Bending Under Pressure (2 page)

“Are you excited about school starting soon?”

“I guess,” I answer.

“I can show you around and introduce you to people. How long ago did you move here?”

“A month ago.”

She nods and doesn’t say anything for two laps. I should probably be friendlier. These are my teammates and future classmates. I should accept any friend I can get and Jess is obviously trying to be nice to me.

“Is Cameron your boyfriend?” I ask as we pass the guys, who have reclaimed their spot on the bench.

Jess smiles. “Yep, and that’s his brother, Keelan.” Brothers? Interesting. “They play on the football team. Cam likes to watch me practice, and he drags Keelan with him. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?”

“No.” I pause before adding, “Do you like your school?”

“I love it. But then, I’ve lived here all my life. I think you’ll like it.”

We run the last of the laps with Jess explaining how practices normally go. Eventually, I zone out and focus on the game and my ever-stewing anger toward my family. Coach Spell watches us attentively throughout. Jess told me that he hasn’t seeded anyone yet, which is why he’s watching us. According to her, he’s going to pair us up and have us play one another later this week. She earned the number one seed last season and is hoping to reclaim it this year.

Everyone clears out once practice is over, but I stay. I really don’t want to go home. Sighing, I take a seat on the bench where Cameron and Keelan were sitting. At least I know this town has cute boys and at least one friendly girl. The others seemed nice, but didn’t go out of their way to speak to me, but I didn’t speak to them either.

I wasn’t popular at my old school; I didn’t care to be, but I had a good group of friends. Based on today, I’m not sure I can make that happen here. No one but Jess really spoke to me. Am I an outcast on day one? I didn’t do anything to cause that to happen. When I learned we were moving, despite not wanting to, my gut told me it would be good. Apparently, my gut was drunk. I’m not off to a good start.

Bending to rest my head in my hands, I notice a brown wallet underneath the bench and I pick it up. When I open it, I see Keelan’s driver’s license. It must have fallen out of his pocket. I wonder if he knows he’s lost it yet or not. I take advantage of the opportunity and look at the few details I can.

His last name is Moore. He’s five-foot-eleven and apparently lives on the same road I do. Maybe I should find his house and give it back to him. The thought makes me nervous. Can I go to someone’s house unannounced? I don’t even know him. But he could be frantically scouring his house for the wallet I have in my possession. With a sigh, I walk to my car and head home since his house is somewhere down the road from me.

All houses around here are secluded from their neighbors with large yards, and some are way off the road. I drive slowly, pissing off the driver behind me, and watch as the numbers on the mailboxes rise until I reach 962. I turn in, looking at the property as I drive up the gravel drive. There are only two cars visible outside the attached two-car garage. The house is a beautiful two-story brick home. There’s a jacked-up red truck and what looks like an old, black Mustang that has been kept in good condition. Someone should be home.

Gulping, I park behind the Mustang and walk up the small rock walkway to the house. This porch is what southern dreams are made of. It covers the entire front of the house and is complete with a swing and rocking chairs. Why couldn’t our new house have this? Maybe then I’d like it better. I push away those thoughts and press the doorbell beside the screen door. The front door is open and I already know their house is lovely and cozy with a homey feel.

After a moment, I hear a female call, “Coming!” from inside. An older black woman answers the door with a smile. “Hello. Can I help you?”

“I found this at the tennis courts.” I hold up the wallet. “It belongs to Keelan.”

“Oh, you’re a lifesaver!” A beeping sounds from the kitchen. “Come in, come in.” She turns and disappears down the hallway. Crap. I quickly open the screen door and follow her so I don’t get lost. “Keelan!” she yells as she takes a batch of cookies out of the oven. “I found your wallet!” She glances over at me, standing nervously in the middle of the room. “Have a seat. What’s your name?”

“Haley Summers.” I do as I’m told, taking a seat at her table.

Hurried footsteps sound and then Keelan appears in the kitchen. He stops short when he sees me clutching his wallet in my lap.

“Haley Summers found your wallet at the tennis courts. She came to return it. Isn’t that so sweet of her?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Haley.”

“I was going to wait to see if you came back, but then I figured you were probably frantic, so I looked at the address on your license and brought it to you,” I babble. He glances down at my lap, and I follow his gaze. “Oh! Here you go.” I hold out his wallet, and he takes it from me. “I should head home. My mom is probably wondering where I am.”

“Are you sure you can’t stay for a cookie or two? You did bring his wallet back after all,” his mom says.

“No, that’s okay. Thank you though.”

When I stand, Keelan offers to walk me out, but I decline. Today has been long enough and I’m ready to get home. The drive only takes two minutes or so. Mom bombards me the moment I walk in the door. At least, Walter isn’t around.

“How was it?”

I take a seat at the island, fiddling with my empty water bottle. “Okay.”

Mom doesn’t ask any more questions. It wouldn’t piss me off so much if not for the words that come out of her mouth next. “Walter wants—”

“I don’t care,” I automatically reply, standing up to head to my room.

“Haley, you’re being ridiculous. Walter has been nothing but nice to you, and you’re treating him like crap. It’s not right. If you want to be pissed at someone, then focus your anger on me. Not him. He doesn’t deserve it.”

