Chapter 13
Thirteen
Thank goodness it’s Friday. And I’m out of a classroom! Although I’m stuck teaching Milo, AKA Mr. Hopeless-Case, how to play soccer. At least I’m out on the field. I hate being cooped up inside all day. Why can’t they mix it up and have English or history outside now and then?
Milo is getting out of his head. His class assignment in phys-ed is next period.
If he can just remember to let his body do the talking, he might stay coordinated enough to get a good grade.
I’m sure it’s only a pass/fail grade, but if he continuously trips over his own feet, I don’t see him passing.
“Do you feel more confident?” I ask with hope.
Milo stops the ball and his shoulders slump forward. “When it’s just you and me, I feel less awkward. But just thinking about being in class, around the other guys, and my teacher’s eyes scrutinizing me, it freaks me out.”
“You’re always telling me not to freak out with my classes. What has you so spooked about this one?”
Milo shrugs. “Years of history.”
My stomach wobbles. “But you feel okay around me?”
He smiles, and the sun sparkles against his glasses. “Yeah. I don’t know why.”
I rub behind my neck and smile at the grass. “Oh.”
“Crap,” Milo hisses.
I look up to see his horrified expression. “What is it?”
Milo’s eyes focus behind me, and I watch his throat constrict as he gulps.
I turn around and almost lose my balance as Coach Anders strides toward us.
“Are you serious, West?” he says in an I-mean-business tone.
“It’s not what it looks like,” I yelp, holding my hands out.
“Didn’t I get through to you yesterday?” Coach asks, landing in front of us with a pointed stare.
“What happened yesterday?” Milo asks.
I open my mouth to speak, but embarrassment and shame clams me up.
“I caught her on the field, training with the boys’ team,” Coach says, with a smug smirk as he folds his arm.
Surprise lifts Milo’s facial features. “I thought you said you were helping Maddy yesterday.”
“Well, well, Jamie.” Coach leans into his smugness. “Who haven’t you lied to in the past twenty-four hours?”
I groan and roll my eyes. “It’s not a big deal.”
“I think your aunt would disagree,” Coach says. “And don’t forget, I knew your mom. I never knew her to be a liar. What do you think she’d say about this?”
I frown and my shoulders slump. “Don’t bring her into this.”
“Why, Jamie?” Coach questions. “Because she’d be disappointed?”
“She wouldn’t be if she knew the truth,” I reply, standing taller. I look at Milo and then back at Coach. “We weren’t just fooling around. I’m teaching Milo some techniques.”
“It’s true,” Milo pipes up. “I asked Jamie to give me some pointers.”
Coach gives Milo an incredulous look. “And why would you do that?”
“Because, if you haven’t noticed, I suck,” Milo replies bluntly. “The class is huge, and I feel like I get lost in it. It doesn’t seem to matter if I do well during class or not. Until it’s report card time.”
“Regardless of your soccer aptitude,” Coach responds, “you have a brother capable of teaching you.”
Milo fidgets, looking at me and then at his feet.
“Okay,” Coach sighs. “You didn’t want to go to your brother, but going to Jamie during this time wasn’t the best decision.”
“I’m studying with her every day,” Milo replies. “I didn’t think there’d be any harm.”
“Phys-ed is the only class he’s flunking,” I say. “He wanted to be better, and I thought I could help.”
“My class assignment is today,” Milo says. “After today, I won’t have any reason to kick a ball around with Jamie.”
“Show me what you’ve got,” Coach Anders says to Milo.
With a nervous exhale, Milo pushes his glasses back up his nose.
“Go on,” Coach urges, staring him down.
I roll the soccer ball under my foot and nudge it over to Milo. He stumbles, trying to stop the ball, and it’s painful to watch. The way he fidgets behind the ball looks more like nerves than poor technique. He had this before. Why does Coach watching throw him off his game?
Coach asks Milo to dribble the ball away from us and then kick it over to him.
The ball gets away from Milo. When he regains control, he trips over it.
When he aims at Coach, it’s easy to see it won’t reach him.
Milo’s shoulders aren’t square and he’s not looking ahead before he strikes.
The ball lacks power behind it and bounces as it veers to the left.
Coach strolls toward the ball and picks it up. “Okay, I want you two to see me after school.”
“What for?” I blurt.
“Looks like you’ll both need some help to boost your grades,” Coach replies. “I’ll have a new assignment ready for you. You can collect it after your last class.”
“Another assignment?” I complain. “You can’t be serious. I already have a ton of extra homework.”
Milo dawdles back to us, a frown drooping on his face.
“Your class is today?” Coach asks Milo.
He nods. “Next period.”
