Page 74 of Running
“Mom does, but Lainie doesn’t like watching me get tackled. She’s always worried I’m hurt after a sack, stuff like that. So she’s more hit or miss.”
“It’s definitely not fun to watch your family member getting hit. At least Landon’s usually the one doing the tackling. Have you had any bad injuries before?”
“Nah, just the typical bumps and bruises, like these beauties.” I show her two black-and-blues on my arm.
“Ouch.” She crinkles her nose.
“They’re nothing out of the norm, but I’m glad to have ten days to heal this time. Do you ever get aches and pains from running, with doing so many miles?”
“Yeah, my right knee can get finicky especially, but it settles down with rest.” She looks thoughtful for a moment. “Speaking of running, can I ask your opinion on something?”
“You don’t even need to ask, Goldie.”
She then explains the request from Tolliver’s coach. I keep my expression neutral, but I get more excited as she explains their conversation. The validation of her NCAA accomplishments is so warranted—and hopefully will be the exact thing to push away the negative echoes of her experience with that Smalls guy.
In the meantime, she looks at me in earnest, wanting reinforcement. “I’m leaning yes, because it feels like another step in making my running what I want it to be. Worst case, it’ll be a single conversation and over quickly. If Jasmine and I click, maybe I can help her.”
I grab her right hand and feather our fingers together. “It sounds like you don’t have much to lose.”
“Shelley seems really nice, too. Honestly, it’s the kind of thing I would’ve said yes to without hesitating before—well, you know, before everything happened at the NCAAs my senior year.”
I stroke her hand with my thumb. “You deserve to feel good about track again, Grace. Maybe this is one piece of that.”
A small smile comes over her face. “Thanks. I think I’m going to say yes. I’ll call her Monday.”
“How does it work, anyway? Is there a track and field season she would be prepping for?”
“Well, right now, it’s cross-country season. At least for me, cross-country meets were for working on my conditioning and helping the team get points. The NCAA indoor track and field championships aren’t until March, and the outdoor ones, not until June. So you have to pace yourself for where you want to peak.”
“You can compete in all of them?”
“Oh, yeah, you can. And like, in high school, I was seriously vying for wins in everything, cross country and track meets. But in college, it’s best to specialize a bit more.”
“It’s a whole new world for me,” I acknowledge.
We’re quiet for a moment, and she sets our plates in the basket, having both finished our food in the course of our conversation.
The sun is starting to set, with orange and gold streaks shooting through the blue of the sky. The light streaming over her emphasizes her natural glow—she’s radiant.
“You’re so beautiful,” I slip out.
“Oh, Johnson, you do know how to woo a lady.” Despite the tease, she looks half uncertain at how to take the compliment. “I—I didn’t wear as much makeup as I sometimes do. I wanted to be comfortable, and I wasn’t sure how active we would be.”
I immediately read between the lines. “You wear makeup even if it makes you uncomfortable?”
She looks out over the stream. “Yeah, I mean, I have lots of friends who love glamming up. But I prefer less over more. My mom taught me a certain way of styling myself though, so it’s really ingrained.”
My response comes easily. Now that I know more about Grace, I can see the path that made her feel stuck on this front.
“Well, every version of you is gorgeous to me. Be the oneyouwant to be.”
A mix of awe and happiness shine through her eyes in response.
“You unexpectedly have a way with words, Johnson.”
“I mean everything I say.”
She bites her lip like she’s deciding whether to say something out loud.
