Page 143 of Holding On

"Ethan, can I come in?" Coach barks in his loud deep voice.

"Hold on." I'm only wearing boxers so I get up and find some basketball shorts and put them on, then answer the door.

"You just get up?" Coach asks, looking at my messed-up hair.

"Yeah." I run my hand through my hair. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you. Let's go out back."

"Is something wrong?"

"No. It's good news, actually. But I don't want to talk in your room." He glances behind me. "Is your girlfriend here?"

"No. She's at home."

Jackson walks by, shirtless, a towel around his waist. Cami is following him, wearing his t-shirt.

Coach glances back at them and shakes his head. "I told him before he got here to cut down on the partying. He's here for a day and already back at it."

"I tried to stop him but he insisted on having people over."

"Do you know how much he drank?"

"I wasn't keeping track. Becca and I hung out inside. The party was out back."

"You're still not drinking?"

"No, and I don't plan to."

He smiles. "You got a good head on your shoulders, Baxter. Wish the other guys were like you."

Like me? The guy who lets his friends die? Is he serious?

He keeps talking but all I can hear is the sound of Kasey's mom crying, another memory that will haunt me.

"Ethan." Coach grabs hold of my arm.

I shake the memory away. "Yeah."

"Something wrong?"

I look at him. "No. Nothing. Let's go outside." I go past him, not stopping until I reach the patio. I set my crutches down and we take a seat at the table that still has cups on it from last night. "So what's this about?"

"Got a call yesterday from a scout. He was calling about you."

"And? What did he say?"

"He asked when you'd be playing again. I told him maybe midseason, earlier depending on how things go."

"We don't know that yet."

"No, but that's true of any athlete with an injury. The scouts understand that." He leans back and laces his hands over his stomach. "Anyway, he said there's been a lot of talk about you. They're still thinking you'll go in the first round, especially if you prove yourself on the field."

"Even if I can play, my leg's not going to be in good enough shape to play Iike I did before."

"They're more concerned about how you throw. They know your leg needs more time, but as long as you can throw the ball, you're still a top prospect."

"What teams are we talking about here?"

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