Chapter 32
thirty-two
Charlie
E verything will be okay. Everything will be okay. Everything will be okay. I repeated over and over, starting the moment Cash walked out the door, with everyone watching. Even with my chest caving in, my heart begging me to go after him, I chanted those words. And I kept repeating them as my family tried to change my mind. And as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, and all night as sleep evaded me. And the next morning as I got ready for the race, and the entire two-hour ride to the venue.
But when I wandered around the sponsors’ booths for an hour before the race began and couldn’t find Cash, I knew I’d only been fooling myself.
Everything was not okay.
Where was he? Was he even coming?
One by one, when family found us, partners broke off to check out the tents, until finally it was just me and Theo. Fifteen minutes before our start time, Cash still wasn’t there, and Theo had to go find his race partner.
What if Cash didn’t show at all? What if I’d hurt him so badly that he wasn’t coming?
There were walls I had to climb that I wasn’t sure I could get over without a boost. The penalty for failing to get over a wall was thirty burpees. Burpees sapped my energy faster than anything.
When he still wasn’t there ten minutes before our heat began, I started to panic.
I typed yet another text on my watch, asking where he was.
“He’ll be here,” Theo said after I checked the time on my watch again. “I need to go find Blaze.”
“I’ll come with you.”
He smiled. “And I need to use the bathroom. I’ll meet you at the start line.”
“But I’ll have to crawl under…” He jogged away. “The barbed wire alone,” I muttered to myself. I glanced around, searching for a Dupree anywhere. But there were none to be found. They were probably already at the start line.
But if not…
I stepped into the line of racers waiting to belly-crawl beneath the wire. As I dragged myself forward, I tried not to dwell on what I’d do if Cash didn’t show. A barb snagged my tank top, but the woman beside me reached over and helped me untangle. I took it as a sign that Cash was waiting ahead and today wouldn’t suck.
That lasted exactly ten seconds. I popped up, scanned the crowd, and saw…Not. A. Single. Dupree. Did they not realize they were going to miss the race if they didn’t hurry?
“Thirty seconds!” The race official called.
What?! I pushed up on my tiptoes, my heart in my throat at the thought of running this without someone I knew.
I stepped over to a man a few feet away. “Can you tell me if this race is on time? I don’t see my family and I’m wondering if I’m too early or too late?”
“It’s on time. Are you 10:15?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“Ten!” The racers shouted in excited unison. “Nine! Eight!”
I darted in and out of people, still searching.
“Five! Four! Three!”
I threw my hands up.
“AROO!” Everyone shouted together instead of the number one. And we were off.
Well, they were off.
I was still standing there like a dummy, looking for my family, a heavy longing for Cash filling my chest. Had something happened to him? It wasn’t like him to ignore my texts. And he never just didn’t show.
“Miss!” The race official called. “Go, go, go!” He motioned for me to hurry.
The second I ran over one of the black mats, the chip in my wristband would start and my time would begin. But who was I even racing against if my family was MIA? I didn’t know the rest of these yahoos.
“My group isn’t here,” I told the race official. “I’m worried something might’ve happened.”
He waved that away. “It happens. They probably lost track of time. What’s your name?” He pulled out his phone and looked at my headband. “I’ll write down your race number and I’ll have someone find you if we get some kind of news.”
“Charlie Dupree.”
“Got it!” He waved me on. “Good luck!”
I was at the rear of the group but I jogged at an easy pace, trying not to panic. There were cameras everywhere. Crews were filming and a couple of drones flew around overhead. But I couldn’t think about any of that right now.
Of course, they had to start the race with a hill so we could all be dead by the time we got to the top.
“I hate hills,” I grumbled, my throat thick. “We were supposed to do this together. That’s the whole point.” I fought back tears. “Stop being a baby. They’re probably all having a good laugh. Probably planned this whole thing just to watch you run a race they never intended to run and they’ll be sipping pina coladas when you get to the finish line.” Well, joke was on them. I was going to demand all the prize money if that was the case.
“Hey there, race buddy.”
I jumped at the sound of Cash’s voice right next to me. When I laid eyes on him—so handsome even with his headband across his forehead like Rambo—my heart banged against my ribs. I flung myself into his arms, making him stumble.
He hugged me tight but then I smacked him in the chest. “Where have you been?”
