MAYA

"Flowers again, really girl. You're a resilient one aren't you?" Violet asked me as she helped me put another bouquet in Elijah's locker the following morning.

"Yeah."I smiled.

"Didn't he toss the other ones away?"Violet asked me.

It had been painful hearing Elijah reject me with really harsh words and toss away my flowers but that wasn't enough to make me give up. At least he had talked to me and told me how he felt. I wouldn't give up no matter how many times he pushed me away.

"True but maybe he just doesn't like blue roses. That's why went with white today."I grinned.

"Every guy likes blue. Stop deluding yourself, he'll toss this one's away too."She reminded me.

"Then I'll get others."I replied making Violet groan.

"You're hopeless. Just tell me what you did already so I can determine if it's worth suffering for? I won't tell anyone, I promise, sister code and all."She pleaded.

Violet took every chance she could to ask me why I was going through all the pain of apologizing to Elijah for. I knew she could keep a secret but it also felt like telling her would be a betrayal to Elijah as he clearly didn't want anyone to know.

"Please please please."She begged giving me those huge teary eyes.

I caved.

"Okay fine, just stop giving me that look."I demanded.

She grinned and clapped happily waiting for me to tell her. I couldn't give her the whole story so I settled for the simplified version.

"Elijah and I were best friends before I moved back to Nigeria. We left on his tenth birthday and I didn't even say goodbye, no note, no call nothing. I also never called either or wrote for all those years when I lived in Nigeria."I informed her.

Violet was stunned for a second before she actually found the words to talk to me.

"Damn that was cold. No wonder he hates you."She said and I shrugged.

"I know but I will make things right, I have to."I insisted.

"Now that I know the context, I will help you. Elijah won't know what's coming, by the time I'm done you two will be in love and popping out chocolate babies with red hair."She grinned making me laugh.

"Cool your jets lady, I just want my best friend back."I replied.

I hadn't even allowed myself to think about Elijah as more than a friend. Sure the seven foot giant was gorgeous but me and him, nah, could never work. I'd settle for friends, that would be enough for me.

"Yeah that too. Now let's go for practice, we can convene to make plans later."Violet cheered dragging me with her.

It was only the third day of school but all coaches had somehow agreed to make all teams practice for an hour each day before class. That's why it was six thirty in the morning and Violet and I were headed to the gym. I was already used to getting up early for school back in Nigeria so it was no problem for me. Violet on the other hand didn't like it and I'd had to drag her out of bed, literally.

The track season didn't start until November but the coach was making us start training early. I didn't mind because I actually liked running.

"This is going to be a long day and an even longer season."Violet groaned as we got into the changing rooms.

"You like cheerleading so why are you so grumpy?"I asked her.

"Because coach said we all have to cut back on caffeine, you know how much I love my coffee especially the exotic type you brought me. Now I can't have any until the season is over which is next year."She groaned.

"I'm sorry."I consoled not really knowing what else to say.

"It's fine."She shrugged.

We were joined by a few other girls from both the track and the cheerleading teams. We chatted for a while mostly complaining about the hours before the coaches came to get us.

"You're going to train in that?"Violet asked eyeing my outfit.

"Yeah, what's wrong with it. Is my ass out?"I asked.

I was wearing a Nike Pro sports bra, a wind breaker and a pair of black Nike training three inch shorts that I was sure covered my ass.

"No it's not out, they are just a little tight. I don't know if you're aware of this but you have an ass on you."Violet replied.

"You bought these! You said they looked cute on me."I whisper yelled.

"And they do. We're just going to be training with immature football players and they can me crude sometimes."She warned me.

I had no idea that the football team would be practicing too. It meant that Elijah would there but I wouldn't disturb him. I knew I affected him and I didn't want to mess with his game.

"You're worried about what the boys will say?"I asked Violet a little bit surprised.

"Well yeah, you're not?"She asked schooled shocked.

"Not really no, I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."I assured her.

"That's perfect then, let's go."She replied.

