The next day, I rubbed my hands which still had dirt on them. Black soil still clung under my finger tips as if their life depended on it. As I picked at my nails, my mind drifted back to my time on the farm. There was something so relaxing about it but yet my body was still sore from the work I did. Everett's father was nice but yet Everett wanted nothing to do with him which forced me to be friendly. Between the glances and obviously inside jokes, his dad wanted to talk to Everett but he seemed to shut it down every time.
"So Nora, what happened yesterday? You got home late," dad asked as we drove to practice.
"Nothing much, just worked on his dad's farm for the day," I shrugged as the Shoe came closer into view.
"He doesn't really talk much about his old man. What's he like?"
"Friendly. And a die hard OSU football fan."
"And I've never met him? Now what kind of blasphemy is that? Such a shame!"
As cheery as dad was, there were things he would never pick up. Everett never brought him around for a reason, probably a thousand reasons.
"Yeah. It is," I mumbled as dad pulled into a parking spot. Instantly my eye locked with Everett who waited at the corner of the parking lot like he normally did. With a smile, I waved to him from the car.
"Just a heads up, Charles is coming back again for practice," dad mentioned carefully as he got out of the car.
My eyes darted to his before looking back at Everett. "Does he know?"
"Told him this morning before we left the house."
I nodded, knowing there wasn't anything else I could say. "Ok." With that, I got out of the car and ran to greet Everett, wrapping my arms around him.
"Hey. Morning," he said with the smell of coffee thick on his breath.
"Morning." I smiled up at him and gave him a kiss.
"Wasn't sure I would see you today after all the work we did yesterday."
I shrugged even though the simple motion caused aches to run down my back. I don't think I would ever be prepared for the farm work we did yesterday. However as sore as I was, I wouldn't change it for the world. I even thought about doing it again. Crazy, I know.
"Your girl is tougher and fitter than you think."
He smiled. "I can see that."
"Everett! You never told me your old man liked football," dad said as he walked up to us.
Everett dropped his hands around my waist and gave a nod. "Yeah, he's a fan."
"You should bring him in after practice one of these days. I'll give him a grand old tour."
"That's kind of you. I'll relay the message."
Dad patted him on the back then left without another word towards him. His shoes echoed the floor and as he walked into the Shoe.
In the silence of the early morning, Everett turned to me. He opened his mouth then closed it as his eyes glanced around us, making sure the coast was clear. "I reached out to my professor who has contact with the school newspaper," Everett said as he picked at his sweater.
"And?"
"I didn't think anything would happen, and it didn't. Of course, the school doesn't want it."
I frowned, knowing this could happen. Why would the school want to run an article that makes them look bad? That is the last thing they want.
"But the Columbus city newspaper contacted me. They want to run the article."
My head snapped up to meet his eyes. "What?"
He nodded although he didn't look happy about it.
My hand met his and gave it a squeeze. "And you want this, right?"
He gave a tired sigh then nodded. "I'm sure of it."
"Ok then," I said as my phone buzzed, reminding me of the classes I would be now late to. "As much as I want to talk about this, I have to go. I'll be back after classes today. We will talk then." I kissed him one more time.
"Can you skip them to be with me?" he asked, brining me into his arms once again.
I smiled into his shoulder, breathing him in. "As much as I would like to, I can't. School is calling and I need to keep my grades up."
He let go of me with a slight frown. His shoe pushed a rock around on the pavement before looking back at the stadium. "Who is going to stop me from exploding on him?"
"I'll be back in two hours. I promise." I gave one more kiss before I turned on my heals, walking off to my morning classes. A prayer reverberated through my skull, hoping Everett could keep his cool. A fight was the last thing that I wanted between the two, especially if I wasn't around.
"Don't take too long!" Everett called out to me causing a smile to come to my face.
"I promise!" I called out to him as I continued to walk down the paved path.
With my head held high, I walked towards my class. I tried to focus on the test that I had studied a week for, however I felt my mind drifting to the conversation I just ended. There was things Everett wanted to say, things I should have said, but instead, I put a pin in the conversation. Fear filled my mind, making me worry that I should have stayed a moment longer.
"Hey, Nora! Wait up!" Shelly called out to me as I walked towards class.