“We haven’t been goofing around,” I tell Coach. “He’s done so much better than that. He was just nervous.” I look at Milo and sigh. “What happened?”
He lifts his hands and shrugs.
“Will you see me after school?” Coach asks him.
Milo nods.
“Good,” Coach says. “Now, go run five laps of the field.”
Milo’s eyes pop behind his frames, and his Adam’s apple bobs.
“I’ll go with him,” I offer in an attempt to sweet talk Coach.
He smirks at me. “It’s not a punishment for you. I want you to get your butt to study hall and start on your homework.”
I grimace. “What? But I…”
“Now, West. Or would you prefer detention?”
I lift my hands and back away. “Okay, okay. I’m going.”
I glance at Milo, and he shrugs with a tentative smile.
“Nelson, did I stammer? Why aren’t you running?” Coach barks, interrupting our moment.
Milo jolts and turns around. “Yes, Coach.”
As Milo starts on his first lap, I trudge my way back into the school building and my awaiting geography homework.
I can’t help thinking about Milo for the rest of the day. Kai is in the same phys-ed class, but bringing up his brother will seem totally weird, so I don’t ask. It’s already a given that Kai was the star of the class, so there’s no good segue.
My last class for the day is history. I try to keep my eyes forward, but I can’t help glancing in Milo’s direction. He doesn’t notice me the first two times, but on the third look, we lock eyes.
I squeak a gasp and face front.
What the heck was that noise? Oh geez, now my face is heating up.
“Jamie,” our teacher calls out.
Crap. Will he ask why I’m all embarrassed right now?
“Can you tell me the significance of 1791 to American history?” he asks in a tone that presumes I wasn’t listening.
Well, I wasn’t listening. But I’ve memorized so many useless dates this week, an answer leaves my lips like muscle memory. “That’s the year the first ten amendments were added to the Constitution.”
His brow lifts, and he smiles. “Correct. And what are they called?”
“You mean, The Bill of Rights?”
“Perfect,” he responds. He then picks out other students to name the amendments.
I slouch in my chair, happy to have the spotlight off me. Without thinking about it, I roll my head in Milo’s direction. Our eyes lock and smile lines crinkle inside his frames. My heart warms with a flutter. I smile back.
When the bell rings, Milo is up in a flash. He carries his books over to my desk.
“Yeah?” I ask, looking up at him.
“I want to walk with you to see Coach Anders,” Milo says. “I’m not walking into his office alone.”
I shrug and stand up. I gather my books and reply, “Okay, fine with me.”
When we get into the hall, we pass a few classrooms in silence. He hasn’t told me how the class went, so it can’t be good news.
“So.” I bite my lip. “How was your phys-ed class?”
Milo scuffs his shoes along the tiled floor. “If you thought I was a hopeless case in front of Coach Anders, you don’t want to know.”
“Why were you so nervous in front of Coach?” I ask Milo. “All he wants to do is help.”
Milo huffs. “I don’t know. It was just easy when it was only you and me.”
“I don’t see why.”
Milo digs his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “Thanks for sticking up for me, anyway.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t want Coach to think I was using you as an excuse to get in some soccer practice.” I roll my eyes. “Not that he saw anything that proved I was teaching you.”
“We don’t know how long he was watching us before he called out.”
“After catching me training with Kai, I doubt it took him much time to pull the plug.”
“Why did you do that? We could’ve kicked the ball around at my place if you wanted.”
“It’s not the same. I was angry that I’d missed practice, and then some of my teammates laid into me about jeopardizing the team. I just wanted to get back out there. With a team.”
We get our backpacks from our lockers and make our way to Coach Anders's office. He shares it with two other coaches, one being Milo’s phys-ed teacher, which accounts for him still acting nervous.
I knock on the door and push it open as Coach Anders says, “Come in.”
When we see he’s the only person inside, Milo exhales, and his body language loosens.
“Good, you’re both here,” Coach says with a happy grin. There’s a distinct glint in his eyes. It’s the same spark he has right before he tells us to run super hard drills.
Oh gosh, just what does he have in store for us now?
Coach reaches behind his desk and lifts something up. “Meet your new assignment.”
A baby carrier lands on his desk.
“Huh?” Milo and I respond at once.
“Say hello to your infant simulator,” Coach says, turning the carrier so we can see a freakishly realistic baby sitting inside.
“I don’t get it,” I mutter.
“You two will care for this baby for the next forty-eight hours. I’ll pick him up on Sunday during your shift at the cafe,” Coach explains.
Milo gives me a dumbfounded look, and then says to Coach, “You want us to carry a doll around for two days? That’ll make up for our grades?”