“That poor girl.” Mamá sips her lemonade. “You have to make her feel happy to be on the team, Joaquin. She had hopes—she chose to attend that school. A girl her age shouldn’t be bullied by her own teammate. She’s supposed to feel like she’s with familia, you know?”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “I know.”
And she’s right. The last thing anyone needs right now is to be bullied or made to feel lesser than. Especially someone as gifted as Amber Lakes.
FOURTEEN
The last thing I expect is Coach Hamilton to show up at my doorstep the next day. Coach Veronika popped up yesterday afternoon with the crutches and a smile. She appeared to be in a chipper mood, which proved that she truly did need to eat breakfast before getting her day started.
I also spoke to my mom about what happened, and she was only two seconds away from jumping in her car in the middle of her shift and driving here. I managed to calm her down.
“Amber,” Hamilton says at the door with a sigh. “May I come in?”
“Uh—yeah, sure.” I hop back on one of the crutches to let her in.
She shuts the door behind her and looks around the apartment. “How are you liking the apartment? Spacious, right?”
“Yeah, lots of space. It definitely beats the dorms.”
“And Ramirez? She a good roommate?”
“Oh, Kendall is great. She’s pretty much my best friend now.” I smile.
Hamilton nods, then looks at the sofa. She gestures to it, and says, “Have a seat, Amber. I have something I want to discuss with you.”
My heart beats too hard for its own good. I know she’s here about Melanie. I grab the other crutch that’s leaning against the wall, tuck it beneath my armpit, and hobble my way over to the sofa.
I sit in the recliner and Hamilton takes the loveseat, sitting on the cushion closest to me.
Oh, God. Please don’t let her be like Coach Foster. The last thing I need is the head coach hating me too.
Hamilton looks me over as I place the crutches down on the floor and then push the loose strands of my hair out of my face. Doesn’t matter if I wear it in a ponytail. Some of it always comes spilling out.
“Tell me what happened on the trail,” Hamilton murmurs. Her voice is gentle. Kind. I can sense that she’s nothing like Foster.
“Um…I’m assuming you mean with Melanie?”
She nods, nothing more.
“Well, we were ahead of everyone else. Melanie was struggling to keep up with my pace. I was running and getting close to the football field and right before I could get there, I tripped. I felt the front of my ankle catch something and I tried to jump over it at the last minute but ended up catching onto it, rolling my ankle, and falling instead. Melanie had on these bright yellow shoes. I saw them beneath me before I fell.”
Hamilton sighs.
I clear my throat.
“Did you say anything to Melanie?”
I shake my head. “I wanted to…but, no. I was in too much pain and I didn’t want to lash out while I was hurt and angry.”
Hamilton is quiet for a few moments. Her eyes move from mine to the patio door behind me. “Torres is the one who brought this situation to my attention. He told me what he saw. I also spoke with Nicole Maynard, who came to me, and she said she saw the same thing Torres did. That Howard purposely tripped you on the trail.”
I nod. Where is she going with this?
“Torres also told me that you said you don’t like it here and that you feel like you don’t fit in.”
My throat thickens as her green eyes swing back over to mine. He wasn’t supposed to tell her that. Damn him.
“Is that true, Amber?”
“I—I was just emotional, Coach.”
She presses her lips, as if she doesn’t believe that and is waiting for a better explanation.
“I—I mean, yeah, I do feel like some of the teammates don’t like that I’m here, but it was whatever to me until yesterday when Melanie purposely tripped me.” I’m on the verge of tears again, but I stay strong. No use in crying over spilled milk. It happened. My ankle will heal soon.
“Amber, first of all, there is nothing wrong with you being emotional about what happened yesterday. What Howard did was unacceptable and she is not getting away with it. Period.” Her face is serious, her eyes still boring into mine. I notice she has freckles on the bridge of her nose, small reddish dots that suit her. “Secondly, Mills and I repeatedly came to your high school because we really wanted you on our team. We wanted to recruit you and to bring you to Bennett University to join our track family, so don’t think for a second that you don’t belong here. When we scouted you, we didn’t care how you looked, or what others may have thought when we brought you in. We wanted you for your dedication and your passion for track. You’re a sweet girl and so, so talented and there was no way I was passing you up.”