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The sun begins to rise on what looks like will be a clear day. The blaze of pinks and reds light the morning sky. It gives me an idea about our project. I walk around until I end up at Ginger and Adalee’s apartment. I know she’s not there. I’m not ready to talk anyway so I meander around, going through all of the actions that occurred because I called her dad, before heading back to my house. It’s eight a.m. and the Logan’s in the kitchen.
“Where you been?”
“Couldn’t sleep. Took a run.” I start running up the stairs.
He follows me up. “Listen. I’m your fucking friend. You’re probably my best friend that just wants to be my friend because of me, not because I’m the QB.” He hands me a bottle of water enhanced with vitamins and a bagel. “When’s the last time you ate?”
Shrugging it off, I say, “Sunday in Chicago.”
“It’s Tuesday.”
I shake my head. I know what fucking day it is. He touches my shoulder and I jerk. “Eat, drink and sleep. When you wake up, we’re talking about all of this.”
As he walks out I ask in a tone so quiet, it’s almost an inner thought. “Have you heard from Adalee again?”
He drops his head. “Are you accusing me of something? Because…”
I cut him off. “No, is she okay?”
“She called at six a.m. wanting you to know that she and her dad stayed with your family last night. Nobody blames you.”
I choke back tears. “I blame me Logan. Why is it so hard to comprehend for everyone? My friend might die because I brought her dad here.”
Two guys standing in silence because neither of us know what to say. We haven’t been through any of this. I know he’s trying to help when he finally says, “Get some rest. I have class but I’ll lock the door so only roomies can get in.”
He shuts my door behind him. I set the water and the bagel on my nightstand. I look at the drawer where Adalee pulled out my T-shirt and slipped it over her head. It was the first night I saw her body. I thought I was dreaming. Now I’m in a nightmare of an escape room, and I can’t find my way out.
I take a drink of water and a bite of the bagel and lay back down. I need to call my professors and coach, but I don’t have the heart to explain to my professors. And if coach gets mad because I’m not at practice, I don’t care. I throw the baseball until I miss it and am too tired to get off the bed to retrieve it. I down the bottle of water and leave the bagel. My lids feel heavy.
When I wake, it’s dark. My eyes strive to adjust. I slept and I have to admit I feel a little better. Still like a piece of shit but I can function. When I stride into the bathroom, my face looks worse than I thought. I hate my reflection, so I take out my shaver that I use on my face. Instead of running it over my jaw and chin, I run it through my hair. Huge chunks of hair fall into the sink. Stroke after stroke, I cry. I end up on the floor sobbing.
Logan finds me on the floor with my back against the wall. He rests his backside on the counter with his arms folded over his waist. “Did someone shave a black Goldendoodle?”
I laugh and snot falls from my nose. He hands me some toilet paper. I clean myself then clutch my head with my elbows on my knees. The tears fall continuously. “Let it out,” Logan says as he somehow manages to sit beside me in the confined space.
A little later, he pulls out an envelope and hands it to me. It’s from Adalee. Her handwriting is impeccable. She insists on writing everything because she can’t read my chicken scratch. I always tell her that’s why computers were invented so everyone could read.
“What time is it?”
“Almost six in the morning. Wednesday. I’ve had to turn your entire family away three times in the past eighteen hours. I hope they don’t hate me after this. Your twin is a handful.‘He’s mybrother, he wants me here yada, yada.’But she’s hot.”
“We’ve had this discussion. She’s off limits.”
“She’s too angry for me anyway. You know I like ‘em agreeable, and I don’t want to see them all the time.”
I laugh and it feels good. “Logan, thanks. But you wouldn’t ever see her.”
“Umm, she has a different plan. But she’s crazy man. If you don’t call Adalee, please call Harper because she scares me she loves you so much.” He starts to walk away.
I grab the hem of his shirt and he stops. “Don’t hate her. Hap and I feel each other’s pain…literally. This isn’t fair to her. She had her tonsils out in sixth grade while I was at school. In math class I started screaming from the pain. My parents told me that was the exact time when Hap woke up screaming in the recovery room because it hurt so bad.”
His large hand strokes my back a few times. “I’ll keep that in mind when I kick your ass for having to run interference for you. Read the letter and call your family. I need some sleep.”
He walks out. I brush my teeth staring at my newly bald head, saying to myself, “I’m with you Joe.” I lay back down in bed and turn on my reading lamp, tearing open the envelope.
Hagan,
I know you don’t want to hear I’m sorry but I am. I don’t blame you. We both made mistakes. You should have told me about my dad, and I shouldn’t have gotten so mad. You made sure he was out of the woods because you are kind and caring.
