Page 137 of More To Us

"Kira." She gently squeezes my hand, her eyes on mine. "Is this why you keep doing this? Why you keep trying to compete again? Because of money?"

I nod, my eyes dropping to the table. "I wanted to pay you back."

She sighs. "Honey, we never expected you to do that. Even if you'd made money as a gymnast, we would never expect you to pay us back. You're our child. You don't owe us anything."

"Would you like more coffee?" the waitress asks as she stops by our table.

The waitress's sudden appearance and high-pitched voice startles both my mom and me and we sit back in our chairs.

"I think we're good," my mom says, smiling at her.

The waitress looks at me. I'm sure my eyes are red and puffy and I know they're teary. I can feel the wetness in them.

She frowns. "Oh, um, sorry to interrupt." She hurries off.

I take a breath and wipe my eyes. "Can we talk about something else now?" I ask my mom.

She smiles. "Sure. But I want you to promise me you won't keep worrying about your father and me. Can you do that?"

I nod, but I'll still worry about them. I know they're struggling more than she'll tell me.

"And I mean it when I say you need to stop this," she continues, her smile gone, her face serious. "If I find out you're training again, you'll be coming back home."

"Mom, you can't—"

"I sure as hell can." She never swears so the fact that she did means she's serious. But she can't drag me back home. I'm an adult. "You may be 21 but you're still my child and I won't let you hurt yourself again. Do you hear me?"

I nod, then switch topics and ask her about my brothers, who are home with my dad this weekend. Josh has football practice and I didn't want him missing it to come here.

The rest of the weekend, my mom and I hang out and watch movies and go out to eat, avoiding any more discussions about my leg. She briefly mentions it before she leaves, reminding me to take it easy, but that's it. She asked me about Austin and I told her we broke up but didn't say anything more. She could tell I'm not ready to talk about it so she didn't push.

Overall, it was a good weekend. It was good to see my mom again but my mind kept going to Austin. I miss him so much. He's all I can think about.

The next week, I try to focus all my energy on my classes. I'm not getting all A's but I'm doing okay. I've been able to maintain an A in biology. I'm finding that if I like a class, I do better in it.

My leg is healing faster than expected. The pain is mostly gone and I no longer have to use the crutches, but I still have to wear this stupid boot. It makes it hard to walk so I've been taking the campus shuttle to get to the different buildings where my classes are held. And Amber drives me to and from campus since I can't use my bike. She's had to rearrange her schedule in order to drive me. I don't know how I'm going to repay her for all this. She's been such a great friend, going above and beyond what I ever expected her to do.

On Saturday, I take her for a manicure because she loves them and never gets them. Then I take her to lunch. It's not nearly enough to thank her for all she's done for me but it's a start.

That night, we load up on junk food and watch movies. She hasn't been going out with Matt as much as she used to. He's been taking extra shifts at the suit store on weekends. She said Matt told her Dylan finally came in and bought that suit he had on hold. Other than that, she hasn't mentioned Dylan.

And I've been trying not to mention Austin. But I still think about him. I'm always thinking about him and I want him back. I at least want to see him, and I'm hoping I will next weekend. Next Saturday is that event he organized to help seniors with their yard work. I told him I'd help with it back when we were dating, and even though we're not together anymore, I still plan to be there. I even got a doctor's note saying I could do it, because I know Austin would make me leave if I didn't get a note.

The following week, I start getting excited to see him again, but I'm a little worried he may not talk to me. It's been almost three weeks since I saw him last, and by now, he might have moved on with someone else. If so, I've probably lost any chance of even being friends with him again.

By Friday, I'm tired of studying and want to get out of the apartment. Vandyl is playing tonight and I consider going but then change my mind. I can't take seeing Austin with another girl. I've convinced myself he has one by now. He has girls lining up to be with him so I'm sure he's found someone new.

There's a knock on the door. It's five-thirty and I'm not expecting anyone. Amber is still on campus and if it were her, she wouldn't knock.

I check the peephole. It's Nash, Austin's brother. I immediately panic. Why is Nash here? Did something happen to Austin? Working construction is dangerous. Anything could happen.

I yank the door open. "Nash, what's wrong? Is Austin okay?"

"Yeah. He's fine. I mean, he's not—never mind. I'm here to talk about tomorrow. Can I come in?"

"Sure." I step aside and let him in.

I like Nash. I got to know him when I went with Austin to some of the family dinners at his dad's house. Nash was always really nice to me. His other brothers were too. Austin's whole family is great. They always made me feel welcome.

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