Violet had been right because as soon as we all walked out of the changing rooms we found the football team already out in the field and they went wild, cheering, cat calling and whistling.

"Nice globes Maya, I'd like to map them."Someone yelled followed by an"Ow. What did you hit me for?"

I didn't see who said the words to me or whoever hit them afterwards.

"Told you."Violet whispered in my ear.

I locked eyes with Elijah who was glaring daggers at me. There was a different emotion in his eyes other than the usual hate and anger that I couldn't quite decipher. I waved at him but as usual he completely ignored me.

"Coach Edward, get your horny pests away from my girls."Mrs Morris, our coach demanded.

"Yes ma'am. You heard her boys, let's go. Last one gets to do fifty extra push ups."Coach Edward threatened and they didn't need to be told twice as they tripped over each other to get away from us.

Coach Edward smiled as he tipped his cap at us "Ladies."He mumbled politely excusing himself.

"Okay girls, they are gone so let's get to work. Cheerleaders away with you too."Miss Morris demanded.

"See you later."Violet said kissing my cheek soundly before walking away as she waved her pompoms.

"Now onto business ladies, I know neither one of you is excited to be here this morning and believe me neither am I but the season will be upon us sooner than we think and I do not want a repeat of last year. New team members welcome to the family, we love each other but sometimes we want to strangle each other too. At some point you will hate me and that's okay because you'll be grateful for it in the end. We'll also have some quitters along the way and that's okay too, track isn't for everyone. Just because you can run on the treadmill doesn't mean you're built for the field. Now let's get to work ladies, we've got some trophies to win."Mrs Morris announced blowing her whistle.

"She definitely knows how to give a pep talk."Cassie one of my teammates whispered next to me.

"Tell me about it."I mumbled hack.

"We'll start with some stretches."She commanded and that's what we did for the next fifteen minutes.

After stretching the coach had all of us do five laps around the field for a warm up. It was really cold but the coach insisted it was good for our lungs as long as we kept warm.

For some reason the football team joined us on the track and wouldn't stop running their mouths about how our assess looked in our running shorts.

"Maya are those real or fake?"Fool number one yelled.

"I wouldn't know, ask your dad."I retorted getting a high five from Cassie as whoever who made the comment got laughed at by his team.

"I swear to God, whoever designed yoga pants deserves a medal."Fool number two yelled.

"And your parents should get a refund from Babies R Us, they got duped."Cassie remarked making me snort.

"Hey Maya does your ass have a number because it's calling me."Another fool commented.

I was about to school him with a smart reply when someone beat me to it.

"Jason I swear to God if I hear one more remark from you, you'll be eating out of a straw for a whole month. And that goes for the rest of you, you should be a ashamed of yourselves. You have mother's and sisters for Christ's Sake."Elijah growled and everyone went silent.

The boys started muttering their apologies before picking up their pace and running faster.

I couldn't believe that Elijah had stood up for me against his teammates. Well he'd stood up for everyone but that last comment had been towards me. I ran closer to him and smiled up at him gratefully while we were still running.

"Thank you Elijah."

He just grunted back and stopped. I wasn't planning on stopping but he held my arm back making me stop.

"Take your jacket off and tie it around your waist."He demanded.

"Why? They heard you, they won't make any more comments."I retorted.

"Do as your told."He insisted.

"I don't want to and besides its cold, I'll freeze out here."I replied.

Elijah growled before reaching for the hem of his football Jersey and taking it off.

"Arms up."He commanded but his voice sounded faded out as I was entranced by the eight hard blocks on his torso.

Something in me wanted to poke them to confirm that they were real but I held myself back. Elijah was standing half naked in front of me looking like a statue sculpted by the gods.

"Maya arms up."He demanded again his voice low and hard and I immediately listened to him.

He pulled his jersey over my body and it fell on me like a dress. There was a lot to freak out about but I was surprisingly still standing. I couldn't believe that I was wearing Elijah's game Jersey, more like it was wearing me because of how huge it was but still, it was something worth freaking out for.