I turned to him and smiled, knowing full well what I would say to him. I had been waiting two days to hold my information over his head and just the anticipation was sending excitement through my body. "Hey. You know, I shouldn't wait for you after you told my dad I swore."
Shelly's smile fell off his face as he realized dad threw him under the bus. His pace slowed as he scratched the back of his neck as he tried to figure out what to rebuttal to that.
"Yeah, dad told me. Keep in mind I could seek revenge, but I am choosing not to. Just remember that."
He gave a sigh then picked up his pace to keep up with mine. "You are a saint, Nora."
I shrugged as Knowlton hall came into view. I stopped at the corner of the street and quickly crossed the road when the coast was clear. "I know I am."
Shelly followed me across the road silently. "So, are you ready for the test?" Shelly asked as he held the door of Knowlton Hall open for me.
"Probably. And you?"
"I think so. The professor is so tough though."
I chuckled as I readjusted my backpack. "At least he gives you a little bit of slack since he's a lover of the team."
"Honest, that's the only way I survive the school year."
I walked into the class with Shelly on my heals. A chuckle escaped my lips as I sat down in the same seat I normally sat at. "Why am I not surprised by that?"
"Does anything surprise you?"
With a smirk, I shook my head.
"That's what I thought."
My smile slid off my face as the professor walked in. "shit," I mumbled as all the things I studied flew from my mind. It was as if I hadn't spent hours reviewing the subjects. My mind was blank as I stared at the chalk board.
"I'll not tell dad about that, and we can be even," Shelly whispered as he got a pen from his backpack.
This was not the time to talk about such things. I could care less about the swear jar. The test was the most important thing I could do right now. I glared at him as if that proved my point.
The smug look on his face slid off as he could tell I wasn't messing around. "Gosh, Nora, I was just joking."
"Where you though?" I asked as the professor started to give instructions about the test.
By time I was at the stadium again, the test was still on my mind. Worries about Everett had been replaced with worries about the test. I was sure it wasn't as bad as I thought it was, but the thought of getting a B was enough to cause me to obsess over it.
"Hey, Nora! What's up!?" Tad asked as he ran up to me with a smile on his face. With his clothes a in a wrinkled mess, I wondered who he hooked up with just now.
"Hey. How has the day been so far?"
"Not bad. I think Everett has been looking for you. He has started the habit of reaching out to me every time he can't find you."
I smirked at the thought. A lot has changed since the start of practice. I felt I had changed a lot. Maybe one day Everett would be friends with Tad. Or maybe they would just tolerate each other. "That's cute."
"Yeah, so cute. Just tell him I sent you, his way."
"Sure. I'll see you later Tad," I said as I started walking off.
"I better," he called out to me, bringing a smirk to my face.
As I walked down the halls looking for Everett, my mind quickly went back to the thing he told me about earlier that day. I just hoped to find him in a good mood, ready to talk about the problem.
"Nojo!" dad called out to me, snapping me from my thoughts.
I smiled at him then gave a wave. "Hey. Have you seen Everett?"
"I'm behind you," Everett's voice rang out.
Without wasting a moment, I turned on my heels to face him. Quickly I scanned his eyes to sense his mood. He was upset, that much was clear, but I wasn't sure what else was brewing as he stared back at me.
"I'll talk to you later," dad said as he tapped on my shoulder then left us alone in the hall.
Everett stubbed his foot on the smooth concrete floor then looked at me.
"How was practice?"
"Terrible."
My heart ached for him. Instinctually I grabbed his hands and gave them a squeeze. "I'm sorry."
"Your dad kept us apart, but that wasn't enough. Just having him in the same space as me causing my stomach to tie in knots." Everett looked down the hall then back at me. He took a deep breath and let it out.
"You can't be in this situation."
"I don't have a choice, not until the town knows what Charles has done."
I nodded. "So the article...." I asked in a hushed voice to make sure no one heard. The last thing I needed was word getting out about this. I was sure Everett wanted the same.
"Ah... yeah."
"I want to know details."
"They want to meet with me, in person. There is a lot they want to talk about related to this."
"Have you set something up?"
He shook his head. "Not yet. But I will."
"Can you let me know when you find out details? I want to know."
"You will be the first I'll tell."