Shattered (Shattered #1) (3 page)

ooooooooo

Nick

“Have a seat,” I pointed to the chair in front of my desk as Ben stood
shifting from side-to-side in my doorway. “What’s going on with you this year?”

“I don’t know Coach,” he mumbled as he moved to sit in the chair I
indicated.

“Do you want to be Captain?” I lifted my hands in a questioning gesture.

“Yes Sir, I do. I just… Chelsea wants to go to Northwestern and I don’t
know if I’m good enough for them.”

“A girl…that’s what this is about?” I couldn’t believe what I was
hearing. “You’re screwing around during Spring Training because of a girl?” I
stood and loomed over my desk in his direction. I knew this was wrong. I
couldn’t come down on a kid like this, but watching him throw his potential out
the window over some high school romance was killing me. This kid didn’t
realize how good he really was. As I stood there watching fear and confusion
wash over his face, it brought it all back to me.

“So you’re not even
going to ask me what I think.” I gripped the back of my neck as I watched her
pace in front of me.

“It’s not really your
decision Nick. It’s mine,” Leah glanced up at me as anger and frustration began
to filter into her voice. “They want an answer by Monday…and I’m going to tell
them yes.”

“So that’s it? You’re
leaving? What about me? Don’t I mean anything to you?”

“I love you Nick, but
this has been my dream since I was little. I can’t let this opportunity pass me
by.”

“You sound like your
dad, Leah…this isn’t you talking.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled
as she leaned up on her tip toes and brushed her lips across mine. “I have to
go…I love you.”

As I had watched her
walk away from me for the last time, anger boiled inside. I thought about what
I’d given up. I had been asked to come to UNC on a football scholarship. I’d
been sought after just as much as she had, but I stayed. I let my love for her
determine where my future lied. I’d stuck around in a dead end job as a
construction worker just so we could be together, and she had dropped me like a
bad habit as soon as the scouts came after her.

I slammed my fist down on my desk bringing Ben and my thoughts back to
the present.

“You need to get your ass in gear if you want to be Captain. I can’t let
you lead, if you don’t set a good example,” I was practically in his face at
this point, but Ben seemed to take it pretty well. He knew I respected him as a
player and I was just trying to get the best out of him.

“Yes Coach. I’ll work on it,” he answered timidly.

“Speak up Son. A leader knows what he wants and goes after it.”

Ben stood and made his way toward my door. Just as he stepped out into
the hall, he leaned back in.

“Hey Coach, there’s someone out here…might need some help.”

“Thanks Ben,” I stood and made my way over to the door not really
watching where I was going.

Ben was long gone by the time I rounded the doorway and stepped into the
hall. As I glanced up, the figure came into view and hit me like a Mac truck
right to the gut. Leah Carmichael stood awkwardly in the hall with her arms
crossed over her chest. She was the last person I ever thought I’d see again,
especially at my place of employment. I mean seriously, this girl had a mission
to get away from this town. Why in the world she would be back now was beyond
me.

“Leah? Is that you?” I called as I watched her fidget.

I knew it was her. I could never forget that body. I had memorized every
curve and dip of her. I wanted her to acknowledge me. She was the one to leave
me behind. I was not going to make this easy. She stood there in a pair of
black yoga pants and a red Nike hoodie. Her chocolate hair had been pulled up
in a messy ponytail on the top of her head.

“It is you,” I nodded as I leaned against my office door and watched her
eyes flicker as they scanned over my form. I still affected her that was
obvious. “I thought you were too good for all of this?”

Her mouth dropped open and then snapped closed at my remark. Pain marred
her expression as she twisted her fingers together. As much as I wanted to rush
over and wrap my arms around her, I couldn’t. She’d left me without a second
thought. She walked away from everything we’d wanted together to be selfish.
The pain and anger I’d felt all those years ago crept up and took hold of my
voice as I stalked in her direction and let the words fly out of my mouth.

I watched her cringe and step back as she tried to turn and escape me.
Anger turned to pain as I watched her back. Her back had been the last image
I’d had of her. Her walking away from me as she had told me she was moving to
Atlanta to pursue her dream. Remorse filled me as the good in me trumped the
anger, and I jogged after her.

“Wait…” I spun her around to see tears glistening in her eyes. “I didn’t
mean it.”

She nodded and wiped at her face, “You meant it. You wouldn’t have said
it if you didn’t mean it.”

I shook my head and huffed out a breath, “Your office is at the end of
the hall on the left…that is if you’re taking Coach Wilson’s job.”

She nodded and brushed by me hurrying to the door I had indicated. I
watched her throw to door open and rush inside slamming it behind her. Muffled
cries came from inside, and I fought the urge to run to her. Shaking my head I
stepped back into my office and closed the door. Never did I expect her to come
back. Never did I think that I’d be forced to work side-by-side with the one
person who could destroy me. Leah Carmichael had shattered me five years ago
when she stepped out of my life without even a thought of looking back. Now
here she was working not ten feet from me, soon to be on a daily basis. How in
god’s name was I going to survive this? How was I going to keep myself together
when just the smell of her body wash sent me into a tailspin? I wasn’t that was
the answer. No way was I going to be able to stay away…

Chapter 3

Leah

After spending way too much time in my new office, I decided to bite the
bullet and make my escape. I had no idea how long Nick would hang around, and
honestly I figured he would make himself scarce now that he knew I was going to
be around. Things had not ended well for us. To say that the wounds were still
healing was an understatement.