"It's too big."I whined.

"I don't care and don't you dare take it off. Tomorrow make sure not to wear something so tight."He demanded before running off leaving me standing in the middle of the track all by myself.

I was very confused by Elijah's behavior, one moment he was cold towards me and the next he was protective. One thing I knew for sure was that I didn't want to make him any angrier than he already was so I kept the jersey even if fitted like a dress on me.

"What was that all about and why are you wearing Elijah's jersey? Are you his girlfriend or something?"Nosy Nadia as the rest of the team had nicknamed her asked me when I joined them.

Her question got my teammates to all turn to look at me. I didn't like that kind of attention but I was more afraid of Elijah than I was of them so I endured it.

"Or something."I mumbled in response.

She was a about to asked me more questions but was interrupted by our coach who demanded we start our sprints. She saw the Jersey but didn't say anything about it, just had a longing smile on her face as if recalling a lost memory.

The jersey was going to get in my way so I knotted it on my stomach and did my dashes. The coach was very impressed by my speed as were my teammates.

"You're a very good candidate for the relay race. Is that something you would be interested in?"Coach asked me.

"Honestly coach anything that gets me running fast count me in."I replied and she smiled.

"Perfect, you can be the anchor."She cheered and I nodded.

"Who's the anchor?"I asked Cassie as soon as coach walked away.

"The one who completes the relay race. It's usually the fastest team member. You're the the fastest person we have on the team so you'll be great for that part."She answered.

"You think so?"I asked feeling as if it was a really huge responsibility.

"Really, I'm sure."She insisted and I smiled.

Thirty minutes later, coach announced the end of training for that morning.

"Okay ladies, good job today. I love how we've started. Hit the showers, get some breakfast then get to class. I'll see you in the evening for another hour. I'm proud of you girls."Coach affirmed before walking away.

We carried all our gear inside before hitting the showers. The cheerleaders were already in there so I wasn't surprised when Violet gasped as soon as she saw me pulling me aside.

"Hold up. Is that Elijah's Jersey? Why are you wearing Elijah's jersey?"Violet asked eyes wide as she looked me over from head to toe.

"He gave it to me."I shrugged untying the knot to take it off.

"Imma need more details girl so start talking and don't leave anything out."Violet demanded.

She was not going to let me shower until I told her everything so I sighed and did exactly that. By the time I was done Violet was screaming wildly jumping up and down excitedly.

"Vee hush, why are you acting like that?"I asked holding her down to stop any movement.

"Because our job just got easier."She grinned.

"I'm going to need a little bit more than that."I requested.

"Sometimes I forget you're emotionally stunted."She teased and I flicked her forehead."Ouch, what was that for?"

"For being mean? My emotional growth is fine, now start talking."I demanded.

"Okay fine. Elijah's reaction out there was built out of nothing but pure jealousy. The guy was so irked by other people's comments towards you that he spoke to you first. He even gave you his jersey and I don't have to explain to you how significant that is especially in high school. Elijah still cares about you, all that hate he portrays is just to protect himself. I don't even have to be a therapist to deduce that. You guys actually have a chance, a bigger one than I thought. Now let's go shower and we can discuss strategies over breakfast." Violet explained linking her arm with me and leading us to the showers after grabbing our towels.

I was in a daze the whole time I was taking a shower because Violets words wouldn't leave my mind. Was it true that Elijah still cared about me? He could have been just protecting me from those guys comments like he would any other girl. But he didn't give them his jersey, just me. Dare I hope that he had singled me out because he still cared? I really hoped so because it would make it so much easier for me to get him to forgive me.

After changing back into my clothes, I gathered all dirty laundry and put it in my gym bag, then shoved it into my locker including the jersey Elijah had given me. I would decide what to do with it later.

"Breakfast burritos and apple juice. Well it could be worse."Violet commented as we grabbed our breakfast from the cafeteria.

