Waiting on the Sidelines (Waiting on the Sidelines #1)(64)

One final brief smile shot from my mouth and then I left for the pool deck where Nancy was waiting for me. We slowly climbed into the water and went through our floating exercises, her giggles filling the air with this perfectly soothing sound. She was a magical little girl, and when I saw her conquer her fears, it made me stronger. I knew that I owed my strength today to her.

When I turned her back around to head back to the other end of the pool, I noticed that Reed had stayed to watch our session. He was sitting on the bleachers with his knees bent up and his arms folded on them, his chin down like he was studying me. He seemed lost a little in his thoughts, and when he wiped his nose along his sleeve a little I thought that perhaps Nancy’s giggle had gotten to him just a little, too.



Reed stayed to watch a little of my next session, too. We didn’t talk at all during the day, but he stayed after to talk to Penny for a bit and then I caught him lingering by the bleachers again. I didn’t ask Penny what they had talked about, but I had a feeling it might have been a little about me.

Wednesday morning was the first one on my own completely. No Tyler keeping me company. He had a special practice with his private diving coach. It was strange how much time dragged without Tyler or Reed around to distract me, both in their opposite ways. They both walked into the aquatics center at the same time and seemed to be behaving friendly towards one another. Reed sat on the other end of the counter from me, still respecting my need for distance. Tyler slid over and put his arm around me and I saw Reed’s face grimace a little.

The day went along as usual until my first break with Tyler. He bought me an energy drink, which wasn’t new, but then he toyed with me a little, holding it over my head and pulling it out of reach whenever I grabbed for it. On the last attempt, he caught my arm with his hand and pulled me close, intimately close. “I’ll give it to you on one condition,” he smirked.

“Hmmmmm, I don’t know. I don’t want a cherry energy drink that badly, Tyler. I don’t know that this deck is really stacked in your favor,” I joked, but I was also trying to hide my own fear over where this was going.

“OK, you drive a hard bargain,” he smiled again. His body was so strong and wide, his broad chest almost swallowed me whole. “I’ll throw in this bag of Red Vines.”

That had me laughing uncontrollably. I gathered my composure and then asked “what are your terms, sir?”

“Dinner,” he said, but then held up his hand. “Uh…a date. A dinner date.”

I gulped a bit, almost like a cartoon. I didn’t want to have to answer this. I was at a fork in my road. The one where I told my friends I would turn right, but I instead wanted to pull out my GPS and recalculate.

“Think about it, today. Don’t answer now, but before you leave, OK?” he said, almost sensing my panic. I just nodded and he gave me my treats, not that I could stomach them right now. He sat down and I caught the smirk on his face as he leaned back in his chair and shut his eyes.

I tore at the package of Red Vines a little and then looked up to see Reed watching the entire thing, almost as if it was a show I put on just for him. And that made my heart sink, which worried me all the more.

I was waiting for Nancy at the front desk when Tyler came out and my knees went weak. I knew he was expecting an answer, and I didn’t know which one to give. In perfect timing, Reed came around the corner after him, which only made it worse. He looked at the two of us standing near one another and the discomfort he had over the scene was apparent. His eyes were scanning, like he was looking for an out, a distraction.

When one of the other girl guards came out of the locker room he approached her right away, careful not to make eye contact with me at all. I think her name was Morgan. She was one of the girls constantly flirting with Reed. Tyler was talking to me, something about where would I like to go if we in fact go to dinner on Friday night. I was nodding and pretending to think, but all of me was elsewhere. Eavesdropping.

I heard Morgan giggle a little, and I heard Reed say “I’ll drive. Just drop your stuff off at your car.”

I watched them leave then I saw him pick her up and wrap her around his back like a backpack, turning around for just a moment to make sure I was watching. I was. And I hated it. That was supposed to be us, and seeing him do that with another girl was forcing me to make my turn.

“So what do you think?” Tyler asked, kicking at my feet a little, startling me.

“OK, let’s do it. I already ate my Red Vines anyways,” I smiled, even though I was screaming and squirming on the inside.



I spent the night with Sienna and was in desperate need for a little therapy session with my good friend who always gave it to me straight. I just couldn’t understand why I was so torn in my feelings, I knew I needed to move on. And I was also pretty puzzled by Tyler’s interest in me. I was never the it girl. I was the girl on the edges. I hung out with the right people and was well-liked, sure, but it’s not like I was the girl on the playground in grade school that the boys chased or walked home. I was the one they picked first for their soccer team.

“Nolan, do you seriously not see yourself?” Sienna said, grabbing my hand and taking me over to the mirror on the back of her closet door. “Just stop. Stand here, and I’m going to make you look at yourself. Really look at yourself.”

I stood there feeling ridiculous, fidgeting and crisscrossing my legs. I didn’t know what I was supposed to see.