Waiting on the Sidelines (Waiting on the Sidelines #1)(111)

“Oh, ha…” I shuffled a little in my stance. “No, just scholarship work. I’ve got a lot of dorm bills to settle for ASU.”

His smile started to fade a bit, but then he closed his lips tight and forced a renewed one. “Ah, yes. That other school in Arizona,” he joked.

“Yeah, you know, the one where all the smart kids go?” I was joking right along with him, winking as I talked.

“Reed, we gotta hit the road, kid,” Buck hollered through the window he’d just rolled down.

“Ah right, hang on,” Reed leaned in to say to him.

I stood there still, not sure of my next words, my next move, or if I’d be able to move at all.

“I gotta go, but hey…” he was looking down, his brow bunched and a bit of a frown on his face. “Maybe… maybe I’ll stop by MicNic’s later or something? Sean said you’re working there right now?”

I just nodded. He smiled back a bit and then climbed into the truck with his dad. I stayed frozen, watching them drive away. Eventually I found my way back to my car. There would be no scholarship writing today. I’d be lucky if I could concentrate long enough to fill out my first name.



My shift at MicNic’s seemed to drag. I’m sure it was because I spent the entire time watching the clock and calculating how long it took to drive from Tucson once the sun set. But Reed never showed. I think maybe part of me knew he never would. But it was exactly this part of me, the one that was hoping, that concerned me most. This part of me had been numb for so long, this renewed self seemed so foreign. And I wasn’t sure if I could handle waking it up again.

I was able to get a few good scholarship days in after all, and by the time our break was done, I had sent out 24 new applications. Something had to come of this work. I was enjoying what was left of my break on the Sunday afternoon when my cell phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, since mostly Sarah, Sienna and Sean called me now. I thought about ignoring it, but instead I answered.

“Hello?” I was a little guarded.

“Hi, is this Nolan Lennox?” a woman asked on the other line. She sounded older.

“Uh…yes. Who is this?” I was suspicious now, and I think the woman on the other line could tell as she started to chuckle when she spoke again.

“I’m sorry for surprising you. My name’s Kendra Sharpe. I’m a reporter with the Gazette. I’m doing a story on Reed Johnson, you know, talking about his amazing high school career and the accident. We hear he’s signing with Arizona tonight and want do a full feature for the sports section, local hero kinda thing,” she was smart when she spoke. I was a little thrown. Why was she calling me?

“Ohhhhhh… kay?” I said, still not sure what I had to do with this.

She continued to explain. “Well, sometimes for these big profile pieces, we like to interview friends and family, just to get a full picture of who someone is, if that makes sense?”

It did. “Yeah, I get that,” I said, waiting to find out what I could possibly offer.

“Well, we know you were in the accident with Reed, and I was hoping I could just get your perspective on what happened…and how you think it affected Reed…” she was waiting, hoping I’d take the bait. But instead I was hyperventilating a little. I didn’t know how to do this, or even if I should.

“I know it’s an uncomfortable thing to talk about, and I’m sorry to call you out of the blue, but you’re sort of my last piece to finish this article. I’d really appreciate just a few minutes,” she said. She seemed genuine, so I relaxed a little. I didn’t want to hold up the article, and Reed’s story was an amazing one that people should know. I was excited to hear that he was leaning toward Arizona, too.

“OK, I guess…” I would be careful.

We spoke for maybe 10 minutes, mostly just clarifying facts about the accident and how much the students loved Reed and how the town really rallied behind him. I felt pretty good about the interview, until she asked me at the end how I was holding up after going through something so traumatic. That’s when I got a little too comfortable with Kendra and let my mouth run unfiltered.

“It’s been really hard. I mean, I didn’t have the broken bones and injuries, but I’ve had the guilt. I guess a part of me feels like the entire thing was my fault, like I caused him to miss out on his entire senior year,” this sparked her interest.

“Why would you think that?” she asked.

“He was driving me home. If he didn’t have to deal with me then this never would have happened,” as soon as I said the words I wanted to stuff them back inside. My eyes were wide in realization.

“Hmmmmm, I’m sure that’s not the case,” she was quiet for a moment. No doubt quoting me perfectly, word-for-word. Oh god! “Well, I think I’m set on my story. Thank you so much for your time, Nolan. I really appreciate it. Hey, and good luck next year at ASU! That’s where I went.”

And then she was gone. I replayed the interview in my mind over and over. By the time evening rolled around, I had finally convinced myself that my words just didn’t fit with the story and I would be safe. At least, that’s what I hoped.



I searched for the story online and in the paper for days after the interview. Reed had made his announcement as she told me he would. They covered it briefly during sports on the evening news. My parents and I watched and cheered that he was staying in Arizona. I had finally brought my mom up to speed on what had happened between us, though I left out the part where Reed made a dig at our poverty. That still stung me a little, and it wasn’t anything I ever wanted to share.