She tossed a glance over her shoulder, then flinched and faced forward again. She’d kept this yearbook aside from the last time we’d found it. Why? It obviously upset her.
Did it remind her of her brother somehow?
She grabbed some of the papers that’d spilled near her with her good hand, then turned toward me.
“I got this, Grace,” I said. “I’ll clean this up if you want to take a break or work on something else.”
She dropped her handful back into the box, then watched me for a few beats. “Thanks, Preach.”
I dipped my head, then finished up while she wiped down some bookshelves. I ended up trashing the whole box, including that damned yearbook.
I bent over to start going through the drawers of an old metal desk when something bounced off my back.
“What the heck?” I turned around.
“Thanks for getting me out of my funk,” Grace said from behind an empty bookcase.
“This is how you thank people?” I chuckled. “Remind me never to do anything that requires thanks again!”
A beanbag zoomed toward me. It was way off target, so I didn’t even have to move to avoid getting hit.
“Shit. I can’t throw very well left-handed!” Grace laughed as she chucked another one at me.
This one was on target to hit my leg. She was already reaching into the box propped on a shelf. In the next breath, another beanbag was cutting through the air.
I ducked, snatched the two on the floor, then whipped one at her legs as I spun out of reach of the next one she’d flung at me.
“Dude!” I laughed. She was smiling, though. Sure, her eyes were still puffy, but she was smiling.
Cleaning could wait.
Another bag was on target to hit my shoulder. I snatched it from the air and chucked it at her. “Oh, it’s on!”
Chapter Twenty-One
Preach
My lungs burned. My quads were near cramping, but I had to do this.
Pumping my arms, holding onto that baton like it held my life force, I sped toward James. So far, tryouts had gone well. I’d crushed the open 100, and this relay was going well.
I strode out and yelled, “Stick!”
James nailed the hand-off and blasted ahead. Damn, he’d gotten fast!
“Yes!” I cupped my mouth and shouted, “Go, James! Go!”
He handed it off to Mateo, and he was even faster than James. Holy crap! I’d missed out on them getting bigger, faster, stronger during the hockey season.
I leaned over, resting my hands on my knees, and watched Mateo round that last corner. He was a picture of track-and-field athleticism. I jogged across the field to where he’d finish, letting out a couple of whistles.
These guys were absolutely crushing it! For the first time in a hot minute, everything felt okay. Fresh air, running, hanging out with teammates again.
Sure, they weren’t my hockey teammates, but these guys, this whole track team, they were pretty awesome. I was blessed to be a part of this.
Grace stood near the finish area since she was up next. She was shaking out her legs, watching Mateo. She was wearing black, bun-hugger spandex shorts and a matching sports bra. Her racing flats were bright pink. The ponytail she always wore went down to the middle of her back. She started yelling as Mateo busted through the finish.
“Hey,” I said to Grace as I came up beside her.