Ahead of the Game

Chapter 4

            My eyes popped open into a sea of white. “Is this haven,” I murmured.

            “If you count the hospital as heaven, then yes. Since when did you develop a Southern accent?” A sarcastic voice replied. My lips cracked open a grin. Usual Avery.

            “Hey,’ I said awkwardly. “What happened?”

            “Well, Ma immediately called me after you collapsed, like, a foot from the finish line, so I left the competition early. Quite the drama queen, aren’t you?” Her gaze softened after seeing my hurt expression. “Look, it’s just- why did you do all this for me? I thought you hated me.”

            I struggled to prop myself up. “My mind just had a sudden breakthrough and wanted to change, that’s all.”

            Avery smirked. “It wasn’t thanks to Being Too Competitive, was it?”

            So she read my column. However, she never bought any newspaper, ever.

            Then it hit me.

            “You were Being Too Competitive, weren’t you?” I demanded.

           Avery giggled. “Took you long enough, didn’t it?” I rolled my eyes and sighed, but that didn’t keep me from grinning, too. “Look, I just think we should start over, you know? And I brought out a little something as well.” She handed me a lavender wrapped box with a mint green bow, my favorite color combination. I carefully removed the gift wrap, and there sat the old Sorry game from the time before dinosaurs.

            I laughed. “Nuh-uh.”

            “Yuh-huh.”

            We played a two-player game, her blue pawns against my yellow pawns. With both of us having accomplished moving half of our pawns to the finish line, Home, it was a close game. Well, except when I took my pawn and bumped one of Avery’s remaining pawns back to “Start”, leaving her behind.

            “Sorry,” I instinctively uttered.

            Avery smiled and said, “It’s all right.”