"Well, whatever it is, something's going on," Marsha stabbed her fork into her salad.
"What kind of animal do they think is doing it?" Michelle asked, wide eyed.
"Well, they're not sure." Erin leaned in conspiratorially. "But I think it's probably a cougar or a bear. Something big, anyway."
"Yeah, maybe it was a moose!" Marsha joked, her eyes overly wide as the girls laughed.
"Aren't you eating anything today?" Michelle asked me, changing the subject as the other girls carried on the conversation.
"No, but I think I'll get a soda, though," I said, digging change from my pockets. I was feeling warm and a bit thirsty. It suddenly seemed hot in here. "I'll be right back." I jumped up and headed for the soda machine across the room before Michelle could say anything more. I stood at the machine, trying to decide, when someone came up behind me.
"Hey! Imagine meeting you here." Dakota's voice boomed.
I jumped in surprise. "Oh, you scared me!" He must have been a ninja, walking in stealth, because he didn't make a sound. I laughed at the analogy.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Dakota said, one corner of his lips curling into a smile.
"No problem," I replied, then forced my attention back to the soda machine, trying to appear casual. I punched a button and a soda clunked loudly down the machine and landed in the tray. "So, do you like it here in Granby so far?"
"Yeah, I do," he said. "It's a lot different than the reservation. There's more diversity here."
I nodded, stepping away from the machine to give him access. "Yeah, you could say that," I replied, thinking of the variety of students that attended Middle Park High School, representing all nationalities and cultures.
"Will you get involved with the tribe while you're here?" I asked, truly interested.
Dakota laughed. "Of course. I'm a member of the so I need to do my part. One of the reasons why we moved here was because of the strong pack presence."
"You mean tribal presence, right?"
His eyebrows pulled together in concern, as if wondering whether to say something, but decided against it. "Yeah, right," he answered hesitantly, then changed the subject. "Your father's on the tribal council, isn't he?"
"Don't remind me! Sometimes I think he's obsessed with the tribe!" I laughed. "Actually, he's the chief."
"Oh," Dakota replied, a crease forming between his eyes.
"I mean," I continued, on a roll. "He's always talking about pack pride and edicts and decrees, saying 'the Tribal Council said this,' or 'the tribe said that.' I mean, why did we even move here if he was still going to be so obsessed by the tribe?" Suddenly I got the feeling that I'd said too much.
"Don't you think our heritage is important?" Dakota tilted his head to the side, obviously trying to understand.
"Yes, I do," I quickly replied. "Don't get me wrong, I'm proud to be Ute. I just wish my father wasn't quite so 'pack obsessed.' I mean, our parents chose to live here so that we could experience the diversity of the world. I just wish that they would truly experience it and allow us to experience it, too." I sighed, shaking my head. "I mean, they only do tribal stuff. Rarely do they do anything with the rest of the community that isn't pack related."
A crease formed between his eyes. "Our parents came here to protect the people," he said flatly.
"And what does that even mean?" I countered, realizing that people were staring, but I didn't care. He'd hit a nerve. He'd just got into town and I'd been dealing with this for years.
"It means that we protect the people." Dakota's eyes flared.
"From what? That's what the police are for."
"How can you be so flippant about our heritage?" Dakota asked, his hands shaking. Then without saying another word, he turned on his heels and walked much quicker than I would have thought possible out of the cafeteria. Was his temper really that bad? We were just talking about the tribe. No reason to get so upset about it. A few of the Ute boys were still here, watching him leave. One turned to glare at me.
I shook my head, walking back to the table, wondering what had just happened. When I looked around the cafeteria, I realized that almost everyone had gone to class, including Michelle.
At the table, I scooped up my books and headed to the gym, thinking about the things that Dakota had said. I believed in keeping the old ways, but to be obsessed with it was another story. And I could see that Dakota was definitely one of the obsessed.
