Troubled

FIFTY EIGHT

KYLE GARCIA

All the things I found online did not relate to her. That only affirms what I knew about Miss Suzie, she was a fake. She was treating Cora for personality disorder which didn't even relate to what was going on, okay maybe it relates to what happened earlier with the scissors and Margaret. But that could also be attributed to different things like being bipolar, extreme anger issues, and yeah the personality thing I guess.

I lock my phone as I try to settle into the sleeping bag George had provided for us. Earlier he said to call him George. He was the better part of their family, being raised by a mother like his, one would expect he'd turn out a little bit like her instead he's the opposite, unfortunately he married someone like Cora's mother.

About twelve turns later I find there's no way to get comfortable in the sleeping bag, I'm not sure if it's because it was old, or because it was my first time sleeping in the house. Xander was sleeping just fine beside me in his own sleeping bag. George and Cory took the bed.

I read somewhere that if you couldn't sleep, you should wear yourself out. It'll get you tired and help you sleep. So I quietly tip toe out if the room, hoping to do a few push ups, I haven't exercised in such a long time because it reminded me of football, lame, I'm aware. But at least I don't feel shitty each time I go to bed.

The living room was dark, the only light was coming from the dining area, maybe George forgot to turn it off, he turned the one in the room off, the only light upstairs was from the bathroom. Unlike my dad he's big on conserving energy, so I go to turn it off when I see Cora sitting there, from her back I could tell she haven't heard me, else she'd turn.

Her hands were moving rhythmically like it did when she was drawing. Her hair was out of her hoodie, pouring down longer than her waist. I liked her hair so much, too bad she wanted it shorter. Speaking of which, I should take her to another saloon to cut it, that is if she hadn't changed her mind about it.

She still hadn't noticed me and it was fine, I liked watching her. Yes it made ght be creepy but it was also relaxing. I felt at ease just watching her in her comfort zone. It was phenomenal.

Few weeks ago she was the girl I saw randomly at the back of the school. And suddenly, she meant so much to me that I crossed out of state for her. It was crazy. And she kept pulling me in, I was still as intrigued by her like the first day I saw her, probably even more.

Figuring out i had stared a little too long and hard, I go talk to her. She almost jumped out of her skin, but that's okay, she's not abnormal, that's the reaction everyone would give.

We talked or I talked since she had to hear my voice for hours. I felt very special when she said she needed to hear my voice while she drew. Like she had to hear my voice, not Xander's, mine. It was a level I got with her that nobody could get to. It made me pretty happy.

,My phone beeped in my pocket, when I fetched it, it was a text from Mr. Holt. My old trainer and personal coach.

"Hey sport, I'm in town I leave soon though, want to grab a bite before I leave?"

He was one of the people I let down. His career was just starting and it sky rocketed with my fame, once I started to come down, his career came down as well. Last I heard of him, he left the state, I didn't have enough courage to call him or even send a text. It was that bad. Now he reached out to me first. I don't know what to say so I put the phone back in my pockets.

"Who was that?" She asked me without raising her head from the paper.

"My old coach."

"It's a little late for catching up chats."

I chuckle.

"He never really minded the time he communicated with me, old habits I guess."

"Well, what did he want?"

"He's in the state for a couple of days... He wants us to meet."

"I'm assuming you don't want to."

The way this girl knew me.

"Yeah.. I kind kicked him along with everybody else to the curb. But he didn't deserve it."

"Care to explain?"

"It's like this, he groomed me to stardom, so naturally other athletes go to him too, because they believe he helped me, so they can be great too. So when I suddenly stopped, he too lost. No athlete wanted to have my type of record. So yeah.."

"You never apologized even though you feel like shit."

I huff out a breath before answering.

"How could I? He had big dreams, he told them to me, and then I went ahead to throw them away. He used to call me his dream catcher."

Her eyes lift from the paper to me.

"Did he ever say you weren't his dream catcher anymore?"

I blink.

"No."

"Then I don't see why you can't apologize to him. Leaving him on read after he asked to see you is like disappointing him all over again. Which I'm sure is not what you want to do."

I swallow before looking at my hands. The ones Mr. Holt always raised whenever I scored. The one that he shook the first time my name came out in the papers. He beamed at me and said.

"From here out, it's only forward."

And I dragged him backwards. But she had a point, like she always did. The girl was smart about stuff like this, giving deep advices and making one rethink their life choices.

"It's just a chat Kyle. You'll be fine. You're stronger now." She tells me with a soft look in her eyes.

I find myself leaning in across the table, I don't think about what I'm doing I just do.

"Cora?"