But I can’t risk losing him again.
“We’re going to have to give the backpack a shot,” I say. “I can run with that thing on.”
Yolo looks at me balefully. He’s going to hate it. He knows it and I know it. But I have to find whoever it is.
I almost had them here. At Verity.
Verity.
Sam.
What if it’s Sam who came back?
If it were, what if he pulled me close? What if he put his mouth on mine and his hands on my hips, that perfect spot he knew, the very edges of his fingers brushing ever so slightly beneath the waistband of my jeans, nothing anyone watching would even notice, but something I felt in every cell of my body?
What if he held me? Let me lean into him? Didn’t let go?
It’s been so long since I’ve been held.
Suddenly I’m very sure it’s Sam I wished for.
77.
once
LITHIA HERALD ONLINE
HAWKS ON THE RUN
Will the Lithia High Hawks be able to take home an elusive state championship this year?
Since the arrival of Sydney Thompson, the team has been on the rise. During her first year with the team, they moved up from a fifth-place finish the year before to third. Last year, they took second. Could the first state title in Lithia High’s history be within their reach?
Thompson, the fastest runner on the team, was also second overall in the state last year.
“Our team was able to place so high because we have such a solid base of runners behind Sydney,” Coach Warren said. “July Fielding finished ninth overall and second on our team, and our next few girls came in right after her.”
And keep an eye on Ella Kane. The freshman phenom has been running well all summer. “She’s already running faster times than Sydney did as a sophomore,” Coach Warren said. “We’ve known she was coming up thanks to her middle school coach, but frankly, she’s surprised us all. She’s pure talent. She truly loves to run.”
Warren also added, “I think it really speaks to the camaraderie of this team and the leadership of the older girls that she’s running at such a high level so soon. Without a challenge, talent can stall out. We’ve just begun to see what Ella can do.”
And, when asked how she felt about the team’s chances, and her chances of winning State this year, Thompson said, “The only number I’m aiming for is one.”
78.
now
I stop at home and wrestle Yolo into the cat backpack. For the first time in his life, he scratches me, neat red marks along my arms. “Hey,” I say, harsher than I mean to. He stops, looks up at me with wide eyes.
“Sorry,” I say.
He’s quiet.
Nomeh.
We both feel bad.
I think.
