Losing Hope

winces. I kneel next to her, feeling awful that I just let her fall like that. It happened so fast, though. One second she was standing in front of me; the next second she wasn’t. “You sure you’re okay?” I ask after her mother has left the room. “That was a pretty nasty fall.”
    There’s gravel and dirt stuck to her cheek, so I wipe most of it away. She squeezes her eyes shut and throws her arm over her face.
    “Oh, God,” she groans. “I’m so sorry. This is so embarrassing.”
    I take her wrist and pull it away from her face. The last thing I want her to feel is embarrassed. I’m just thankful she’s okay. And even more thankful it gave me an excuse to carry her inside. Now I’m inside her house with an excuse to come back and check on her this week. Things couldn’t have worked out better for me.
    “Shh,” I whisper. “I’m sort of enjoying it.”
    Her mouth curls up into a smile. Five.
    “Here’s you a rag, sweetie. Do you want something for the pain? Are you nauseous?” Her mother hands me the rag and walks to the kitchen. “I might have some calendula or burdock root.”
    Sky rolls her eyes. “I’m fine, Mom. Nothing hurts.”
    I wipe the rest of the dirt off her cheek with the rag. “You might not be sore now, but you will be,” I say quietly. She didn’t see how hard she hit the ground. She’ll definitely feel it tomorrow. “You should take something, just in case.”
    She nods and attempts to sit up, so I assist her. Her mother walks back into the room with a small glass of juice and hands it to Sky.
    “I’m sorry,” she says, extending her hand out to me. “I’m Karen Davis.”
    I stand up and return the handshake. “Dean Holder,” I say, taking a quick glance at Sky. “My friends call me Holder.”
    Karen smiles. “How do you and Sky know each other?”
    “We don’t, actually,” I say. “Just in the right place at the right time, I guess.”
    “Well, thank you for helping her. I don’t know why she fainted. She’s never fainted.” She turns her attention to Sky. “Did you eat anything today?”
    “A bite of chicken for lunch,” Sky says. “Cafeteria food sucks ass.”
    Cafeteria food. So she goes to public school. I might just be rethinking my educational decision after all.
    Karen rolls her eyes and throws her hands up in the air. “Why were you running without eating first?”
    “I forgot,” Sky says defensively. “I don’t usually run in the evenings.”
    Karen walks back to the kitchen with the glass and sighs heavily. “I don’t want you running anymore, Sky. What would have happened if you had been by yourself? You run too much, anyway.”
    The look on Sky’s face is priceless. Apparently running is as vital to her as breathing.
    “Listen,” I say, finding an opportunity to appease all parties involved, especially myself. “I live right over on Ricker and I run by here every day on my afternoon runs. If you’d feel more comfortable, I’d be happy to run with her for the next week or so in the mornings. I usually run the track at school, but it’s not a big deal. You know, just to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
    Karen returns to the living room and eyes both of us. “I’m okay with that,” she says. She turns her attention to Sky. “If Sky thinks it’s a good idea.”
    Please think it’s a good idea.
    “It’s fine,” Sky says with a shrug.
    I was hoping for a “ Hell yes,” but “ fine ” will suffice.
    She attempts to stand up again, but she sways to the left. I immediately reach out and grab her arm to ease her back down onto the sofa.
    “Easy,” I say to her. I look at Karen. “Do you have any crackers she can eat? That might help.”
    Karen walks away to the kitchen and I give Sky my full attention again. “You sure you’re okay?” I run my thumb over her cheek for no reason at all other than the simple fact that I wanted to touch her cheek again. As soon as my fingers graze her skin, chills rush down her arms. She tightens her arms over her chest and rubs the chills away. I can’t help but grin, knowing it was my hand on her skin that did that to her. Best. Feeling. Ever.
    I glance at Karen to make sure she’s not making her way back into the living room, then I lean in toward Sky. “What time should I come stalk you tomorrow?”
    “Six-thirty?” She says breathlessly.
    “Six-thirty sounds good.” Six-thirty is my new favorite time of day.
    “Holder, you don’t have to do this.” She