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“I’m not tennis royalty.” Meredith shakes her head and looks displeased.
“Yet no argument that she’s famous.”
“Can we stop talking about it? Sydney doesn’t care about my old career. Right?” She looks at me like she’s begging me to say yes.
“Not really. I don’t like sports. I mean, obviously, I like hockey just a little now, but other than that, don’t care.”
The goal horn blares loudly, pulling all of our attention to the ice. There’s a hockey hug going on among the Rebels and I wonder who scored. I don’t even know if Ian is on the ice. A few seconds later, it’s announced that our captain Brayden Hayes tallied the goal to put us on the board first.
As I watch the men on the ice, I start to think about the future. What am I going to do about a job now? I’m supposed to try to get a job after graduation just to turn around and need time off when I have this baby? Maybe I can take a year or so off and then job hunt. I already know Ian will be fine with that.
The crowd starts a “Let’s Go Rebels” chant, and I wish Savannah was here. She’d love to scream with thousands of other fans in the arena. The Rebels are on a power play due to one of the Washington players getting a roughing penalty.
A wave of nausea comes. I close my eyes and breathe slowly through my nose. Please, let it go away. I don’t want to text Ian and tell him I had to leave after I already let him know I was here.
“Sydney? Are you okay?” Meredith asks.
I slowly open my eyes, debating if I should go to the bathroom because I just got a whiff of pizza and I think it’s going to push me over the edge. I nod, stand, and rush to the bathroom to puke. I should’ve stayed home where nothing could trigger me. During my pregnancy with Savannah, I swear, I didn’t think I was ever going to stop either throwing up or feeling like I was going to vomit.
“Sydney?”
“I’m okay.” My voice is hoarse and scratchy as I flush the toilet and come out of the stall. “Just not feeling well lately. I thought I was doing better, but guess not.” I give her a weak smile as I wash my hands and rinse my mouth out.
“Do you want to go home? I can drive you if you aren’t up to it.”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll be fine.” As if things couldn’t get any worse, I?
?m suddenly lightheaded. So much so that my vision escapes me for a moment and I sway.
“Okay, I’m taking you home,” Meredith says decisively. “Have you eaten?”
I groan at the thought as my vision returns, but the lightheadedness doesn’t go away.
“Sydney, let’s go.” She takes one of my arms and puts it around her shoulders and one of her arms around my waist like I’m injured. We return to the box long enough for her to tell Lizzy and Sylvia that she’s taking me home.
“I’m fine,” I try.
“She’s throwing up and she nearly fainted.”
“We’ll come with you.”
I’m not sure which of them says it because I’m too tired to focus. I watch them stand, my eyes straying to the ice in time to see my Ian Rhett racing down and scoring a goal. But then, Meredith is hauling me out of the room.
“Really, y’all. I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not.”
I feel bad that they are fussing over me so much when I’m not sick and I am okay. “I’m just pregnant,” I whisper.
Meredith stops walking. “And you haven’t eaten?” Her voice is nearly hysterical. “Sydney, you should know better. We’re still taking you home. Do you have something that won’t upset your stomach at the house?”
“I don’t think so.”
“I’ll stop and get something,” Sylvia offers.
“Y’all,” I start to try and I don’t know what I want to do, but Meredith cuts me off.
“Don’t even,” she says in a don’t-fuck-with-me tone that shuts me up real fast. She doesn’t say anything more like I expected her to.
