Page 124 of More To Us

"Are they coming here?"

"Her mom is coming but not until next week. Her dad is at some convention in California so her mom has to stay home with her brothers. But her parents talked to the doctor and got whatever information they needed. Then her mom and I talked. I told her I'd take care of Kira." She stands up. "I'll be right back." She goes in her room and returns with her laptop. "This is hard to watch but I think you need to see it."

She gives me the laptop and clicks on a video. It shows Kira on the balance beam, doing a routine. I don't know anything about gymnastics but Kira looks like a pro, like one of those girls in the Olympics, flipping in the air and landing on that narrow beam like it's no effort at all. I watch her do another flip and then see her foot slip when she goes to land. It happens so fast she can't catch herself and her body crashes to the ground. She lands on the mat, but she hit the ground with a lot of force and at an awkward angle, causing her leg to twist and snap. I even heard the snap and can see part of the bone sticking out.

"Holy shit," I say, looking away. I glance back when I hear Amber screaming on the video, crying out Kira's name. I see her crouched down beside Kira, sobbing, quickly joined by a man and woman who I assume are Kira's parents. Kira is passed out on the mat as people run over to help.

Amber shuts the video off, and when I look at her, she has tears running down her face. She wipes them away. "Sorry. It makes me cry every time."

"Yeah," I say quietly. "I see why it would."

"I thought she was dead." She sniffles and wipes her face again. "I saw her there not moving, and I was so scared." She takes her laptop from me. "I just thought you should see that. So when she says her injury wasn't a big deal, don't believe her. It WAS a big deal."

"What happened after that? After she got to the hospital?"

"They took her into surgery. Set the bones back in place. The bone that was sticking out damaged some of the surrounding tissue. The doctor said it was unusual to see that much damage from a fall that was from only a few feet up, but when he saw the video, he said it was because of the way she hit the ground. She hit at an odd angle and that's why her leg twisted like that."

"How long did it take for her leg to heal?"

"All of last year. She spent most of it in physical therapy. But her leg's still not strong enough to go back to gymnastics, or do any kind of strenuous exercise, like lifting heavy weights. Her leg can't handle that kind of force."

And here I've been pushing her at the gym. Having her do more reps with heavier weights. It's what she told me she wanted, so I did it, not knowing I was putting her at risk.

I feel a tight knot in my stomach knowing I did that. Knowing I hurt her. How could she let me do that? She knows how much I care about her, and she purposely made me do something that was hurting her. Fuck, that pisses me off.

"That's why I've been trying to keep an eye on her," Amber continues. "When Kira wants something, it's nearly impossible to stop her. And I know how badly she wants to compete again. But it's over. She's done with gymnastics. But when I tell her that, she won't listen to me. She won't listen to anyone when it comes to that." She sniffles and coughs. "Sorry, Austin, but I don't feel well. I need to try and get some sleep. You gonna stay here?"

"Yeah. I need to talk to her."

Amber goes to her room. I remain in the living room, pacing the floor, waiting for Kira to wake up.

I knew something would happen to ruin things between us. I just had that feeling. And now here it is. Kira lied to me, and put herself at risk, and let me help her do it without me even knowing it.

I like Kira, maybe even love her, but I don't know if I can get past this. Trust is everything to me, and now, I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust her. After finding this out, our relationship may be coming to an end.

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