He dodged my next smack and laughed. “The line to the bathroom was like rush hour traffic in DC. Sorry.” Then he flipped around and ran backward, showing off. He was wearing the compression socks we’d ordered, matching mine, with a guitar fretboard up the front.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
He turned forward, running normally. “No idea. But guess what?”
“What?” I puffed.
“If they don’t show up, we get all the money.”
I laughed. “Yeah, we do.”
As we fell into an easy pace, I watched him. All night, I’d dissected his words, trying not to panic that they meant we were breaking up. But he seemed fine, like last night had never happened. Happy even.
“All right,” he said when we crested the top of the hill, not even breaking a sweat yet. “First obstacle, coming up. The five-foot hurdle. You remember what to do?”
“Yes.”
I kept my eyes trained on the huge beam blocking the trail. Five feet might not be much for a guy—but for a girl whose strength was mostly in her legs, it was a bit daunting. We’d gone over this though.
I looked for the lowest point and headed in that direction. Then, with my hands on top of the beam, I jumped straight up like I was trying to heave myself out of a pool. My abdomen pressed into the wood, and I pushed up, careful of my scar. I hooked one leg over and pulled the other around, just like climbing a fence.
When I landed on the other side, I whooped, fists thrust to the sky. I turned just in time to see Cash flinging himself over like it was child’s play, grinning at me.
“Go Charlie!” someone shrieked. I whipped my head around and there was sixteen-year-old Sophie—wild, wavy auburn hair and green eyes full of mischief—flipping a poster board sign like she was getting paid to bring in business. Griffin, Lemon, and Silas were next to her, waving. Sophie stopped twirling the sign so I could read it.
The Truth Is…
Charlie is the strongest person we know.
Also, she has the best comebacks.
“What is this?” I laughed as I jogged toward them. “Why aren’t you racing?”
“Oh, we are!” Silas hooted. The second we passed them, they took off, sprinting by with ease, the poster board rolled up in Silas’s hand.
When Griff and Aunt Lemon took the lead, Sophie screamed, “I’m going to kick y’all’s trash!”
Griffin taunted over his shoulder, “You’ll have to catch us first!”
Cash laughed.
“Why were they holding that sign?” I asked.
“I guess they thought you needed the extra encouragement?” He shrugged. But there was something in his eyes that wasn’t quite right.
A drone flew by my head, nearly clipping my ear. I screamed. “What in the world?”
As my aunt, uncle, and two cousins sprinted away, I felt the prize money slipping through my fingers.
“No worries,” Cash chuckled, apparently reading my mind. “They’re going to burn out real quick if they keep up that pace. We just barely started. Slow and steady.”
But after another fifty yards he said, “Maybe not that slow and steady. Can you go any faster?”
I nodded, kicking up my speed. “As long…as you don’t…make me talk.”
“Six-foot wall coming up,” Cash said. “Remember to get a running start and put your foot into the wall. I’m ready with a boost if you need it.”
I nodded. I had a feeling I was going to be nodding a lot.
When we got to the wall, I made it almost to the top but I couldn’t get up high enough to hold myself and I started to fall. Before I could panic, Cash heaved my foot up, boosting me high enough to clear it in one go. I whipped my legs over and landed with a hard thud on the other side.
I turned to watch him sail over it with ease, hitting the ground like a cat.
“Charlie!” someone screamed. That was Belle’s voice. “Hurry! We need to catch The Silas Dupree’s!”
Just like at the first obstacle, I turned to see her and Gramps waving. Belle shook another poster board. But this time there was a camera guy off to the side filming them, and then me and Cash, and then them. Belle’s sign read,
The Truth Is…
Charlie never gives up. Not on others and not on herself. (PS: She’s my favorite cousin—but don’t tell anyone.)
—Belle (and Gramps)
I didn’t know what was happening, but I sprinted over with a new energy I didn’t know I had and threw my arms around them both. “I love you guys!”
They hugged me back.
“We love you !” Gramps laughed.
“Let’s go!” Belle squealed.
Gramps and Belle fell in step fifteen feet ahead. Belle was stupid-fast. But she was Blue’s daughter so that was to be expected.
I glanced over at Cash. “What is this? Did you do this?”
