TAMING THE WILD RIDER

ou let smash?" Louder than she should have, Viol

ows as she catches the ball. "Viole

let Mr. Dillard do anything he wants to do to me," Vio

er? You are a sick person. The one who gets the y

m a year ago, so I doubt he would be very receptive to the notion. In

same moment. Violet returns her focus to the ba

from me. When I turn around, I watch as parents and children slowly come in from the parking lot. Their cleats and sh

covering their socks-aw, guys. And check out those fuckin' long shorts! I regret not signing up to c

guess I'm the only one with the intelligence to sign up for recreational soccer. I'll be

k. "Where are you losers going to be, you guys? Violet, you should probabl

nge for the time being. In five minutes, practice will begin,

, where a sizable gathering of males in their preteen years awaits them. Peyton yells at me as she runs

circle. If the kids hadn't been so dreadful at passing, it would have been a nice activity concept and a fast icebreaker. I promise

rve them competing. After stepping back and watching for a while, I see a cute girl with curly hair grabbing the le

ll child, whose name I s

p their kids. All of the children and parents leave after a few courteous exchanges and lengthy summaries of their kids' perfo

ce looks down at her chubby l

s I settle down next to her; she's still a little perspiring from practice. She gives me a smile that is missing two of her front teeth,

in, I'm already getting ready

ace, wh

ly, "He's usually never late," and I nearly cry. Simultaneously, I find myself

y question. Turning around, Grace covers her ears with her tiny hands and searches for the source of the

outpaces me, leaping off the curb and ex

tomobile I've ever seen, even after hearing her call out to

tangles his long fingers in his dark, unruly hair, and closes the door. I can't help but try to estimate his height: is he 6'2 or 6'3? All I know is th

e to recall what I w

and content in his powerful, slender arm that I have to force myself not to swoon. Taking each of her cheeks with his free hand, he gives her a forceful kiss on each one de

aying anything to acknowledge me. I gather the bravery to approach them and give him a li

ppose. He furrows his symmetrical lips in an irritated scowl and c

e you as well? Your teammates m

hatting. Anger, or shame, shoots through my cheeks at that very moment, and

rents met you earlier, we would have already become good friends. That was what would have

ce on Clara's side, obviously ignoring me. "I have no time to do this.

u're truly something else, coming in here in your ridiculously loud automobile and disrespecting your sister's coach who stayed with her while

ing forward until my head is barely a foot away from his ch

their wake. Zane Hudson. My head feels cloudy, and I'm overcome w

d his left eye. A fresh bruise already starting to appea

a prissy, know-it-all adolescent girl instructing me how to raise my younger sister is the fact that she lives less

to put it. "I d

s true. Please get out of my face so that I can act appropriately in fro

flings open his door and slides inside before