The Big Fish by Madison Henley (best free e reader .TXT) 📕

Meredith couldn’t help the reddening in her cheeks. She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly due to the awkward situation she was in. This is exactly why she didn’t discuss what she felt on the interior. People felt bad for her and offered to help. She didn’t want that. She didn’t need help. She just needed to be liberated of a certain blue eyed beauty.

“Thanks, Professor Kerouac, but I’m good, really.”

“If you say so. Good run today, I enjoyed it. You be safe getting back home, alright?”

“Thanks professor. And don’t worry I will.”

Meredith waved to Georgia as she drove off and then jogged to her dorm. The next stranger she ran into may not be so friendly.

***

 “And where were you?”

Keliah pressed pause in watching her teaching session as Meredith jumped on her bed and swung her feet back and forth.

“I could ask the same thing. I was here earlier and you were gone for a while.”

“Yeah, I was. But I asked first so go ahead.”

“I went for a jog but then I ran into Professor Kerouac at the track and—“

Keliah shut her laptop, giving her friend her undivided attention and threw her hands in the air.

"Damn, why am I never near all the good action!"

“Haha, it’s no biggy or anything Keli. She was running on the track, asked if she could join and we ran together.”

“Mer, that sounds like a huge biggy to me! God, why couldn’t I have gone running today…what did she talk about?”

Meredith took off her sliders and sweaty clothes, wrapping a towel around her body.

“Can we talk about this after I get this dirt and sweat off of me?”

“Fine, but hurry up.”

“I will, chill.”

Meredith ended up taking a thirty-five minute shower and Keliah was anything but pleased.

“Okay, so what did she talk about?”

Meredith chuckled as she began to comb her hair.

“Damn, you would think a girl could put on her underwear before being interrogated.”

Meredith explained to Keliah that Professor Georgia told her how much she loved her poem that she had written and how meaningful it was.

“You mean that figurative language poem? Yeah, not my best work. I just wrote about squirrels. What was so amazing about yours that Professor loved so much?”

“I don't know. I couldn’t come up with anything so I just wrote about Gabrielle.”

“Can I read it?”

“Dude, no way!”

“Oh come on Mer. I am your best friend. No judging.”

“Yeah, but still—it’s personal.”

“Yet you gave it to your professor as an assignment.”

“Okay, that’s different.”

“So that’s a yes?”

Meredith laughed and whipped Keliah with her damp towel.

“No, that’s a no.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Meredith’s eyes flickered open and she immediately met contact with the ceiling. She was dazed and unaware of her surroundings. For that moment, she was fine. Then she realized what today was and suddenly she wasn’t okay anymore. She squinted her eyes shut, praying that she could just fall back into yesterday but unfortunately they haven’t taught her how to do that in her physics class. She rolled over and looked at Keliah sleeping with a content expression on her face. Why couldn’t her life be simple like hers? Why couldn’t the only problem in her world be charming her lesbian English teacher? Why did it have to be so complex with her? Meredith never recalled doing anything ungodly in her life to deserve this. So what was the issue?

God gives his hardest battles to his strongest people.

Meredith grunted. She sure didn’t feel strong. She felt weak and helpless. Meredith tiptoed out of bed regardless of her current thoughts. She threw on some dingy sweatpants and grabbed a ball and walked to the soccer field. There was still morning dew on the grass but the sun had been up for quite some time now. Meredith altered from shooting on her left foot to her right. She then juggled for a while, that keeping her mind busy. She did several tricks with her feet, always an entertainer for her and she didn’t realize that a smile had formed on her face. She loved soccer. The things that she could do with the ball was fun for Meredith, she loved everything about it. That moment came back again. The moment where she didn’t have a care in the world and it didn’t seem to exist. She was in a utopia state and it felt liberating. She dribbled up and down the field, shooting, juggling, playing with her ball and giggled when she didn’t do a trick correctly and fell right on her back. She remained in the semi-wet grass and looked up at the sky. It was that beautiful shade of light blue and not a cloud in sight. Meredith sighed in content. What a view. God could produce some of the most beautiful sights. It was mind-blowing. Maybe today will not be such a bad day. Meredith commended herself for having her first positive thought in months and stood back up on her feet and juggled her ball to the school’s cafeteria. She had four pieces of bacon, eggs, and her favorite blueberry oatmeal with cool blue flavored Gatorade. It was game day and she was absolutely ready. No matter what the circumstances and who would be there, she was ready. She sat in the large cafeteria and people watched as the