Page 114 of Collide
“We got lots of talent coming in from Dalton on this year's roster. With their star player going pro, Toronto’s never been luckier to be getting a powerhouse like Aiden Crawford.” My stomach has no business dipping the way it does at the mention of his name. “They’ll be talking about this kid for years to come, and I can promise you that.”
My dad glances at me. “You know him?”
Can he hear my heart rattling inside my chest? “Like I said, I don’t follow hockey.”
He sighs. “Right.”
The phone battery is nearly dead, so I can’t bury myself in a doom scroll, leaving me staring out the window for an escape.
“You missed Diwali, Thanksgiving, and Christmas,” my dad says, breaking the running silence again.
“I was busy with my application.”
“How is that going?”
“You should already know, considering you’re a trustee.” He tenses. I found that tidbit out sophomore year and my dad received a very angry text about it.
“I told you I’m going to make sure my daughter is cared for.”
“If you ever bothered to listen to what I wanted, you’d know that is the last thing you should have done.” I pause, controlling my volume. “I worked hard to get my scholarship. I don’t need you acting as my safety net. But you don’t know that because you haven’t spent a day getting to know me since I turned nine.”
“Summer, you know that I love you.”
I scoff. “You have a hell of a way of showing it.”
“Your sisters have seen me show up.”
“That’s great, Dad. I’m glad you’re finally showing up for your daughters, but I guess it’s too late for me, right?”
“That’s not how I meant it.”
My blood boils. “I am genuinely happy they got the dad I’ve always wanted. I truly am. But I’ll always remember that you chose not to be there for me. You treated me like a mistake.”
“Summer!” My dad yells pulling over when the campus comes into view. “You know damn well you are a blessing to me and your mother. We were young and scared, but we have never blamed you for anything. We made a choice when we had you.”
“Yeah, and then you made a choice between your career and your family. Take a wild guess on which one you chose.” I unclip my seatbelt and open the car door. “Next time you want to help, try being a dad instead of a cash register.” I slam the door shut.
Rain mixes with the hot tears that pour down my cheeks, soaking my achy chest.
When I cry over my father, I wonder if eight-year-old Summer, the little girl who thought that if superheroes existed, her dad had to be one, ever feels disappointed.
38 | AIDEN
HAVING A GAME at noon means not being able to focus on any assignments afterwards. It also doesn’t help when there’s a knock at my bedroom door.
“Busy,” I call out.
I’ve already sat through Kian’s thorough tattoo tour. The new one on his thigh is an intricate red snake. It was cool until he went on a long tangent. We’re going easy on him since he and Cassie fizzled after talking for a few weeks. Unsurprisingly, he was in it a lot deeper into it than her. Now, managing to get him out of my room long enough to write this paper has been a chore.
When the knocking doesn’t stop, I let out a resigned breath, pushing back my chair and swinging open my door.
“I said I’m bu—” Before I can finish my sentence, arms wrap around me, and a head of brown hair burrows into my chest. Frozen in place, I’m surrounded by her sweet scent and her trembling rain-damp body.
“Summer?” She sniffles and my heart cracks in two. I rub her back, feeling her sobs become more frequent.
“Come,” I close the door, and she lets me lead her to my bed. She’s still shaking. “You’re scaring me, baby. What’s wrong?”
When we sit, I pull her head away from my chest, and the sight of her wet cheeks is a rusty knife to my gut. “Is it Langston?”
