"ITTTTSSSSS Saturday! Boy, oh boy, do I love Saturdays. We get so much stuff done on these days," Dad said as he walked into the dining room Mom and I sat in, quietly eating breakfast.

Mom nodded as she scrolled on her phone. "Yes, Saturdays are nice," Mom said with less enthusiasm than Dad. But then again, she often had less than him. I don't think I've met someone with as much energy as my dad. He was the dreamer, but Mom was the realist. That was one reason they balanced each other out.

"Nojo! It's your day off. What are your plans?"

I shrugged as I took a sip of tea then stretched my aching legs. "Don't know. Maybe have a lazy day?" I spent all week long with Dad, running countless errands and now I was tired and needed a break.

"You can always go out for yoga with me," Mom stated as she put her phone down to look at me.

Mom loved yoga like I love boba tea and was always looking for a partner to join her.

"When do you plan on going?"

"In five minutes."

I held back a sigh as I thought about how tired my legs were. But after spending so much time with Dad, I thought she needed some quality time too. It had been a while since I joined her for yoga. "Sure, I'll go. Let me change really quick," I said while walking from the dining room.

______________

As we drove in the car towards yoga, Mom spoke up, "So tell me all about your internship this week."

I smiled, thinking about all the projects he had me do. I was surely busy as I ran errands and hassled players for signed forms or weigh-ins. Dad seemed to always be running from one thing to another.
It made me wonder what he would do without my help. "Dad is just as cheerful on the field as he is at home."

She smiled as she pushed her sunglasses up her nose. "I thought he would be."

"Have you ever seen him coach?"

"Not much. I mean, I have dropped by here and there, but never have I stayed for a whole training."

"It's pretty magical," I stated.

Just this week, I watched him heal a broken relationship of two players, stop a fight that looked extreme, and bond with the maintenance crew, all while doing his normal duties. I already had an idea that Dad was a people person. But seeing him in action, I realized how flawlessly he did his tasks.

"I can only imagine."

"You should drop by one time, spend a few hours, see for yourself."

"Maybe I should."

"He would like that.

She chuckled. "He likes a lot of things. But maybe you have a point. I'll have to make time for it. Are you planning to go in with Dad every day next week?"

With fall camp coming up, I knew he needed me there to help. So as long as he went to the training, I would go with him. "Planning on it."

She turned into a small parking lot in back of a brick two story building. "Ok, well, I think I'll make the trip to see both of my superstars."

I smiled, liking that idea of having Mom show up at practice. It would really be a family endeavor then, which sounded so special. All we were missing was Vera...

"Sounds like a plan." With that, we got out of the car with yoga mats in hand to get to the second floor of the brick building where Mom participated in yoga classes since we moved here.

"I think this is going to be an easy yoga day," Mom said as we walked up the stairs.

"Good. I need something easy."

Working for Dad forced me to walk all over the athletic center and campus. I was walking around more than when school was in session. My feet were not used to that, and I needed a relaxed practice today.

"Dad's not working you too hard, right?" she asked with concern as we walked into the yoga studio.

I shook my head. I saw how the players trained; I knew he could work me much harder. "Nah, I'm fine."

Mom smiled as she set up our yoga mats on the floor. "Good. But if you are getting too tired, don't be afraid to tell him. You can take a break. That's one good side to having a dad as your boss."

Taking breaks were not on my agenda. If Dad was there, I wanted to be too. "Sure. You know I would tell him if I was too tired."

She gave me a pointed look, knowing I probably wouldn't do such a thing.

One of Mom's friends came up with a large smile. I recognized her, but I couldn't remember her name. She wrapped her arm around Mom in a friendly embrace.

"Hey Kate, I was hoping to see you today!" she said with excited, squeaky tones that made me cringe slightly.

"I told you I would be here," Mom said with a smile.

As Mom chattered away, my eyes traced the room as I tried to find someone I knew. Upper Arlington was a close-knit community, so I was bound to find someone to say hi to. Suddenly, I made eye contact with Everett.

My heart raced in my chest. I had never seen a player outside of practice before, so this encounter left my hands sweaty. Out of any player I could have run into, Everett was the last person I wanted to see.

Memories of Everett shoving Tad into the lockers the day before while Dad wasn't around flashed across my mind. It made me sick to my stomach the way Tad brushed it off even when I told him he should report it.

Everett waved at me which I did not return.

Our lives were completely different. We had nothing in common except my father and I had no plan to talk to him. What would we talk about anyhow? Or did he just want to bully me too.

I cast my gaze towards the floor, hoping he would leave me alone.

Everett and I had never talked. I had no plans to do so either. Why would I talk to someone that shoved people around or who started fights in the locker room?

I remembered the conversation I had with Dad in the car the other day about Everett. Dad wasn't sure how to get through to him. It worried him, even if he didn't say those words to me. Dad told me there was a time last year when he was kind, but during the season, things changed. Everett wasn't the kind kid Dad knew anymore but he wanted to try to bring that person back. I personally had a hard time believing Everett was ever nice.

"It's Nora, right?" his voice rang out from beside me.

I looked up from my water bottle and met his dark eyes. He towered over my small frame, and it made me even more uncomfortable.

I don't remember him ever being so close to me before.

My sweaty hands gripped my water bottle tightly as I tried to figure out what to say. He was a jerk, a bully, he cared only about himself, so why was he talking to me? "Yeah. That's me."

"I don't think I've introduced myself. I'm-"

"I already know who you are," I cut him off.

As much trouble as he was, I knew he was one of the star players. I heard the assistant coaches talking about him as if he could do anything. He must have loved that. He must live for the attention. I was sure he wanted my attention, but I would never give it to him.

The corners of his mouth quickly fell for a second before changing. "So what brings you here?"

I rolled my eyes at him, wondering why he was trying so hard to talk to me. We weren't friends and we would never be. Why did he even care? It's not like he tried to be friends with many others on the team. "I could ask you the same question."

He smiled but remained quiet. He shoved his hands into his pockets.

Breaking us from this awkward encounter was when the teacher spoke up, starting class.

My gaze switched to her for a moment before turning it back to Everett who collected his things.

"Well, I'll see you on Monday, Nora," he stated.

I nodded, although I wasn't looking forward to it. Would he treat me any differently at practice because of this interaction? As of now, he barely looked at me, let alone talked to me. But this could change things, probably for the worse.

"Nora, come here, you don't want to miss the stretch!" Mom called out to me.

I walked over and sat next to her, hoping Everett would forget about this encounter.