I opened my mouth to explain, but she didn’t give me the opportunity. “We are supposed to be best friends. Us against them. And while I think we’ve both made some friends on the team, Neal and Victoria excluded, you should be telling me these things. That’s how friendship works.”
“I know.”
“You know what?” Even though I couldn’t see her, I could picture her with a hand on her hip, a stern look on her face.
“All of it, Amy.” I sat down at my computer desk, the messages from her still on the screen. “I was freaked out. I didn’t know what to do. I’m sorry, okay?”
“Fine. I forgive you.” She paused. “Are you okay?”
“Right now? Not so much. I still hate how blind I was to everything. But I will be.”
“Good, then let’s talk about what we’re going to do tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” I asked, slightly distracted by Chase signing into AIM. His screen name popped up on my buddy list. I tried not to care.
“Yes.” She sighed impatiently. “School. Cross country. We’ve got to figure out some damage control.”
“Uh, huh,” I answered absentmindedly wondering if he would want to chat.
“Do you think we should try a preemptive strike? Or ignore and hope it goes away?”
I thought about what Chase said. “I think I’m just going to ignore it. Make him think I’m unaffected. Obviously, he’d know otherwise. I was a mess last night, but hopefully, there will be other dance-night drama to distract everyone.”
“Should we start a rumor, just to be on the safe side?”
I gasped. “Amy!”
“I’m kidding.” I heard Mrs. Ferrera’s voice in the background. “I gotta go. My mom needs to use the phone. But call me later if you need to or AIM me. Whatever. Okay, chica?”
“Okay.” I smiled as I hung up the phone, more convinced than ever that I would be able to handle the next day.
With Amy off the phone, my attention went back to the computer screen in front of me. My fingers itched to type something to Chase. But what? And why was I trying to hop from one boy to another? Hadn’t I learned my lesson?
I signed off, and mentally prepared to have the talk with my mom.
When I made my way downstairs, my mom was sitting quietly in the living room. She had a magazine in her hands, and I stayed in the hallway watching her. She looked troubled, and after a couple minutes of standing there quietly, I realized she still hadn’t turned the page.
When I looked closer, I noticed she wasn’t even looking at the magazine in her hands. She was staring off into space just beyond the pages.
“Mom?” I called tentatively.
She startled before quickly transforming her expression. Mere seconds ago, she looked lost. Now she looked happy and carefree with a giant smile on her face. “Hey, Nicole. I didn’t hear you. I was busy learning about”—she looked down at the article she’d been pretending to read—“spring flowers.”
“It’s fall.”
“It’s never too early to plan. Have a seat.” My mom patted the empty space next to her on the sofa.
I stepped into the living room all the way and made myself comfortable next to her. “Is everything okay, Mom?”
Her shoulders lifted as she shook her head. “Yeah, just wondering the same thing about you, honey. You seem less cheerful than I thought you’d be. I can’t help but wonder…” Her voice trailed off. We were both quiet for several seconds before she reluctantly asked, “Did… did something happen last night?”
I closed my eyes.
She looked devastated. “Oh, Nicole.”
“No, Mom,” I said quickly, hoping to clear up any confusion. “Probably not what you think. Please don’t tell me what you’re thinking.” Her features relaxed. “Neal just wasn’t who I thought he was.”
“I’m so sorry, honey.”
“Yeah, me too. I’m just embarrassed because Chase warned me that Neal was bad news, and I didn’t want to listen. Then I came home, and you’d made an album. I don’t ever want to see him again. I don’t want his stupid face in our house, and I was afraid of hurting your feelings.”
“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me today?”
I nodded my head, and my mom clasped her hands together. “Well, that’s an easy fix. Let’s have a bonfire and burn the album!”
“What?” My question came out on a surprised laugh.
“We’d probably get arrested if we tried to do that with the real Neal. Though he probably deserves it.” She said under her breath. “Let’s take our anger out on his pictures. Oh! We can use a sharpie all over them first.”
She was talking quickly and getting more excited with each passing minute. I struggled to keep up with her changing mood. “Mom.” She stopped talking and turned to me. “What about all the hard work you put into that album?”
“Don’t you realize it doesn’t matter? I could have spent the better part of a year making that album. Developing the film myself, making stationery, painstakingly drawing pictures on each page. But the second Neal, or any guy for that matter, breaks your heart, it’s not important anymore. I love you, Nicole.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
“Now let’s go rip Neal apart.” She winked. “In a figurative sense.”
Turns out, my mom knew how to break-up like nobody’s business. She hadn’t been kidding when she said it would be therapeutic. I only felt a little immature as we drew fake mustaches and missing teeth on all the pictures of Neal. We went page by page through the album my mom had put together. She took out the pictures that only featured me, stating she wanted to remember how pretty I looked, but we both went to town on the pictures of Neal.
It was funny how I could find him so handsome less than twenty-four hours ago, but now as I looked at the way he smiled at the camera, I could see the underlying sleaziness in his expressions.
