Chapter 8 #2
“Don’t you remember being taught the basics?”
“No. You know, I never said I was a teacher. This was all your idea.”
“Just think of me as someone who has never seen a soccer ball before, and that I don't know how to use my feet.”
I smirk. “That seems accurate.”
Milo gives me an uneasy look. “Can you teach me?”
I collect the ball and stand square with Milo. I plant my right foot edge-wise against the soccer ball. “This is how your foot should look when you’re stopping the ball.”
Milo turns to view my foot’s position. I step my left leg in front.
“Your other leg should be in front.” I tap the ball ahead to demonstrate.
I jog up as the ball rolls to a stop. As I do the actions, I say them aloud.
“I hop on my left, bringing it to the side of the ball, and behind, my right foot anchors, sliding to the side and cradling the ball against the inside of my foot.”
“Huh.”
I look over my shoulder to view Milo with his hands on his hips and a curious look on his face.
I step to the side of the ball. “Do you want to try?”
“Show me one more time?”
I force myself to slow down and go through each movement slowly, trying my best to describe my actions to Milo. I plant the ball in front of him, telling him to approach it like it’s moving and do the actions like he were to stop it.
When he steps his left leg beside the ball, his toe digs into the earth, causing him to stumble. He overcompensates with his right foot, tripping over the ball. After three more awkward steps, he stops himself from face-planting the field.
I press my palm hard against my mouth and wrap my other arm around my midsection, pressuring myself not to laugh out loud.
Milo straightens up, and as he turns, I spy the frustration in his expression. As he glimpses at me, it morphs into embarrassment.
Hurriedly, I drop my hands and smile. “It’s okay. Try again.”
He walks toward me to reposition himself and start again. “You already know I’m an uncoordinated mess, so I guess you’re not seeing anything new.”
“It’s still amusing,” I tease.
His eyebrows lift. “Ha ha.”
Milo tries the drill a few more times. One time he stops short, fumbling forward to connect with the ball.
Another time, his right foot connects with the ball before his left foot gets into position.
This causes him to push the ball forward and stumble over his feet, falling forward while over-correcting.
The last time he gives up while on the pathetic jog toward the ball.
“This is dumb,” he complains.
“You’re the one who wanted to practice.”
“Yeah, so I could pass the class. Still doesn't change the fact that this having any bearing on my academic record is a joke.”
“I have to admit, I never thought stopping in place could be so hard,” I tease.
“I did,” Milo mutters. “That’s why I gave up on soccer the week I started.”
“What do you mean?”
“Kai and I were supposed to play soccer together,” Milo explains. He shakes his head with frustration, narrowing his eyes. “Why my parents thought that was a good idea is beyond me. They already knew about my issues.”
I chew my lip, busting to ask. “What issues?”
Milo rubs his index finger against his ear. “I have an inner ear thing. It throws me off-balance sometimes.”
I puff a soft laugh of surprise. “So, there’s a medical reason for your awkward lack of coordination?”
Milo shrugs. “It’s Kai’s fault. He wrapped his umbilical cord around my neck and deprived me of oxygen before we were born.”
The smirk washes off my face. “Oh. I didn’t know.”
He taps the side of his glasses. “Why do you think I need glasses when my identical twin doesn’t? Or the fact I’m two inches shorter?”
I throw a palm up. “It’s just a couple of inches.”
“I took a lot longer to walk and talk than him, too. I can’t help how off-balance I am sometimes, but my brain works fine. That’s why I enjoy studying. I’m always good at it, plus, I’m way better than Kai.”
“If Kai knows all this, he should lay off,” I say. “There’s kidding around, and there’s being mean about something that’s not your fault.”
Milo folds his arms and his jaw strains like he’s wondering if he should say something. “Like you and those girls earlier?”
I shrug it off. “That’s nothing. They’re always like that.”
Milo’s eyes narrow as he tries to work it out. “Is it just because you’re from Logan’s Point? That’s no big deal. Everyone goes to Logan’s Point to hike, or jump off cliffs into the lake, or whatever else adventurous people do.”
I frown. “It’s fine to go to Logan’s Point for fun, but it’s not okay to be born there.
My mom moved us here when I was a baby, but it doesn’t matter.
I guess because she still worked in Logan’s Point, they consider my ties to be stronger.
But she did that because she got better money doing that stuff than when she worked at the cafe. ”
“I wasn’t sure if you knew about the picture that was going around.”
I wince. “You’ve seen it?”
“It was a really bad photo, but I glimpsed it when some guys were passing it around in class.” Sadness creeps over Milo’s face. “She’s been gone a long time. You’d think they’d lay off.”
His sadness leaches into my body. “That’s not what bullies do. I’m sorry if I’ve laughed at you or been mean about your tripping. I thought you were just goofy. I didn’t know you couldn’t help it.”
A cute smile brightens Milo’s face. “Thank you, but you don’t need to apologize. I don’t think you’re mean to me. I think you can be snappy and a bit harsh, but I don’t take it personally. I know you just argue or act out to get your own way.”
“I could say I’ll back off, but when it comes to studying, I’m gonna resist harder than any protester has before.”
He laughs. “I’d expect nothing less from Jamie West.”
The fact that almost rhymes and comes out like a sing-song catchphrase is off-putting. My expression dulls and I cross my arms. “Are you gonna try the drill again, or are we done for the day?”
Milo takes a step back with a slight wobble to his knees. “I haven’t got it yet, so I guess I should practice a few times. You don’t have to stay. I’ll figure it out.”
I view the school building over my shoulder and shrug. “The alternative is going back in there. I’d prefer to stay out here and kick the ball around.”
Milo twists his lips and eyes the ball with doubt. “We haven’t even gotten to how to kick a ball.”
I sigh. “I’ll show you, but first keep going with how to stop. I’ll just watch and pull you up if your positioning is wrong. Cool?”
He nods, angling himself behind the ball. “Cool.”
I crouch to the ground, watching Milo perfect his skill. He’s moving at a snail’s pace, but at least he’s not stumbling. I want to tell him to move faster, but perhaps getting the muscle memory right is more important at the minute.
“Did Maddy decide anything on Hawaii?” Milo asks when I stand up to view him from another angle.
My chest puffs out as I sigh, and then I force a smile. “I told her to go.”
Milo almost loses balance because of the surprising news. “Whoa. Really?”
“I know, it’s shocking to me too,” I reply. “But she deserves it. She’s worked so hard since she was a kid with no breaks. She deserves to be whisked off her feet.”
“That’s so cool of you,” Milo says. “And, you know, my parents will be happy to take you in.”
I cross my fingers. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”
Milo swats a hand. “You’re over all the time, anyway. We can ask Mom when you come over to study this afternoon.”
I roll my eyes. “Yay. More studying.”
“Just remember, I’m suffering through this, so you can get through this afternoon.”
“I’ll have countless days of studying ahead for multiple classes. All you have to do is perfect three skills for one class. It’ll take five minutes during your phys-ed class to demonstrate, and then you’re done.”
“But it’ll be catastrophic if I’m in front of the whole class and all I can accomplish is tripping and landing on my butt.”
I giggle. “It’d be entertaining, though.”
“Ha ha. Now, help me out before the bell rings.”
I steal the ball, dribble in a tight circle, and then pass it to Milo. My fingers stay crossed as he positions himself to stop the ball. I can’t help beaming with pride when he effortlessly connects with the ball, stopping it dead and skidding to a stop.
He grins at me, and something weird happens inside my chest. Like a flutter in my heart.