Runner Girl

Chapter Fifteen

She sits back and studies me carefully. "Any other favors you're interested in? Should I prepare myself for a constant barrage of petitions, or worse, a child's attempt at extortion?"

Slowly, I consider her words. I'm not the type to try to blackmail her, but it didn't occur to me until she said it that I might be able to ask her for more favors. She gave me a redo on the dance just for bobbing for apples; what else might she have the power to do? I glance down at my cast, and when I look back up, her eyes are sad.

"You could fix this, couldn't you?" I ask, trying to keep the longing out of my voice.

Aphrodite sighs. "I could, if you earned another boon from me."

I lean forward eagerly. "How do I do that?"

"You wait and you do whatever I ask, and the next time I offer a prize, you win it fair and square."

I frown. "Why can't you just give me what I want?" If I hadn't been such an idiot at the dance, I'd already have this cast off and be able to see what I can really do with for the cheer team.

"Where would be the fun in that, Lana?" Her eyes flash dangerously. "I thought you of all people would understand the joy of winning fairly."

I swallow my irritation. She's right; I've never held much respect for athletes who reach their goals through illicit means, and if I've never doped or cheated before, why would I start now? I pause, thinking about my freakish running abilities and remembering that Coach Merk was the one who sent me to Aphrodite in the first place. "Does my running..." I pause, not sure if I want to know. "Have I been winning fair and square?"

Aphrodite meets my gaze and nods. "You're gifted, child, not blessed or cursed. As far as I know, you've got no one to thank for your speed but yourself. And perhaps genetics, of course."

My mom. "Did you know my parents before?"

The bell rings, interrupting whatever she's about to say, but I sit there and stare at her expectantly for a moment. Finally, she waves her hand at the door. "I'll excuse you for first period, but you don't want to miss any more classes, or I'll have to bench you this week."

I frown, but I stand up. "Okay," I say, dragging out the word, hoping she'll change her mind and tell me something useful, but she just flicks her hand at the door and grudgingly, I turn to leave her office. I glance back over my shoulder once, and she's watching me intently. A faint gold shimmer surrounds her for a moment, but when I blink, it's just the morning sunlight streaming in through her window, and I close the door behind me, wondering if I've somehow dreamed the entire conversation.

I don't pay attention in any of my classes the rest of the day; I'm too wrapped up thinking about the fact that my cheer coach is an ancient goddess, and that somehow, some way, she was able to erase my most embarrassing moment. Are there other gods and goddesses around? I wonder fleetingly at lunch, scanning the cafeteria for teachers who might be more than they seem. I mean, if Aphrodite is hanging out here, it stands to reason she's brought some of her friends, right?

Kary stabs a piece of lettuce off my tray and sticks it in her mouth, breaking my trance. "What's gotten into you today?"

For a moment, I consider telling her, but then I dismiss the idea. Kary's never been a fan of me being on the cheer team, and even if I could make her believe me, I have a feeling that Coach Cypri's real identity wouldn't impress her; in fact, it would probably be something she'd try to use to convince me to quit the team. I take a bite of my lunch and chew slowly so I don't have to answer right away. "Nothing. Just tired, I guess."

"Where were you all weekend? I kept wondering if you were going to text, but you never did."

I study her. Does she remember the dance that now supposedly didn't happen? Does she remember our fight about it? I shrug. "I stayed home and did homework."

"Lame."

"I know." We eat in silence for a moment, and then I gesture down to my cast. "Maybe I can run again soon." I've been thinking about what Aphrodite said, and I've decided that if there's even the slightest chance I could get a spell or a redo or whatever from her, I'm going to bust my ass to get it.

"Yeah?" Kary's eyebrow's climb up her face. "What did the doctor say?"

I want to tell her that the doctor's opinion matters less than keeping the goddess of love on my good side, but I realize that would make me sound like a freak, so I just shrug again. "Another month or two, but I think I'm healing faster."

"You don't want to hurt yourself again," Kary cautions. "It'll be so much worse if you end up needing surgery."

I shudder at the thought. Surgery can ruin your career, and the idea of going under the knife before I'm even out of high school is terrifying. What if I couldn't run again, ever? I push the fear aside and try to seem confident. "I won't do anything stupid," I tell her, even as part of my brain points out that believing in magic and expecting a goddess to fix my leg might just be the textbook definition of stupid.