Sasha Scott

Chapter 5

Happy reading !

I'm staring at my phone screen. My index finger quickly moves the display down. My hands are shaking. In fact, every part of my body is shaking. My eyes are scanning through the list of names as fast as possible. Katya RYAN, Ethan SANDERS, Matthew SAUNDERS, Alexandra SCHMIDT, Sasha SCOTT... my finger stops sharply on the screen. I tilt my head and bring the device closer to my eyes. Sasha SCOTT.... Born September 21, 1998... STS... validated, validated ?  I'm re-reading again.

« Validated ..., I whisper, Oh my God ! »

The girls, previously focused on their stretching, now all look at me like I'm an alien. I jump for joy as I shout the same sentence over and over again without being able to control myself.

« Oh, my God ! Oh, my God !

- What ?! What's going on ?! Corsie asks me.

- I've got it !

- What ?! You've got what ?! she insists, eager to know what's got me in such a state.

- My bachelor !! I got it !!

- No way ! » Kelley exclaims, still sitting on the lawn.

Corsie suddenly gets up almost falling down. She rushes towards me and hugs me. I'm shaken in every direction, worse than a cocktail in a shaker !

- Bravo mate !

While my other teammates are applauding me, Kelley rushes to me and before I understand what's going on, my feet lift off the ground.

- That's my girl ! Congratulations to you, new girl ! »

I'm laughing out loud as my teammate spins me around in the air. Even after a year she still insists on not calling me by my name as the rest of the team does. I move my head forward. A big smile lights up her face. Because of the workout some brown streaks escaped from her ponytail and bring out her hazel eyes. With spring and sunny days coming, the light brightens the iris, which is usually coffee and milk, and emphasizes the green tones. Her skin is a little more tanned than a month ago, her freckles are less noticeable but still present. Her cheeks are slightly reddened by the physical effort from the afternoon. And that smile ...

She lightly deserts her grip over me when she finally decides to put me down. I slide between her arms until I touch the ground again. The moment I meet her gaze I suddenly become aware of the proximity of our bodies. My face is only a few centimetres away from hers. I can feel her breathing on my lips... the warmth of her arms around my waist... the almost imperceptible beating of her heart in my hands, resting on her neck. I stop laughing. So does she. Then her smile evaporates, and as if on an electric shock, Kelley pulls her hands away from my waist and moves a couple of steps away.

I'm not moving. Without understanding how or why, my body is frozen and I can't take my eyes off hers. It's as if her gaze anchors me in time. Yet, very quickly Kelley turns away from me and clears her throat. She turns around and towards the rest of the team which has started to pick up the equipment. She bends down to get her crampons back, which she probably had to remove to stretch. She finally decides to look up at me. The confusion... maybe even the fear that was on her face a few moments earlier has disappeared, giving way to her usual smile, the one that usually precedes a teasing or a joke.

« I don't wanna take any credit for your success, but I do think that Press and I had something to do with it.

- That's clear ! exclaims Christen. Who's been tutoring you in math every week for the past year ? »