Page 1 of The Entire Team

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Teddy & Bethany - 20 Years Earlier

He had seen Bethany when he was eight, taking his little sister to school for the first time. She was six and starting her first year at elementary school. Bethany was a few years younger than him and would be a friend of his sister. They lived within a few blocks of each other, and the kids grew up together.

Teddy always took his oldest brother status seriously protecting his sister and friends in public and harassing them in private. Bethany always seemed acutely aware of Teddy. She remembered the first time he’d come home bleeding; she could smell the iron on his usual scent. “What happened?” Teddy had tried pushing past her. “Are you okay?” she insisted moving into his way, forcing him to stop.

“It’s fine,” he answered. His hands on her arms, moving her out of his way.

“It’s not.” She slapped him in the shin with her sight stick.

“Oww!” He walked past her into the bathroom.

She ducked into the bathroom behind him. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she was looking straight at him, through the white in her eyes, seeing his black eye and split lip. “Where are you bleeding?”

“I cut my lip,” he gave in.

“On who’s fist?”

Teddy groaned. “Some idiot. Can I get it cleaned up now?”

Bethany stepped closer, “Can I feel?”

“What?!” Teddy jerked back out of her range.

“I just wanna see.”

Teddy debated for a long moment. It was Bethany, they grew up together, she was his sister’s friend.What would she feel, what would she think?

She lifted her eyebrow and again, and he swore she saw him.

“Ok,” he stepped toward her and grabbing her wrists he guided her hands toward his face.

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He had been ten when she had started learning his face through the aftermaths of the fights, he’d get himself into.

At fourteen Teddy’s reaction to her touch barely surprised him. He made himself a regular nuisance to his sister when her friends were around, trying to be able to see her. His temper flared easily with no way to let off steam, as his hormones coursed through him. He knew he couldn’t have Beth; she was better than him and her family would never approve. His fights increased, allowing him to spend extra time with Beth. As the boys got older the fights got harder. In the latest fight Teddy had ended up with some road rash on his shoulder from grappling. Bethany had walked in on Teddy as he’d pulled his shirt over his head. “You can’t help with this,” Teddy started.

“Why? Because I can’t see?” her voice strained.

Teddy looked up, the anger in her voice surprising him. “You’re angry.”

The white in her eyes looked more like a sparkle at this point. “Why shouldn’t I be?”

Teddy reached for Beth’s hands, one curled on the bathroom counter, the other fisted at her side. Out of habit she let him takeher hands, placing one on his right shoulder and one over his left eye. Her hands moved over him with experience, her eyebrows knit. “Why should you be? There wasn’t anything you could do.”

“Why do you keep doing this?”

“I asked first,” said Teddy.

“Don’t play dumb,” Beth answered, her hands coming off him. She turned to leave. Out of habit, Teddy grabbed the handle to the door and pulled the door open for her. Her hand brushed across his arm, around the edge of the door as it opened. She felt the goosebumps rise on Teddy’s arm. Her normal confidence froze and she turned slowly, “I?—”

“You’re too young to understand.”

“And you’re just a stupid boy.” She was back and turned on her heel.

He took a deep breath as she disappeared down the hall.

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