“And I didn’t deserve this!” My arms flail about, motioning around us. “I was happy. We were
all
happy! God, Mom, why don’t you worry about me for two seconds instead of him! Would it kill you to care about how I’m doing? I hate it here!” I turn and storm off to my room, ignoring my mother’s call for me to come back.

Ever since she introduced me to Walter, her sole concern has been him and how he feels. I know I should probably treat him better, but for all I know, he and Mom were having an affair while my parents were still married and that’s why they divorced. No one tells me anything! Locking the door to my room, I turn up my stereo and crawl into bed with a romance novel. I’d rather escape into someone else’s world than be in my own right now.

O
nce again, Jess is the only girl at practice who speaks to me. I feel like I’ve sort of made a friend. It relaxes me a little bit. Hopefully, this means when school starts Monday, I won’t have that panicking moment where I don’t know which table to sit at in the cafeteria.

The week passes and practice goes well. Coach Spell pairs us and has us play against one another for our seed placement; he’s going to make the announcement Monday. My good feeling about Jess plummets when, at the end of practice Friday, I overhear the girls talking about a party as I slip my racquet into its cover. No one invites me though, which is fine. I grab my things to leave.

I’m halfway to my car when I hear someone call my name. I turn to see Keelan jogging toward me, Cameron and Jess not too far behind him. They’ve been watching practices here and there this week. I might have paid enough attention to them enough to know that Cameron is the owner of the truck I saw at his house.

“Hey, there’s a huge party tonight to kick off school and football season starting. Do you want to go with me?”

For a moment, I’m stunned. The same party none of my teammates offered to invite me to, Keelan is asking me to go with him? Why?

“No, thanks,” I answer.

“Oh, okay.” Keelan seems disappointed. “Not a partying kind of girl?”

“Only sometimes.” It really just depends on my mood.

He nods in understanding. “Well, can I give you my number in case you change your mind?”

“Sure.” I doubt that I will though. He’s the only one who wants me there, and I don’t know him well enough to know if going would be worth it. I pull my phone from a pocket in my racquet case, pull up where I can enter a new contact, and hand it to him to enter it himself.

Keelan smiles, his perfect white teeth making my heart beat a little faster. I love a good smile and Keelan’s is ridiculously good. “I’m going to text myself, so I’ll have your number, too.” He hands my phone back to me, and adds, “Catch ya later, Hales.”

He walks away, leaving me frowning.
Hales
? Why did he call me that? I am not a fan of nicknames. My name is Haley, which is what I prefer to be called, because it’s my name. Maybe he can be an ally on Monday at school, even though he’s given me a nickname. Shaking my head, I finish the walk to my car and head home.

I’ve been ignoring Mom and Walter since our little spat earlier this week. She wants me to focus my anger on her, so I have. After a silence-filled dinner, I retreat to my room as usual. I try calling Dad for the third time this week. My shoulders sag in disappointment when he doesn’t answer.
Again.
I was hoping he’d answer and maybe even let me come spend the weekend with him, but I guess not.

My phone dings with a text.

Keelan: Still don’t want to go? It’ll be fun. Promise.

Why does he want me to go so badly?

Me: Maybe next time. Thanks though
.

I turn my stereo on, grab a book, and put my phone on the nightstand. Everyone can go party; I’ll enjoy my book. My phone beeps, but I ignore it, lost in my fictional reality. About halfway through, my phone beeps again, and I decide to check it. Both texts are from Keelan.

Keelan: It’s good you didn’t come.

Keelan: Do you like banana splits? Have you been to Elsie’s yet?

Me: Yes and who’s Elsie?

Keelan: Not who. Where. It’s a restaurant that serves the best banana splits. Want to go?

Me: Now?

Keelan: Yeah, now. I can pick you up.

He wants to take me out for ice cream? I can’t turn him down three times in one night, and ice cream does sound good. I glance at the clock; it’s eleven p.m. Mom would never let me leave this late, even on a Friday night.

Me: I live down the road from you. Number 953. Don’t come all the way up the driveway; stay by the road and text me when you’re here.

I lock my door, turn my music down just a bit, and put on my shoes. Then I go to my window. Thank goodness for one-story homes. I turn the locks before easing the window open slowly. I do it at a snail’s pace, too. I’ve only snuck out once before. Mom caught me as I was sneaking back in, and I was grounded for a month.

Keelan: I’m here
.

With that, I climb out my window.

A
minute after sending her a text, I see her jogging up the gravel driveway, her blonde hair reflecting in tonight’s bright moonlight. When I pulled in, I turned off my headlights, figuring she was sneaking out since she asked me to stay by the road. At least the driveway is long enough that they shouldn’t hear the rumbling of my ‘67 Mustang.

She looks surprised to see me waiting next to the passenger door. She flashes me a smile as I open the door for her and she climbs in, putting on her seatbelt. She’s wearing shorts that are banned at school because of how much glorious leg they show and a fitted maroon and orange Virginia Tech t-shirt.

“I think I need to cancel.”

There’s a tinge of disappointment, and her lips part slightly in surprise of her lips. “Why?”

“Virginia Tech, really?” I glance down at her shirt and see her smile when our eyes meet again.

“Hokies all the way.”

I make a disgusted face as I shift. “You’re lucky you’re pretty.”

She giggles and I swear, I’m done for. Just like that. When I sneak a peek at her, she’s looking back at me expectantly.