Emerson's Fury : L.B. Pavlov (10 page)

He scooped her right up and turned to the official, pointing his finger. “When you see her down on the ground, you pick her up! Do you hear me?” he shouted angrily.

Finn was hysterically laughing. Emerson was trying to catch her breath to calm him down. I just started to laugh, and the poor official looked completely confused. Many runners drop to the ground; if he stopped to pick them all up, he wouldn’t be able to officiate the race.

“Cross, I’m not hurt,” Emerson croaked, sliding down to put her feet on the ground.

“What?” Cross said unbelievingly, totally concerned about her. He was trying to look into her eyes and make sure she was OK.

“She always collapses, you dufus!” Finn shouted, and he could barely contain his laughter.

I looked back in the stands. My mom was smiling at us, and my dad was sharing Finn’s reaction: he couldn’t seem to stop laughing.

“Shut up, Finn. At least he cares!” Emerson snapped, still trying to calm her breathing.

“This is normal? You were lying on the ground, and that guy just watched you. What kind of guy lets a girl struggle on the ground like that?” Cross squawked angrily.

“This is normal. Lots of people fall down. But I’m fine. I promise. Did I get a four forty-one?” Emerson asked curiously.

“Yes, four forty-one,” I said proudly.

“Awesome,” she replied. This was out of character for Emerson. If she had been trying to break four minutes and forty seconds, she would usually be silent for a long time if she failed. This was a different reaction for her.

We walked up to the stands, and my dad addressed Cross. “I remember those days. It’s hard to see them fall down like that,” he said compassionately.

“Not for me. If she doesn’t fall down, then she didn’t run good,” Finn said, laughing.

“Four forty-one, Emerson. You and Mom will share the record now, and both names will be listed, right?” my dad said, smiling at her.

“Oh, really? That’s great,” Emerson replied, hugging my mom.

She and my dad shared a look. This had been Emerson’s goal. Only she was capable of timing her speed to get it down to the hundredth of a second so she could share the record with my mother. This was why she was one of the best runners in the country. She had complete control of her races, which was a rare talent.

Cross looked completely traumatized over watching her race. He had pulled her on his lap in the stands and was holding on to her as if she had just been in an accident. I had never seen my sister this way before. This was definitely serious for her. She was head-over-heels for this guy, and he seemed to feel exactly the same way. I was happy for her. Her whole life had been about working hard at school and running, and it was nice to see her have something special for herself. Cross seemed to adore her, and I really liked him.

I sat down next to him in the stands. “You OK?” I asked quietly.

“That scared me. She looked so helpless. I thought she was hurt. I couldn’t believe that guy didn’t help her. I hope I didn’t embarrass you guys,” he said, genuinely flustered.

“Dude, don’t give it a thought. Seeing how much you care about my sister is nothing to be embarrassed about,” I said.

“Well, you embarrassed me a little,” Finn said, leaning over us from behind. He burst out laughing, and we laughed with him. He loved teasing Cross, and Cross enjoyed it.

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c h a p t e r    e i g h t

Nothing beats Christmas in Indiana. The ground was covered in snow. There was Christmas music playing everywhere I went. Everyone was in the holiday spirit, and I loved it. Indy was home from school, so our house was festive and happy. My mom was baking like crazy, and she and I had made tons of cookies together. My mom loved the holidays, and our house was full of holiday spirit. My dad was training hard with the Colts. He was really hoping to make it to the Super Bowl. Everyone else was busy shopping for last-minute gifts.

Cross and I had had our first real fight. It wasn’t anything serious, but it was the first time I had ever been upset with him. His mom had come back into the picture, and she was badgering him to fight again. She insisted that she couldn’t get a job with her criminal record and made him feel as if the only way she could survive was if he fought. I did not want him to fight. I didn’t want him going back there. He didn’t feel like he had a choice, and I disagreed. He told me that I didn’t understand, and that infuriated me. I told him if he didn’t think I understood, then maybe we should end the phone call because that meant he didn’t understand me. We both said good-bye, and I felt awful after we hung up. He called me fifteen minutes later and apologized for saying that I didn’t understand. I accepted his apology, but I still felt bad about everything.

