Jerking her head back, she blurted, “Nervous? Why? You act like you’re the one out here running.”
“Shit, that’s what it feels like.”
“Girl, you better stop all of that worrying. You’ve groomed a damn good team. These kids are stars. Period.”
“I know.”
Spreading what was left of her ketchup on the last little corner of her hot dog, she said, “So, you want to tell me why your fine ass assistant coach keeps staring over here every other second?”
Trying to act like I didn’t notice, I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he’s looking at you.”
“Ha, you’re funny. He’s definitely not looking at me. Have you two worked things out?”
“Well, if he’s just staring instead of actually talking to me, apparently not.”
“Just go talk to him.”
“No, I’m not doing that. He made a decision. It’s taken me a few days, but I’ve learned to just accept it.”
“Doesn’t look like you’re okay with it though.”
I scoffed. “Put your glasses on. Maybe you’ll be able to see better.”
“I don't need my glasses. A blind man can see that the two of you are—”
“Shh…the race is about to start.”
Thank God. I wasn’t trying to have this conversation.
Was I okay with how things were between Law and me? No. But did I have a choice in the matter? No.
It had been days since our breakup, and he hadn’t uttered a word about the future of our relationship. At this point, we were keeping our conversation to a minimum and only discussing things that involved the team. It was a struggle, but if he was okay with the way things were, then I was determined to feel the same way.
While my mom mumbled something under her breath, I kept my focus on the track, waiting for the gun to go off. As soon as it did, the girls were in full swing and thankfully none of them let me down.
By the time the meet was over, we’d racked up more first place trophies than we could count and made number one in the overall meet.
“Hey, Coach,” Keyon whispered from behind me.
Unlike usual, I didn’t sit in the front of the bus after leaving the meet. Instead, I hung out in the back, claiming to keep a better eye on the kids.
“What’s up?”
“You’re coming to my graduation party, right?”
Unsure of how to respond, I cleared my throat. “Um…I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“I mean, I don’t really know when it is and—”
“Don't even try it, Coach Jeffers. I know you're only saying that because of my Uncle.”
“That’s not true,” I lied.
“Yes, it is, and I get it. You don’t want to be around him.”
Trying to play it off, I sucked my teeth. “I'm around him every day, Keyon. We work together.”
