“Yes! Yes, of course. Whatever I have to do.”
“Okay, wonderful!” He’s genuinely happy to help me. And now I feel bad for blowing this class off all semester. “Plan to be at Ellerbe Hills all day Tuesday through Friday. We start early. Seven thirty in the morning!”
And then it dawns on me. If I work this tournament, I will be there when I’m supposed to be at graduation parties with my friends. I feel my throat getting tight and my eyes starting to water, but I reel it in and swallow it down. A bunch of parties won’t matter if I can’t graduate with my class.
“Lily,” Coach Cantu calls out, then motions for her to join us. I spare another glance at the group of players waiting near the host stand, and by the way they’re all huddled together, I can tell they’re speculating about why I’m here.
“Hey, Coach, hey, Olivia,” Lily says when she joins us.
“Hey,” I squeak out.
Coach gestures to me. “Olivia will be helping out at the tournament, too. Will you get her added to the security list as my assistant? She’ll also need a name badge.”
“Will she need a shirt, too?” Lily asks.
“Yes. And a visor.” He turns to me. “Just wear some khaki shorts and whatever top you want in the morning. Lily will give you a shirt you can change into when you get there.”
“Will I need to bring anything else?” I ask.
“Sunblock,” Lily says. “Your driver’s license to get your badge in the morning, and money for lunch and drinks unless you’re a member of the club.”
I feel like I need to be taking notes or something.
The host approaches Coach to ask him a question and he steps away to answer her.
“Do you mind me asking why you’re coming on as Coach’s assistant at the last minute?”
I can tell she’s really curious why I’m here, so I give her the most basic answer I can. “Just making up a few hours from his PE class.” I don’t mention my graduating hinges on it. “I’m stuck helping with the tournament.”
And then I cringe at my own words. “I don’t mean it like that. It’s awesome y’all are here. Competing. It’s just I have no idea what I’m doing. I know absolutely nothing about golf.”
Her head tilts. “But you took a semester of it?”
“Yeah. I guess you could say I didn’t pay that much attention.” I hold my hands out wide. “Which is why I’m here.”
“Well, you’ll get a crash course. This tournament is golf on steroids. Everyone wants to place high, and there are still some spots left on college teams, so it gets pretty cutthroat. For a lot of players, this is their last chance.”
“Will you play in it?”
A frown appears on her face for just a second before it’s gone. “No. I’m not ranked high enough, so I offered to help Coach. Getting hired by Ellerbe Hills Country Club is great for him, but this tournament is a huge deal and he needs all the help he can get.”
I nod toward the group waiting not far away. “But the rest of the team is playing?”
Lily glances back at the group. “About half. Out of the girls, Chloe and Em Beth are seniors like me and hoping to get spots for next year, so they’re playing. Tanika is playing, but she’s a junior. She’ll get an offer before she starts senior year. She’s that good.”
“Oh wow,” I say.
Coach walks back over and says, “They’re ready for us.” Then he turns to me. “Do you want to stay for lunch? Get to know the team?”
“Oh!” I say, surprised by the invitation. I look down at the Nike shorts and tee I’m wearing. I’m in no way dressed to eat here. “I’d love to, but I need to get a few things in order if I’m planning to spend the rest of the week working.”
His face breaks out in a big smile. “We’ll see you first thing in the morning!”
And then he hustles the team to the waiting table while I’m still standing there trying to figure out what just happened.
“Joining the team?” a voice behind me asks.
I whip around and see Chris Locke. Ugh.
