Page 163 of Saving the Halfback

“No, Nolan. It’s not.” I walked past him and to the sidelines, grabbing some water. I snatched a fresh towel and wiped my face with it as soon as I took my helmet off.

“You’re doing fine.”

“I haven’t made a single play!” I snapped at him. “Sorry,” I added. All I could picture was Ed somewhere in a hospital room, watching me on the field. What if he wasn’t in the hospital? What if he was at the bar? What if he was at the house, watching the game with my parents?

I began pacing back and forth. The crowd went crazy as the other team scored another touchdown.

“Head in the game, B,” Ethan said as he walked over for some water.

“My head’s in the game. I don’t know how further into the game I could be.” I grabbed my helmet, shoved it on, and ran back out onto the field.

Chase took position as quarterback while I fell back to my regular position. He called the play, and I knew exactly what I was supposed to do. I had done this play so many times before. Only, as soon as the ball went into motion and was placed in my hands, I dropped it. “Fumble!” multiple players called. I jumped on the ball first, holding it tight, afraid I was about to lose it. One after another, players jumped on top of me, and the weight was suffocating.

I wanted to cry out, but I knew I couldn’t. I had to focus on the ball. If I could just hold it still, keep it safe, maybe then, I could recover.

Only, we didn’t recover. We lost the game.

60

Lachlan

Iwas still awake, staring up at the ceiling. Chase snored, Ethan got handsy, and Nolan’s legs twitched in his sleep, as if he were running. Were none of us normal?

I couldn’t get over the look on Bailey’s face during supper. I knew she blamed herself for losing the game. The thing was, it wasn’t only her loss. The team lost. They had good players, and we just got behind.

Nolan’s phone began vibrating between us. I nudged him, eliciting a few mumbled words. I picked up the phone. “Hey, it’s for you—” I frowned as Beth's name appeared on the screen. “Hello?” I answered.

In the background, I could hear crying from a voice I knew all too well. I sat up and smacked Nolan until he popped up, then put the phone on speaker. Ethan was awake right away. “Hey, Nolan?” Beth seemed unsure.

“Yeah?” he responded sleepily.

“I think Bailey is having a nightmare. I can’t get her to wake up.” Beth seemed really concerned, but the crying was all I had to hear to get my ass moving. I went out to the balcony, gettingup on the railing and reaching for the gaps in the slats above to steady me.

“It’s just me,” Ethan warned before grabbing my legs and pushing me up.

I pulled myself over the railing, the boost all I needed. Beth already had the door open, and sitting on the bed, knees to her chest, was Bailey. Her hands covered her ears as she shook, rocking back and forth. Her face was soaked with tears as she kept repeating “stop it” over and over.

I ran to the bed, getting on and taking her hands gently but firmly in mine. “Bailey.” She struggled at first. “Bailey, baby, look at me,” I pleaded. Fuck. Kill me now, because seeing her like this was pure agony. “Baby, please, look at me.”

She blinked a couple times, her eyes finally focusing on me, and then she threw herself at me. “I didn’t want him to,” she cried into my neck, repeating the same phrase.

“Should we get a coach?” Beth asked.

I shook my head. “No, we got her.” I slipped my arms under her legs and behind her back, cradling her close to me. She was shivering so hard, obviously going through some sort of response to something.

When I got to the balcony ledge, I whistled down. Ethan and Chase peeked over. Bailey didn’t need much convincing. I held tight to her hands and helped lower her down, feet first, into their arms.

Next, I climbed over, holding on to the slats and sliding. Nolan made sure I didn’t slip. I stormed into our room, following her cries. “I’m so, so, so sorry,” she sobbed.

Chase held her, but Nolan bent down, cupping her face with both his hands. “Bailey, what happened?” he asked. “Is it about the game?”

“I didn’t mean to.” She laid her head against Chase’s chest, eyes drifting closed before popping back open. Nolan let go and took a step back. “It wasn’t supposed to be,” she cried again.

“She’s not awake,” Ethan said.

I frowned and took a closer look at her. Her eyes were glazed over, not quite focused. “I didn’t mean to… No. Stop.” She curled on Chase’s lap, shielding herself from whatever she was seeing.

“B, wake up,” Ethan demanded.

---