“Is that all I get? Mae, I want details.”
I grimace in disgust. “You want details on me fucking your brother?”
Poppy shivers. “No, not like that. Just—you know what I mean? I wanted—Ew. I’m thinking about it now.”
I burst into laughter. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
She makes a loudpfftsound as she waves my concern away. “Please, don't apologise. I just feel bad you have to put up with Mr Grumpy pants for… how long are you actually staying for?”
My mouth goes dry, and I swear I swallow my tongue. I don’t even know the answer. I seriously need to talk to Nathan about this because we’re in this waist-deep now.
“Um, I don’t know.”
Poppy sighs. “I thought you might say that. Still heard nothing from a practice?”
Looking into her ocean-blue eyes, there’s no way I can lie. She’ll see right through me anyway. “Well, actually, I heard from one place. In Florida. But I don’t even know if I’m going to accept it yet. It’s so far away.”
A smile breaks out on Poppy’s face as she blows on her metallic white nails. “You’re not sure about going because you’d miss me too much, right?”
I roll my eyes, but she’s right. “Yeah. And your brother.”
“And my brother.” She sits herself down on the bed beside me.
“It’s just hard to know the right thing to do.”
“Tell him, Mae. Talk to him about it. I know he’ll appreciate it.”
I nod. “You’re right. I will” I nudge her shoulder with mine. “Wow, Poppy. It’s like you’re studying for a psychology degree or something.”
She shoots me a wink. “Just doing what I do best. But seriously, Mae, if you do leave, I’ll miss you like crazy.” Her face drops, teeth scraping against her bottom lip as she sighs.
“I’ll miss you too, Pops.”
My mother hasn’t spoken to me since three days ago when she was in a bad mood during practice. Granted, we never really converse much, but she didn't say anything even when I used my left foot to move forward instead of my right during practice today. And Iknowshe noticed.
I’m watching the girls during their halftime performance on the Missarali Storks Stadium field. Poppy winks at me as she twirls, and I let out a loud “Whoop.”
The crowd is going wild, and I shuffle back until I’m hiding in the tunnel, wanting to find Nathan. The Detroit Eagles and Missarali Storks are neck and neck, and I know he’s panicking.
I’m also preparing to tell him about my placement in Florida later.
I’m worried he’ll tell me to go. To go and not look back. I don’t know how to explain to him that being with him in Missarali is tiers above moving states away and restarting my life, even if I once thought it was all I wanted.
But as I walk through the corridor, someone clears their throat behind me, and I jump, slamming into a hard chest. I blink a few times, craning my neck to look up at the giant of a man before me.
Kevin Slater.
“Oh, excuse me,” I say as I take a step backwards.
“No worries… Mae.”
My throat constricts. I have no idea how Nathan’s father knows my name. But he does. “You know who I am?”
Kevin beckons me over to the corner with a nod of the head. I’m under the impression that he wants to talk to me about Nathan and his performance, and I prepare myself to tell him that he doesn’t need the added pressure. Nathan’s fighting for his life out on that field, and no amount of criticism is going to make him play better.
However, it seems I’m wrong about the topic Kevin Slater wants to discuss with me. So very wrong.
Because in his hands are photographs.
