"She really sucks huh?" Amy nudged Nicole who was watching Eva run. "Well I can't watch this torture anymore, I'm gonna hit the shower. You wanna come?" Nicole shook her head, coach had left her in charge of Eva.
Eva's body moved stiffly and with little fluid motion, which was surprising given her former career as a cheerleader. Nicole sighed as Eva trudged along the track still failing to adapt or improve her form, despite the guidance Nicole had offered. Once again Eva made a stiff lap around the perimeter gasping for air and reaching her hand out for Nicole to give her her water. "It's not so easy now, is it?" Nicole teased handing Eva the water bottle. After a long pause where Eva drank the cold water and allowed it to run down her chin and dampen her shirt she replied.
"No, this is a piece of cake. It's not so hard." She squatted down to retie a lace that had come undone. "It's just the easiest thing, comes so naturally to me." She said, still gasping for breath. Nicole rolled her eyes and hoisted Eva back on her feet.
"You'll get sick if you stop so suddenly after intense exercise. Come on, walk it off." Nicole looked to her coach for help, but she was still working with the freshman to prepare them for their first track meet. "Alrighty, let's try this one more time. I'll jog with you this time and adjust your posture as we go. Sounds good?"
"You're going to touch me while we run.?"
"Don't make it sound weird, it's not. I don't have to explain myself to you, do you want to get better or not?" Eva shrugged, irritating Nicole further. "Fine, you wanna run like a turkey go ahead, see if I care. But when you lose and don't get a medal I don't want to hear any complaints from you." Eva was trying to hold back laughter as Nicole pouted. "It's not funny, if you don't want to take this seriously then I won't take training you seriously."
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I just forgot how cute you get when you're angry." Cute? Nicole brushed aside the odd remark and moved towards the starting blocks. She put Eva's back and front feet in place, adjusting them lightly.
"Okay, now push back slightly on them." Eva lost her footing and slipped while trying to add pressure to the block. "Shoot, sorry I should've helped you with that. Are you alright?" Nicole moved to the ground where Eva had fallen and touched her hand. Instantly Eva flinched away. "I just need to make sure there are no cuts, I wouldn't want them to get infected." She reached once more towards her hands, picking them up gently and turning them over. A shallow cut ran across the palm of her hand, there was no blood but it still looked uncomfortable. "Let me go get the first aid kit, alright?"
"It's really not a big deal, it doesn't even hurt." Eva placed the injured hand on the ground to push herself up, before wincing and falling once more onto the ground. "Nevermind, it hurts." She said clutching the injured hand in the other.
"I thought so, like I said I'm going to get the first aid kit. Stay still." Nicole shook her head and wandered over to the coach. "Eva cut her hand, can I have the first aid kit?"
"You're kidding right, first day and she's already managed to get hurt. Ya'know I thought it was odd, five years into cheerleading and she just quits. But yeah here it is." Nicole took the wallet sized first aid kit and ran it over to Eva. She knelt down and took her hand once more.
"This might sting a little, but it will ensure that your hand doesn't get infected. So please just bite this." Nicole handed her an unused sweat rag.
"Ew I am not putting that in my mouth. I don't want your sweat getting in my mouth, that's disgusting and unsanitary. I'll go without thanks." Eva threw the rag back at Nicole who was more irritated.
"It's clean so please just bite it, this really is going to sting." Nicole looked at the cut again, it had started to bleed lightly. "Especially now that you're bleeding." Eva was embarrassed at her outburst and silently put the cloth in her mouth. With Nicole's rag pressed against her nose Eva could smell the detergent that was used on all of Nicky's clothes. A lightly floral smell wafted into her nose as she inhaled. Nicole began dabbing at the injury causing Eva to hiss. "I told you it would hurt. Just bite down on that, okay? Or maybe clench your other hand and try to distract from the pain." Eva followed Nicole's instruction, digging her nails into her hand as she made a tight fist. Finally the stinging faded and eventually stopped. "Alright, you can take that out now. Give it here." Once Nicole had her rag back she tucked it away into her bag.
"What, I don't get a bandaid?"
"You're a big girl, put one on yourself." Nicole handed her a bandaid far too large for her small wound. She unwrapped it and attempted to put it over her other hand, unfortunately the bandaid curled in and stuck to itself. "Dammit." She murmured.
"You're kidding me right? Give it to me." Nicole snatched the bandaid away from Eva and uncurled it. "Give me your hand." She placed the bandaid carefully over the cut so none of the adhesive would stick to it. "You couldn't even put on a bandaid. I guess things really haven't changed have they."
"Hey, I wasn't that bad when I was younger. You just liked to baby me. If anything it's your fault for treating me like a child and helping me with everything." Nicole blushed at the memory of her helping Eva cut her food up. Even though she was perfectly capable Eva couldn't help but treat her like a child, she pouted when things weren't perfect.
"Well, at least I can cut my own food."She laughed and punched Eva's shoulder lightly. "I'm kidding, lets hit the showers. I feel gross and sticky and you smell."
"You don't smell all that good either." They walked to the locker room pulling their bathing suits out of their bags on the way.
"What happened to going home and showering?"
"Eh, I thought it would be more fun if you had some company." Eva smiled up at Nicole, her eyes squinting and wrinkling in the corner. Nicole couldn't help but smile at the thought that Eva had smiled at her.