Page 12 of Hits Different

“I’ve got a hearing in a few days”. I swallow evenly. “I might not get kicked out. So don’t feel you have to disown me just yet”.

I grip a handrail. Hopefully, we’ll go through a tunnel and I’ll get cut off.

“I’d never do that”, she says sharply. “And whilst you might still act like a child, you’re a grown man now. You have to live with your choices. And since you’ve backed out on our deal—”

“We didn’t have a deal”, I say quietly. “You said I either had to finish college or take a job working for Simon at Summit. It was an ultimatum, not a deal”.

She sighs. “Parker. We can’t go on like this. Something has gone wrong somewhere, and I don’t know where. If your father were here, he’d…” she breaks off. The crack in her voice is sharp enough to splinter glass.

My jaw tightens. “You said you wouldn’t bring up dad. You promised”.

“I broke my promise. You broke your deal. Looks like neither of us can be trusted”. She clears her throat. “Your stepfather and I have been talking, and we both agree it’s best if we have some space. I hope to God your college takes pity on you. But if they don’t, Simon is expecting you on Monday. The job comes with a room. Take this for what it is, Parker. A chance to start over”.

She rings off. I stare at the phone, blinking rapidly. Her words run through my mind.Something has gone wrong somewhere.

When I look up, I’m standing at the entrance to Roberta Mercy Hospital.

Chapter 5

Open Wounds

Brandon

I can’t put it off any longer. I have to know.

“On a scale from one to ten. If one is a double rainbow, and ten is the panda bear that hiccups the theme to Jaws”, I swallow, “Just howviraldid it go?”

“How viral didwhatgo?”

“Freddie. Please. This isn’t my first rodeo. I know the internet is going to internet. I’m just asking that you prepare my delicate ego for the virtual hazing it’s about to receive”. I sit up in my hospital bed. “It’s not like the game was televised, so that limits the audience. It’s what, a solid four?”

He won’t meet my eyes. “Five? It made local news?” My alarm grows. “Six?”

“No, not a six”.

“Thank fuck for that”.

“More like a nine”.

“Nine?!”

“A low nine. Practically an eight”. He hands over his phone, open at a social media channel. “You better see for yourself”.

It’s slow-motion footage of me with the ball, bouncing it right at Volchok. It comes back to me, hits the net then, BAM. The three of us collide right into the posts. Volchok and his defender pick themselves up. I stay lying there, whilst an animated bear appears on the screen laughing his head off.

I sneak a look at the view counter and my heart flies into my mouth. One hundred thousand views. It’s not even been a day.

The intrusive thoughts win, and I scroll down to the comments:

BearsFan99:KNOCKED THE FUCK OUT!!

MikeDad:Clearly fake. Anything for attention. Pussy.

BearsFan99: SWEEET DREAMS NEPO BABY

MikeDad: Google this little bitch. What a disgrace to the game.

WolvesSuck:Like and follow for the latest Carter scandal & why Brandon’s more of a bitch than his father.

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