Clank.
“Shit!” I didn’t quite get it.
Preach ran up beside me. “That’s on me.”
We slowed to a jog and turned around. There the stupid thing lay on the track, rolling toward the grass.
“Dang, you’re fast,” he said. “I didn’t get enough of the baton in your hand.”
“Let’s go again.”
Drops happened—that was part of being on a relay team, and I understood that. But that pass…everything about it felt wrong. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it still sucked that I dropped the baton. I was trying to receive it for the first time ever with my nondominant hand.
“It was only our first try.” Preach nudged me with his elbow as I stopped by my triangle again. “Want me to bend over again?”
I laughed and gave him a little shove. “Focus, butthead.”
He grinned, then trotted toward his spot. “Yeah, yeah.”
For a second, I imagined meetingthisPreach on the track instead of in the middle of an icy road. Everything would have been different. I actuallywantedto know this Preach. And that scared the crap out of me.
Not only had he hit me with his car, effectively crushing my wrist and delaying my leave date for basic, I didn’t trust him. Didn’t want to get deep with anyone. My heart couldn’t handle any more shit, not with Emmett’s death and now the death anniversary coming up.
Plus, I’d be in the Air Force soon, eventually traveling all over. It was better to do that without any attachments.
So yeah, I had no business having any thoughts, no matter how quick and fleeting, about PreachfreakingArmstrong or his particularly nice ass.
Preach clapped, and I refocused, getting in my position again. He took off, and I watched him until he hit the fifteen-step mark, and I took off.
“Stick!”
I jetted out my hand again, along with a quick prayer, and the baton slapped into my palm. I squeezed but got nothing but air.
Clank.
“Shit!” I yelled, my voice echoing off the football press box at the top of the bleachers.
“Again!” Preach hustled away from me.
…
“This sucks,” I grumbled. I dropped to the track and flopped onto my back, spreading my arms out. “I’m never going to get this!”
Preach loomed over me. He stepped in front of the sun, throwing his shadow over me.
“Get up.” Preach offered me his hand.
“No!”
“I’m not going to let you give up that easily.” He bent over, bringing his hand closer to me.
“Easy? Easy?” I grabbed his forearm and let him help me to my feet. “You call that easy? We’ve been out here more than an hour, and I’ve dropped every single attempt!”
“Ohhh, it’s been awholehour?” He stared me down. “One. Whole. Hour. Phew. You should probably quit. I mean, an hour? That’s forever!”
“Jerk.” Heat steamed my face.
He chuckled.