He leaned over to touch his toes and started to count—kind of. He would shout one, and everyone would echo back with the next number. It went like this until they reached twenty. Then, Neal would move on to the next stretch, repeating the same manner of counting. At some point, Amy and Chase joined the circle and started counting. They were a couple people away from me in the circle.
Chase was saying something to Amy that made her laugh. A flash of jealousy rose, but I was sure it had more to do with them not paying attention to the group rather than seeing the two of them together.
When we had stretched very muscle known to man, and then some, Coach Smith blew his whistle again. “Okay folks, this is our time trial day, and most of you already know the path around Rosemark that we use.” He lifted some papers in one hand. “For those of you who are new, come grab a paper. It has the route marked out just in case you lose sight of the person in front of you.”
A few of the veteran runners looked in mine and Amy’s direction. I resisted making a face at them since I was hoping we would be teammates soon.
Amy and I, along with a couple of freshmen, walked over to the coach. It didn’t look all that difficult, but I decided to fold it up and keep it on me anyway—no sense in getting lost on such an important day.
I followed everyone as they met up at what was being used as the starting line. Amy came up beside me, her paper in her hands.
“You ready?” I asked as we were waiting for Coach to get his stopwatch working.
She smiled as she looked over. “Probably not. You?”
I shrugged. I didn’t have an answer. I was anxious about my time, getting lost, starting drama with the other runners.
When Coach Smith blew his whistle, I started running, careful to keep pace with Amy. She gave me a hard shove. “Go! I’ll see you on the other side.”
I picked up speed trying to stay close to the other girls who were trying out. There were a couple of really fast runners who were already gaining quite a lead on the pack. I picked up my pace, pushing my leg muscles. I wasn’t going to make the mistake of sprinting too fast at the start of the time trial, but I wanted to catch up and keep pace with everyone.
Once I was close behind some of my soon-to-be teammates, I allowed myself to slow down and settle into a pace I was comfortable with. I thought I was doing great until I watched Chase Saunders whiz right by me. He didn’t even bother acknowledging me as he passed by. I watched him pass runner after runner ahead of me, and I quickened my pace—just a little.
Everyone continued to run the course, and I focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
And it was in that way, I found myself back at the tree. Coach Smith was standing waiting for us, his clipboard in one hand, a stopwatch resting on top of it. With his other hand, he was marking down times as people came back, one-by-one.
I was happy to see there were some girls who finished after me, including Victoria, but I wasn’t sure what the cut off was for the varsity team, and couldn’t relax just yet.
Neal and a couple other guys were back to the tree, stretching their muscles again. I didn’t see Chase anywhere. I did see Cassidy, a junior walking over. She had long blond hair pulled back in a ponytail that almost looked glamorous.
“Looking for Chase Saunders?” she said.
My eyes went wide. How did she know? “W-why would I be looking for him?”
She giggled and leaned in close. “Don’t worry, you’re not the only one. I think the entire female team is happy Chase is assisting with cross country this year.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Isn’t that why you and Amy joined the team this year? To come get close to Chase?” I made a strangled sound of protest, but Cassidy kept going. “Seriously, no one is judging you. I considered not running this year since he graduated last year. Him being on the team was the whole reason I joined freshman year.”
I tried to process her words as I looked around the clearing again, still without any sign of Chase. “Okay, but if he’s assisting, where is he now?”
“Oh, he probably did a second lap.”
“Show off.” I crossed my arms.
“Yes and no. He’s probably bringing up the rear to make sure we don’t lose any new runners.”
Amy.
Speaking of my friend, I turned just in time to see her and Chase running around the corner. It was a slow pace, really, but I was happy to see Amy finish and with a giant smile on her face. This time, there wasn’t any jealousy.
Coach wrote down her time, as she walked toward me. Chase stayed behind and looked over the clipboard. He looked up and made eye contact with me, a small smile on his face. Did that mean I made varsity? I was getting impatient waiting for the results.
I wished the coach would announce it soon.
“Alright, Chase and I are going to look over these times and look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow. Don’t forget to drink some water.”
A collective groan went through the crowd.
“What’s there to look over?” The words were out before I realized it. Even Amy made a gasping sound from beside me. Crap.
Coach Smith turned to face me. “Andrews, Nicole. Right?”
I nodded my head, feeling my face heat up. This was not the first impression I wanted to make for the coach, the team, or Chase.
“There’s a lot to consider. Times are a big part of it, but there are other things I need to consider. Make sure you stretch really well, go home, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I stole a glance at Chase who was giving me a look I couldn’t quite decipher. He nodded his head encouragingly, so I grabbed a water bottle from a cooler beneath the tree and found my backpack.
Amy was close behind me.
“Oh, don’t be embarrassed, Nicole. I think everyone wanted to know.” She snorted. “Except for me. I know I’m going to be on JV.”
“Does that mean you’re coming back tomorrow?” I was still surprised she was doing cross country with me.
