The next thing she knew, she was lying on the ground, exhausted, her mother and coach kneeling beside her, laughing and crying and shouting all at the same time. “You broke the women’s record for this course by more than twenty-five seconds. You were absolutely amazing. Flawless,” her coach was saying.
“Darling, I am so proud of you. So very proud.” Mom’s voice was quieter, yet bursting with the enthusiasm that only Mom could have. “You are amazing.”
Then the sound all dissolved into silence and a jolt of pain shot through her left knee, then her right. It lingered and built steadily and then her shoulders and elbows joined in until it became so unbearable that Sabrina curled into a ball and cried with the intensity of it. The tears streamed down her face and soaked into her hair, and still the pain didn’t relent.
Sabrina awoke with a start. Her pillowcase was wet, as were her face and the fringes of her hair. She sat up and shook her head, trying to clear out the last of the memory. The triumph had felt so real, just as real as when she’d actually experienced it—rightup until the pain. That part of the dream her subconscious must have tacked on just to remind her that those glory days were over. Why couldn’t it just shut down the whole thing? Strange, she hadn’t dreamed about her “before” life in a long time.
She reached behind her and flipped her pillow over to the dry side, then lay back down. She couldn’t linger on the pain—that path led to dark places—nor could she skip over it to her old life. Forgetting one meant forgetting both. None of those memories were to be entertained or encouraged, so she closed her eyes and searched for something else to grab her attention . . . school . . . the brochure she was designing for her upcoming interview. Now, which font should she use for the lettering?
“It’s Saturday morning. What was I thinking when I agreed to this?” Brandy screamed the words up into a still-dark sky, knowing that at this ungodly hour there was no one to hear her but the fading stars. Everything inside her told her to turn around and go back to bed, but the threat of a quick trip to juvie was enough to keep her going. Not that she was afraid, but why risk it if she could game the system to get out of it? She’d scammed that judge. Not to mention, she was going to show that snotty Sabrina that she was wrong about her, just like all the rest of them. She rounded the corner to Sabrina’s street and saw her sitting on the retaining wall, eating an apple and laughing. “What?”
“In answer to your question, you were thinking how much you’re going to enjoy getting faster and stronger, and you were thinking how grateful that you are that you are going to be allowed to stay with your grandmother, and you were thinking that I am a wonderfully nice person to be out here doing this for you.”
“Uh, sure that’s what I was thinking, and how did you hear me?”
“I think most of the town heard you.” Sabrina took another bite of apple, but because she was still laughing, she choked and began to cough.
Good. Served her right.
“Okay, I’m assuming you’re mostly warmed up after walking over here, but do a few stretches and we’ll get started.”
Brandy hated the whole stretching thing. It seemed so pointless. Still, she lifted her right foot behind her, grabbed it with her left hand, and pulled. “So, are you a runner?”
“Nope. Now change legs.”
Brandy switched legs. “Then how is it everyone thinks you’re qualified to coach me?”
“It doesn’t really matter, does it? Fact is, I’m saving your neck because they think so. As far as I’m concerned, that’s all that counts. Lift your toes and stretch out your shins.”
Brandy put in enough effort to make her halfhearted stretching look believable. “Okay, let’s get started. Where am I running to?”
“First thing I want you to do is run as fast as you can to the stop sign. As soon
“Darling, I am so proud of you. So very proud.” Mom’s voice was quieter, yet bursting with the enthusiasm that only Mom could have. “You are amazing.”
Then the sound all dissolved into silence and a jolt of pain shot through her left knee, then her right. It lingered and built steadily and then her shoulders and elbows joined in until it became so unbearable that Sabrina curled into a ball and cried with the intensity of it. The tears streamed down her face and soaked into her hair, and still the pain didn’t relent.
Sabrina awoke with a start. Her pillowcase was wet, as were her face and the fringes of her hair. She sat up and shook her head, trying to clear out the last of the memory. The triumph had felt so real, just as real as when she’d actually experienced it—rightup until the pain. That part of the dream her subconscious must have tacked on just to remind her that those glory days were over. Why couldn’t it just shut down the whole thing? Strange, she hadn’t dreamed about her “before” life in a long time.
She reached behind her and flipped her pillow over to the dry side, then lay back down. She couldn’t linger on the pain—that path led to dark places—nor could she skip over it to her old life. Forgetting one meant forgetting both. None of those memories were to be entertained or encouraged, so she closed her eyes and searched for something else to grab her attention . . . school . . . the brochure she was designing for her upcoming interview. Now, which font should she use for the lettering?
“It’s Saturday morning. What was I thinking when I agreed to this?” Brandy screamed the words up into a still-dark sky, knowing that at this ungodly hour there was no one to hear her but the fading stars. Everything inside her told her to turn around and go back to bed, but the threat of a quick trip to juvie was enough to keep her going. Not that she was afraid, but why risk it if she could game the system to get out of it? She’d scammed that judge. Not to mention, she was going to show that snotty Sabrina that she was wrong about her, just like all the rest of them. She rounded the corner to Sabrina’s street and saw her sitting on the retaining wall, eating an apple and laughing. “What?”
“In answer to your question, you were thinking how much you’re going to enjoy getting faster and stronger, and you were thinking how grateful that you are that you are going to be allowed to stay with your grandmother, and you were thinking that I am a wonderfully nice person to be out here doing this for you.”
“Uh, sure that’s what I was thinking, and how did you hear me?”
“I think most of the town heard you.” Sabrina took another bite of apple, but because she was still laughing, she choked and began to cough.
Good. Served her right.
“Okay, I’m assuming you’re mostly warmed up after walking over here, but do a few stretches and we’ll get started.”
Brandy hated the whole stretching thing. It seemed so pointless. Still, she lifted her right foot behind her, grabbed it with her left hand, and pulled. “So, are you a runner?”
“Nope. Now change legs.”
Brandy switched legs. “Then how is it everyone thinks you’re qualified to coach me?”
“It doesn’t really matter, does it? Fact is, I’m saving your neck because they think so. As far as I’m concerned, that’s all that counts. Lift your toes and stretch out your shins.”
Brandy put in enough effort to make her halfhearted stretching look believable. “Okay, let’s get started. Where am I running to?”
“First thing I want you to do is run as fast as you can to the stop sign. As soon