Leaving Tracks by Victoria Escobar

Author:Victoria Escobar
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2014-09-15T05:00:00+00:00

North

I SAT ON the bleachers and waited. I’d finally gotten everything arranged with my brothers, set up everything I needed for my classes and made enough products to last the rest of the month and into the next if sales were slow. My next free day–depending on Hadley–I’d have to make more surplus since Christmas was only a few short months away. I was tired, but it was a good tired, and I had come to skate only to find that both Hadley and my skates were gone.

It irritated me a little bit. Avala had told me she’d driven into Morris by herself. I had specifically told her I’d drive in with her. True, that had been days ago, but if she had called and told me, I’d have taken a break to go with her.

Now as I sat, I worried that something happened. Not necessarily an accident though that was in the realm of possibilities, but what if the tire went flat? What if she skidded on ice, spun the Jeep, and was too startled to safely drive the rest of the way home? And what if… I stopped my thoughts. What ifs were all kinds of poison to the soul.

I was relieved of further negativity when the door creaked open and slammed. I turned to see Hadley carrying two enormous bags. I quickly jumped down from my seat and moved to assist her.

“Thank you.” She said when I took both of the bags. I noticed she limped a little and instead of following me up the walkway to her apartment, she sat on the bleachers.

I set the bags down and turned to her, “Are you hurt? Is something wrong?”

“Slipped on ice.” Hadley grimaced. “I’m feeling it a bit now is all.”

“Ice?” I frowned. “There’s no ice here, I made sure of it.”

“Not here, in Morris.” Hadley gestured to the bags. “Most of that is yours anyway. Let’s get it upstairs and you can go through it.” She stood again. “Why are you here anyway?”

“Came to skate, since I’ve got everything straightened out with my brothers, college, and the workshop, but my skates were gone.” I hefted the bags again and this time walked behind Hadley worrying over her limp. It didn’t look bad, it was as she said mild, but I still didn’t like the idea that she slipped.

“Took them to be sharpened and cleaned like I told you I would.” Hadley commented absently and just as carelessly rubbed her left thigh.

“I told you,” I began.

“Everyone told me they’d go with me.” Hadley cut me off. “I wanted to go by myself. In a way, I needed to. I need to know I’m not helpless. I need to know I can still go out and do things whenever I want. It’s a security thing for me, North. I needed that security that I am still my own person.” She paused her face screwed up. I realized she hadn’t meant to say so much, or at least not put so much of her heart on her sleeve.

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