How to Love Again

Chapter Two: Decisions

After the game was over, Michele rushed back to the locker room to change as fast as humanly possible in hopes of avoiding Logan, hoping that he would just forget about it and move on.

 “So how’s the elbow,” Coach Patterson asked blocking Michele’s only escape route to her car. “You looked a little tight on the first stunt, so I just want to make sure that you are okay, I need you to be honest with me, and I can’t have my captain out with an injury or not telling me the truth and risk further injury.”

“I’m really okay, nothing to worry about,” Michele said. “If it would make you feel better I will go get some ice and rest my elbow.”

“Just take it easy and I’ll see you Monday afternoon, I want you to take the rest of the weekend off to rest,” she said trying to take on the mothering role. “I won’t take no for an answer. If you show up here tomorrow, I’ll just send you home.”

Home sounded like a dirty word these days. With no cheerleading on Saturday, she didn’t have to work since she took it off just for practice and now Michele had to find something to fill her time, knowing a visit to the hospital to see Nanny couldn’t last all day.

Trying desperately, but unsuccessfully to change Coach Patterson’s mind even just to come to practice and sit on the sidelines, a nervous panic flooded Michele’s head.

There is no way I am going to sit around the house tomorrow, could I go back on my word with Nicole about setting her up on the date with Logan. I can’t do that to her, she has been nothing but good to me and I can’t go back on my word. Anyways, I bet he has practice tomorrow so that doesn’t work either.

Walking into the trainer’s office for a bag of ice, there he was sitting on a table with a huge ice pack wrapped around his right shoulder, his throwing arm. There was no time to turn back since he already saw her.

“So, were you looking for me,” he said. “I tried to hurry out of here and catch you before you left to discuss our plans but Coach made me ice my shoulder, better than running laps I guess.”

“No actually, just here to get some ice for my elbow,” Michele said nervously.

“Right, again I am so sorry for that. I tired really hard to get out of your way. To be honest, I am kind of glad that I ran into you, but not for hurting your elbow. So, do you have any plans tomorrow, coach is giving me the day off.”

“I’m glad that I caught you then. I’m actually super busy this weekend and I can’t hang out, but I asked my best friend Nicole if she could take my place and she said she would do it, if you don’t mind. “She’s the super-cute one with the black hair in a high pony tail.”

“Actually, I do mind!  Is there any way I can change your mind? I bet your friend is really nice and all, but I have my heart set on you showing me around, also I already told the guys that you were going to and I really don’t want to disappoint them, do you?

“Really, I can’t I hope you understand.”

Quickly and thinking of a way out, Michele wrote down Nicole’s number down a scrap of paper and handed it to Logan with an apologetic look.

“You’ll have a lot of fun with her more than with me anyway,” Michele said hoping he would take the bait.”

“I guess I’ll think about it.”

Walking to her car, Michele felt better about the situation by helping Nicole with her “dream man” as she called him. Now, all she had to do was find an alternative activity to fill her time tomorrow.

Nicole was beyond ecstatic when Michele told her that she had given Logan her phone number; she couldn’t stop jumping up and jump down. She was beaming from ear to ear, promising that she would do anything Michele wanted for the rest of the year.