Page 10 of The Lucky One
The rain beating down the track eased into a steady drizzle as I ran, pushing myself to the limit with each stride. I was dead set on making up for missing the entire football season. Football didn’t solve the cause of my problems, but it at least served as a distraction. In the offseason, Coach Wood still tortured us with practice while he checked out new talent to replace the outgoing seniors. We trained every day after school, even in the rain.
As I completed another lap, Coach called, “Paul, that’s enough for you today! Everyone else, keep running, it’s not the weekend yet!”
I reluctantly slowed my pace to a steady walk, wincing as I took the weight off my sore foot. “But Coach Wood, my foot is fine!”
He met my plea with an unyielding stare. “You wanted to come back and I agreed, despite you leaving the entire team hanging. But I won’t stand for you pushing too hard on that foot. Either you start listening to me and take it slow, or you can walk away again.”
“Fine,” I grumbled. I slumped down on the bench to stretch my legs. Leni and Brandon shot me envious looks as they trotted past, not even trying to show their best performance.
Coach was right: now that I was seated, my foot throbbed like hell. Sweat mixed with rain trickled down my nose and dripped onto the ground. I took a long swig of water and wiped a towel across my forehead. My temples pounded from lack of sleep.
Don’t come to me. I’m done.
The words I’d said to Emily replayed in my mind like a broken record. I’d tried so damn hard to move on. But every time I saw her, the desire to touch her, just to talk with her, grew stronger. It was impossible to avoid her when she was living in my house, spending time with my parents, even cooking us dinner.
And Jon was coming home tomorrow.
I locked my hands at the back of my neck and glared at the ground. While Jon went to rehab and Emily got a counselor, I was left to grapple with all the bullshit that had unfolded on my own. No one asked me why I had bruises and scarring on my knuckles, why I suddenly had posters all over my walls.
The rain was like blood dripping down my face. The numbness in my fists—everything was drenched in crimson. The thunderous pulsing of my veins drowned out every other sound.
I sprang to my feet. “Coach, I’m gonna go hit something.”
Coach Wood’s brows furrowed. “Okay, but no footwork.”
I nodded and bolted across the field for the punching bags in the weight room.
“Paul!” Jamie’s voice broke through my stride. I glanced up to see the entire cheerleading squad, hands firmly on their hips, staring at me. With Jamie as their captain, they also trained in the rain. Kiki stood behind her with a softer expression.
“Hey.” I gave a nonchalant shrug.
“You don’t look so good,” Jamie said. “Did little Paul get his heart broken?”
“Let it go, Jamie.” I kept walking but she fell into step with me, following closely.
“It hurts, doesn’t it? To think everything’s fine, only to find out you got cheated on out of the blue?”
I quickened my step. Was I to Emily... what Jamie was to me? I balled my hands into fists. No one would belittle what I used to feel—what I still felt for Emily. It had to be real. I couldn’t have been so wrong.
I felt Jamie’s breath on my neck. “You know what? This is karma. You deserve everything she did to you.”
“Shut up!” I spun around, anger boiling inside me, and she nearly banged into my chest. “You have no idea what happened between us. Don’t you dare compare our situations!”
She hesitated for a moment, studying my face. Then an ugly smile crept onto her lips. “I have to say, I was never so worked up over you. You’re right. You can’t compare our situations, and—”
“Jamie, enough!” Kiki appeared behind her, pulling her back by the shoulder. “The girls are waiting for you.”
Jamie rolled her eyes and turned on her heel without another word. I tilted my head back to look up at the sky. My veins were throbbing so intensely, I might have to throw up.
“Are you okay?” Kiki’s hand landed gently on my shoulder and glided up and down, as if she was petting an animal.
I inhaled deeply before meeting her gaze. “Are you?”
Her hand stopped moving, and her gaze fell to the ground.
“You want to grab a coffee?” I blurted, immediately regretting it. But the words were already out, and I needed to talk to someone if Emily wouldn’t talk to me.
Kiki glanced over her shoulder, where Jamie was already directing the team through their steps. “Can we go now?” she said. Her cheerleading uniform clung to her like a second skin, emphasizing her athletic figure.