Living A Dream

Chapter 38

     "So what's with all of these new people in your life that no one knew about?" she asked. Good question. Kind of seems strange at times for me too.

     "It's complicated." I said, knowing I can't really say too much specifically. I subconsciously opened the door to the athletics hall for her.

     "So are they all just your friends or..." she tapered off the sentence. I gave her a confusing look. "Well I mean that one girl. You were acting like her mom or her girlfriend."

     Is she jealous? Can't be. Doesn't matter anyway really. We were both with someone so it doesn't matter, right?

     "We were friends." I said simply. We walked into the trainers room and Percy was wrapping up a girls ankle while another was sitting in his chair looking dazed.

     "Whatcha need Tober?" he said, looking up at me. He looked at bit burnt which, due to his dark skin, made him look like a cherry cola.

     "Tennis ball and ice. Get some sun over the summer Perce?" I said laughing. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. He couldn't help but laugh too. "Alex this is Percy, I trust him with my life. If you need anything just come to him."

     I went to the big stand up wardrobe turned into the supply cabinet and reached in for a tennis ball. I threw it to Alex who caught it. I then went past the girl in his chair, and went in the desk drawer to get the keys. I got out some power bars and gave one to the girl next to me.

     "Get smacked in the head?" I asked. She nodded slowly. Poor girl. Been there, done that. Sometimes in situations other than soccer.

     "Why do you find the stash every damn time Tobin?" he said finishing off the wrap on the girl. I set a bar next to her and grinned at him.

     "Got a good nose Perce. You're out of ice so I need to get more." I said, walking out with Alex to get the ice. I rolled the cooler that was in the hall to the ice and laundry room.

     "Never heard any staff at a school swear before." Alex said. That's what I said when I first met him. He was teaching me to make a proper ice bag when someone went for my ankle. He messed it up and responded with 'Well this is a crappy ass bag but you get the idea'.

     "Yea. He's only here during school when it ends for the first semester. So technically he argues that he's not staff. Never heard him go off but yea, a few words will slip." I said, unlocking the door and opening it for her for the second time. We walked in and she went to the side as I got the ice scoop and transfered it in the cooler.

     "So you said you were friends. What about now?" she said while raising an eyebrow at me. It took me a second to link back to what she meant.

     "Now we're a bit more." I said, getting the last bit of ice that could fit in the cooler. I closed the top and walked out with Alex in front of me. I locked the door again and went back to Percy. Football tryouts started at the same time as our second half started. They went on the grass field first half and then on the turf. I saw a boy with Percy who was crying. The girl in his chair was gone.

     "It will be alright. Tobin, could you get me two ice bags and the saran wrap?" he said quickly. I went to the roll with the plastic bags and got two. I handed one to Alex.

     "Hold this." I said as I went outside to the ice. I filled the bag and then put it on the table. I took the other from Alex's hand and did the same. "Just watch me, okay? Take the air out, twist, then tie."

     I took the bag and flattened the ice against the table, Alex next to me doing the same. I took my index finger and my thumb and connected them making a circle and wrapping it at the top of the flattened ice.

     I wrapped the extra plastic around my hand the resembled an 'ok' symbol. I put my mouth against the plastic and breathed in, vacuuming the air out.

     Then I twisted it and tied it. I looked at Alex who did a pretty good job. I took the roll of saran wrap and gave it to him. Do you know what a lint roller is? Imagine that but theres plastic wrap that you'll be rolling attached to the handle.

     "Hold the ice to his hip while I wrap him up." Percy said standing up from his rolling swivel stool. I took Alex's bag and put them both against his right hip.

     He wrapped around his body to keep the ice in place. When we were done he sent him on his way and he hobbled down the hallway to the back door, going out to the fields.

     "Thanks for the help." Percy said smiling at us. I sat down on the bed against the wall and sat there, rolling the tennis ball against my arm. I moved to the front of my shoulder.

     "Hey Perce, could you help me out?" I asked, pointing to the back of my shoulder. He was about to answer when his phone went off.

     "Yea I'm here." Percy said into his cell phone. I nodded his head even though the other person couldn't see. "Alright yea, I'll drive over."

     "Duty calls." I joked with him. He nodded and got his keys to the golf cart he drives around campus. He left leaving me and Alex alone. "Could you?"

     "Yea sure." she said walking over. I turned and sat with my legs crossed, facing the wall. She took the ball and rolled it against the back of my shoulder.

     "So how's miss perfect's life going?" I asked jokingly. She laughed, probably going back to what happened earlier when I called her life perfect.

     "Not so perfect." she said. I followed the lines of the overlapping bricks to the ceiling. Shocking.

     "How so?" I asked, not believing her. Miss perfect isn't living a perfect life? "What went wrong in the kingdom, princess?"

     "I'm not a princess." she said stopping. I held my hands up slightly in surrender. "I don't really want to talk about it."

     "Okay." is all I said. I shouldn't dig too much since we just started talking again. I turned around and took the ball from her hand. I threw it against the opposite wall hard with my right arm and caught it. "Feels a lot better, thanks."

     I got up and got an ice bag. Percy was walking in with a guy who had a dislocated shoulder. He had him sit on the cot and took the boys phone and was probably speaking to a parent. When he got off the phone he got the wrap for me.

     "There you go. Don't forget to stretch it out after the ice okay?" he said, putting his hand on the ice and making sure it was secure.

     "Thanks man, see you tomorrow probably." I said fist bumping him. I turned to the kid and gave him a thumbs up. "Get better."

     He gave me a weak smile and I walked out with my bag and Alex next to me.

A/N:
tru story about my school trainer with the ice bag. it was so funny.