Higher, Faster, Stronger

I really really really hate Mondays. And to be fair, who really likes them? They're the beginning of a long school week or work week and still you get to trudge through the rest of the day. It's worse if you have an activity after school on Mondays because no matter how much you like it, you just want to get out of there and have it be over.

That being said, I really hate Mondays. You just got out of a long, comfortable sleepy weekend. You don't want to wake up the next day. All you want is to go back to sleep, wake up at 10, watch tv, eat leftover pizza for lunch in your pajamas, and lounge around the rest of the day. Is that so much to ask? Seriously, now.

Again. Let me reiterate. I. HATE. MONDAYS.

It twas' the best of the times, it was the worst of times…nah. It was just practice as usual. I was making my way down the steps of the hill toward the field and I saw the oddest thing. Keep in mind, only about half the team has showed up and most of us were still in our school clothes.

A circle of chanting boys was surrounding two figures in the middle. Oh boy, it looked like a fight. I started running toward the circle to see who it was. No surprises, Kael was one of the main participants. His big mouth lead to confrontation all the time. It was said in the circles around school that he never knew how to keep his trap shut and his fighting skills were as about as good as fighting a cranky 5 year old.

Now, if the person who Kael was trying to hurt had been Nate, I really wouldn't have been surprised. He gets provoked easily. I could name about 10 other guys that I wouldn't be surprised who it would be.

In the middle of the circle, with his arms folded, and a smirk on his face was Derek. Now, this genuinely surprised me. No one had the balls to face him. That was like suicide, if he got mad. His signature move was easily picking someone up by the throat and throwing them about a yard away. Remember, he did it to me at the beginning of the year? Not to mention to the groping pervert in some of our first games. Not to mention his martial arts skills.

I caught up to Neil as Kael was doing all the work. Captain was just blocking his attack easily.

"What'd I miss?"

"The usual." He didn't even turn to look at me.

"Kael running his mouth again and trying to kill Thompson, when he knows he couldn't steal candy from a baby?"

"Bingo." Neil turned, disgusted. "He's not even fighting, he's just playing around with him. Call me if there's blood." He stalked off.

"Will do."

I turned to see Kael panting and pointing at me.

"When I'm done with him, you're next!" He graciously added some expletives but I choose to edit them out.

"I think not. You're winded and you haven't even landed a punch on him."

"Hey Thompson, gonna let your girlfriend fight for you? Wuss."

Derek then turned to me, looking annoyed.

"Don't fight my battles for me." The crowd around us seemed to get a little tense.

"I wasn't, Captain." I stressed the last word. "I seriously don't know what made you mad, but get over it. By the way?" I called to the crowd as I started to walk towards the locker rooms, "He's not my boyfriend. I would never choose someone so self centered." I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and kept walking.

Fine, I'll admit the last jib wasn't really necessary, but what do you do when you're getting attacked? Put up a defense. And besides, my pride was taking a beating here.

However, it's my nature to be like this. I wasn't voted 'Most likely to make a serial killer cry' for nothing.

And besides, he was the one sending me a mixed signal. He was nice (which is weird) then today he's cold as a tongue stuck to a telephone pole. Male PMS?

Iz rushed inside as I was lacing up.

"Sorry to bother you sweetie but Captain stick in the mud out there asked me to get you. I think he's going to make an announcement."

I ran out there with half my gear on.

Nate caught up to me and stood next to Neil.

"Coach just called me," he said, waving his cell phone. "Practice for today is canceled. He had to go home. I got an unusual message though. Bring your swim suits and a t shirt though. Tomorrow. Dismissed."

I tapped Nate on the shoulder. "I'm going to the music room and then home."

I changed up quickly because right now, I didn't want to deal with anyone. And that was the last place I expected to see anyone I knew. I told Nate because I didn't want him to worry.

In our music room up in the high school there are a thousand different instruments. But I just dropped my bag in the middle of the room and paced for a minute.

I put my hands to my head.
Why was he being so difficult?

Again. I sat down on the piano and cracked my fingers. I put my fingers on the keys and played the first chord of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. I closed my eyes and smiled. It was Mom's favorite. She played it so often and I grew to love it. Whenever I want to calm down, I need to play or hear Moonlight Sonata. It's the music that I love. It's mellow and soft. Quiet and beautiful.

I took lessons when I was younger but I hated it. This was the only song I decided to practice over and over until I committed it to memory. It was the hardest piece I ever had to play too. Seriously, sonata's are hard to play. I was there for a good six minutes, behind the piano. G sharp, C sharp E… over and over…The lamentation at the beginning, then the minuet and the storm at the end.

I didn't know it at the time, but someone I knew had followed me.

As soon as my fingers lifted off the keys I lifted my head to see a pair of big black eyes looking at me from over the piano. He was staring at me. I stared back at him. Neither of us would back

"Play it again." It wasn't an order, it was more like a fan wanting an encore.

I lifted my hands to the keys and started. One two three, one two three. The chords flowed out again and again.

At the end of the first movement I looked up at him. His eyes were closed but shot open when I took my hands off the keys.

"Why are you here?" I asked, rather coldly.

