Reaching into my backpack, I pull out a bottle of juice from lunch and hand it to him. He twists the top off and gulps it down, shooting me a grateful look. “Thank God you were here. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
Reaching behind him with my free hand, I start to rub small circles on his back. “Do you want to play Facts and Feelings?”
Danny nods slowly, a little color returning to his face. He gives me a weak smile. “But you already know how I feel.”
I think for a moment. “Well, here’s my fact: Cheetahs can run up to seventy miles per hour.”
“Dang, that’s fast.”
“I think you might be the cheetah of wide receivers,” I proclaim, grinning. We hold hands in comfortable silence for a few moments.
“Speaking of football,” I add gently, “if we don’t leave now, you might be late for your first practice. If you don’t want to go, that’s fine, too. I love you no matter what you choose.”
“Love you, too. You’ll stay, right?”
“The whole time.”
Nodding, he steels himself as he stands. Danny tugs on the bottom of his shirt to straighten it and helps me up. We walk to the field, fingers intertwined, until we get within vision of the team. He gives my hand one last squeeze before jogging over and fist bumping a few of the guys. On the outside, he’s back to confident, calm, easygoing Danny. Only I know the sweat clinging to his shirt isn’t from the late August sun. When his shoulders finally relax, I sit in the bleachers next to the field. Every so often, he looks over at me, and I give him a small smile of encouragement.
The guys are just starting to split up into their respective teams for drills when a group of girls start chatting behind me. Maybe they also know players on the team, and we can be friends.
If Danny can overcome his nerves, I can too.
Before I can turn around and start up a conversation, one of the girls taps me on the shoulder. I swivel my head and look at her hopefully. We went to elementary school together. Her stick-straight, light blonde hair shines under the field lights, highlighting her blue eyes. She smiles, showing off her perfect teeth and glossy lips. I love the little golden Titans stamp on her cheek.
“Hey, nice to meet you! I’m Tori.”
My stomach drops. She doesn’t even remember me.
“Yeah. I, um, know. We went t-to elementary school t-together.”
“Oh, right. Totally!” Her sickly sweet tone sounds completely fake. One of her friends nudges her, and I swallow nervously.
“So, I saw you walking in with Dan. Are you his girlfriend?”
“No.”
Her face lights up. “Great! You won’t mind if I ask him out after practice then, right?”
My shoulders slump. I’m so stupid. Of course she doesn’t want to be friends with me. Part of me wants to say, “Yes, I do mind if you ask him out, actually,” but I don’t have any stake in Danny’s love life. Plus, if he wants to say no, he will.
“I d-don’t mind.” My voice comes out monotone.
“Perfect. He’s just so hot,” Tori gushes. “Someone in my history class said he’s the first freshman to play varsity in, like, twenty years. Might even be bound for the league.”
All I say back is “mhm” and turn back toward the field. I absorb the gut punch of being absolutely invisible, a blow I’d like to be less used to. Sucking in a deep breath, I try to focus my attention on the practice, not on the emotional bruise Tori left behind.
My mood lifts slightly when Danny looks my way again.
Tori squeals. “OMG, I think he’s looking at me.Someone’sgrade school crush is still alive and well.”
I never heard about Danny’s crush on Tori. Did he like her?Doeshe like her?
Before I realize it, the boys are already packing up. I head down to the field and wait for Danny on the sidelines. I feel helpless as I watch Tori flounce up to him and touch his shoulder. He looks at me, then back at her. He nods slowly, and Tori practically floats. Danny says something to the student coach, who checks his watch before replying. After exchanging a fist bump, Danny jogs toward the athlete’s building, and Tori follows closely behind.
I stay motionless, not sure whether I’m supposed to meet him or not.
The student coach jogs up to me. “Hey. I’m Tom. DT’s running to the locker room to shower, and he asked me to tell you to meet him there. I think some of us might be going out after practice.”
