Chapter 19: TREVOR: You know what? I know I'm jealous.
My heart pounds, the sweat seeps through my athletic shirt. Damn, that was grueling. I know from experience that coach likes to make the tryouts extra hard. That way he gets only the most dedicated players. I let my eyes wander over the crows, looking for Haley. She said she’d be here. There are girls waving and cheering at me. I smile and wave back, but my eyes keep searching. Ah! There she is: sitting alone in the middle of the bleachers. She sends me a smile and a thumbs-up. It’s not an enormous cheer, but it’s genuine. And that’s much better.
A couple drills later, I notice Haley waving at someone else. Who else does she know here? I wave at her and she waves back. A few minutes later, I catch sight of who she must have been waving to. Corey. The Belgian creeper. You know what? I know I’m jealous. I admitted it to myself the time I texted Haley saying I’d miss her. And the way Corey glares at me, I know he sees me as an enemy.
Every drill drains me a little more, but Haley’s thumbs up and smile keeps me going. It’s not that I’m in love or anything. It’s just that a little genuine encouragement goes a long way. Especially when your parents have always been too busy to give you any. And knowing that Corey is getting the same genuine encouragement is kind of annoying. Like I said, I’m jealous.
“Choi, Hopkins, front and center.” Ah, we’re doing a brief showdown. One of us with the ball, the other guarding the goal. Who’s Hopkins? I see Corey come up with me, his eyes boring into mine. The girls in the stands go wild.
“It’s like a showdown between the two hottest guys in school,” One girl whispers, a little too loudly.
“I know! It’s like my birthday came early!” I take my place in the goal. Corey takes the ball and gets in position. He whips his shirt off in one swift movement. A collective gasp echoes the entire field. Even the coach’s jaw is wiping grass. I look up at Haley, a twist in my stomach at the exasperated smile on her face. It’s like she knows he’s challenging me but she’s enjoying the view. Damn it. I tug my shirt off as well, leading to another collective gasp and I swear a couple girls fainted. That was a definite confidence booster. I glance up at Haley. She’s covered her face in her hands, an incredulous laugh bubbling from her lips. Yeah, she knows exactly what’s going on.
Corey smirks at me and I smirk back. Tension crackles across the field.
“All right, go!” Yells the coach, forgetting the whistle around his neck. Corey aims and fires. The ball barely slips through my fingers, but I grab it at the last minute, clutching it close to my chest. The crowd goes wild. I look up and see Haley exiting the bleachers. She waves at Corey first and then at me. She points to her phone. Ha! I think to myself,Corey didn’t get a text from Haley now, did he? It occurs to me, of course, that Haley doesn’t have Corey’s number and that could be the only reason she didn’t text him. That doesn’t stop me from feeling smug. When the coach calls a water break, I jog over to my athletic bag and grab my phone. There’s two texts.
The first says she’s staying to watch more than an hour. I owe her, apparently. The second one congratulates me on my success and asks me “not to kill Corey.” Ha! I’ll try.
***
“How were the rest of tryouts?” Haley asks as I drag my feet through the door. I sit down on one of the bar stools by the kitchen counter. Damn, I’m exhausted.
“Tiring. Now you see why encouragement is so important?” She pulls a jug of milk from the fridge and pours me a glass.
“Yeah. You looked exhausted out there. Do you want dinner before or after you shower?” I rest my head against the cool granite. “Well?” she asks.
“Don’t ask me to make decisions right now. I can’t even think straight,” I whine. She just shakes her head.
“I ordered takeout, it got here about a minute ago. Drink your milk and then take a really quick shower. You don’t want the food getting cold. You haven’t even started homework yet, have you?” I glance at the clock. It’s 6 pm.
“I don’t have that much to do today, do I?” I glug down the milk.
“No, I don’t think so. Make sure not to fall asleep in the shower!” I nod and clamber up the stairs. A brief but relaxing shower later, I’m energized and ready for food.
“What did you order?” I ask.
“Mexican,” she says with a smile. “You know that little place down on 5th?” I nod. I shove the enormous burrito in my mouth, finishing the entire thing before Haley even finishes half of hers.
“Ti-red!” I moan, putting my head back down on the counter. Haley laughs and lets me nap until she finishes her own burrito.
“Come on, Trevor. We have math homework!” I shake my head.
“I’ll do it tomorrow.”
“Do you plan on missing tryouts then?” I snap my head up.
“To the math homework!” I yell loudly, bounding up the stairs. Haley chuckles.
“That doesn’t even make sense!” she yells after me. I ignore her.
I finish my math homework within an hour and head back downstairs. Haley is lying on the couch, watching My Wife and Kids.
“I’m on episode three,” she says, patting the space next to her. I plop down and look at her. So tired. I get an idea. I put my head in her lap and close my eyes.
“Leg fat makes such a comfortable pillow,” I say with a smile. Something smacks me in the chest. Hard.
“Muscle, bird brain. 100% muscle!” I open my eyes to find annoyed blue orbs glaring back. I can tell that she’s not entirely sure if I’m joking or not. I poke her leg with a finger.
“Good point. Lots of muscle involved.” Then I shut my eyes and pretend to be fast asleep. She tries to push my head away, but eventually gives up. The TV blaring and Haley’s occasional giggle lull me to sleep. Her hand plays absentmindedly with my hair.
This is the life.
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Yeah, seems kinda filler-ish, no? I thought you guys deserved some cuteness before any more over-dramatic stuff. I think just about everyone wants to throw the therapist off a cliff, and we have one vote for Corey being adorable. Any other ideas? Ooh! How many are rooting for Trevor and how many for Corey? I love hearing you guys talk about the characters in the comments♥
Make sure to vote and comment! (Especially on the last chapter. Everyone seems to forget to vote on that one, lol).
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It Started with a Bet... (Watty Awards 2011)
Teen FictionWhen Haley finds out that Trevor Choi has taken on a bet and now must get her to go out with him, she makes a little bet of her own.
