this week while he was at my house.”

  Keelan has returned to normal, or to the guy I know, but I think something’s been bugging him. “No boyfriend left behind and nothing between Keelan and me.”

  Jess looks over at me, her raised brow showing me her skepticism. “Really?”

  “I’ve known him all of two weeks! What could possibly be going on? We’re friends.”

  “Do you think he’s hot?”

  I think about Keelan, his killer smile, plump lips, and how nice he’s been to me. “He’s not bad looking,” I answer.

  Jess laughs. “That’s the understatement of the year. I think he likes you.”

  I roll my eyes. “If you say so.”

  Jess parks and after paying admission, I’m surprised when she leads us to an empty spot in the stands where Keelan and Cam’s parents are sitting. Usually, the parents stayed in the bleachers, while we walked around and hung out with other kids. We sit and Jess motions to the couple on the other side of the Sanderson’s.

  “Mom, Dad, this is Haley Summers. Haley, that’s my mom, Wanda, and my dad, Kenny.”

  I wave at them. It doesn’t take long before the game starts. My eyes are constantly glued to Keelan and his number thirty-four jersey. He looks fantastic in a uniform. Jess bumps my shoulder during the second quarter.

  “You have the hots for him,” she teases, wiggling her eyebrows.

  Quietly, so his parents won’t overhear, I ask, “What makes you think he likes me?”

  Jess grins. “Why do you want to know if you don’t like him back?” She laughs when I glare at her. “I know Keelan, and I date his brother. Don’t you think I would know if he does?”

  Her words are on my mind for the rest of the game. The simple possibility that Keelan might like me has my heartbeat increasing in excitement. I wonder what it would be like to kiss him, to have that smile of his directed at me because I’d done something to encourage it, and I want to learn more about him.

  They win the game. Something I wouldn’t have known if not for the crazy excited fans. I was too busy admiring a certain football player had been in la la land.

  “C’mon,” Jess says as she stands. She says goodbye to her parents and then we, along with Octavia and John, head down to wait by the end zone. The players are on one knee in the middle of the field while the head coach gives a little speech. We’re far enough away that we can’t hear what he’s saying.

  After about a minute, the boys stand and start spreading out in different directions. I spot Cam and Keelan right away. Keelan has said something that makes Cam shake his head with an amused smile. They are a few feet away when they end their conversation. Keelan’s eyes find mine and he grins.

  “Hales,” he tsks after saying my name, eyeing my shirt. “My heart can only handle so much.” He lays a hand over his chest and I laugh.

  “You played great,” I say, choosing not to comment on the issue of my shirt.

  “Thanks.”

  His parents’ congratulations distract KEelan, and I hear Jess saying goodbye to Cam. “I have to take Haley home.” She lifts on her tiptoes and whispers something in his ear, and he nods in response before kissing her forehead. “Bye, y’all,” she says to everyone else.

  “Bye,” I add.

  “I’ll text you later,” Keelan tells me with a smile.

  My heart skips a beat, and Jess giggles as we walk away. “What did I tell you?” she asks smugly. I choose to ignore her and thank her once she drops me off.

  The moment the front door closes, Mom and Walter are upon me like vultures. “Where have you been?” Mom shouts. “We’ve been worried sick and were this close to calling the cops!”

  My mouth opens to mention the note, and I realize I forgot to leave one. “Sorry. I started to leave a note but got sidetracked, and my phone has been on silent.”

  Mom is about to yell at me some more when Walter cuts her off. “Just text us next time to let us know.”

  “Okay. Oh! I also forgot to tell you that I’m going to Dad’s tomorrow to spend the night.”

  The frown deepens on Mom’s face. “What?”

  “I’m driving down to Dad’s tomorrow to spend the night,” I repeat.

  “You’re waiting until now to say something? Does he know you’re coming?”

  “Of course he does,” I lie. He still hasn’t called me back from yesterday, and I’ve crossing my fingers he’ll be home tomorrow and without plans this weekend.

  “I don’t know, Haley.”

  Seriously? “Are you saying I can’t go see my father?” I ask, trying to hold in my temper.

  “No, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

  “What? Why wouldn’t it be? He’s my dad! I miss him. Just because you left him doesn’t mean I did.” I storm past her and to my room. The familiar irritation at not knowing who left who bubbles up within me. Maybe Dad will give me some answers tomorrow.

  I’d packed while I was waiting on Jess to come, so all I had to do was take off first thing in the morning. I change, plug in my phone, and climb into bed just as I get a text.

  Keelan: I’m happy I got to see you & that you came to the game. Have fun?

  Me: I did.

  My thumbs hover over the keyboard before I continue the text.

