Page 21 of Beautifully Broken
In the Shadow of the Game
Chapter 1
Conrad
Fucking traded to the Manta Rays.Sure, they just won the cup, but now I have to play with my college teammate and the absolute annoyance, Dominic Montez,andMaverick Hart, who I know hates my guts for what I said to his girl when we played each other last. I felt like a dick afterward; I think the sting of rejection got to me, but I’ve moved on, I’ve grown. I can accept rejection now…
Rather than living in Tampa, I’m choosing to live by the Gulf in a small coastal area, Anna Maria Island. If I have to be in Florida, I might as well be close to the water. I thought living by the water would wash away this dread that has been sitting heavily on my chest since Coach sat me down and dropped the news on me months ago. I continued to show up for my team, but when it was time to pack and move, I fluctuated between sadness and anger. The dread still lingers there, waiting for the chance to pounce and throw me off kilter again, but I attempt to push it down.
Wandering the streets, I stumble uponShell Shock’d-A Marine Rescue Center. I have no idea why I find myself pulling the door open and stepping inside. The smell of saltwater and seaweed becomes pungent upon entering the building. Looking around, I see a large set of doors leading outside, some humongous aquariums containing turtles, there appears to be a surgery center to the left, and directly in front of me, there’s a desk. A woman sits behind it, ear-length brown hair falls over her face as she looks down at her desk, I can see the pointed tip of her glasses sticking out.
“Uh, hi there.” I cough, attempting to get her attention but not wanting to startle her. She looks up at me, even darker brown eyes pointedly staring at me as if I don’t belong here, and damn if that look doesn’t go straight to my cock. The meaner, the better in my opinion.
“How can I help you?” She asks, her cupid's bow giving her lips the perfect shape, glossed in a light pink lip shade akin to cotton candy.
“I just moved here, was perusing my new city, and was interested in what this place was about. Maybe donate?” What the fuck Conrad? Offering to donate to a place you know nothing about just to keep this woman's attention.
“Interesting…” She pauses. “I can show you around. Most of our volunteers are out on a rescue. I drew the short end of the stick as the only employee left behind, also known as desk duty.” The softest smile graces her lips as she speaks, and then she hollers, “Mace, get out here. I need to show Hotshot around.”
Alright, so no bullshitting here then. A teenage boy, no older than twelve or thirteen, pops out of a door to the right, his cheeks reddened, and a bucket of what I assume is food for the turtles in his hand. He eyes me suspiciously before dropping the bucket and walking to take over desk duty.
“Enid, don’t let this guy flirt with you. He’s just bored 'cause he got traded and his new team doesn’t want to hang out with him.” Mace shoots daggers in my direction, so he knows who I am and doesn’t want me here.Fucking wonderful.
I smile graciously at him before turning to Enid,” Your little friend here is right. My team doesn’t want to hang out with me, but I am genuinely interested in what is going on at this place.”
“Brother, her little brother.” Mace corrects.
“Mace, it’s fine. Let's go…” She leaves it open for me to introduce myself.
“Conrad,” I say as I smile at her.
“Conrad. Got it, let’s start out back. Walkie, if you need anything, Mace.” She directs at her brother. I follow her and can’t help but peruse her body. She’s wearing skin-tight jeans that wrap around thighs that I’d love to make earmuffs, and her Shell Shock’d shirt hugs her upper half, accentuating her curves. She pushes through the doors at the back of the building, and three giant pools of water surround us. One is empty, but the other two have a few turtles swimming around each.
“This is where we isolate the turtles until we can either release them or integrate them into the aquariums you probably noticed inside. That big guy there,” Enid gestures to a massive turtle that’s butt seems to be floating aboveits head, “is Bart. He’s my buddy, and I assisted in bringing him in when he was found. He’s got a bubble butt.”
I look at her with a be-for-real face before she laughs and continues, “So it’s called Positive Buoyancy Syndrome, but us rescuers say they have bubble butts. It’s usually caused by a buildup of gas in their shell, an infection, or an injury. Typically, it’s caused by ingesting plastic.”
“Oh wow, will he be able to go back to the ocean?” I ask, curious because I’ve genuinely never seen anything like this before.
“Probably not. They need to be able to dive to eat and swim through rough waters, so Barty Boy will likely be a for-lifer.” She shrugs, approaching the pool where he’s swimming up. “Hi Bubba, this is Conrad. He’s new around here.”
“Well, it seems like he’s in good hands.”
Enid turns to me, suppressing a smile, apparently heeding her little brother's words. I find myself leaning over the pool's edge, letting my shoulder brush against hers as we look down at Bart.
“Okay, let's keep going.” She heads back inside and shows me the lab and surgery center, the aquarium where the lifers stay, and the kitchen where they prep all the food. Every time we enter or exit a room, I can feel Mace shooting daggers at me.
“Well, this was very informational. Sea turtle rescues exist in North Carolina, but I never thought to make the drive to one. Thank you for showing me around. How can I donate?” I make sure to ask Mace so he knows I’m serious about helping them out.
“We have a website, and you can donate online. That way, you don’t have to come back and ogle my sister some more.” He hands me a business card and effectively dismisses me. Okay… Not coming back on weekends anymore. I smile at them, thanking them both again before leaving. I spent the rest of my night researching Shell Shock’d and not at all trying to find more information on Enid.
Chapter 2
Enid
“Ugh, I hate that guy.” Mace grumbles on the drive home for probably the third time since Conrad Hoyer left Shell Shock’d. I pretended not to know who he was. However, when raising your little brother, whose favorite sport is hockey and who wants to be a sportscaster one day, you have to pay attention. Unfortunately, Conrad is one of those players that I cannot take my eyes off of.
“What did he do to you?” I chuckle at him.