"Just listening to some music." He said it so nonchalantly.

"Sure. Stalker." I got up and grabbed my bag with full intentions of leaving. He promptly grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer to him. I mean close. Like, within 3 feet.

"What do you want with me?" I demanded. "Let go."

"I want you to listen. And I won't let go because if I do, you'll probably hurt me and run away. And I'm in no mood to walk home with a crotch injury."

"Against my better judgment I'm going to listen to what you have to say." I was still frowning. "Let go or I will hurt you though and run away."

He released my wrist and I massaged it. Some boys don't know their strength.

"Now, even though I really want to go home and take a bath, I'm giving you ten minutes. What do you want."

He gave me the same annoyed look that I saw on the field about 10 minutes ago. Only this time, there were subtle hints of confusion in his black eyes.

He just stood there and looked at me for a minute. I sensed a tempest going on in his brain. Who knew he was so inept at trying to come out with words?

"I wanted to say that I was sorry."

Call the press! It was a miracle. This came from the take-no-prisoners tough boy we all knew and sometimes wanted to pummel.

"For what?" I knew I was making this harder for him but in my eyes he had a few things to apologize for.

"For lashing out at you. It's been a long day."

I felt touched at his compassion, if that's what you could call it. For a man of few emotions, you learn to pick out which ones are happy, sad, and more.

"Is there something you want to talk about?"

He shook his head. "Are you busy now? There's somewhere I want to take you."

I nodded and pulled out my phone. After talking with mom for a minute, I held the phone away from my ear and told him, "My mom wants you to come over for dinner. And trust me, she doesn't take no for an answer."

He nodded, looking amazed. I flipped the cell shut and stuck it in the back of my pants pocket. He seemed so sad.

"Are you ok?" I asked. I was seriously getting worried over this. He had never been one to seem sad but today Derek just seemed….fragile.

He silently lead me outside where his car was stationed. He pulled out of the high school parking lot in and I followed in mine. I switched off the radio and let myself wallow in my thoughts.

My thoughts lead to my father and when I was younger. The day he taught me the basics of football I was wearing pink by mom's request. He was tall and was patient about teaching me the rules. He once passed the ball to me, and I took it and started running.

I saw my mom watching from the window laughing. I had run in the opposite direction of the end zone.

Derek signaled a right off the road and onto a more beaten road.

Oh my God. He had lead me to a cemetery. I finally understood. It was the anniversary of his parent's massacre. Kael must have been teasing him. Nate was even quiet today.

As we both parked and met up, I took his hand. He didn't fight it. I felt so guilty that I thought I might start crying. In his hand was a bouquet of white lilies.

He visited the marked graves of his family. On each grave he left a lily. His aunts and uncles, grandmother and grandfather, his cousins and friends.

Last was his mom and dad. He put two lilies down on his father's grave and said a short prayer in his head.

He pulled me over to the last one.

"This is my mom. She was the most important person in my life." He set the remaining lilies on her grave. I knelt down, closed my eyes and said a short prayer out of respect for the dead.

"You know, you remind me of her in some ways."

I stood up and looked up at him in slight surprise. I don't think I've ever heard him speak in such a neutral and nice tone. I must have looked surprised.

"Same strength. Same power with words. I miss her more than any of them."

That did it. All the tears I couldn't get out since Dad's funeral and my talk with Nate just came out now. The figurative dam burst and I couldn't really help myself. I burst into tears and grabbed him in kind of an awkward hug.

He sort of hugged me back but it was kind of clear that he had done away with his tear shedding.

"Wanna get going? I'd hate to keep your mom waiting."

I laughed. "You don't even know my mom. She'll cook enough to feed an army."

He snorted. "I think I can handle it."

"She'll fuss over you and say you're too skinny and try to heap extra helpings on you. And you could stand to put a few more pounds on. I saw you wincing after that quarterback sack 2 games ago."

He snorted again. "Yeah right. The wincing was because his body odor was melting my helmet."

"Sure…."
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We took off towards my house and as I expected, mom did try to force feed him as always. She stuck to basic questions about school and football and what school he wanted to go to.

He surprised me by answering the same university that I do.

"Seriously?"

"Business courses. You?"

"Pre-med."

I couldn't help but be happy to know that someone I knew would be at the same university. I wasn't sure were Nate was going after high school but I had hoped the musketeer group we had formed would stay together.

When dinner was over mom went into the next room over and flipped on the news. She'd be stationary there for a while.

He got up to go and I followed him out to the stoop.

"I don't think I've eaten so much in months."

"Welcome to my world. She cooks like this almost every day. Or when she's home. In real estate, she's all over the place."

"Thanks for listening today."

I waved him off. "No problem. That's what I'm for."

Darn his amazing black eyes. I find it a matter of principle to keep eye contact with people but I felt my heart beating faster. I really hoped I wasn't blushing. My logical side kept whacking me and saying there's no reason to blush. My inner Sarah was screaming 'go jump the hottie'. Gee, listen to the raving lunatic or the logic?

Then something happened that in a million years I never expected.
Derek Thompson pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

And I kissed him back.

Ok. I love Mondays.