Amy’s shirt was soaked with sweat, her brown ringlets stuck to her face, and even her deep tan skin looked flushed. But her smile was one of pure satisfaction.
“Oh, you better believe it.”
Chapter Nine
The next day was tricky.
I had school until two, cross country practice until about three, and then I worked the evening shift at Blockbuster. Thankfully, it was a weekday which meant I only worked until 10, but it was still a long day.
Not to mention, I was still fuming over that day’s practice. I should have been happy I made varsity, but there was a snag. His name was Chase. And, of course, I was scheduled to work with him that night.
He showed up just a couple minutes after I had walked in and clocked in on one of the computers that were also the registers. His hair was still wet from a recent shower, and he looked as amazing as always.
My hair was mostly wet since I barely had time for a shower before getting to work. But instead of looking hot, I looked like a wet dog. My hair clung to my head in all the worst ways. The blond curls looked greasy as my hair dried. I subconsciously shook it out with my fingers.
“How does it feel to officially be a varsity runner?” Chase’s smile was dazzling, his teeth perfectly straight, even though I couldn’t remember a time when he had braces.
I knew the smile I returned was much less dazzling, even though I also had straight teeth, thanks to four years of braces.
“It would feel a lot better knowing I earned my way into that spot than feeling like it was done out of pity.”
Chase leaned back against the counter and crossed one leg in front of the other. I could feel my temper rising at his uber-relaxed pose.
He looked away. “It wasn’t exactly pity.”
“No.” I put my hand on my hip. “It kinda was. Everyone out there heard what Coach Smith said about you convincing him to put me on varsity, and how I should be grateful.”
“Your time should have
earned you a place on varsity, no problem. The only reason he said that was because of your attitude the day before.”
I looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. When I brought my eyes back down to face Chase, it was all I could do to keep my voice even. “I didn’t realize wanting to know if I made the team was considered an attitude.”
“What do you want me to say, Nic?” I was startled by the sound of the nickname. People had always defaulted to Nikki, and I hated it. I’d never even considered Nic as an option—not until I heard it from Chase’s beautiful mouth.
“I want you to stop feeling bad for me and interfering with my life.” What was it about popular people that made them think they had the right to play puppeteer in everyone else’s life?
A bell rang, signaling a customer. We broke eye-contact, and both faced the front door saying, “Welcome to Blockbuster,” in unison.
The middle-aged guy gave us both a funny look before walking over to the new release wall.
“Super Troopers,” I said in an effort to change the subject. We had four more hours together. Playing Guess That Movie was me extending the olive branch.
“What?” Chase turned back around to face me.
“I think he’s going to rent Super Troopers. That’s my guess, what’s yours?”
His face scrunched up before he quickly scanned the store. Not that you could see many titles from where we stood in the front of the store.
“Fellowship of the Ring.”
I laughed. “Did you see the muscles on that guy? Beefcakes don’t like Tolkien, they like toilet humor.”
“Is that right?”
“Uh, huh. In fact, I bet you’re a beefcake.” My eyes widened. The words had come out before I realized what I was saying.
Chase’s entire face lit up. “Beefcake?”
I gave him a playful shove. The feel of his skin against my fingertips caught me off guard, and I quickly snatched my hand back. “You know what I mean,” I mumbled.
Mr. Muscles was still walking around the store, while Chase and I attempted to recover from the awkward silence that came with my unintentional contact.
I tapped my toe on the carpet, as I looked anywhere but in Chase’s direction. There was one movie in the return box, and it would be silly to check it in and shelve it already.
“VHS or DVD?”
I looked up at Chase’s sudden question.
“Picking a movie out of the hundreds in the store is hard. What if neither of us wins? Let’s add something else to it. I guess VHS.”
“Oh, man, Chase. You are terrible at this game. That guy is someone who cares about appearances. There is no way he still has a VHS player. Not in 2003.”
“I don’t know.” He turned his head and watched muscleman walk around the store. “Maybe he still lives with his mom, and he borrows her VHS player. And sometimes watches his old football games on the player.”
I couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped my lips. “You’re horrible!” I hissed, hoping the customer didn’t hear us.
“So, what are we betting?”
A strangled sound escaped my throat. “What do you mean?”
His brows rose, and he jerked his head slightly. “Typically, there’s some kind of wager when you make a bet.”
“Oh.” For some reason, I hadn’t thought of that. I’d played this game with John a thousand times, not to mention almost every other employee who had worked here with me.
I’d never guessed VHS or DVD, and I had never made a wager.
I pondered his question for a while before knowing exactly what I wanted from him.
“How about this, Chase? If I win, you aren’t allowed to help me anymore.” He started to say something, but I kept going. “No more suggestions for how to live my life, no more interfering behind my back.”
He nodded his head slowly. “Fine, but if I win, you have to stop being so difficult.”
“Excuse me?” I cleared my throat and tried again, in a less ear-splitting register. “I’m the difficult one?”
“I’m just saying, you’ve been prickly for no reason.”
