Page 65 of Stealing Home

Will takes Katrina’s phone from her, and I repeat the process with hers. One of her friends comes up and looks at the guys. A decision is being made right now. Everyone knows it’s time to pick a side. “I’ll grab her laptop for you,” she says softly.

Turning to Max and Will, I say, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys about Harlow.”

Max holds his hands up. “One problem at a time. I’m not sure how I feel about that right now, or if it’s even my place to feel any kind of way. But, IknowI’m not okay with what Chase and Katrina did here tonight.”

I nod. I should be going after Harlow, not cleaning up this clusterfuck.

“Harlow will come around,” Donovan whispers to me.

“Let’s get you home,” Taylor says.

“Was this the entertainment you were hoping for?” I ask him bitterly.

Taylor shakes his head. “Not even a little.”

* * *

Usingthe hand rail I pull myself up the stairs to my bedroom so I can keep as much weight as possible off my leg. Flicking on the switch, my room is flooded with light, but all I can see is the video replaying over and over. My alarm clock is still there on my nightstand, hell, even my blanket is the same.

Rushing out of the room, I’m lucky to find the bathroom unoccupied. I fall to my knees, jarring my hip and empty my stomach into the toilet. I didn’t even drink at the bar, but the physical and emotional pain is taking a toll on me. Eventually I curl into a ball on the floor near the tub and sleep with my head on a towel.

The sound of a fist banging on the door wakes me up. My eyelids scrape over my eyes, and the pain from my hip has radiated over my entire body.

“Scott, hurry up man, we all need to get ready for practice,” Will shouts.

My groan must alert him, because he steps inside a moment later and finds me on the floor. “What the fuck man, did you fall?”

Using the tub to pull myself up, I shake my head. “No. I just felt sick and must have fallen asleep on the floor.”

He looks at me confused. “I didn’t see you drink at all last night. Did you drink alone when we got back?”

My throat is raw from puking, and my voice is hoarse when I speak. “No, it’s the pain. I was trying to move too much, and then when I went into my room—”

He shuts the lid of the toilet and sits down. Leaning on his elbows, his hands grasped in front of him, he says, “I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but you will get past this.”

Will holds his hand out to help me off the floor. “You can change in my room. I’ll go grab your clothes. We’ll figure out the room thing this weekend.”

I sigh. “I think I need to find my own place. I can’t take the parties and that whole crowd right now. I don’t even want to go to practice.”

“Then don’t,” he says. “You’re benched anyway until the docs clear you.”

I shake my head. “No, today is going to suck no matter what. Might as well get it all over with.”

“I understand why you didn’t tell us, but you know Max and I would have had your back, right?” he asks.

“That would have been a shitty thing for me to do, making you carry that secret. I didn’t mean to make either of you think I didn’t trust you. Taylor was pissed for me not telling him,” I admit.

“Taylor is like our bridge to the rest of our dumbass teammates. Except he’s much more tolerable,” Will says.

“And good looking too,” Taylor shouts from the hallway.

Will raises his eyebrows as if Taylor just proved his point, and he kinda did.

I try and stand, but the moment I put weight on my leg the pain nearly sends me back to the floor. “Fuck,” I shout and try and breath through it.

Getting dressed is a nightmare and it takes longer than I really have time for. Once I’m downstairs, I stare at my keys, and try to work up the fortitude to drive to the training center. Max comes down the stairs a few moments later, his arm is in a sling, and he looks like he’s had a rough night as well.

Will jingles his keys. “Let’s go. With his arm and your leg neither of you are driving.”

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