Mixing two bowls for us, I grab two water bottles and settle on a stool beside Alex. “Do you have a recipe for your cream?” He asks while we are enjoying our snack.
“No, not really. It’s all up here.” I tap my temple. “I experimented a lot at first to find what worked for me. Now I mix and match ingredients depending on my symptoms.”
“I find it fascinating. I have never studied plant medicine before. It is very intriguing,” he says.
“Let’s get started then.” Alex is an excellent assistant. He asks questions about the properties of each ingredient as we work, and why I’ve chosen them. I tell him about infusing my own oils and why they are always better than pre-made ones. We soon have several containers of cream and a large jar of salts.
Zander arrives as we’re filling the last container. “Hi Summer. I see your package arrived,” he smiles. “How are you, Alex?”
“I am fine, Z. Summer was teaching me how to make her recovery cream,” Alex replies.
“Are you staying for dinner? You’re more than welcome to Alex.”
“No, thank you. I am having dinner with my stepmother and Reesa at 7pm. I should be going.”
“Thanks for your help, Alex. I’ll show you the rest some other time,” I wave.
Alex grabs his bag from the dining chair. “I will look forward to that Summer. You both have a nice evening.” He lets himself out as I clean up a bit.
“How does pizza sound tonight?” Zander asks. “I don’t feel like cooking.”
“Great. I still have to soak and call Sarah. Do you mind if I leave everything here until after dinner?”
“Of course not,” he waves. “I’ll order dinner after I change. That should give you plenty of time to soak and talk,” he says, heading for his room.
I fill a muslin bag with herbs and grab my salt to take to the bathroom. Turning the water on, I tie the bag to the faucet and dump salts into the tub. Once it’s full, I step in and call Sarah. We talk through the potential issues with Ben and Cara, and she’s happy to learn I’m running track again. I talk about how great the guys have been and how Zander and I are getting along, and she seems pleased with my progress.
Afterwards, I rub my new cream into my legs, massaging as best I can. Zander yells that the pizza has arrived, so I join him on the couch for dinner. I bake some lemon squares after we eat and clean up while they bake. The empty bookshelves in my room are slowly filling up with my new life, and it’s nice to see. After taking pain meds and drinking some chamomile tea, I text Seb and E until I fall asleep.
Chapter 29
My legs are feeling much better this morning. I take another salt soak and stretch well, and massage in some cream, then have breakfast with Zander.
“You seem better this morning,” Zander comments, dishing up two plates of pancakes.
“My legs are much better today,” I smile back, preparing a tea for myself.
“Is this from the cream you made last night?” Zander takes his coffee to the island while I grab butter and syrup.
“That and I took care of my legs last night instead of falling asleep.”
“Still, that’s impressive, Summer. You may have found your calling. Sports medicine or plant medicine.”
“Maybe,” I shrug. A career hasn’t been something I’ve ever intentionally pondered.
After I’m packed up, we leave for school. With only AP Bio this morning, I have room in my backpack for the high protein granola bars and the lemon squares I made for Alex.
There’s an excitement in the air as I head for my locker. Banners and posters have appeared overnight everywhere in light blue and white. E and Seb have their jerseys on, and I spot Gabby in her cheer uniform. Seb gives me a jersey to wear at the games, while we’re at my locker. It has Seb’s number on the front and E’s on the back. “I love it, thank you,” I reply, hugging him.
Alex and Ihead to AP Biology, where the teacher puts on a film for us to watch about DNA discoveries. I tell Alex that I’d prefer to wait for the rush to pass before going to the gym after class.
“I was already planning on doing that,” he smiles. “Bay and Nick will hold seats for us on the bleachers.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.” Once the crowd disperses after class, Alex and I walk over to the gym. He spots the guys, and I follow behind him to our seats. The bleachers are crowded, but most people are seated, and thankfully, the guys saved the top row for us. I sit down between Nick and Bay as Reesa moves from her seat and comes up to our row to sit beside Alex. I wave to her and get a smile in return.
“Hi Bay and Nick,” I say. Bay says hello but Nick doesn’t respond. I turn to look at him and raise my eyebrows. I get an eye roll, but that’s not good enough, so I continue to stare patiently.
“Shortie,” he finally grunts. I give him a big smile for responding.