His brows bounced but then he picked up the pace, like outrunning the question might make it disappear.
The next obstacle was the bucket carry.
“You know what to do?” he asked again.
I did. I lifted a red five-gallon bucket—holding between thirty and forty pounds of gravel—and wrapped my arms around it, clutching it to my chest. He hoisted up a black sixty-pound bucket over his shoulder. We zigged and zagged through the turns of the roped-off area for what felt like a mile. I had a goal to get to the end without stopping. Someone else must’ve given up, because halfway through, there was a red women’s bucket tossed to the side.
I breathed a little easier when Silas, Sophie, Lemon, and Griffin passed us going the opposite direction, all with their buckets. They weren’t that far ahead. Their poster had disappeared somewhere along the way. Then we came up on Gramps and Belle. Their sign was gone too. Belle was struggling to hold onto her bucket but Gramps had one hand underneath, helping.
We hurried past.
“Hey!” Belle yelled.
“Sorry,” I called.
“Not sorry,” Cash finished with a hoot.
I glanced back at them longingly, my pace slowing.
“No,” Cash said. “We have prize money to win. No bleeding hearts today, Charlie.”
He was right. If there hadn't been money involved, I would’ve been bringing up the rear, making sure no family member was left behind—but I needed that money. Desperately.
“You’ve got this, Belle!” I encouraged.
Not long after, I had to slow down to adjust my grip, finally putting the bucket on my shoulder like Cash, but I didn’t stop.
When we made it to the end, I’d never been happier to set something on the ground. Cash gave me a double high five.
“It’s the Chuckster!”
Theo and Blaze, and Aunt Christy and Anna were up ahead. Theo’s sign said,
The truth is…
Charlie’s a freaking rockstar. She delivered a baby in a moving van!
Also, she’s the best sister a guy could ever ask for and one of my best friends. Psst: Don’t tell Jane or Emily.
Christy and Anna each held one side of their sign.
The truth is...
Charlie didn’t disappear.
She was still in every prayer, every meal, every hope, and every conversation. We’re SOOOO glad she’s home!
I swallowed the lump in my throat. My heart felt like it had grown three sizes just like the Grinch. Combined with the running, I could barely breathe.
“I love you guys!” was all I could get out. I hugged each of them, overwhelmed. They hugged me back, and then, like the others, they took off ahead of us.
“You did this,” I said to Cash after I caught my breath. It wasn’t a question anymore. I knew. Maybe my family had agreed and made their own signs, but Cash was the ringleader.
“Just repaying the favor.”
“What favor? I’ve done nothing but drag you down since I got home. Pulled you into my mess. Ruined your concert.”
“I was talking about that one time right after I found out that Braxton wasn’t my real dad, and you organized that whole Cash Dupree: The Greatest Hit You Never Knew You Wrote night. Complete with slideshows and presentations. You knew it was going to be hard for me and you did that, trying to catch me up on all the memories I’d missed out on. Helping me ease into becoming a Dupree.”
“Well,” I said with a teasing huff. “You waited long enough to return the favor.”
He winked. “Nah. I waited until the exact right time.”
My chest squeezed. Part of the reason I hadn’t been able to fall asleep last night was because I’d made the mistake of reading the comments of the two TikTok reels that were already going viral of me and the Delta Gamma showdown.
Some people had stuck up for me, but there were still plenty of haters. Not gonna lie, I’d been feeling like maybe I’d be better off disappearing again, this time to a foreign country. I’d get a nose job, cut and dye my hair blonde, and live in a hut on a beach somewhere. Exist off of fish I caught with my bare hands. I hated seafood but even that was beginning to sound more preferable than this nonsense.
The only thing stopping me? My beautiful family, who was reminding me this morning just how awesome they were. And the hurt I knew it would cause the guy running by my side.
“Is this how the whole race is going to go?” I asked. “Someone cheering me on at every obstacle?” I didn’t know if my heart could take it. Or my tear ducts.
“Not every obstacle. Just the first thirteen. Believe it or not, they’re all dying to run the race. But they were excited to do this for you.”
“So, how is this working then? They obviously crossed the start line way ahead of us.”
