Page 10 of Running Risk

CLAYTON: THEN

“Hey, Mom. I’m heading to pick up Rylee.

She might drive my truck since she just got her license, but I don’t know.

She’s not the best driver.” My hand pauses on the door handle when soft cries come from the kitchen.

I turn around and find my mom. Her hands grasp the granite counters on both sides of the sink. “Mom?”

She quickly wipes the tears from under her eyes. “Hey, honey.” She turns and gives me the best fake smile she can muster. “What do you have planned with Rylee today?”

“We were going to go for a run, but I can stay here if you need me.” I take a step closer, but she shakes her head. I hate seeing my mom upset. She’s always there for me, and I have to make sure I’m always there for her.

“No. No. Go, have fun.” She reaches out and squeezes my shoulder, giving me a small smile. “I know you’ve missed her.”

Rylee got a job as a camp counselor for two months, and it’s the longest we have been apart since we met. Saying I’ve missed her is an understatement. We do everything together, and it was hard not seeing her every day .

“Why are you crying?” She's one of the happiest people I know, and she doesn’t cry unless something bad has happened. My entire life, my mom has always been the one to help me find different techniques to ground me. I wouldn’t have been able to cope without her.

Her hand gently cups my cheek. “It’s nothing.

Your father and I had a little squabble.

” She turns around and goes back to doing the dishes.

“I think I just needed to let a few tears out. I’m okay.

” Peeking over her shoulder, she smiles at me again, as if attempting to make me believe what she’s saying. “Tell Rylee I said, hello.”

I nod. “Okay.” I watch her for a few seconds before wrapping my arms around her and tucking my chin on her shoulder. I’m now a good amount taller than her, but she has never been a tall woman.

“Oh.” Her hands gently put down the cup and grasp my arms wrapped around her. “Thank you,” she says, her voice a little shaky.

I kiss her on the side of the head and walk out of the room, picking up my gym bag on the way out the front door.

I pull into Rylee’s driveway a few minutes later.

She runs out of their front door just as I pull in, like she was waiting for me by the window.

My heart skips a beat, and my brain contorts in confusion.

I can’t take my eyes off of her. Her hair sways in long brown waves from her ponytail, and she’s wearing black leggings and a loose blue T-shirt from our high school.

Her eyes lock on mine, and her lips stretch into a smile.

Pulling the door open, she hops inside and wraps her arms around my neck.

I don’t think I’ve blinked since she came out.

Something is different about her. My hands grip her sides, unsure if I should push her away to look at her or pull her closer.

Rylee pushes against my shoulders to sit straight again and slaps me in the chest.

“I missed you,” she says with a bright smile .

My eyes narrow on her mouth. “Your braces are gone.”

Her smile only grows. “I know. I got them off right before I left. Isn’t it great?”

“Uh, yeah.”

She scoffs and sits back in her seat. “Come on. Let’s go before you start talking too much.”

I blink a few times before putting the truck in reverse and heading to the track.

When Rylee started running with me, she liked having a goal for how long we would go.

When I run on the trails at my house, she says it’s too easy to stop since you’re always overlapping different paths, so we come to the school.

While she rattles on about all the events at summer camp, I glance over, scanning her to figure out what’s different.

It can’t only be the braces. I’ve always noticed when her body started to fill out and become more like a woman than a girl, but I always still saw her as a friend.

Today, though, I can’t picture the girl I grew up with.

She’s now someone who fills out her tight leggings.

Her shirt is baggy, but not enough to cover that her chest has filled it out, but mostly, it’s her face.

Rylee rarely wears makeup, but she is right now.

Her eyes seem brighter along with her metalless teeth.

She looks good, distractingly good, and I’m not sure what to think about that.

“What did you do to your face?” I interrupt.

Her eyes are wide as she looks at me.

“I’m sorry, but there is something different.” I take quick glances at her, then back to the road, pulling into the school’s parking lot.

“God, Clay.” She crosses her arms in front of her. “Can’t a girl just look nice?”

“To go for a run?” Putting the truck in park, I face her. She isn’t meeting my eyes. Hers are focused on her fingers that fidget in her lap.

She sighs. “Yeah. Even just to go for a run.” Unbuckling her seat belt, she gets out, not waiting for me as she walks to the track field.

I jump out, grab my bag from the back, and jog to catch up with her. “Ry, I didn’t mean anything by it.” I go to reach for her arm, but she spins around, stopping us both.