  Me: I may have worn the VT shirt just for you. :P

  Keelan: The only time VT looks good is when you’re wearing one of their shirts.

  My smile instantly appears. Another text comes in before I can reply.

  Keelan: What are you doing tomorrow?

  Me: Visiting my dad. I’ll be back Sunday. You?

  Keelan: Hoping to hang out with you. Maybe Sunday?

  Me: Sunday works. :) Night, Keelan.

  Keelan: Sweet dreams, Hales.

  My stomach has been tied in knots the entire drive to my dad’s. Mom still wasn’t happy when I left this morning, but I don’t care. I’m tired of Dad brushing me off. He promised
he would always be there and he hasn’t been. I need answers. I just hope he’ll be happy to see me. I try not to remember he’d said he wanted me to stay with my mom; and he ignores or bails on me all the time.

  Relief fills me when I see his car in the driveway. It’s odd that it’s not in the garage though. I leave my overnight bag in the car, just in case things don’t go well. It’s times like these when I wish I still had a key. Dad changed the locks after we moved out and keeps forgetting to give me one. It feels so weird to knock on my own door. It feels weird that Dad still lives here. Is he trying to hold on to memories of what our family once was?

  “Hello.” A girl about ten years old answers the door.

  I glance over my shoulder and confirm that my dad’s car is in the driveway.

  “Who are you?” she asks.

  “Who are you?”

  “Carly,” she answers just as my dad and another woman round the corner.

  “Oh, God,” I whisper. His face pales at the sight of me. This is why he’s been avoiding me. He’s moved on with a new family. He left me behind for someone new.

  “Haley,” he starts, but I’m already turning away and running to my car.

  He doesn’t even try to stop me. He stands on the porch and watches me drive away; the tears are streaming down my face.

  It took me a few days and more conversations with my parents, but I decided to meet with Natalie. To prolong the process, I wrote back instead of calling. One meeting can’t be too bad. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

  “Keelan!” Mom calls out.

  I leave my room and follow the sound of her voice to the kitchen. She’s in the middle of baking some dessert. “What’s up?”

  “I’m out of eggs and sugar.” She shakes her head at herself. “Will you run to the store for me? That way I can keep working on this.” She waves her hands at the messy counter.

  “Sure thing.”

  “Grab my card from my wallet. Thank you.”

  “Welcome.”

  Cam is out with Jess, and Dad is out helping one of their friends do something, so I’m her only option. Even though Mom is expecting me to come right back, something makes me take the long way. I slow down on the road by the tennis courts when I spot Haley’s car. I could have sworn she told me she would be at her dad’s this weekend. Instead, she’s standing in front of the large cement wall, rallying by herself; it is the reason for the wall.

  I stop, parking next to her car, and get out. Her body seems rigid, even though her movements are fluid. Her body language screams fury. An angry, throaty grunt leaves her mouth as she swings with all her power. A soft sniffle follows it.

  “Hales?”

  “What?” Her voice breaks on that one word, but she doesn’t turn to face me.

  “Everything okay?”

  “No.”

  Something must have happened with her dad. If she went to visit him, that is. Maybe something happened with her mom before she could leave.

  Haley releases a heavy sigh, missing the ball as it returns, and she turns and faces me. A laugh tumbles from her lips. I tilt my head, wondering what caused the laugh. She lifts a finger, pointing at my chest. I glance down to see my blue and orange shirt, proudly showcasing that I’m a fan of the University of Virginia. Grinning, I lift my head, but her laughter dies, the sadness overwhelming her.

  I close the distance between us until I’m close enough to wrap my arms around her. I feel like she needs a hug. Her arms hang by her sides, but she nuzzles her face into my neck.

  “What are you doing here?” she asks, her breath tickling my skin.

  “I saw your car, so I stopped. Want to talk?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Okay. How about running with me to the grocery store? Mom sent me out for a few things.”

  Haley is quiet for a moment before she agrees. She grabs her things, puts them in her car. I open the door to my car for her. “What do you have to pick up?” she asks once we’re on the road.

  “Sugar and eggs. Mom likes to bake desserts, and she ran out.”

  “Do you know what she’s making today?”

  I shrug. “Not sure yet. Something with strawberries and blueberries, I think.”

  We ride in silence until we reach the grocery store. If she doesn’t want to talk, then I want to make her smile and forget about whatever is bothering her. We’re almost to the baking aisle when she speaks before I’ve gotten the chance to.

  “While I am not a fan of your chosen university, I am a fan of the blue on you,” she says with a shy and quick glance at me.

  I grin. “Are you recycling the compliment I gave you last night? You only get brownie points if it’s an original.” I’m desperate to touch her, to feel that soft skin again; I hold my breath as I casually reach over and interlock our fingers.

