I don’t have it in me to burst his bubble.
I’ve never seen Nathan laugh like this before. It goes beyond a chuckle—more like a throaty laugh that’s husky and deep. It’s filled with pure, intense amusement.
Mr No name barks, and I stop to crouch down to his level, scratching at his head. “Well, I think I have the perfect name for you.”
“You do?”
I shoot Nathan a smile. “Yep, Radish.”
15: Mae
“Mae! You’re out of formation!” my mother yells above the booming music, shaking her head and tutting.
“I’m not,” I complain back, and she shoots me a look that saysyou better be quiet before I embarrass you in front of everybody.
It’s enough to make me click my teeth shut and nod. Daisy was the one out of line, but I’m not about to throw her under the bus when she’s busting her ass. She has sweat dripping from every part of her body, and I know she almost didn’t make the team because she can—apparently—be sloppy at times.
This isherdream.
Not mine.
So, who am I to stand in her way? She’s trying, and I’ll gladly take my mother’s criticism if it means her mistake doesn’t get noticed.
I’m stressing the fuck out. If I mess this up on game day, my mother will never let me live it down. In fact, I’m pretty sure she’ll kick me out of the house and disown me altogether.
“Let’s go again! Some of you looked like ten-year-olds at a school dance!” my mother calls, pressing pause on the music and starting it over, waving her manicured finger, lingering on me for a second.
The team feels different without Sophia. She’s a natural-born leader, and everyone just seems to fall into place whenever she’s around. And now I’m expected to take her place for the night—front and centre—something my mother isn’t best pleased with. But that makes two of us.
The beat sinks into my bones as I dance, each step precise and calculated. My muscles relax as I give myself over to the music, forgetting about all the shit going on in my life, just living in the now.
But then someone’s body collides with mine, and I land on the ground with a thud. “Shit,” I grunt. A sharp pain shoots up my ankle.
For a fleeting moment, the world around me blurs, and dizziness takes over before I shake my head and blink.
“Are you okay?” Poppy holds her hand out, and I inhale deeply, pushing the aching aside, taking her hand and dipping my chin.
“I’m so sorry, Mae. I was out of line,” Daisy says, biting her lip as Madison gazes down with worry. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
My mom raises her eyebrows to her hairline and glares at me.
I glare right back. “I’m fine. Let’s go again.”
Putting weight on my ankle during the rest of practice causes me to grind my molars and clench my fists in pain. But I resist throwing in the towel. I summon every last bit of determination I have, forcing a fake smile as we repeat the routine over and over again until my mother finally stops the music and tells us to get going.
Once all the girls have filed their way into the locker rooms—with Poppy giving me a lingering worried glance—she juts her hip out as she stares at me.
I like to play nice with my mother. I honestly think it annoys her more that I don’t lash out. She wants me to react, but instead, I give her nothing.
“Want me to make dinner for the both of us tonight?” I offer. I already know the answer, but kill ‘em with kindness, am I right?
“I meal prep,” she responds, raising her eyebrows questionably.
“Doesn’t hurt to offer.”
She takes a moment to gather her thoughts. “Mae, this is very important to me.” Her voice—she almost sounds defeated.
“I know. I’m trying.”
