Scramble
Copyright© 2025 by Lumpy
Chapter 26
I stumbled through the front door, my legs feeling like rubber after the five-mile run followed by forty-five minutes of pushups, mountain climbers, crunches, and a host of other exercises. I’d stopped weekday workouts, since I didn’t want to get injured again, but I actually missed it.
Coach Moreno had headed off to wherever he had to go next, leaving me open to work out again this weekend. The temps had dropped a few days before and it was a cool sixty-seven degrees this morning, and yet I was dripping sweat as I kicked off my running shoes by the stairs and headed straight for the kitchen.
The cold water from the tap felt incredible against my throat as I drank from the glass, then refilled it twice more before my thirst was satisfied.
I could hear the TV and made my way to the living room to find Dad sitting in his recliner, a cup of coffee in his hands and the morning news playing quietly on the television.
“Rough morning?” he asked.
I collapsed onto the couch across from him, letting out a long breath as I stretched my legs out in front of me. “Just the usual weekend routine.”
“You didn’t do it last weekend.”
My breathing was still coming in short bursts, and I could feel my heart hammering against my ribs. The workout had been intense, probably more than I should have attempted, but I’d felt good during the run and decided to push through the extra drills.
“Coach was here last weekend, so I had training with him instead.”
“I’m a little worried you’re pushing yourself too hard. I don’t want you to overdo it again.”
“I’m being careful.”
“Are you?”
“I only do the really intense stuff on weekends when I have more time to recover and I’ve only been coaching at the early morning sessions with Eduardo. I’m not stupid, Dad. I learned my lesson.”
He studied my face for a moment, probably trying to decide if I was telling him the truth or just saying what he wanted to hear.
“Your long-term health is more important than any short-term training gains.”
“I said I know.” The words came out harsher than I intended, and I immediately regretted the tone. “Sorry. I’m just tired.”
“Alright. Alright. I’m just doing my job and checking on you.”
“And I appreciate it. Really.”
Dad settled back in his chair, apparently satisfied with my response. “How’s everything else going? School, friends, all that?”
I stretched my arms above my head, feeling the tension in my shoulders start to release. “Things are going well overall. Some stuff is complicated, but it’ll be what it’ll be.”
“Complicated how?”
“Friend stuff. It’s hard to explain.”
“Try me,” he said, setting his newspaper aside.
He’d been making an effort to connect with me more since Josh’s birthday party. I’d noticed but hadn’t asked the reason why, since part of me thought maybe he’d written off my warning about Josh’s jealousy or something, and was trying to compensate for it.
I needed to think of some way to convince him to get Josh help, but right now, I just didn’t have the energy to deal with that.
Besides, if I was being honest, I liked the extra attention.
“Things are getting weird between Eduardo and Li.”
“Weird how?”
“Eduardo’s been acting differently around her lately. The whole dynamic of our friend group is becoming awkward.”
Dad raised an eyebrow. “Different how?”
“I don’t know exactly. He gets all quiet and strange when she’s around. Like, we’ll be having a normal conversation, and then Li shows up and suddenly Eduardo can barely put two words together.”
“Sounds like typical teenage romance drama to me,” Dad said with a chuckle.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not that simple.”
“High school love is always dramatic and complicated. You’re probably just witnessing the beginning stages of whatever’s developing between them.”
“Dad, it’s not like that. You don’t understand.”
“Don’t I?” He was clearly amused by my insistence that the situation was more complex than his assessment. “Blake, you’re fifteen. Trust me when I say I’ve seen this before.”
“No, I mean I’m not sure Li feels the same way and she’s just been kind of ignoring it or blowing it off, so I think she’s going to get blindsided when he says something. But how do I tell him that she’s not into him without making him feel bad or start to hate her, which would tear us all apart?”
“Just let them be and it’ll work out. They’re kids. This kind of thing is natural.”
The dismissive tone in his voice annoyed me more than it should have. “We’re not little kids anymore. This stuff matters to us.”
“I’m not saying it doesn’t matter. I’m just saying perspective helps.”
“Whatever.” I finished my water and set the glass on the coffee table. “Forget I mentioned it.”
Dad seemed to recognize that he’d struck a nerve. “I’m sorry. You’re right; I shouldn’t minimize what you’re dealing with.”
I decided to change the subject before the conversation could get more tense. “Track qualifiers are coming up in about a month.”
“Oh, yeah? That’s exciting.”
“If I perform well, I’ll have a chance to make it to state at the end of the school year.”
“What would you need to do to qualify?”
“Hit certain times in my events. Coach Greer thinks I have a real shot in the sprints, if I stay healthy.”
“That’s ... that’s fantastic, Blake.”
“Also, Seven-on-seven will have qualifier rounds in May too, followed by the actual competition just after school ends for the summer. So a lot going on.”
“I’d like to be there for both. I know I haven’t been to either of your track meets and I missed a bunch of your games in the fall, but I’d like to start trying to work my schedule so I can see more of them. Do you have the dates for either of them?”
“I don’t know. I think for state, we have to wait for UIL to schedule it. We do have the seven-on-seven schedule, but I forget the date. It’s like the first weekend in June or something.”
“Well, make sure you let me know as soon as you find out. I want to go but near the end of May, all officers in the department have to attend this mandatory sensitivity training session. It’s a complete waste of time, and the date could conflict.”
“Sensitivity training?”
“Yeah, someone couldn’t keep their hands to themselves and now it’s become a problem for everyone. I get we can’t have superiors harassing their subordinates, but it also takes officers off the streets. Nearly two-thirds of the department will be stuck in a classroom being bored to death instead of doing actual police work.”
“How long does it last?”
“Full day. Eight hours of sitting in uncomfortable chairs listening to someone read from a manual about things we already know.”
“That does sound like torture.”
“If criminals knew about the training day, it would be the perfect time to commit crimes. So few cops will be patrolling that they could probably get away with anything.”
Something about that comment sparked an idea in my mind, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was.
“You said nearly two-thirds of the department?”
“At least. Maybe more, depending on who calls in sick that day. Anyway, let me know when you find out the dates of your games. I don’t want to miss them.”
“I will,” I said, standing up.
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.