  “Well, darn,” she replies, making no verbal show of me holding her hand. She gives it a gentle squeeze and looks over at me. “You don’t want to make an exception for me? I did for you, with Hales.”

  “Hmm,” I hum. “I’ll give you a free pass this time.”

  Her lips quickly lift into a smile. “Thank you.” We stop in front of the sugar. “How much does she need?”

  “She probably wants the biggest bag.” I try to recall which brand Mom buys, but come up short. Sugar is sugar, right? Reluctantly, I release Haley’s hand and pick up a large bag of sugar. “C’mon, let’s get the eggs next. You can carry those. I don’t want to be the only one doing all the heavy lifting.”

  She laughs. “Yeah, because eggs are so heavy,” she replies sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

  “Maybe a dozen eggs aren’t, but two? I’ll be shocked if you can carry them all the way to the register by yourself.”

  She makes a show of lifting two dozen eggs, grunting a little like she does when she plays tennis, and she groans once or twice on the way to check out. I laugh and it’s good to see her in a better mood. However, once we’re on the way back to the tennis courts, her mood shifts again.

  “Do you want to come over and hang out?”

  “I don’t know,” she replies as I park next to her car. “My head is full of crap and if I hang out with you, I might say it all. I’ll quickly go from the cute and interesting new girl to the girl who probably needs a therapist just to have someone to talk to.”

  “Come anyway. Mom might need help with the dessert.”

  Haley thinks about it for a minute before nodding. “Okay, but you’ve been warned.” She gets out and into her car to follow me home. At least having Haley with me, Mom won’t show her annoyance with me taking forever to run to the store and back.

  I take my place in the driveway and Haley parks behind me. When I get out, I see her on the phone, looking angry and upset again. She lifts her finger to let me know she’ll be a minute. I head on inside.

  “What took you so long? I could have made three trips by now,” Mom says when I walk into the kitchen.

  “Sorry, I ran into Haley, and she seemed upset, so she went with me to the store.”

  Mom stops what she’s doing, covered in flour now, and faces me. “Is she okay?”

  “I don’t know. Something happened, so I invited her over to hang out for a while.”

  Before Mom can speak, Haley walks into the kitchen, her eyes slightly red. “Hey, Mrs. Sanderson.” She gives a weak smile.

  “You know you can call me Octavia. Want to help me? Keelan, leave us girls to it.” Mom gives me a pointed look when I open my mouth to object.

  I smile at Haley before I walk out. I know Mom shooed me out because she wants to try to comfort Haley. Mom could get a wall to open up about its feelings. She just has that way about her, and I know if Hales will talk, Mom can make her feel better.

  An hour passes before I start getting antsy about what’s going on in the kitchen. When I reach the threshold, I stop in my tracks. Mom is hugging a crying Haley. Neither notices me.

  “It’ll be okay,” Mom soothes. “All yo
u need to remember is that you did nothing wrong. You’re a sweet, beautiful girl, and if he doesn’t know already, he’ll come to realize what he’s missing out on by doing this to you. Sounds like you have your mom and her husband in your corner, so don’t shut them out, okay?”

  “It hurts so much,” Haley mumbles through her tears into Mom’s shoulder.

  “I know, I know.”

  Mom catches me standing in the doorway and glares. I hold up my hands in surrender before quietly returning to my room. I feel bad for Haley and her family issues. It doesn’t look like she’s dealing with it well either.

  This time, only half an hour passes before Haley comes into my room.

  “Hey,” I say, sitting up on my bed. “Done baking?”

  “Yeah.” She folds her arms over her chest, looking a little unsure.

  “Want to relax before going home?”

  Her mouth opens and then shuts. I take that as a yes, so I stand, slip on my shoes, grab a pillow, and wave my hand for her to follow me. We go downstairs and outside through the backdoor. I lead her to our hammock. I place the pillow before crawling on, lying down, and looking to Haley.

  “C’mon, Hales.”

  After a moment, she lies down next to me. Our sides are touching from our shoulders down to our shoes. The sun is out and about, bright and hot, but we’ve got two large trees shading us and a nice breeze blows, keeping us cool. We can faintly hear a car driving down the street on the other side of the house. Haley takes a deep breath.

  “You know,” she begins, staring up at the branches above us, “I was wondering how you could be so nice to someone you barely know, and then I spent time with your mom. She’s great.”

  “Yes, she is,” I agree.

  She turns her head to look at me, so I do the same. Our noses are inches a part and it feel likes her body is giving off more heat than the sun. I remind myself that she’s had a bad day.

  “Sorry I’ve been bad company.”

  “We all have crappy days; it’s okay.”