“Why not?”
“Because she deserves better.”
He raises his eyebrows again. “Who said that?”
The first face to pop into my brain is Billy’s. But then there are others. Past teachers, who didn’t get why I couldn’t sit for longer than a few seconds and who said that because I had lower grades, I’d never amount to much.
My parents. I didn’t do exactly as they wanted me to, and they’re still punishing me for that.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter,” Clark says, his tone sharp. “But Iget not being ready to talk about it. The biggest thing to remember is that we’re all here for you. Tell us when you’re ready.”
I nod, unable to say much more.
There are a few beats where all I can hear Finny and Stack arguing in the back. I turn to Clark and say, “You never answered the question. Am I too old to be a Lancer?”
His eyebrows rise and he says, “If you’re too old, then we’re both in trouble. Rest, heal, and let’s rule this season.”
“I like your thinking. Are you hanging out with Jessa tonight?”
Clark shakes his head. “No, she’s on the road trip with the baseball team. I’m hoping to do a video call with her, though. Laney is with her. Maybe we can do a little double date call.” He winks at me, and I smile.
“How long did you say they’re gone for?”
“I think they get back a week from Monday.”
I nod. That gives me a little time to figure out how to apologize to Laney for ghosting her. And maybe I can work on a few of the issues I’ve figured out today. Not that anything that deep will be gone in a matter of days, but I’m hoping it will be a little like my hamstring. Take care of it and it will eventually heal.
CHAPTER 35
LANEY
It’s official. I’m not ready for the summer heat.
A benefit of Utah is that the humidity level is low. We’ve been in several states in the Midwest, and now we’re on the East Coast, where they’re in an early heat wave. I’ve already worn a couple of skirts I brought on the trip and had to resort to wearing black slacks. With two more games before we head home, I’ll need to do some shopping after this game so I won’t have to do laundry.
The team played well, but a minor error in the last inning cost us a run, and we lost four to three.
I get back on the bus, sitting toward the front. Jessa is already zoned inon her computer, flipping back and forth between her spreadsheets and the various websites she uses to upload content.
“Hey,” I say, leaning back against the seat.
“It’s hot out there, huh?” Jessa says with a quick smile.
“Way too hot. Want to go shopping with me?” I ask, giving her a crazy grin.
She frowns. “I would love to, but I’m flying out tonight.”
“What do you mean? I thought you were here as long as the team is.”
She closes her laptop and turns to me. “Nick quit this morning. So we’re going to have to interview more people for the team. My boss is anxious to get it filled as soon as possible because of the increase in visibility since we started doing more social media posts.”
Sadness fills me, but I know what that’s like.
“I get it. Do you need a buddy to get to the airport?”
She laughs. “I appreciate it. I’ll just take a rideshare to get there. But I’ll see you at home in a few days.”