The following day I was busy at school, and we only texted a few times. He would be fighting that night, and so I wouldn’t be able to see him face-to-face until the next day to see if things were back to normal.

When I got home from school, I went for a long run. I felt better after I ran. I was going to text him good luck, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I didn’t approve of him fighting, and so I couldn’t wish him luck. Once I knew he was at the fight, I became riddled with guilt. I was so fretful and stressed about him being there. When I ate dinner with my family, they kept asking what was wrong. I didn’t want to talk about it. I barely ate anything, and afterward I went to my room to study. I kept checking my phone, and there was nothing. I was so anxious.

All of a sudden my dad came barreling into my room. “Emerson, where is Cross tonight? Is he at that fight club?” he demanded. He was absolutely frantic.

I jumped up from my bed. “Yes. Why? What’s wrong?” I wailed, and I started to cry instantly because I knew in my gut that something was wrong.

“Get in the car. There’s been a fire at that warehouse. It’s all over the news,” he said nervously. He grabbed his keys as we both ran out the door.

We were both sprinting toward the car when a light came shining up the driveway. It was a motorcycle. He was here. I froze in my tracks, waiting to make sure he was OK. He got off his bike, and I felt such a relief come over me that I ran weak-kneed to him.

“What’s wrong? Where are you going?” he asked, wondering why my dad and I were outside so late at night.

“Cross, there’s been a fire at that warehouse where you fight. It’s all over the news,” my dad said, still a little shaken.

“We were scared to death!” I shouted hysterically as I pulled away from him. My emotions were all over the place. I was relieved, and then I was angry. I didn’t know how I felt.

“What? When?” he said, looking panicked.

“Didn’t you have a fight?” I asked, still shouting.

“Yes. But I left. I knew you were mad, so I didn’t fight,” he said, taking my hand and looking at me for forgiveness.

“Thank you,” I said, letting go of my angry tone, as I hugged him tightly.

“Did they get everyone out?” Cross asked fearfully.

“They were trying to. But they have no way of knowing if people are still in there because the whole building went up in flames,” my dad said ruefully.

Cross pulled out his phone and made a few calls. Whoever he talked to seemed to think everyone had gotten out. I heard him inquire about his mother, but the man he spoke to said she had never shown up. He was definitely relieved.

We all went inside, and my dad said we could stay up for thirty minutes, but then we’d have to say good-night because it was late. Cross sat on the couch, and I climbed onto his lap and hugged him tightly.

“Please don’t do that to me again. I was so scared. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you,” I said around the catch in my voice, looking into his beautiful blue eyes.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t get mad at me anymore. I couldn’t concentrate at school today. I hated that we weren’t speaking,” he said, pulling me closer to him.

“Me, too. I just don’t want you to fight anymore. I worry so much when you fight, and I don’t want you to get hurt. Can’t you just do this for me?” I pleaded.

“Emerson, I need you to understand that this is the only way I can help my mom right now. I’m so torn because I don’t want to upset you. But she needs help, and she doesn’t have anyone else,” he said sincerely.

“I don’t want to fight with you about this. I know you are trying to please everyone. I’m not trying to add pressure on you. I love you. I worry about you. I want what’s best for you. I need you to at least understand where I’m coming from. When you say that I don’t understand, that hurts me,” I said, desperate to make him see my point of view.

“I know you understand. And I know you just want what’s best for me. No one has ever loved me the way that you do,” he said, stroking my face.

“Please. I don’t want you to get hurt,” I begged, hugging him tightly.

“I need you to trust me. I will try to stay away from it, but I need you to understand my position with my mom. Can you do that for me?” he asked.

“Yes,” I yielded, brushing his hair back from his face with my fingers.

“OK. I need to get home, and you need to get to bed,” he said, pulling me up to my feet.

I walked him to the door, and he kissed me so gently and softly that I felt like my feet had left the ground.

