The Line Below by Ali Dean

Author:Ali Dean [Dean, Ali]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-06-27T23:00:00+00:00

Kick giggles and I lean my head back with a sigh.

“What was that about?” Jett asks.

“Oh, nothing,” Kick answers for me again, and I’m thankful. I don’t want to lie to Jett, but telling him about that exchange won’t do anyone any good. “Julian’s mom’s a piece of work. And not in a good way like Coco.”

Jett huffs, and I can tell he’s not in the mood to joke about it. Julian’s been a thorn in our side from the beginning.

It’s not the best time to raise it, but we need a subject change, so I go for it. “Kick, what’s going on? Why’d you get home so late, or early, this morning? What were you thinking?”

Kick turns away from me, staring out the window, and I feel the wall she’s putting up between us like a slap in the face. Yeah, that was terrible timing. Great way to thank her for having my back with Daphne Reed.

“Sorry,” I mumble.

“It’s fine.” It’s not though, because her voice is shaking. “I’m just…” Kick breathes out in a huff before letting the rest of the words tumble from her lips. “I might quit the team.”

It takes a moment before I process it. “You what?” I must not have heard right.

“I don’t know that I want to spend the rest of college in the pool every day. Swimming. I want to have fun. Relax. Party. Go to shows. I love music, Shay. I don’t love swimming like you do.”

A lump forms in my throat and for the second time in only a few minutes, I’m speechless.

Jett asks from beside me, “You don’t love swimming, or you don’t love it like Shay loves it?” His voice is gentle, and at first, the question seems pointless. I don’t understand why he’s asking it.

But Kick’s silence gives me the answer. I look over at her and see a tear slide down her cheek. “I’m not sure,” she whispers.

We’re in front of our condo now, but I don’t want Kick to go. I grab her hand when she goes to open the door. “Can I come in to talk about this with you?”

She shakes her head. “I need a nap, Shay. I’m exhausted, seriously. I’ll just be a blubbering mess anyway.”

“Tomorrow? We don’t have practice.”

She nods. “Sure.”

Jett and I watch Kick walk up the steps to our condo and go inside. “I had no idea. It almost sounded like she was mad at me.” I’m so confused.

Jett then takes my hand, just like I took Kick’s. “She’s working through some shit. You’re there for her. Not much else you can do, baby.”

“It hurts.” And it does. It felt like a slap on the cheek earlier and now it’s like a kick to the chest. She’s in pain. Deep.

I don’t even realize my other hand is rubbing my chest until Jett grabs it with his own. He raises it to his lips and brushes a kiss over the knuckles.

“You can go in after her, but I don’t think she wants a babysitter right now.

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