“What did you mean then?” Her face pinches.

My eyes scan the area around us, and I take a few breaths.

I’ve never liked when she gets upset. It’s like I’m out of control.

My instincts take over, and my hands immediately contract in and out of fists.

My short nails dig into my palms, focusing me even more.

“You just look different,” I say, looking down at my shoes.

She sighs, and I know it’s because she knows more than anyone how I am with change.

I do the best I can, but I don’t like change.

When something constant in my life changes, it makes me want to run.

She knows how hard I’m struggling not to take off.

“Yeah. I guess I do look different without my braces.” She grabs my arm and leans her face into my eyesight. “I’m still me, though. Come on. Let’s start before you bolt on me.” Her smile, though different, brings me comfort.

I nod, and we walk to the bench where we always leave our stuff. She stretches her legs, leaning into a forward fold over each of them. My gaze locks on her. One thing I know for sure, it’s not only her smile that’s different.

Walking through the crowd at the game brings fresh anxiety to the forefront, but I shove that down the best I can because I’d do anything for Rylee.

I’ve never liked big crowds, but I promised her we could come.

She loves seeing our classmates play, but she also likes the social aspect of it.

Most of our teachers and student body are here.

Our school’s spirit is infectious. I go to the concession stand, getting two sodas and candy.

The candy is specifically for Rylee. I don’t think she goes a day without either candy or dessert.

“Clay!” a voice calls from behind me.

I turn, but the girl who’s calling me over isn’t Rylee.

It’s a girl named Rebecca from our class.

I nod, not moving closer, but she urgently waves her hand for me to come.

My brows furrow before I finally go up to her.

I can’t remember five words we have ever said to each other, so I don’t know why she would want to talk to me.

“That math test was hard, right?” she asks, placing her hand on my forearm.

I’m careful not to spill the drinks in my hand. “Uh. Sure.”

She laughs, making my eyebrows draw closer. I’m not sure what I said was that funny.

“So what are you doing after the game?” She steps closer.

I shrug. “Probably taking Rylee home.”

Her smile falters. “You two are always attached at the hip, aren’t you?”

I scan the crowd, still looking for Rylee. “I guess.”

“Well, there are other girls who would like some attention too.” She flutters her eyelashes.

I take a step back. This entire interaction is making me far more uncomfortable.

“Okay. I’ll see you later.” I turn, not giving her a chance to say anything else, and exhale with relief when the brunette I actually want to see stands there.

Handing the soda to Rylee, I stand next to her and force myself to watch the game even though it doesn’t interest me.

“How’s Rebecca?” Rylee sings out.

I glance over my shoulder. “Why do you say it like that?”

“She’s nice.” She faces the game .

“Yeah . . .” I rub the back of my neck. What’s she getting at? I think most of our class is nice. I don’t have any enemies.

“I’m just saying—” She leans closer, talking through the side of her mouth. “I’m sure she would like getting a little more attention from you.”

My eyes narrow on her. I honestly have never cared what other girls have said about me or considered any of them as anything more than someone I go to school with, but I think about what she’s saying, then shake my head.

Rylee stands there drinking her soda, and I realize she’s not in sweats and a T-shirt.

She’s actually in jeans and a red shirt I haven’t seen before.

She looks . . . nice, and before I can overthink this whole conversation, I say, “You’re the only girl I want to give extra attention to. ”

Her gaze snaps to mine before she scoffs and bumps me with her hip as she focuses back on the game.

Why would I want another girl in my life when Rylee is everything? She’s always there for me, but I want to be there for her. It feels good that she can always come to me for school questions, books, friendship, and to rant about something random she’s passionate about.

She peers at me before snapping to look at me fully. “What? Do I have something on my face?” She brushes her hands across her face.

I shake my head. “Nope.”

“Oh, then what is it?” She steps closer to hear me better.

There’s no way I’m telling my best friend she looks nice, and what she means to me.

It would be too awkward. So I shrug and look back at the game, feeling the pressure to say something prickle the back of my neck.

But thankfully, she drops it, grabbing the bag of Skittles and popping a few pieces into her mouth.

“Can you believe that this time next year, we will be going to UGA and getting an apartment together?” she says over her shoulder, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

I smile, watching her toss more candy in her mouth. I can’t think of anything better than following her wherever she goes and getting to live with her. “As long as there are running trails.”

She smirks before bumping me with her shoulder.