“I love you,” he said as he drove off.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

I couldn’t believe that it was Christmas Eve already. Emerson and I had been inseparable since our disagreement about my fighting. I was so happy that she had forgiven me, and I hoped that my mom would be more understanding about how often she asked me to fight. The warehouse had been closed only a few days, and the organizers already had a new location for the fight club. They didn’t wait long to move on. Thank goodness no one was hurt. My mom seemed to be angrier that I hadn’t been there to fight than relieved that I hadn’t been there when the building caught fire. My mom and I were not talking as often, and she really only came around when she needed money.

I couldn’t wait to give Emerson her gift. I had saved more money than she or my mother knew I had from my last couple of fights. I wanted to get Emerson and my grandparents something special. I also wanted to get something for the Hollingsworths, because they had done a lot for me over the last few months. I would be giving them their gifts that night, because they had invited my grandparents and me over to their big Christmas Eve party. My grandfather was not feeling well, so they had decided to stay home so that he could rest. Christmas morning we would spend with our families, but Emerson and I had planned to go for a long run later on Christmas Day. We were looking forward to spending a lot of time together over Christmas break.

I hugged my grandparents good-bye and drove over to the Hollingsworths’ for dinner. I borrowed my grandfather’s car so that I could take all the gifts with me. There were tons of cars already in the driveway. The whole house was lit up with holiday lights, and they had a large Santa with his sleigh on their roof. Holidays were big family celebrations for the Hollingsworths, and it was nice to feel as if I was part of a big family for the first time in my life. Finn greeted me at the door. He was wearing a Santa hat, and he opened the door before I rang the bell.

“Thank God you’re here! Too much family time for me!” he said, laughing, and he pulled me through the door. “My mom keeps assigning me jobs! Maybe she’ll pick on you for a while.”

I started to laugh. “What do you need me to do?” I inquired.

“Let’s just keep a low profile. Maybe she will make Indy do some work for a change. She’s been pampering him since he’s been home! Enough is enough!” he said, throwing his hands in the air. Finn was hysterically funny. He was always loud and animated. You couldn’t be in a bad mood around Finn.

We were heading for the family room, and I turned to look down the hall. Emerson was talking to her grandmother, and she hadn’t noticed that I had
come in yet. I just stared for a minute. She was breathtaking. She was wearing a short skirt with a pretty, cream-colored sweater. She had high-heeled, knee-high boots on, and her hair was long and straight. She was smiling at her grandmother and talking about something in a very spirited way. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes were sparkling—the green looked as if it had yellow specks in it when the light hit her perfect eyes. Her lips were plump and pink, and her smile could stop anyone in their tracks. She suddenly turned and met my eyes, and we held one another’s gaze for a brief moment.

“Are you kidding me with this sappy stuff? For God’s sake, Cross! You are so whipped! Man up already! This is getting ridiculous!” Finn said dramatically, and he started to laugh.

I laughed with him because he was right. I was head-over-heels in love with his sister. There was no hiding it. And I didn’t want to.

Emerson came walking up and hugged me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and gazed into my eyes. “You look awfully handsome tonight,” she said sweetly.

“That’s it! I’m out of here!” Finn said, storming off in his Santa hat.

Emerson and I laughed at his reaction, and then I turned back to her. “You look stunning,” I said quietly in her ear. She gave me a quick, soft peck on the lips and grabbed my hand to lead me into the family room.

We visited with all of her aunts, uncles, and cousins. I talked to her grandparents, and I talked with Mr. and Mrs. Hollingsworth as well. They were always so supportive. They asked me about school, my grandparents, and my training for football. Emerson was lucky to have parents that genuinely cared as much as her parents did. We ended up on the couch with Indy and Bella, and they were telling us about a weekend trip they were taking to Chicago the next weekend with Bella’s parents.

Everyone started passing out gifts and began opening, and everyone was enjoying their presents. Mr. and Mrs. Hollingsworth gave me a really nice warm, off-white sweater and a scarf. It was very kind, and I thanked them immensely.

Mrs. Hollingsworth turned and noticed a package from me. She said, “Cross, you shouldn’t have,” and she began to tear open the giftwrap. She looked stunned when she uncovered what was beneath.