The school offered athletes breakfast especially if they were training in the morning. The breakfast service extended to those who didn't have breakfast at home for one reason or another.

"Time to strategize."Violet announced as soon as we sat down for breakfast.

Unlike lunch the whole group had split up into smaller friend groups so it was just me, Violet, Suzanne and Olive.

"What are we strategizing about?"Olive asked.

"How to get Elijah to be Maya's boyfriend."Violet announced nonchalantly and I almost choked on my juice.

I was about to deny her reply when she gave me a tight smile and wide eyes, her signal to play along.

"Yeah I really like him."I said making everyone squeal as I glared daggers at Violet.

My insides felt like they were turning themselves inside out for even suggesting something like that. Sure I liked Elijah but only as a friend not in the way the girls were thinking. But I couldn't exactly tell them the truth either. Well at least with their help I might be able to achieve my end goal after.

"I'm here, sorry I took so long."Wendy apologized joining us.

"I invited her."I informed Violet when she raised a questioning eyebrow at me.

School was already starting to let in so I'd asked Wendy to meet us at the cafeteria as soon as she arrived. She was turning out to be a good friend to me.

"I never got to the chance to thank you for helping me out with Earl yesterday."I addressed Wendy.

"You're welcome, he's actually kind of cute and nerdy, just how I like my men."She grinned.

"Match made in heaven indeed."I smiled.

They would make a cute couple, Earl seemed like a nice enough guy from the two seconds I'd talked to him.

"Ladies back to business, we only have twenty minutes before the warning bell."Violet demanded as she quickly filled Wendy in as to what she was doing.

Wendy had the same reaction as the other girls, gushing over how cute a couple Elijah and I would make. It's like they didn't see the height difference between us. A couple? Yeah definitely not. But with their help I could make him my friend again.

"To make them a couple we have to make Elijah like Maya first, so how do we win over a boy? Let's start brainstorming ideas."Violet asked.

"Flowers."Oblige suggested.

"Already did that, didn't go so well."I replied.

"Big romantic gesture like declaring your love for him over the school speakers."Wendy said.

Say what now? Was she crazy? I was not going to be doing that.

"That's from a movie, a little bit extreme but let's not dismiss it for now."Violet replied.

I looked at her shocked that she'd agreed to it but I didn't say anything.

"Oh I know, sometimes my genius surprises me."Violet praised herself. "You can ask him to the homecoming dance. I know guys are usually the ones who ask but you can break tradition. It's in three weeks after our first away game."She suggested.

"That's actually a really good idea. You can can dress up, dance the night away and share that magical kiss at the end of the night."Suzanne added looking away dreamily.

I was working with crazy people. There's no way any of their plans was going to work. Ask him to a dance? He would definitely say no.

"You can make it a sweet romantic gesture that he can't say no to."Wendy insisted.

Everyone was sticking to the homecoming dance idea. What had I gotten myself into?

"Looks like we're planning a homecoming proposal."Violet cheered and all the girls joined her.

I was outnumbered four to one so there was no escape. I had asked them for help anyway so I didn't get to whine and complain just because I thought their suggestions were too extreme.

Just before we could get into the details the warning bell rang and we all got up.

"We can all meet up sometime later to make plans."Violet suggested and they all agreed as we separated to head over to our different classes.

"What did you just get me into?"I whisper yelled at Vee.

"Free ticket ride to Eli-Town. This is going to work, trust me, I'm not gonna fail you."She grinned kissing my cheek soundly again and skipping off to her class.

Wendy and I had Math which I was not looking forward to. At least I didn't share that class with Elijah, I needed a break from him to gather my thoughts. It was all too much but honestly the more I thought about it the less the homecoming dance idea sounded terrible. Maybe I could give it a chance, it could help getting Elijah and I into the talking stage.

Looks like I would be asking the seven foot giant to the homecoming dance. Hopefully he would say yes and we could finally get the chance to talk and fix our relationship.