As I stood and glanced around the small office, I grabbed the team
roster, and poked my head out into the hall. When I glanced down to the right,
and saw that Nick’s light had been turned off, I made my escape. Walking as
quickly as possible, I weaved through the hallways, finally making it back to
the parking lot, before jumping into my car, and speeding away from the
nightmare that had been my afternoon.

ooooooooo

By the time I reached Avery’s house, I was fuming. There was no way that
she didn’t know that Nick worked at the high school. No way! Once I had grabbed
the stack of papers that I’d brought home, I stood, and slammed the car door
shut, as I stormed into the house on a mission.

“You’ve got some nerve!” I shrieked as I stomped through the door.

“So he was there?” Avery mumbled dismissively.

“”How could you? How could you not tell me this?” tears pooled in my
eyes. “Do you have any idea how hard that was? It was bad enough having to come
back here. Have everyone see that that their “golden girl” couldn’t make it.
Then to find out that Nick works at the same place that I’m going to have to be
at on a daily basis?” pain along with anger flashed through me. “I thought you
were my friend.”

Avery spun finally showing her own feelings, “How could I?” She pushed
off the counter and moved to stand it front of me, “Leah…I love you like a
sister. I would do anything for you, but I’m his friend too.” She wiped her
hands over her face and drug her fingers through her hair, “You weren’t here to
pick up the pieces after. When you left…it broke him.” She moved to sit on the
couch, “I was the one picking him up from bars at two in the morning. I was the
one who made sure he didn’t kill himself when he got so wasted that he began
talking nonsense.” She glanced up at me as pain marred her face, “I’m not
blaming you. I know you had an opportunity of a lifetime, but the rest of us
were here going about our boring daily lives. You’ve got to see that Nick
didn’t deserve the ending he got.”

As I watched her sink lower and lower into the couch cushions, I finally
realized how bad it must have been for her. She was always a good friend, but
she was friends with me as well as Nick. When Nick and I had first gotten
together, I made sure that he knew Avery was part of the deal. It never
occurred to me that she would still hang out with him after I left.

“I’m sorry,” I sighed as I turned to pull her into a hug. “I didn’t mean
it…I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“I do,” Avery grinned and wiped the tears away.

“What’s that?” I laughed as I released her.

“You need to get laid,” she giggled.

I rolled my eyes as I shoved her away before we both erupted into
giggles. It had been a long day, and laughing was just what I needed. Thoughts
of Nick and what tomorrow would bring evaded me as thoughts of visiting my
parents began to take over.

“I gotta go see my mom,” I huffed. “Dad asked me last night to come by
today and I totally blew him off. You wanna come?”

“Can I get a rain check?” she cocked her head to the side.

I knew this was her way of telling me no. She knew that I needed to do
this on my own.

“Sure,” I nodded as I stood and grabbed my keys. “I won’t be gone long.
I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah…I’ll grab us a bottle of wine for tonight,” she smiled. “We’ll
celebrate you not kicking my ass over the whole Nick thing.”

ooooooooo

When I pulled up in front of my childhood home, I couldn’t help the
feeling that washed over me. It felt strange being back in this town, but even
more so being back here. Things look exactly the way they did when I left. The
same pink rose bushes lined the front steps. The same tire swing still hung
from the giant oak in the front yard. The house looked a little more weathered
and in need of some paint, but the same country charm still radiated off it.

A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I ambled along the
walkway making my way to the front door. Before I could turn the knob, the door
flew open.

“Leah, you made it,” my dad stood there beaming.

“Yeah, sorry I didn’t come by sooner,” I mumbled as I stepped into his
waiting embrace.

“Hey…it’s ok. You’re here now. Your mom is going to be so happy to see
you,” he grabbed my hand and tugged me through the front door as he led me into
the family room.

I stood in the middle of the room and began scanning the walls. Nothing
had changed, it was as if time had frozen the memories waiting for me to
return. Pictures of me from every age covered the book shelves and mantle. A
small table sat in the corner with track photos and shadow boxes that held the
medals I’d won. “Our Champion” was scripted in wooden letters and hung on the
wall over it.

“Your mom had that made,” my dad whispered behind me.

A tear formed in my eye as I scanned over all the awards that had been
preserved. Dreams that never made it to reality.

“It’s beautiful,” I sniffed.

“Yeah…it is, but all this,” he waved his hands in the air indicating the
room. “It doesn’t compare to having you back. I know you don’t understand right
now, but having you here…it’s better than any of this.”

“Thanks Dad,” I released a sob as I turned to hug him.

“Why don’t you go up and see your mom. She’s in her room. She had a
treatment today. They always wear her down, so she’s resting. I’m sure seeing
you would make her feel a lot better. I’ll fix us some supper while you’re up
there.”

I nodded and turned the climb the stairs. When I reached top, I stopped
for a minute to peek into the room that was once mine. The door creaked
slightly as I pushed it open. If I thought the downstairs was bad… this was
worse. My room looked like a shrine. Absolutely nothing was different. The bed
was still made up with the pick comforter that I had when I was seventeen. My
vanity still sat in the corner with a pink feather boa wrapped around the top
that I’d put there after homecoming my senior year. As I stepped further into
the room, and glanced at my tack board, I had to fight the urge to let my knees
buckle. Pictures of Nick and myself were everywhere. When I’d left five years
ago, I’d hoped that Nick would eventually come and find me. I’d held out hope
that he still loved me, and wouldn’t let something like distance keep us apart.

I moved closer to the photos and stared at the faces smiling back at me.
Pictures from meets, homecoming, senior night, prom, our first date, first
party, summer trips to the beach, it was like watching a movie made from snap
shots of us. Nick had consumed me back then. Every thought and event that I had
he was there. How we’d gone from where we were to where we are now was
something I still didn’t understand. He had wanted to leave. He’d already told
me that after graduation we could get out of Pittsford. Why he’d stayed when I
went to Atlanta was still baffling me.