AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We’re all sitting at the kitchen table like the family we are, about to eat dinner out of black plastic Chinese food containers. An extra container with egg rolls and another with fried wontons sit in the center, along with three extra containers of various kinds of rice and the side of garlic string beans Nattie always insists we share because she swears we all like them.
One day, she’ll realize she’s the only one who ever eats them.
Everyone’s popping open their containers when Bash eyes me from across the table, asking, “What did Coach want?”
I look from him to Brady before stabbing a piece of sweet and sour chicken. “I’m being moved to middle linebacker. I’m taking the defensive calls Saturday.”
Brady stops eating and looks up. “It’s a good move. You’ve been playing that position your whole life. You had to know you were being groomed to step up next year.”
“Thinking it might happen next year and knowing it’s happening now because Jamie’s dead are two different things.” I go back to filling my plate.
Brady holds my stare. “They are, man. But we’ve got a job to do and a team depending on us. You’ve got this.”
“Seriously?” Bash grumbles. “I gotta take orders from you again? I thought I’d get at least one entire season without having to hear your voice in the huddle.”
“I wish it wasn’t my voice we were gonna hear.” I leave “I wish it was still Jamie’s” unsaid, but we’re all thinking it.
“We all do. But that’s not a choice we get to make, Murph.” He takes his eggroll back from Nattie, who just stole it. “I know you were closer to Jamie than I was and this is hitting you harder. But we all feel it, and we’re all going to get through it together.”
Sabrina’s hand reaches for mine, and she squeezes.
We eat quietly for a few minutes until Nattie points her eggroll at Sabrina and asks, “Brina, what are you going to do about your parents?”
I’m pretty sure this is one of those land mine situations. Step carefully and be ready for the explosion.
“Well, after my mom called today—”
“Wait, what?” I interrupt her. “When did your mom call?”
“Before Pysch.”
Nattie smiles. “Ha ha. I knew before you, Murph.”
I throw a wonton across the table at her, but Brady catches it and pops it in his mouth.
“Hey! Focus, people.” Sabrina has a surprisingly calm tone in her voice. “Like I was saying, before I hung up on my mother today, I told her I’d call her when I was ready to talk. I’m not ready. So, that’s that for now.”
I turn to face her. My voice softening, I ask, “What did your mom say?”
“She was a bitch. She basically threatened to cut me off if I didn’t go home to talk to them tonight.”
“Maybe you should go.”
Sabrina glares daggers at me. “You can’t be serious.”
“I just mean you can’t not talk to them forever, right? You might as well try to get this shit fixed. It’s gonna eat at you the longer you let it go on.”
She turns to fully face me. “I was there, Murphy. I heard what she said to you. I will not let her get away with threatening you in an attempt to control me and my life. If I give in to her demands, she’s won. She’s gotten her way. If I don’t stand up for myself and you right now, she’s the one pulling my strings. Screw that. I’m nobody’s puppet.”
Rocky must not like hearing Sabrina get upset either. She paws at her leg. Brina looks down and rubs the dog’s head. “You wanna go out? Come on, girl. I’ll take you out.” She places her napkin on the table. “I’ll be right back.”
We all watch quietly as Sabrina grabs Rocky’s leash and leads her outside.
Bash clicks his damn tongue, and I want to rip it out of his mouth. “Smooth move, Murph. Real smooth.”
“What the hell did I do? I don’t want her to not talk to her parents. Yeah, they’re assholes, and her mom was a bitch to me, but I don’t care what she says, so long as that girl outside is with me and in my bed at the end of the day. Jesus. Look at the last twenty-four hours. What if something happened to one of her parents and she wasn’t talking to them? Do you think she’d ever forgive herself?”
I look at the three of them and see three stunned sets of eyes looking back.
