Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
NASH
“So, you guys are together?” Simin asks as we stretch, getting ready for another killer practice. It felt good to win our first home game, but it’s a long season, and we need to be prepared for anything.
“We are,” I say, putting my right foot against my left leg and leaning over it. “Wyatt is my boyfriend.” It hurts my stomach to say that when this is all fake, and I want so badly for it to be true.
“Since when?” Temi eyes me from her side stretch. She’s the one I knew would be the hardest to convince. When we met in Italy, the kiss was still fresh on my skin, and I confided in her quickly.
“It’s recent,” I say, avoiding saying anything specific.
“But what about…” she starts.
I switch legs. “We were out for our usual burgers after the game last Friday and we finally talked about the kiss.”
“What kiss?” Simin asks, confused.
“The kiss they shared before she left to play volleyball in Rome,” Temi fills her in.
“Right,” I say, putting both legs out in front of me and folding over them.
I talk with my face almost touching my legs, which makes lying easier.
“I said that I felt something, but when he didn’t mention it ever again, I thought he felt nothing, and he said that he thought the same about me.
Once we established that that wasn’t the case for either of us…
.” I pause here and let them fill in whatever they want to think happened.
I decided on this story because it seems best to stick as close to the truth as possible.
“Wow, you guys are horrible communicators.” Simin laughs at the stubbornness of it all while she stretches her shoulder out.
“We’re working on it.” By lying to everyone else, too.
Coach blows her whistle, and we all stand to do moving warmups.
We line up at the base line and wait our turn to skip to the net and back.
“It’s perfect timing, too, because in two weeks it’s the NFL Honors and Wyatt is getting the award for most sacks. ”
“That will be so exciting and glamorous,” Simin exclaims, then launches up into a one-legged skip leaving me and Temi behind at the line.
Temi smiles at me and it makes my throat burn with worry. “I’m really happy for you guys.”
“Thank you.” I’m not sure what else I can say without my conscience taking over my body and spilling all the gory details.
I imagine saying it out loud: it’s all fake.
Then Temi would look at me, disappointed, not only for lying, but for stringing Wyatt along.
This is too much to ask of a best friend—both her and him.
The NFL Honors will be on national TV. Everyone will see us together and it will be a hell of a lot to unravel.
But this is something I have to do. If I don’t try absolutely everything to get this volleyball league up and off the ground, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.
Obviously, they’ve hired a staff, but just like volleyball is a team sport, this is an all-hands-on-deck situation.
Coach’s whistle blows again, knocking me out of my spiraling thoughts and making me realize it’s my turn. I almost held up the line. That’s no way to get to a championship game. Worrying about the future on the sideline—especially when it’s a future I can still change.