Page 39 of Wild Hearts

Two days later, they announced it to the world when she was named champion of the Newcastle SURFEST AAP Consulting Women’s Pro. There had been backlash with Dad having been a judge for the WSL, but he’d already resigned two months earlier, so it had blown over quickly. I wish it was the same for us. We’re still dealing with the fallout.

“I’m sorry, Mum,” I choke out.

She opens her eyes and squeezes my hand. “You have nothing to be sorry for, do you hear me? Neither of you.”

I wonder if I should come clean about knowing what was going on. I try to shimmy myself up into a sitting position, but as I flex my right leg I hiss as pain shoots up my leg.

“Are you okay, honey?” Mum asks, concern etched across her tired features. “You’re about due for some more painkillers. I’ll get you some fresh water.”

“I’m going to go and call Wren,” Ivy mutters, not even looking at me as she leaves my room.I’m such an asshole.

Mum returns with a glass of water and the strong painkillers that the doctor prescribed for me at the hospital. She presses her lips to my forehead as she passes them to me. “Get some rest, we can talk about all of this later.”

After she leaves, I stare at the packet in my hand. I pop out one pill, rolling it around with my fingers. After being blindsided with Wren, I’m looking forward to the oblivion, for even just a short reprieve of how fucked up my life is right now. Swallowing down the little white pill, I close my eyes and wait for the darkness to wash over me.

BEING LAID UP IN BEDfor the rest of the week feeling sorry for myself means I’m going stir-crazy by the time Friday rolls around. Jordan comes over after class to take me for my MRI.

Ivy’s avoiding me. This is the longest we’ve gone without speaking since Jordan and I cut the head off her favourite Barbie when she was six. I crane my head around, searching for her as I make my way toward the front door, but if she’s home, she’s hiding from me.

Jordan eyes me as I buckle myself into his car after sliding my crutches over the centre console into the backseat of his Kombi.

“What?” I ask him warily.

“Nothing,” he says, shaking his head as he backs down my driveway.

He barely takes a breath as he catches me up on the beer pong tournament that I missed on Wednesday night. He laughs as he tells me about how he woke up in a single dorm room with two first years, wearing nothing but a pink cowgirl hat, his hands tied up with matching fluffy handcuffs.

I give a non-committal grunt when he nudges me and asks if I’m still joining him for the pub crawl tonight. There’s no way I’m going to stumble my way around to different pubs on crutches, especially when I can’t drink while on these painkillers. I can barely follow this conversation, but I’m not going to admit that to him. I like the calm, blissed out feeling. There’s no pain in my knee, and it helps me block out the rest of the pain in my life, too. I’m in no hurry to face any of that again.

“So, what happened with Wren the other day?” he asks as he pulls up in the hospital car park.

“What do you mean?” I avoid eye contact as I grab my crutches from the backseat.

“Lachy said you were a real asshole when they came to see you after you got out of the hospital.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, choosing to ignore the statement. “I thought you liked her, man?” Jordan shakes his head. “Lachy said she left in tears. He tried to talk to her at work this week, but she just asked him to change the subject.”

Which is exactly what I want to do right now.I pull a face at him before opening the car door and struggle out. “Is Sammy shitty that he had to cover my shifts at the beach? I know we’re short staffed until Will and Robbie get back for the start of uni.”

Jordan comes around the car to face me, his eyes narrowed. “Dude.”

“What?”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing,” I huff out as I start hobbling toward the entrance of the hospital on my crutches. “I mean, I... I don’t know. I just asked why she was even there. She’s made it pretty damn clear that she doesn’t care about me anymore.”

“Right,that’swhy she left your house in tears.” He rolls his eyes. “So, are you going to tell me what happened between you two? And don’t tell me ‘it’s a long story’. We’re gonna have at least an hour’s wait in there.” He nods toward the busy waiting room.

I cut my eyes to him before making my way up to the front desk to check in. I give a terse nod when she tells me it’s at least a half an hour wait.Damn it, Jordan.

My best mate sits down next to me, his eyebrows lifting expectantly. I ignore him and reach forward to grab a magazine off the table in front of me. He snickers as I flick through the articles claiming that Brad and Jen are getting back together, that Princes Harry and William are having secret conversations trying to get their wives to call a truce, that drinking a glass of red wine a day will add ten years to your life.

Eventually I let out a huff, tossing the magazine back on the pile, and crossing my arms over my chest. “She’s gotten under my skin, man.”

Jordan smirks. “I can see that.”

“She was there for me when I found out about my dad,” I say. “We couldn’t tell anyone about what happened between us because she was worried about what Ivy would say. Plus, with her going back to Newcastle for year twelve, I think she was a bit worried about the long-distance thing.”

“Wait,” Jordan says, his face contorting in confusion. “You kissed her before you found out about your dad.”

---