Who used the work prickly? Old people and apparently Chase Saunders. Was there anything that he could say or do that made him look bad? Because at this point, I was convinced he could complain about the youth always walking on his lawn, and he still would be as attractive as ever. I pushed the thought back, bringing myself back to our wager. He was the newer employee at Blockbuster, and regardless of what he might think, it was my territory. I wasn’t going to lose.
I stuck my hand out, and he grabbed it. After several hard shakes, I smiled and said, “Deal.”
“Excuse me?” an irritated voice called from the other side of the counter. Both mine and Chase’s heads snapped toward the direction of the customer speaking to us.
“Hi, ready to check out?”
The bodybuilder nodded his head and handed me his Blockbuster card, and a DVD copy of some second-rate comedy. I turned to give Chase a look of triumph. Victory never tasted so sweet. I couldn’t wait for our customer to leave so I could rub it in his face.
I scanned the plastic card, but as soon as the account came up, my heart sank. This was the worst part of the job. You could never predict someone’s behavior when you told them they had a late fee—especially not one for $43.12.
I took a deep breath.“I’m so sorry, Mr. Dimly, you have a late fee.”
His face took on the predictable look of shock. No one ever thought they had a late fee. “What? How much?”
When I told him the amount, the vein in his forehead started bulging. “What do you mean? That’s more than the movie cost to begin with! I could go down to the store and buy it for less than that!” His voice was loud and booming. I felt Chase walk up and stand beside me. Even without looking over, I somehow knew his muscles were tense. The thought of him being beside me, ready to protect me, made me feel better.
“Movies cost more when they’re purchased by our store. We’ll never charge you more than our cost, but unfortunately, you’ll have to pay your late fee before you can check out any more movies.”
He cussed several times under his breath, before turning those ugly words on me. Dealing with irate customers wasn’t anything new, but he was becoming more belligerent with every passing second. I tried to keep my emotions in check as he cussed me out.
“I want to speak to a manager,” he finally said after using every four-letter word known to man, and possibly some made up ones.
“I’m the manager on duty.” I kept my voice calm, hoping to sound authoritative, and not argumentative.
Mr. Dimly turned to Chase and hitched his thumb at me. “It’s a problem when they let little things like her be in charge.”
Chase crossed his arms over his chest and adjusted his footing. He lifted his chin slightly before speaking. I wasn’t afraid of Chase, but he looked intimidating in that moment, even juxtaposed next to the muscled man that stood opposite of him. When Chase spoke, his voice was even deeper than usual. He annunciated every word. “She is not the problem.”
The two men stood transfixed in an epic stare-down, as my hand crept closer to the phone. If they came to blows, I would have no hesitation in calling the cops. Not that I’d ever dialed 911 before. I just couldn’t stand the idea of Chase in a fist fight.
Mr. Dimly let out an angry puff of air. “Fine, whatever.” He pulled out his wallet and paid the late fee and the additional charge to rent his comedy film, which was much less funny now.
My hands shook as I carried out the transaction. Unlike Chase, this man did frighten me. I couldn’t wait for him to leave the store.
When I handed him the change back, he surprised me by throwing the coins at me. I moved my hands to shield myself, but it was too late. A couple hit my face, just near my eye. I was more surprised than hurt, but I felt tears prick at my eyes anyway.
He stormed out, and before I knew what was happening, a pair of warm hands was pulling my hands away from
my face. Chase gently stroked the side of my face that hadn’t been hit.
“Are you okay?” His voice was much softer than it had been earlier.
I opened my mouth to say I was fine, but tears came instead. It wasn’t the pain of getting hit, although it hurt, but instead the intensity of the entire event. I wasn’t used to people being angry with me, and Mr. Dimly had looked at me with hate in his eyes.
“Oh, Nicole.” Chase wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him, taking care to turn my injured eye away from him. I leaned into his embrace, his scent hitting my nostrils.
He didn’t smell like the overpowering cologne most guys wore. The kind that lingered in the halls long after the guy walked by. Chase’s scent was much subtler, and I wondered if I was smelling him, not something he wore. He smelled of pine and earth, and…
Wait…what?
I shook my head, willing the tears to stop and pulled away quickly. That way of thinking was way too dangerous. Chase might be attractive, and he was quick to defend me, but that didn’t mean the universe had somehow shifted. Guys like him didn’t fall for girls like me.
“I’m fine.” I swiped the remaining moisture from my eyes and ran my hands down my shirt in an effort to iron out the imaginary wrinkles.
Chase’s hand touched my temple, next to the spot that was tender.
“You’re going to have a bruise.”
I snorted. “Who knew quarters could do so much damage? I guess the movie rental business is pretty hardcore.”
Chase didn’t laugh at my joke. “It’s okay to show a little weakness, you know.”
In front of perfect Chase Saunders? Yeah, right.
I didn’t want to show how weak I was in front of anyone. I hated feeling vulnerable. I pulled away, straightened my back, and announced, “Yeah, and you promised not to interfere anymore.”
Chasing Love (Mountain Creek Drive Book 3) Page 5
