unbroken (unexpected series)

Chapter 50

Looking up for a moment, I could see her trying to think, it was the face she wore when she wanted to word something right, or make sure she thought of all angles before speaking. And to me, I actually appreciated when she did this, and even though I wished she'd hurry up and tell me, I knew that she was trying to find a way to explain it in a way that I understood. Something she had been doing since back home. To me, it brought a bit of comfort as well, she wasn't just being the type of adult that said something like 'because I said so,' or 'you're too young to understand.'

She was finding the words, the examples to make me understand, and even then she didn't just force it down my throat.

"Even though it was nice to see Kieran hanging around with you, I - there was a small part of me that knew that he would maybe pull back from wanting to be around everyone," aunt Julia said.

"Really?"

She nodded, "yes, not because you or anyone else did something wrong in the short time came around, but because sometimes things just don't click the first time. You remember when we took you to see that trapeze show?"

"Last summer? Yeah," I remembered going, but just as much as the memory of why I needed to just get out of the house. Away from Dad and Sarah.

Dad canceling on my chaperone school trip, because Amelia had the stomach flu and she didn't want him to go, then offering to let Sarah go with me. Shaking my head I pushed that memory away concentrating on what Aunt Julia was saying.

"Okay you remember how the flyer and the catcher were preparing for the Hocks-Style knee hang, the first trick you saw them do?" she asked, and I could remember, "the catcher had to wait for the swinger to get their legs up, swing out from the platform, hook their legs on the outside of their hands so that when the catcher swung and took the flyers wrist, the flyer would let their feet fall away from the bar," I said excitedly recalling trying it out with uncle Grant.

"Ok you remember when you swung out and instead of on the second swing taking your uncles hands you just weren't ready?"

Of course, I could still remember my heart racing and not moving fast enough to be ready, "Because I was in the wrong position and the instructor said instead of grabbing his hands that I should just let myself fall down or swing back towards the platform," she smiled.

"Yes... well... you are the catcher but Kieran, he's the flyer... What I'm trying to say is you didn't do anything wrong, but Kieran he wasn't in the right place for himself to accept your friendship fully," I chewed on my lip thinking over what she was saying.

"And if you try to finish the trick when the catcher or flyer aren't ready both of them get hurt?" I asked in a small voice, my bottom lip trembling.

She nodded sympathetically, and I understood her like I knew I would, but still hurt.

"Do you remember anything else the instructors told you?" she asked pushing her feet against the ground making us rock a bit. Cuddling back against her I nodded, "It's about trust, you have to trust your movements and trust that the catcher won't miss the connection."