Page 72 of Kickoff

I moved my hand to her chin, smoothing her lower lip with the pad of my thumb. She shivered against me. My heart jumped around in my chest. It seemed we were both reacting to each other’s proximity.

“I do. I trust you, Mase.”

I framed her face with a hand, leaning in.

“Oh, Mason, you’re back. Hi, Melinda.” Mom couldn’t have chosen a worse time to interrupt us. “Can you come inside? Your father and Craig left, and I need the oversized pot from the shelf in the garage. I would really appreciate your help because I’m not tall enough to get it without a stepladder, and since my son is almost a giant compared to me, he can grab it without a hitch.”

I sighed, not releasing Melinda. “Can it wait?”

“Not really. It will only take you a minute. You’ll be back out here in no time.”

“Mom.”

“Mason.”

“Fine.” I let go of Melinda. “I’ll pick you up at noon. We’ll grab food and study for that test. Don’t make other plans, okay?”

She nodded.

I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. “Good.”

“What’s up, people?” Chase said as he spun the empty chair and sat with his arms folded over the backrest. “You don’t mind, right?” He didn’t let us speak a word before he picked the fries from the basket in the middle of the table, the one I was adamant Melinda and I should share when we ordered.

“Why don’t you go elsewhere to see if you’re needed?” I asked, mouthing sorry at Melinda as my best friend bit into my burger next.

“Nah. All good here. Mel, you don’t mind me sticking around and ordering food, huh? I’m kinda starving.”

Before she could utter a word, he had stuffed our textbooks in her bag and placed it on the chair next to his.

Melinda snickered and pointed to the chair he had already occupied. “Suit yourself.”

“Don’t indulge him,” I told her. “We were studying here. Can’t you read between the lines?” I then asked Chase.

“Enough schoolwork. You both will get those full rides to college next year. Don’t stress over it. You’re like royalties in your own sport.” His humor faded. “And I kinda don’t want to be alone.” Chase and I exchanged words without speaking any. “You know how my old man is when he comes back from a work trip…”

Chase’s dad was a motherfucker with a capital M. Every time Mr. Hillman returned from one of his business trips, he drank to oblivion and screamed profanities at my best friend before passing out on the couch in a drunken stupor. Once his father had even thrown a beer bottle at Chase’s head and laughed as if it was a joke. Since his dad was home only one weekend every month, Chase usually did his best to disappear during that time.

“You can stay, man. Don’t worry. We won’t kick you out.” I chewed on a handful of fries. “I’ll tell Mom you’re staying over this weekend.”

Chase nodded, glancing down. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

The server came to take his order, and when he left, my friend spun his chair around, resting his elbows on the wooden surface of the table, his chin propped up on his fists, watching us.

Space Burger was the hangout spot for students after school. It was located in a small shopping plaza that also housed a coffee shop and a pizza place. During the summer months, there was a small outdoor stage where local bands performed every weekend. During school year, students from Elk River High often came here to study, fraternize, or grab food. Contrary to its name, it didn’t have a space-themed decor. The tables were dark wood, the chairs an array of pastel colors, and the walls were whitewashed wood, with blackboards filled with motivational quotes and menus written in white chalk. Pool and foosball tables were set in the far corner by the hallway leading to the restrooms. They served a mean black bean patty and avocado burger, and their cheese fries were legendary in all of Michigan.

Melinda pushed her plate away like she was done. I intertwined our fingers under the table and rested our joined hands on her thigh. I risked a side-glance at her. She smiled at my best friend, who was biting into his food like there was no tomorrow and moaning in delight. She hadn’t even eaten half of her Greek salad, the one thing I had convinced her to order after she stated she wasn’t hungry because she had eaten before I picked her up. We’d been here for two hours, and I hoped she would change her mind by the time we were done. With all the training hours she put in a week, I rarely saw her eat more than a few bites each time we were together. I knew girls like Tanya and her friends counted all their calorie intake and checked their figure every ten minutes, but Melinda had never been one of those. I’d seen her indulge in burgers and pizza plenty of times in the past. Maybe the anxiety was weighing on her these days. All the student-athletes around the country, hoping to be recruited by their dream college, were waiting for offers. I knew how stressful the process could be. I was one of the lucky ones who had already received a bunch of them. I just had to commit to one. I knew where I wanted to go, but my parents were adamant I took my time and thought it through.

Chase went on about a pro football player at the top of his game who just announced his retirement after another knee injury, and I scooped a black olive from Melinda’s plate and chewed on it, listening to him.

Melinda let go of my hand. “I’ll be right back.” She stood and walked toward the restrooms.

“You guys are spending your weekends together now?” my best friend asked, sipping on his strawberry milkshake with a slurping sound. “Anything you’re not telling me?”

“I’m helping her train so she can go back to her pre-surgery fitness level. She said she’s behind her teammates, so we’ve been running and lifting weights during our free time. With the occasional yoga practice. Stuff like that. No big deal. We both had a free day today, so we decided to study together.”

He glanced over his shoulder as if to verify Melinda wasn’t back yet. “Don’t train her too much or soon she’ll break.”

“She’s on a new regimen her coach has put her on. Said it should help with her performances. I’m no swimmer and no nutritionist. I trust her coach to watch out for her.”