[chapter one]
Disclaimer: If you've heard of them, I don't own them. Everything else is mine, so no stealing, pretty please. ;-)
This story is gonna be darker, and deal with serious, sometimes disturbing
issues. Just so everyone knows. Okay? Okay.
**
~Jimmie's POV~
God, I hate qualifying late. I mean, I like the track advantage, but damn, I hate waiting around all morning.
I think I've walked around the coach area about 80 times now, trying to keep my head from telling me to go back to bed for a few hours, trying to get my head focused on qualifying.
I'm getting ready to make another lap when I hear something from behind a coach. Hell, my coach.
Someone's crying?
"Um. Hello?" I call, walking around the back and seeing a small form huddled on the ground, back against my coach, head on knees, arms wound around legs.
Uh-oh. Some groupie that can't find Junior, maybe? Or a lost little kid? Or someone who just ran into Spencer?
"Hi?" I ask again and the small form uncurls, the face of an angel looking up at me in fear and confusion.
An angel that's clearly been bawling her eyes out for a while now.
"You okay? You need some help?" I offer, crouching down until we're eye level.
"No…no, I'm fine. I'm sorry…this is your house, isn't it?" She says with a small smile, pointing to my coach. "I'll go."
"No, it's okay. Do I…do I know you?" I ask, trying to place her vaguely familiar face.
"Probably not. I'm Faye. I'm Matt's girlfriend. From Jeff's team?" She says quietly.
"Oh yeah, Madden's girlfriend. I think I've seen you around a few times. Everything okay?" I ask again as she wipes the tears from her cheeks and takes a deep breath.
She nods with a bright, and clearly fake, smile. "Sure. Just … you know, having a moment." She stands up, reaching a hand out to my coach to steady herself.
"You sure?" I ask again, not believing that she's okey-fine. "I can go get Matt, if you want."
"No!" She says, her voice forceful for the first time. "I mean, um, no. That's okay."
Ah. Lover's quarrel.
"You guys have a fight?" I ask sympathetically.
"You could say that, yeah."
"Anything I can do?" I ask, not sure why I'm offering. I mean, I don't even know this girl.
She just looks so…well, undone.
"No, but thanks. I'll get out of your yard now." She says with a smile and I grin in return.
"Yeah. I'm forever having to chase people out of my yard. Keep messing up my grass, tramping my flowerbeds. You know." I tease and am rewarded with a small laugh.
"I bet. Thanks for…well, for making sure I wasn't a basket case. I better go. See you later."
"By the way, I'm Jimmie." I say, holding out my hand to shake hers.
"I know." She says, looking down at my hand before turning and fleeing from sight.
So much for focus.