I wondered but didn’t ask, if my mom had seen that last night. Maybe she too had been blinded by the excitement of the evening.
My dad had just walked into the house, arms full of groceries when mom told him what she wanted him to do.
His brows were furrowed as she explained how we needed a fire—right now. He didn’t complain, but I don’t think he fully understood either.
I still didn’t understand this side of my mom.
But soon the fire pit out back was filled with flames, and we were tossing pictures in one-by-one. It was oddly satisfying to watch the pictures melt.
I felt much better once we’d burned every last picture that had Neal’s face in it. Sure, I’d still have to face him the next day, and that royally stunk. But I’d cross that bridge when I got there.
Now, I was content to enjoy a good day with my mom.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I had expected all hell to break loose when I walked into the school on Monday morning. But it turned out, my disastrous date with Neal was only the tip of the iceberg. There were breakups and hookups galore. So many, my head began to spin. No one besides me, Neal and maybe Victoria cared about what happened between us. For that, I was relieved.
I made my way through the day without issue, and even cross country practice wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it would be.
As soon as Coach saw we were walking over to the track where we all warmed up, he started moving toward me. He caught me by surprise when he placed an affectionate hand on my shoulder.
“Good to have to you back, Andrews.”
I beamed. “It’s good to be back.”
“Why don’t you lead the warm-up since you’ve been sitting on your butt these last couple weeks?” He said this loud enough that everyone on the team could hear.
A couple underclassmen giggled at his teasing but looked at me expectantly. It was the first time I’d been asked to run things. I cleared my throat. “You heard the man, I’ve been sitting around getting old and crotchety. Go give me two laps.”
Cassidy shot me a sly smile before making her way t
o the track. Almost everyone did it without complaining, but I did notice the look Neal gave me before turning away with the others. I tried not to let it affect me, but the shame from Homecoming came back anew.
Would he always have that kind of control over my emotions?
“You got this,” Chase’s voice said from behind me almost as quickly as the thought had entered my mind. “Coach put you in charge for a reason. You’re capable.”
I turned and grinned. “I’m sure you had nothing to do with it.”
He feigned shock. “How dare you accuse me of favoritism. You know I take my job very seriously.”
“Oh, of course,” I said very seriously. “You’d never try to pull the strings.” I thought back to when Chase had convinced Coach to let me be on varsity. He did take his jobs seriously, too seriously. But he shamelessly tried to pull the strings like a puppeteer when it came to cross country.
Amy quickly passed the two of us, leaning in and whispering loudly enough for Chase and I both to hear her. “You can’t lead a warm-up if you’re busy flirting with the assistant. Now get out there and prove you haven’t gotten soft.”
My face heated at the implication. I peeked at Chase through my lowered eyelashes. When he saw me looking, he winked. He was incorrigible, and it was great to be back. I quickly jogged out to the track and made my way around the football field twice.
I caught up to Amy who was taking her second lap. “I knew everything would work out,” she said as we ran side-by-side.
“So you did,” I answered, conveniently leaving out that she wasn’t the only one who had been convinced of that. Or that she wasn’t helping my pushing Chase and me together.
I finished my job and started the pre-run stretching.
If I thought I might escape any awkwardness during practice, I was completely misguided. As I stood in the middle of the circle counting out numbers for the team, I couldn’t help but feel a couple pairs of eyes on me. I continued to count but turned slightly to see Victoria and Neal whispering together. When Victoria looked up from their little pow-wow, she burst into a fit of giggles. Neal followed her lead, his laughter much harsher. Their outburst drew attention from the rest of the group.
It was my first time in charge, and I’d already lost the respect of the group. I continued counting, but some of the underclassmen were too busy looking back and forth between Neal and me to pay attention to my lead.
Coach Smith must have noticed the lackluster counting from his runners, or maybe he watched his group more closely than I gave him credit for. “Anyone want to tell me what’s going on over here?” he bellowed, instantly causing everyone’s head to snap in his direction.
No one answered him, so he readjusted his hat and tried again. “I can’t help but notice no one is counting. When I put Andrews in charge of warm-up, I expect you to follow her just like you would with Neal or Cassidy.”
He was met with silence, and I took a deep breath to resume the counting. Only I was interrupted by Victoria clearing her throat. “Why exactly did you have Nicole lead the group?”
Coach crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head. “You got a problem with that, Howard?” he asked.
She mimicked his pose, looking arrogant as ever. “Actually, I do.” She started listing her grievances on her fingers. “She’s new. She’s never been the fastest runner. She’s been out for the last few weeks. And I’m pretty sure she’s hooking up with Chase.”
Everyone’s eyes went wide with the accusation, even Neal’s. Despite their whispers, he must not have been prepared for Victoria’s brashness.
Had she heard what Amy had said to us as a joke? I shook my head, determined to clear the air. “I’m not… I wouldn’t… I…”
“Relax, Andrews.” Coach put his reassuring hand on my shoulder, having come into the group as I struggled to defend myself.