“Dupree House Rules for this race only.” Finally, sweat was running down his cheek. I’d smelled like a guys’ locker room since the very first hill. “Times don’t count. It’s all about who crosses the finish line first. They did their obstacles up until their stopping point. Then they have to wait for us and they’re not allowed to run until we get there. But once we pass them, it’s gloves off.”
Just then, a side-by-side zoomed past. A guy was sitting in the bed, facing us, videoing.
“What’s with all the cameras?” I asked.
“Typical Spartan Race stuff,” he grunted, then tossed his chin up. “The Olympus is next.”
“Crap.”
The Olympus was a twenty-foot-long, obtuse angled wall that had to be crossed without grabbing the top or touching the ground. And all they gave you to hold onto were scattered holes, stubby rock grips, and some short, dangling chains. It was going to take upper body strength that I probably didn’t have, since my arms were already beat from the bucket carry. Other than the spear throw, I was more afraid of this obstacle than any other.
“No worries,” Cash said. “I got you.”
And he did.
He stayed right behind me, hands out, ready to catch me if I fell. I almost made it completely on my own, but it was a struggle. Two feet from the end, my foot slipped and I nearly ate it, but Cash was right there, hands on my waist until I slapped the bell.
Then he went back to traverse it himself. His biceps, triceps, calves, and quads bulged with the effort, but he was across in fifteen seconds flat.
Once again, a family member was waiting to cheer me on. This time, it was Bowen and Maggie. Bowen grinned, completely shirtless, hair pulled into his signature man bun, sunlight glinting off his piercing. His sign made me laugh.
The truth is…
Charlie still owes me $7
and two chicken nuggets
I guffawed. He’d loaned me some money a couple of weeks ago to buy two new music composition notebooks when we’d all gone to Honeyville and I’d forgotten my wallet. And I had stolen a couple of his nuggs when he wasn’t looking last time we made a midnight run to Mickey D’s.
“I’ll pay you back when I win this money!” I yelled.
But then he flipped the sign around.
Keep it. I won’t need it when I win this race.
But also…
Thank you, Charlie, for always loving me exactly the way I am.
I let out a little sigh.
It looked like Maggie was reading the back of the poster for the first time too. Her hand pressed to her heart and she gazed at Bowen with that same dewy-eyed look she’d given him the evening he taught her to throw the spear.
I couldn’t go one step further. Not without hugging him. I threw my arms around his neck. “I do love you. You’re one of my favorite people.”
“Ditto.” He chuckled, crushing me against him as he swayed me side to side. “But you gotta let me go, because Charlie girl? We've got a race to run.”
“Let’s do it.” I broke into a jog, waving for them to hurry.
Cash and I stuck right behind Bowen and Maggie, who once again had the stride of an Olympic synchronized swimming team. Over the hills, through the trees, and past every obstacle—the atlas carry, the multi-rig, the slip wall, and the rope climb, which I rocked by the way—the four of us stuck together, hooting, laughing, and cheering each other on.
And after every obstacle, there were more family members and more signs trying to right all the wrongs the world believed about me—and that I believed about myself.
The truth is…
Every time Charlie walks into a room, it feels like when the sun breaks through the clouds on a stormy day. She shines so bright, you can’t help but shine too.
The truth is…
Charlie is tougher than any acid. She’s the strongest person I know.
The truth is…
It’s okay to come home messy. Been there, done that. It happens to the best of us. And Charlie *is* the best of us.
That one was Ford.
Just when I was beginning to get overwhelmed from so much love, Maddie’s sign gave me the laugh I needed to release the pressure.
The truth is... I’ve spent the last year telling all my college friends that my gorgeous cousin lives in Paris doing secret agent stuff. Don’t ruin this for me, Charlie. Keep being mysterious and beautiful.
PS: Seriously tho—never disappear again, okay?
But when I saw my strong, steady dad holding his sign—tall, bearded, eyes full of love as he watched me run toward him…something cracked wide open in my chest.
The truth is… Charlie is mine. Not by blood but definitely by choice. And I would choose her again and again and again. No regrets.
Then, of course, because he was a retired literature professor and a bestselling author, there was a quote at the bottom:
“Love, not blood, makes a family.”
I didn’t care if this ended up on the news—and the cameraman directly behind Dad made me suspect that it would—I sprinted toward the man who had raised me as his own, a second wind burning in my veins.
He tossed the poster board to the side just in time to catch me.