‘Itreallywasn’t.’ I peer at him from under the brim of my hat, and I’m instantly glad he’s got the same look of nervousness on his face that I have. This shit isn’t easy. Sometimes, I just need someone to sit in the trenches with me, and that’s my Papa.
‘But May, listen,’ he hums unhappily. ‘You can’t let that indicate where you go this season. Junior year was …’
‘Papa.’
‘… not a great time …’
‘Go on.’
‘But it doesn’t mean you deserve to beat yourself up over it.Eventhough I think it wouldn’t have been half as bad if the refs hadn’t been playing for the other team every game you guys had last year.’ He has this little moment of fuming, which looks even funnier since he’s sitting on his horse swaying back and forth. He does the same thing I do, puckers his lips in upset thought. ‘But aside from that. You know it was hard. Lots of athletes have those hard seasons. Lots of thebestathletes have those seasons.’
‘Did you ever?’ I ask him.
Papa, an ex-bull-rider, just throws his head back and laughs. ‘Mayday, I’d be lyin’ if I said I didn’t.’
‘God. What, were you just gettin’ thrashed around and stomped on for a year?’
‘Basically.’ He grins, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes from all his sassy smiling creasing. ‘Does a number on a guy.’
‘Yeesh.’ We cross a small bridge that goes up and over a tiny creek running through our crop, the horses’ hooves creating a dull clopping sound on the wood. ‘How’d you get out?’
‘Told myself no distractions for the next season. No flings, no booze, no parties. Just the sport.’
‘Got it. No flings, no booze, no parties.’
Where my mom would cluck her tongue and shake her head at me, my dad cracks up. ‘You got it,mija. Especially with …’
‘Money on the line,’ I finish for him. It’s been my biggest dread: scholarship. It’s not the most, but it’s been putting me through school all these years. Without the Riders, I don’t have my scholarship. And if I want my degree, I need every cent of it.
‘You don’t need to concern yourself with that, Mayday,’ Papa reassures me. Always trying to bring my worries upon himself. ‘We’ll take care of you, no matter what happens. You just play your best. Promise me that?’
‘Hmm.’ A moment of sheer silence passes between us, nothing to hear but the sound of the creek. ‘Mumma thinks it’s gonna be some kind of magical comeback, you know. A big second chance.’
‘I’ll tell you this.’ Papa beams warmly at me. ‘I agree with your mother on that. Lila may be unrealistic sometimes, but she’s right on this one. You’ve learned from last year. You’ve dealt with something difficult – we all did – and now you’ve got the defences to cope if it happens again. Right?’
‘Right,’ I echo.
‘You know the drill,mija. Southern hospitality ain’t alwaysworth it. Open your door for two seconds, and next thing you know, a storm’s tearing through your house,’ my dad muses. ‘But when that house gets shredded up, you rebuild it stronger. So yeah, I do think that this is your big second chance.’
‘Jordan wanted it all last year.’ I adjust my hat on my head, shielding my eyes from the striking rays of the sunset. ‘Is it crazy to think that if I do enough of that no flings, no booze, no parties, we can have that? The championship?’
Papa and I trot together in thought for a moment as we approach the stables, slowing our horses down and hopping off.
‘Championship’s a high bar to clear,’ he says.
‘Exactly.’
‘But there isn’t anyone in this town I could see leading this team to one of those other than May Velasco.’ As I remove my helmet, Papa ruffles my hair. ‘I think if you put your mind to it,mija, you can have whatever your dreams desire.’
Chapter Three
Homecoming
Colt
Ithink JJ’s going to cry. I’m not sure if I’m just imagining the glassiness in his big blue eyes, but it definitely looks like he’s fighting back tears. He clamps a hand down on my shoulder and gives it a shake. ‘You could stay, y’know.’
Rod sighs, reaching over to deal JJ’s hair an affectionate ruffle. ‘I get it, Colt. But we’re still sad to see you go. You’re gonna miss that crazy street lacrosse game they make us do in March.’