“Like I care about high school drama. I’ve been doing this a long time, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, teenagers are great about going out, and breaking up, and spreading gossip. I don’t care for it, and I don’t want to hear it. I literally couldn’t care less who Andrews dates or doesn’t date.” He looked down at me unapologetically.
“I picked Andrews because she’s been out of commission but hasn’t given up. She’s been faithful to do workouts tailored to her injury, and even cheered you all on with a girly glitter poster when she couldn’t run. She belongs on this team, and I thought it would be the perfect way to welcome her back.”
I belonged on this team.
Coach’s words went straight to my heart. He wanted me here. Neal and Victoria aside, I thought most people were happy about me being on the team, even the freshman who’d been distracted by Victoria’s nasty attitude.
I’d finally found my place at Rosemark, and I wasn’t going to let high school drama, as Coach called it, stand in my way. I pushed back the happy tears that wanted to surface from Coach Smith’s motivational speech and looked up at him. He gave me a nod encouraging me to continue.
Moving into a position meant to stretch muscles in the inner thigh, I started counting. This time, my teammates counted along enthusiastically. Even Neal and Victoria mumbled the numbers in turn with everyone else.
When we finished, Coach instructed us to take a four-mile route. As soon as we were finished, we were to stretch on our own, and then we were free to go.
“Andrews,” he called me aside again. “I was serious when I said I’m happy to have you back. But this is your first day running with us in weeks. Take it easy. I can’t have you hurting yourself again.”
I sighed loudly. “Yes, Coach.”
“Chase!” he yelled across the clearing. “I want you to stick with Andrews to make sure she’s okay.”
Great, I thought. Not only had I been accused of hooking up with Chase for leadership privileges, now I was being forced to run four miles with him. And everyone knew it.
That on its own was bad enough, but it was also coming on the tail of the Homecoming fiasco and my confusing feelings toward the boy in question.
Amy must have noticed my squirming from across the clearing we used to stretch because she came over before starting off with everyone else. “Don’t freak out.”
“I’m not freaking out,” I responded in a high-pitched voice.
One corner of her mouth lifted in a knowing smile. “Of course not.” Amy looked around before leaning in close and adding quietly, “I know Neal was a total jerk, but I don’t think Chase is. There’s something there, and I’m not saying you need to jump in after what happened at Homecoming. Just remember that there are good guys out there.”
“Did you read that in a recent issue of Seventeen?” My voice was deadpan.
“I didn’t have to. I’m your best friend. I see what’s going on between you two. I always have. True, I messed up with Neal. I should’ve stopped that mess before it got started. But this is different. Don’t forget that.”
“Ready, Nic?” Chase said walking up to us.
It was just like when Amy and I had joined cross country, not that long ago. I was the one running off with the rest of the team while Chase hung back with Amy. I never asked either of them what they talked about. I wondered why.
Chase and I started into a slow jog. With Amy running in front of us, we were the last ones to leave the school, and would probably stay in the back of the pack. Not that I cared. If we took long enough, Neal and Victoria would be gone by the time we made it back.
I briefly considered faking another injury but dismissed it just as quickly. As we fell into a comfortable pace, it was like coming home. I’d missed this more than I realized.
“How did today go?” Chase finally asked after we’d made it about a mile into our route.
“Except for that mess at the start of practice?” I snorted. “It’s actually been a lot easier than I expected.”
“And you’re glad you didn’t quit?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Chase. You are alwa
ys right about everything.” He chuckled. “But I thought I won a bet that clearly stated you were to butt the heck out of my life.”
“Nah, you didn’t really mean that.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m always right. You just said so.” He flashed one of his patented smiles my way. If my heart rate wasn’t already high from working out, it would have surely done the trick.
“Thanks for encouraging me, Chase. I’m sorry I was so awful to you when you were only trying to look out for me.”
“Yeah, well… I’ve been an idiot too,” he said, his voice becoming somber.
“Not you!”
“I’m being serious, Nicole. If I’d been less afraid about my responsibilities, and more concerned about the people I cared about, none of that would have happened.”
I fought to keep one foot in front of the other. I tried to play it cool as I asked, “What do you mean?”
“I lied to you when I said I didn’t want to date you. I was nervous and afraid. The words came out like word vomit, and then you didn’t give me the chance to clarify. Next thing I knew you were going to Homecoming with Neal. I should have fought for you harder, but I didn’t want to upset you anymore.”
“Wow,” I breathed.
“I know. And now things are much worse.”
I stopped running, even though I could have continued. Chase immediately started freaking out. “What happened? Are you okay?” He looked down at my ankle, that was fully recovered.
“Nothing, Chase. I just can’t have this conversation while we’re running.” I started pacing back and forth on the sidewalk trying to formulate my thoughts. “These past few months have been the worst case of whiplash I’ve ever experienced. I’m seriously considering contacting a lawyer to see if I can receive compensation.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Ugh!” I put my hands on my head. “And I’m tired of hearing those words from you.”
“Then what do you want from me, Nicole?”
Chasing Love (Mountain Creek Drive Book 3) Page 15
