I wasn’t going to boast, so I shrugged. “Just let me do my thing. You won’t regret it.”
He seemed to mull it over before he nodded. “I’ll send the girls in and wait. You do another five. Blow me away with your times, Strattan.”
That was all I needed.
This time, I ran for myself.
The second run didn’t take as long.
I soared past Coach Langdon, and he showed me my time, shaking his head. “What year are you?”
“Junior.” I pulled my leg up behind me, stretching my quad.
Taylor waved from the curb. She’d showered and had two cups sitting next to her. I could smell the coffee from where I stood. Its aroma mingled with my sweat.
“Why are you joining this year? You wasted two years, Strattan.”
I gulped, lowering my leg. “There were reasons.”
He snorted, heading back to the building. “You’re on the team. Your friend too. We run in the mornings and at three every day. Meet here by seven thirty and meet at the running track at three. Our first meet is in two weeks, but I have no worries about your performance. Hydrate. I’ll have a meal plan for you later.”
He nodded as he passed Taylor, who stood and brought over the coffee. “I made the team. Did you hear?” She offered me a cup.
Hearing the excitement in her voice, I grinned. “Did you really think you wouldn’t make it?”
She lifted a shoulder, sipping from her cup. “I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. But I’m happy. Logan will flip for me.”
I laughed. “He’s going to buy some kind of ATV and follow us. You know that, right?”
Her lip tugged up. “You’re right. He’ll blast music, and he’ll have towels, water, and protein snacks for us.”
I nodded. I expected more than that. “Nate will be with him too.”
“And Jason.”
“We’re bringing our own fan club to the team. Now they’ll really love us.”
“Man.” Her eyes lit up. She glanced over my shoulder, and I turned. Some of the girls were coming out of the building. All were showered, and some held their own coffees as they laughed together. I waited, but neither Faith nor Raelynn came out behind them.
“If you’re looking for the two divas, you missed them,” Taylor said. “Not that they threw a big scene, but when you took off, no one said a word. It was complete silence. I think everyone was waiting for an explosion, but then those two just stormed off. They were the first to leave, and they were pissed.”
I wasn’t that surprised, but I didn’t get to say anything. Courtney, Grace, and Nettie were coming over. Courtney was grinning now, almost as wide as the other two.
Grace gushed first. “You’re a bitch. You let us think you were the bartending staff at that party.” She punched me lightly. “We had no idea you were Mason Kade’s girlfriend, and oh my God—Faith and Rae are livid. We’ve been hearing about you, but you never joined the team. They thought they were clear to take the top two spots. Now they gotta fight like the rest of us.”
Courtney touched my arm, jerking her head to the side.
I frowned, following her.
“Be careful,” she said once we were a few steps away.
“What do you mean?”
“Faith and Raelynn are rich. Both of them. They grew up running together. Their fathers are best friends, and they’re kind of like sisters.”
“Are you saying they’ll do something to hurt me?”
“No. I’m not saying they’ll physically hurt you, but I wouldn’t put it past them to figure out a way to get you off the team. Just watch your back.”
I nodded. “I will. Thanks for the heads-up.”
She nodded. Her shoulders lifted in a deep breath, and she started grinning again. “I can’t believe it. Our team’s always fun, but today was a whole other kind of practice. I’m kind of excited to see what happens.”
I glanced over. Grace and Nettie were still chatting up Taylor, who was watching me.
For so many reasons, I was happy Logan had caught her. It felt nice to have someone behind me. I’d been missing Heather since I started at Cain. There’d been random friends, but no one had stuck.
Taylor headed my way. “Ready to go? Logan’s blowing my phone up. He wants to meet for breakfast.”
Grace and Nettie followed. “Where are you going?” Nettie asked.
“Uh . . .” Taylor opened her mouth.
Courtney cut in, adding, “Because maybe we’ll check the place out too. You know, another morning or something.”
“No, I was ask—”
Courtney shot her a meaningful look, interrupting again. “We have plans this morning. We’ll go another time.”
“Oh.” Nettie closed her mouth.
Grace frowned.
Taylor tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear and glanced around, looking anywhere but at the girls.
This had just turned awkward.
Logan wouldn’t want new people at breakfast. Taylor didn’t have the words to express his exclusivity sometimes, but Courtney knew. Or it seemed like she did. Logan did have a reputation. He liked people, but he was selective. He didn’t do breakfast with just anyone.
I cleared my throat. “We have some family things to talk about, but we should do breakfast tomorrow?” I gazed around the group.
Logan wouldn’t come. That was the unspoken part of the deal.
Nettie smiled. “That sounds like fun.”
Courtney cleared her throat. “And on that note, my stomach is growling. Let’s go, chicas. I still have to stop in at my job for a few hours.”
After they left, Taylor expelled a breath. “Logan would’ve been a lot ruder about that.”
I chuckled as we started for the cars. “He would’ve been blunt, not giving a shit if he hurt their feelings.”
She glanced at me from the side. “You were smoother. Thank you.”
I shrugged, coming to my car. “I’m a little more experienced, that’s all. I’ve been with them since high school.”
“Yeah.” She looked over at her car for a moment. “I was doing my own thing when Logan and I started dating. Then second semester was just about him—and Jason. My other friend faded. She started doing her own thing.” She looked back at me. “I’ve been so intimidated by you.”
“Well, there’s no need for that. Whatever changed, I’m happy. I’m glad you’re on the team with me.”
“Me too.” She smiled. “See you back at the house?”
I smelled my shirt and wrinkled my nose. “Yes. I need to shower. Logan can drive.”
“See you soon.”
We ended up eating at a restaurant a few miles from the university, and when we walked inside, we weren’t the only students there. I recognized a table of football cheerleaders. They weren’t in uniform, but their hair was done in pigtail braids, and their faces sparkled with glitter. Some girls I remembered from my freshman dorm were there too, in a back corner booth. We passed several tables of guys as the host led us to our seats. I didn’t think anything of them until Logan stopped. A cheer went up, and he pounded fists with a few of them.
Taylor leaned back toward me. “You know who they are?”
I shook my head. “No clue.” They weren’t football players, but they were tall with long, lean legs. “Some basketball players, maybe?”
A moment later, when we were seated in our booth, Logan confirmed my guess.
“It’s a team day here. I wasn’t sure if it was today or later this week.”
“What do you mean?” I asked
“All the teams are showing here. Mason’s coming too. Whoever’s around is coming today for a big meal.” He nodded to me. “You guys are on the cross-country team.” He smirked. “I got in because I’m just awesome. I’m my own team.”
Taylor met my gaze. “We weren’t told anything about this.”
“Really?” He pointed across the restaurant. “That girl has a cross-country jacket. That’s your team, right?”