“Forgive me if I expect my friends to help set me up for success.”
She flinches as if I smacked her.
“To believe in me. To help me rally when my chips are down.”
She opens her mouth to speak but I’ve gone from zero to sixty. I’m freewheeling downhill, picking up speed, and my brakes have failed. “I heard what the doctors said, Pen. I was there. I know the prognosis. But miracles happen every fucking day. People recover from far worse than a mangled leg in a car crash.”
The words tumble from my lips, my tears turning from hurt to anger. I can’t tell if I’m trying to convince her or myself, but either way I can’t stop myself.
“I thought you understood. I thought you knew just how important this is to me. Dancing is my everything, my whole life, Pen. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
She tries again but I don’t let her talk. She’s said enough. Her face says enough.
“You should leave.”
Her mouth drops wide open.
“If you’re not going to support my recovery the way I need you to, you should go.”
When she doesn’t move, I angle myself away from her. “Now.”
We both know she can’t leave, not with Apollo traveling for hockey, but she gets up without another word and leaves. She’s only gone into another room, but the silence that descends in her absence is stifling.
She doesn’t get it, doesn’t have the dreams I do. She’s never wanted to dance at The Met in NYC. Or The War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, or Covent Garden in London. She’s not as driven as I am, she doesn’t know how this feels, this... uncertainty. She just doesn’t get it.
It might be a moment later, it might be ten, but Apollo bursts into the apartment, his hair unkempt, sweatpants riding low on his defined hips, huge bouquet of flowers gripped in his hand.
“The old ones aren’t dead yet.”
He flashes me a bright smile. “Neither are you,princesa.”
In some of my darkest moments I wish I hadn’t woken up from that crash. But that feeling will pass. Right? It has to. I’ll find my fight, my legs, my talent, and everything will be fine. It has to be, because I don’t know what’s next for me if it isn’t.
CHAPTER10
Trash Can Tattle with Tabitha
Hey, Trash Panda fans!
For those of you who are new to TCT, my name is Tabitha Tucker and I am your resident sports-blogger-salacious-newsletter-author extraordinaire, spilling the tea on all things hockey and hotties.
Trash Can Tattle is a regular column that falls somewhere between gossip and game, bringing you all the things in one convenient place – away from the excellent news, features, and opinions and interviews from the rest of the NCAA, right here at UCR (the University of Cedar Rapids).
This week I come bearing good news, okay, great news. By all accounts Apollo de la Peña is back in the game.
Despite flying back to Iowa in the midst of a team trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland, for exhibition games with what seemed like persistent injuries following an almost fatal car accident over winter break, the top scoring forward is recovering nicely.
The infamousPrince of Darknesshimself went on record with yours truly, telling Trash Panda fans that while he’s still not at full strength, he’s well on his way to peak fitness. Great news.
Unfortunately, long-time Raccoon’s fan, and friend of de la Peña who was also injured in the accident, Edith Fisher, is having a tougher time.
In his interview, Apollo told us she’s resting at home, but her injuries are extensive.
Myself and all TCT readers would like to wish a huge “Get well Soon” to you, Edith. Keep scrolling for well wishes from the fan base. We look forward to seeing you around the Trash Can soon.
In other news, the UCR Raccoons are getting ready for tomorrow’s game against the Cincinnati Vipers, and it’s sure to be a barn burner.
We’re closer to the end of the season than we are the beginning, and whispers of potential Hobey Baker award contenders are sweeping the NCAA community like wildfire.
