Page 7 of Walk With Me
“It’s rare to see it so still,” she replies. Her eyes scan the school grounds lazily. There’s a relaxed smile on her face, too. Weird.
“So, look,” I begin, because I feel bad about acting like a dick earlier. “I’m not just lazy.”
Sloane buries her hands in the front of her letterman jacket. Her head turns slightly my way, but she doesn’t give me her full attention. I kinda like that. It’s less pressure.
“The whole working out thing kinda triggers me, ya know.”
“I don’t know.” She smiles.
“Right, yeah, why would you?” I scratch the back of my neck. It’s a nervous tick. “I had bad asthma when I was young. Turns out the teacher in my primary school thought he knew better than medical professionals and went above and beyond to push me. I’d started to grow out of by that time, but I’ve never had strong lungs, and his tactics only made things worse.”
“Shit, Eden, that’s awful!”
“Tell me about it. Anyway, it was a whole thing, and it’s left some baggage.”
“This was back in the UK?”
I side-eye her to see if she’s genuinely interested. Hmm, seems so. “Yeah. We moved to the States nearly four years ago.”
“Did you still have asthma when you came over?”
“No. By the time I hit puberty it was all but gone.”
Sloane nods. “Your pouting makes more sense now.” She smiles.
“I didn’t pout.”
She throws her head back and laughs. Loudly. “You so did! Everyone in Holcroft knows how much you hate gym class.”
“And yet you still volunteered to be my class partner. Doesn’t seem so smart to me.” I grin.
This is a definite improvement. I’m actually holding a decent conversation.
“Or maybe it’s super smart! I’m thinking it’s gonna look great on my college applications. I did the impossible and made Eden Sawyer exercise. People at Holcroft will talk about it for years. I’ll be a legend.”
A very unattractive snort escapes my nose and throat. Whatever, she’s funny.
“Glad I can help cement you into the Holcroft Hall of Fame.”
I feel her hand on my forearm. Her face is more serious now. “Why didn’t you tell anyone? Porter wouldn’t have been such a hard ass if he’d known. The dude is exercise crazy, but he’s a decent teacher.”
I shrug. “I know, and I’m well aware I’ve made shit harder for myself. I just don’t like talking about it. Plus, I genuinely dislike the effects of exercise. Like, you enjoy the burn, right? When you’re running or doing those twirls in cheer.”
“Twirls?”
I roll my eyes. No, I don’t know the technical terms for being thrown about by classmates.
“You know what I mean. Anyway, that feeling…I hate it. There’s nothing but negative connotations when I think about my lungs burning. I don’t get the euphoric high after a workout, just anxiety. I’ve just got to get through this year and I’ll never have to worry about it again. I thought I was free and clear until Porter concocted this bloody partner scheme.”
Why is she smiling at me?
“I like it when you say bloody. All English and stuff.” She giggles. Actually giggles!
I feel my face warm up. “You can take the girl out of England, but not the shitty accent out of the girl.” I laugh. Sloane doesn’t. Her perfectly sculpted eyebrows furrow.
“You don’t like your accent?”
I shrug. “It’s basic.”