So much for that. After growing up with tribe-obsessed people, I wasn't about to go out with someone who was the same way. I made a mental note to avoid Dakota for the rest of the day, at least. But then again, he probably didn't want to have anything to do with her now, either.
As I continued to think about Dakota, anger welled up inside me. I took some deep breaths to calm down, wondering why I was having such a strong reaction to what Dakota had said. After all, everyone was entitled to their own opinions, right?
No one noticed that I was late as I hurried into the gym and darted into the locker room to change. But I got back just before class started.
"Okay, boys and girls!" Coach Sartini announced. "We're going over the correct starting positions for track today!"
A resounding groan rumbled throughout the gym.
I was pretty good at sports, especially track. I loved to run, feeling the freedom that only running could bring. So, I was happy to hear that we were running track today. It'd been a while since I'd even gone jogging, let alone race. Maybe I'd release some of this pent-up energy and anger. I couldn't believe that I let Dakota get to me like that.
Michelle finally looked comfortable in her T-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes. At least now she could walk. "I can't believe we're running today," she griped.
"Can it, Taylor." Coach Sartini said to Michelle. He always called everyone by their last names. Typical jock move.
Michelle gave him a dirty look as she placed her hands on her hips but said nothing.
Coach lined us up one by one in a crouched position on the starting line, then told us when to go as we each raced to the finish line. I was a natural, but I had experience. I was a junior, but for the past two years, I had been on the varsity track team, having set records and breaking others. But as we practiced, I was faster than usual … definitely faster than the other students in the class. Not to brag, but I was smoking them, even some of the boys. I just loved running, feeling the wind in my hair blowing behind me, elongating, and stretching my muscles, but this was just practice for me. Even though many students were doubled over, winded, I wasn't even breathing hard.
Coach Sartini noticed this and began a little competition. The only ones that were even close to being as fast as me were some of the Ute American Indian kids.
"Da**n, girl!" Austin, one of the Ute boys, said, cursing under his breath when I beat him. There's no way!" He kicked the dirt and cursed some more, literally shaking as he fumed. Dylan held him back, placing a hand on his chest to stop him, then looked over his shoulder at me with concern in his eyes.
Eric shook his head at Austin, as if telling him to let it go. What was going on with these Ute boys? They always hung out together acting tough. No outsiders felt comfortable joining their little group, so everyone just left them alone. All the boys were beautiful—there was no doubt of that—with their smooth, russet completions, and shiny hair in shades ranging from brown to black. They were all heavily muscled, with narrow hips and nice legs, and not one of them had an ounce of fat on their beautiful bodies. Girls admired them from afar, but never told the boys. They were loners, living within society, but toward the edge.
And Dakota was becoming one of them.
Micah, another Ute boy, was the only one that even came close to beating me. But in the end, I poured on the speed and leaned over the finish line, winning the race.
"The winner!" Coach Sartini announced, holding my arm up in victory. "I can already tell we're going to take state this year in women's track! You are coming out for the team again this year, aren't you?"
I nodded, smiling, as the other Ute boys congratulated me, along with most of the other students.
"Lucky shot," Austin said, as he shook my hand. "I want a rematch."
"Any time," I replied, smiling, wiping the sweat from my forehead, suddenly feeling overly hot.
"Ah, don't worry about it." Micah smiled as he shook my hand. "He's just jealous that he got beat by a girl!
Austin punched him in the gut, then they ran off, obviously enjoying the opportunity to tease each other about being beaten by a girl.
Michelle laughed, catching up to me. "Since when did you get so fast?"
I shrugged. "It's fun," I answered, feeling tired, as we headed for the showers. "Hey! You need a ride home today?"
"Sure," Michelle replied, taking my arm. "Besides, I need to get all the details about you and Dakota!"
I shrugged, frowning. "There's nothing to tell." I wasn't feeling well all of a sudden, like I was coming down with the flu or something, as sweat dewed up on forehead and cheeks.