CHAPTER 5

NATALIE’S IDEA

I woke up late on Saturday morning. Natalie was in the kitchen when I went to find something to eat.

“Are you ready to tell me what’s bothering you, Amy?” she asked. She looked at me over her glass of orange juice.

I knew she was trying to help me feel better. I just wasn’t ready to talk about my fears.

“I’m fine, Natalie. Really,” I said.

My sister raised her eyebrows. I could tell that she didn’t believe me.

“What?” I asked her.

“Well,” she said, “you haven’t been able to talk about running lately without looking away from me. It’s your favorite thing. Why are you acting like you don’t like it anymore?”

“I do still like it!” I answered.

“Then what’s the problem?” she asked again. “Amy, you know me. I’m not leaving you alone until you tell me.”

Great, I thought. Natalie could be really stubborn when she wanted something.

“Okay,” I said. “I had a hard time with starts today. I’m sure I was just kind of out of practice, though, so now will you leave me alone?”

“Okay,” said Natalie. “I need to shower and think. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

“You do that,” I said under my breath. “I’m going for a run,” I told her.

I wasn’t normally so crabby with my sister, but the more I thought about the upcoming meets, especially Friday’s meet against Madison, the more scared I got. I didn’t see how anyone could help me, so I just didn’t want to talk about it at all.

* * *

When I got home, I was limping a little from the soreness in my knee and not feeling any better. I took some medicine to help my knee. When I came out of the bathroom, Natalie was waiting for me. She had a big smile on her face.

“Why are you so happy?” I asked, wiping my sweaty forehead with a towel.

“Because I had an idea,” she replied. “What do you think about calling Coach Joseph and asking to use a set of blocks for the weekend?”

I stared at her. What did I think? “Natalie!” I shouted. “That’s a great idea!”