“Sticking it to Oliver and Preach felt good, too!” Aanya grinned as we cornered the track on a cool-down lap.
It was after school, the first official track practice just finished up, and I felt almost normal. Well, other than this annoying brace. The breeze tangled with my ponytail, the air carried a hint of spring, and the sun finally poked through the dark clouds.
This track, hell any track, felt like home to me.
“I think Coach B’s eyes almost popped out of his sockets when he saw you run that open 100, and you didn’t even start in the starting blocks.”
I smiled, not really sure what to say. I had noticed it, but it triggered a ping of anger at the fact that I couldn’t start in the blocks because of my hand. Then that triggered a ping of anger at Preach.
Yesterday, hanging with him, Oliver, and Aanya was great. Even that night at the movies with him, Brodie, and Willow was fun.
But then, all it’d take was a flash of pain, or my fingers tingling, and I get pissed all over again.
It felt like my head was spinning sometimes.
“Yo.” Oliver sped up to Aanya and gently bumped into her, then ran alongside her. Evidently that was his hello. It cracked me up.
“Still sulking over your loss yesterday?” she asked.
“Hell no. We got to take two of the prettiest girls in school out for ice cream. Dude. Sign me up again, please.”
Aanya playfully swatted at his shoulder, and his grin widened.
“You guys are cute,” I said.
“Please, this oaf…” She winked at him. “I do feel another wager coming on, though.”
“What’s going on?” Preach ran up beside Oliver and gave me a nod.
The sun caught his brown eyes, and a flare of amber ignited. Something else flared to life in my belly, too. The guy was beautiful. Even back when he was being a jerk, I’d noticed it, but now that I was seeing the nice Preach everyone had said existed, the appeal factor was rising.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, though. It was like I had a devilish, rude, selfishPreachon one shoulder, and an angelic, sweet, and thoughtfulPreachon the other.
They had been bickering more and more lately.
“Aanya’s teasing me with another wager,” Oliver said.
“Oh yeah? Got you hooked on yesterday’s bet, huh?” Preach teased me.
“We so crushed you guys, it was embarrassing, really,” I said and picked up the pace a little.
“Name the bet,” Oliver said. “And this time you’ll be taking out the two cutest guys at the school.”
“Oh, you mean a date with Mateo and James?” I teased.
“Hey now.” Preach chased after me, but I took off.
“I got it,” Aanya said, and I slowed down to hear her. “Let’s race!”
“Guys against girls?” Preach asked. “I’m not so sure that’s—”
“You scared?” I asked.
“Oh, I got it!” Aanya blurted out. “Preach and Grace!”
“Wait, what?” I slowed to a stop, then glanced at Preach. Sure as shit, my heart did a little tap dance.
His eyes widened, then he looked around briefly as he ran his fingers through his hair.