Page 99 of Heart of Gold
“Oh-em-gee! Quinny, he’s doing that for you!” Ava smirks. “Just like the games at the Ridge.”
My heart warms. I needed that from him, I needed to know he was okay. Thatwecould be okay.
Our defense is having trouble keeping the other team out of the endzone and that requires us to answer to every single touchdown to keep the lead. The next time the offense takes the field, Gavin lines up and when the ball is snapped he runs a route that cuts straight across the field.
As the ball leaves Warren’s hands a defender barrels straight into Gavin. His helmet smashes against Gavin’s. I watchhelplessly as Gavin’s neck springs backward and his helmet comes off.
I stop breathing.
The next fifteen seconds happen in slow motion. The referee throws a flag into the air and Gavin doesn’t move. The training and medical staff rush the field and I can’t stop looking. Remi yanks his helmet off and tosses it across the field at the asshole that hit Gavin. I watch as the referee pushes him back to our sideline.
“Quinn, he’s not getting up.”
I panic, hobbling over to the tv, “Please get up, Gav. Come on, baby. Please.”
Levi joins the huddle that’s surrounding him, and I can’t see him. Tears begin to sting as they coat my eyes, and I still can’t see him.
I need to see him!
The station cuts to commercial and my entire body begins to shake. What if he’s not okay?
I’ve never felt so helpless. So completely and totally out of control as I do right now, staring at a Geico commercial on the screen. I start to sob.
The front door opens and Liv walks in. The second she sees me she is immediately at my side. “Quinn what’s wrong, what happened?”
I sniffle, “He’s… it’s Gavin… what if he’s not okay?”
My heart beats in my ears and I can’t really hear what’s happening between Liv and Ava. Jake places an ice pack on the back of my neck and helps situate me back on the couch. The longer I stare at the TV, the more pissed I become.
“He’s laying on the goddamn field and I’m watching fucking commercials. I need to know if he’s okay!”
It comes out as a desperate scream, and Ava comes over to squeeze my hand. “He’s okay, Gavin’s tough.”
The coverage resumes and pans back to the field where both teams are now huddled and Gavin is nowhere to be seen. The sportscaster is rambling on about how detrimental losing Gavin Richardson will be to the Eagles.
They never once think about how detrimental it would be for me. Of course, that’s not their job. To them he’s just Gavin Richardson, wide receiver for the Ridge U Golden Eagles.
To me, he’s everything.
chapter forty-two
Gavin
The hit was dirty, I won’t argue with that. Had I been paying better attention, though? It could’ve absolutely been avoided. I was distracted.
My mind was all over the place. Thinking about what Levi said about Quinn checking on me, telling me it’s Pepsi.
That wasourthing.
It was her way of telling me that she’d thought about it like I told her and the answer was Pepsi.
Me.
I was her Pepsi, her choice.
I knew she was watching the game and I needed her to know that I was okay. That the ambulance and back board is only a precaution. The training staff in the ambulance with me won't let me use their phones. They just keep shushing me and telling me to rest.
My mom and dad were at the game and I know they’ll meet me at the hospital so I’ll use their phones. Eventually.
