Page 69 of Forged Forever

“You can stay here?”

“Thanks, but I don’t want to leave Dad here alone.” I hear Jake yawn, so I tell him to get some sleep. He offers to stay on the line, but I insist, and I don’t want to call Seb because it’s their first night with Nick at home.

As I’m pondering, Dad joins me. “I haven’t forgotten about your birthday tomorrow, darling. Neither have the guys. We’ll celebrate after your track meet.”

“Okay,” I nod.

“What’s bothering you, darling?”

“The house, and I’m not sure why. I mean, it’s fixed and clean.”

“I’m not an expert, but I would call what happened a violation. Our home was invaded, and it will take time for those feelings to pass.”

“Sarah is rubbing off on you,” I smile.

“Probably,” he smiles. “Let’s grab some snacks and watch a movie.”

Chapter 40

The last track meet is at the local college again this year. I slept last night, but woke up often. Not scared, but still unsettled. Hopefully, it doesn’t take long for the uneasiness to go away. If I had some sage, I’d use it, but it didn’t survive the attack.

A beautiful bouquet of rainbow roses is on the island when I walk into the kitchen for breakfast. Smiling, I grab the card. It’s from Sue and Mal. Texting them both, I take a seat. “Morning, Dad.”

“Happy birthday, darling.” He plates the blueberry pancakes he was cooking, sliding them across the counter to me, then opening his arms for a hug. I gladly get up and step into his embrace. “I can’t believe you’re 18 already. Time goes by too fast,” he sighs.

“At least I’m staying here for college. You won’t get rid of me easily.”

“Thank goodness.” Kissing the top of my head, he goes back to the stove and pulls a pan of bacon from the oven. Yum. We eat quickly, then I pack my bag, and Dad drives us across the river in my Jeep.

Our group all seems to arrive at the same time this morning. Dad parks beside Holly and her mom, and I can tell Holly is already amped up for the meet. “Hey girl. Happy birthday! I’m so ready for today.” Holly says.

“Hey Holly. Oof.” Looking behind me, I see Olivia wrapped around me with a smile, and I didn’t hear her coming. “Hello Miss Olivia,” I smile.

“Happy birthday. Run faster than everyone else, okay? You too, Holly.” She sees Nick, so she’s off before I can answer. Olivia makes a beeline for him and ends up on his back right away.

I get hugs from the other guys and say my hellos, reintroducing Jake to some of them, everyone wishing me a happy birthday, then walk up to Nick. Gabby must have cut his hair last night. The sides are shaved, and his hair looks full and healthy despite the man bun that Olivia is holding onto. “Happy birthday, Shortie.”

“You are the best birthday present,” I smile, reaching up to kiss his cheek.

“Eww, Summer! Boy cooties.” Olivia scrunches up her nose.

“Yes, that’s gross, munchkin. Remember that,” Bay points at her.

Chuckling, we make our way to the tunnel. I step up beside Jake and take his hand as we walk through. “Will is leaving. Tomorrow is his last day. Janus too,” Jake tells me.

“Oh wow. It’ll be strange not to have them around.”

“Yeah, I’ll miss Will. It must be hard doing his job. He spends months with someone everyday then no contact. He said he’ll work at the hospital for a little while before taking on a long term client again.”

“Yeah. I never thought of it that way.”

Seb bounds over and slings his arm over my shoulder to see what we’re talking about.

The track is the same as I remember as we enter the oval. Holly and I break away to join our team in the middle of the track and find Jaxon already there. He points out the scouts sitting on the far side of the stands, and I recognize Charleston, USC and UNC, but there are several others. We're hoping Jaxon gets a scholarship offer today.

I focus as the races begin, with Jaxon first. My first race is the 800m right after the distance race, so I begin my warm up immediately. I’m determined to end the season on a high note and win all three races today. I'll need to run faster to win, as most people will leave it all on the track today. The coach gives me a pep talk, and then I take my place at the starting line.

As expected, I’m running hard but edge out the win. We also win the relay, and Holly sails easily to her 200m victory, all in the morning.