AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Are you sure you need to be here?” I wanted to touch him so bad my palms practically burned with the desire.
He grunted and shrugged.
I brushed my hand over the top of his head, knocking tiny water droplets away.
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.
“I’ll come back when you’re finished,” I said.
“Don’t you have class?” he asked, voice rough.
“Not until later.”
He nodded and shrugged at the same time.
“Okay,” I said quietly and eased away from him. I didn’t like leaving him, but this wasn’t my class. In the end, I went to the library to do some work while I waited, and the walk there was a struggle through wind and rain. I got soaked but didn’t care too much.
All week long I did the same thing for Wy, walking him to classes whenever I could and generally just attempting to lighten his load. I wasn’t sure I helped much, but each time I dropped him off or picked him up from a class he would give me a thank-you and whatever was passing for a smile that day. I tried not to take any of it personally because I knew how much it fucking sucked to have a medical issue.
Although, I was feeling guilty because I was so happy that I wasn’t sitting out this season. Watching him struggle through being benched had lit a spark of dread inside me, and I’d worked harder than ever at practices.
There was so much to do for Wy because he wasn’t okay that the week passed in a blur of school and practices, and I even drove him to a checkup for his knee because Elissa was working.
Friday hit me out of nowhere, a slap to the side of the head. I struggled through two tests I hadn’t studied hard enough for, then stared down the barrel of back-to-back games this weekend.
One tonight.
One Saturday afternoon.
I hated it when the games lined up this way. The weekend would be brutal.
After dinner, I walked out of my room dressed in a black suit so I could show up to the game in style. I started toward Wy’s room because he was supposed to be going to the game—although, he’d seemed really tired earlier. I’d told him to relax if that was what he needed, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I found him curled up in bed passed out cold.
Part of me didn’t want him at the game because it was awful sitting there knowing you couldn’t play. I didn’t want to do that to him. I frowned because his bedroom door was hanging open, and he never left the door cracked when he was changing.
“You can’t do this.” Dad’s chilly tone had me stopping right outside the bedroom door. My stomach sank. “I know you’re feeling like shit, Wystan, but this isn’t about you, it’s about the team. You are going to pull yourself together, stop feeling sorry for yourself, or whatever this is, and go to this game to support everyone else.”
“I thought maybe I would stay home and go to bed early,” Wy said, sounding as rundown as he’d looked earlier.
“Don’t be so selfish.”
Fuck this.I shoved open the door. “You’re not doing this to him.”
Dad swung toward me, and Wy stared at the floor between his feet. He was sitting on the end of his bed, and when he glanced up, not meeting my eye, I could see the shame on his face. The sadness in his eyes when he finally met my gaze fueled an incandescent rage that burned bright in my chest and made me feel tingly all over. I breathed deep. For a second or two, murder crossed my mind as I glared at Dad.
“Don’t you dare start with me,” Dad said, shaking his finger in my direction.
I snorted and sucked in air, trying to clear the gray spots from my vision that danced in front of my eyes, strange buzzing flies. “I’m not doing anything. This type ofmotivational speechonly makes someone feel like shit. You’ve given them to me enough times, I should know.” I snapped my mouth closed and my jaw was so tense it hurt.
Dad’s eyebrows marched up his forehead.
Wy frowned at Dad.
Dad shook his head. “I’m helping.” The worst part of this was that he sounded confused and probably did think this was a good idea.
“No! You’re never helping. What if this had happened to me?” I gestured at Wy’s crutches leaning against the bed.
Dad blinked and frowned. “What if it had? I would still want you to—”
