like, blue.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry, man.” Dylan crouched next to me.
“No, no.” I pushed up to sit, swallowing bile that burned its way back to my stomach. My throat felt raw, and I could taste blood again. “Probably just the heat.” That was bullshit, though. I’d lived in Okinawa, which is a tropical island. This was nothing.
Matt took my arm and helped me up to my feet. I swayedto one side. “Why don’t you guys run some drills while I get him to the side.”
A few hands patted my shoulders, and I started moving with Matt. Something thin and hot drained out of my nose before I could snort it back up. I coughed, and felt the drip hit my chest.
“You’re bleeding, man,” Matt said in a hushed breath.
I put the back of my hand against my nose. “Seriously?” Sure enough, my skin came back with red staining the creases. I leaned my head back and pinched my nose closed. No wonder I tasted blood again.
“Should I call somebody?”
“Nah, I’ll just … I’ll just go shower and go home. Lie down. I’m fine.”
“You sure?” He looked dubious, and used a hand to wipe his hair up off his forehead. His face was flushed with effort, from playing in the humid afternoon. Everybody was hot, but not everybody was fainting.
“I’m sure,” I said. I smiled. I was good at smiling.
Matt nodded. He jogged back to the field. I turned and found Holly waiting. Not pale and covered in bloody water. Just normal, in her blue cheer uniform.
I stopped smiling. “Hey,” I managed.
“You okay, Will?” Her eyebrows lifted and she met my eyes, calm and steady. Nothing like the embarrassment I was feeling rather acutely showed on her face.
About ten feet behind her the rest of the cheerleaders clustered. I hadn’t noticed Holly with them before, probablybecause she’d been out of all practices since the earthquake. I’d forgotten to look for her. From Shanti’s expression, I got the distinct impression Holly’d been sent to check on me.
She pursed her lips and glanced back at the cheerleaders over her shoulder. I snapped out of it. “Yeah, Holly, I’m good.”
“Can I get you water or anything?”
I stared at her. And inexplicably thought about that girl in the goggles. Mab. Holly was so different from her. The cheer uniform, for example. Sharp and pleated, in our school colors of black and blue. Holly’s hair was short now, because they’d cut some of it to put the stitches in, and carefully styled to cover the worst section in the back. “I’m good,” I repeated.
Holly hesitated, one hand smoothing the perfectly flat material over her stomach. Her fingers fidgeted.
I jerked my gaze back up to her face. “Are you okay?” I asked, stepping nearer. I felt like I was hulking over her, though I’m not that big. Could never play football. She wasn’t tiny, either. It wasn’t physical, in other words.
“I only wanted to know if …” She paused, and I was struck again by how calm her face appeared. That hand was her tell.
Warm blood hit my upper lip, and I caught it with the back of my knuckle, grimacing. “Sorry,” I mumbled from behind my hand.
Holly’s mouth pinched up, and she nodded quickly. “You should take care of it. I’ll talk to you later. Soon.”
I took two steps around her, my instinct to push, to find out what she needed. “Holly?”
Her eyebrows arched up again.
“You all are manning the sport booth tomorrow morning, right? Down at the farmers’ market?”
“Yeah.”
I tilted my head and tried out a smile despite the gross state of my nose. “I’ll talk to you then, then.”
“Okay, Will,” she said, wincing at my face. She covered her mouth, but I saw the smile in her eyes.
FOURTEEN
It was Gabriel I asked, because you still called me Miss Sonnenschein, even two months into my stay, even when it was the longest, darkest time of the year and we were trapped, the three of us, together in the house
.
I followed him into the blisteringly bright snow an
“Yeah, I’m sorry, man.” Dylan crouched next to me.
“No, no.” I pushed up to sit, swallowing bile that burned its way back to my stomach. My throat felt raw, and I could taste blood again. “Probably just the heat.” That was bullshit, though. I’d lived in Okinawa, which is a tropical island. This was nothing.
Matt took my arm and helped me up to my feet. I swayedto one side. “Why don’t you guys run some drills while I get him to the side.”
A few hands patted my shoulders, and I started moving with Matt. Something thin and hot drained out of my nose before I could snort it back up. I coughed, and felt the drip hit my chest.
“You’re bleeding, man,” Matt said in a hushed breath.
I put the back of my hand against my nose. “Seriously?” Sure enough, my skin came back with red staining the creases. I leaned my head back and pinched my nose closed. No wonder I tasted blood again.
“Should I call somebody?”
“Nah, I’ll just … I’ll just go shower and go home. Lie down. I’m fine.”
“You sure?” He looked dubious, and used a hand to wipe his hair up off his forehead. His face was flushed with effort, from playing in the humid afternoon. Everybody was hot, but not everybody was fainting.
“I’m sure,” I said. I smiled. I was good at smiling.
Matt nodded. He jogged back to the field. I turned and found Holly waiting. Not pale and covered in bloody water. Just normal, in her blue cheer uniform.
I stopped smiling. “Hey,” I managed.
“You okay, Will?” Her eyebrows lifted and she met my eyes, calm and steady. Nothing like the embarrassment I was feeling rather acutely showed on her face.
About ten feet behind her the rest of the cheerleaders clustered. I hadn’t noticed Holly with them before, probablybecause she’d been out of all practices since the earthquake. I’d forgotten to look for her. From Shanti’s expression, I got the distinct impression Holly’d been sent to check on me.
She pursed her lips and glanced back at the cheerleaders over her shoulder. I snapped out of it. “Yeah, Holly, I’m good.”
“Can I get you water or anything?”
I stared at her. And inexplicably thought about that girl in the goggles. Mab. Holly was so different from her. The cheer uniform, for example. Sharp and pleated, in our school colors of black and blue. Holly’s hair was short now, because they’d cut some of it to put the stitches in, and carefully styled to cover the worst section in the back. “I’m good,” I repeated.
Holly hesitated, one hand smoothing the perfectly flat material over her stomach. Her fingers fidgeted.
I jerked my gaze back up to her face. “Are you okay?” I asked, stepping nearer. I felt like I was hulking over her, though I’m not that big. Could never play football. She wasn’t tiny, either. It wasn’t physical, in other words.
“I only wanted to know if …” She paused, and I was struck again by how calm her face appeared. That hand was her tell.
Warm blood hit my upper lip, and I caught it with the back of my knuckle, grimacing. “Sorry,” I mumbled from behind my hand.
Holly’s mouth pinched up, and she nodded quickly. “You should take care of it. I’ll talk to you later. Soon.”
I took two steps around her, my instinct to push, to find out what she needed. “Holly?”
Her eyebrows arched up again.
“You all are manning the sport booth tomorrow morning, right? Down at the farmers’ market?”
“Yeah.”
I tilted my head and tried out a smile despite the gross state of my nose. “I’ll talk to you then, then.”
“Okay, Will,” she said, wincing at my face. She covered her mouth, but I saw the smile in her eyes.
FOURTEEN
It was Gabriel I asked, because you still called me Miss Sonnenschein, even two months into my stay, even when it was the longest, darkest time of the year and we were trapped, the three of us, together in the house
.
I followed him into the blisteringly bright snow an
Similar Books
