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“Think he’s okay?” I asked Bryan.
Bryan was practically scowling. “I don’t know, but I know all the shit with his dad can’t be easy. I hope nothing happened.”
I blinked before I realized what he was telling me. It was hugely possible that Justin’s dad had died and that was the phone call he was receiving.
“I got it,” Seth yelled out before flying by me. He had been sitting behind Toby and Cal, talking with some friends.
“If it’s anything big, Seth will let us know,” Bryan said.
“What’s going on?” Toby asked, leaning forward so he could talk into my ear.
“Seth went to check on Justin,” Bryan replied.
Toby pursed his lip and the excitement of the game bled away to worry as he stared after where his friends had disappeared. It was clear he wanted to go after them.
My phone buzzed and so did the others. We all quickly checked it to see a message from Seth.
Seth: It’s fine. These doctors are quacks. Will be back shortly.
I pursed my lips. “What do you think that means?”
“That I need to make a fucking phone call,” Bryan said and got up, leaving us.
“This is getting crazy,” Toby said. Both he and Cal moved so that they were sitting with me. Cal looked more than happy to be snuggled between the two of us.
“Are you cold?” I asked, grabbing his freezing hands.
“No, I’m fine,” Cal said, cheeks red.
I dug through my small bag and pulled out my gloves. I gave them to Cal and then had to help him put them on.
“Thank you.” He smiled big at me.
“All’s good. I have hand warmers too.”
“Oh, can I have those?” Toby asked.
I snorted. “Yeah.” I had a box in there. A trick I learned when I had to do performances outside so late into the fall. Fall and winter festivals were huge in New York State around the holidays. Even more so if I went to any of the New England states.
After Toby was content with his, and I slipped some into Cal’s shoes, I tried to focus back on the game.
I had missed a chunk, but it was easy to tell that Paxon’s team was still dominating. They had full control of the ball, even when the other team had it. Like they knew how to wrangle in the other team to smoothly get it where they needed for an intercept.
Seth and Justin returned first. Justin took the open seat next to me while Seth settled in behind us. I didn’t miss it when Seth leaned forward and squeezed Justin’s shoulder in support. Justin himself looked like he was in pain. And angry.
I grabbed his hand and held it in my lap. He stiffened briefly before slowly relaxing next to me, his shoulder resting against mine. I didn’t say anything and only made sure he understood that I was there for him, whatever he needed.
Bryan came back a few moments later.
“Those doctors are fucking idiots,” he muttered as he settled in next to Seth. “But it’s taken care of.”
“Thank you,” Justin said, his voice cracking slightly.
I burned with curiosity, but kept my mouth shut. Justin kept his gaze on the field, but they were distant, his thoughts elsewhere. He looked haunted almost.
I scooted closer to him, hooked our arms together and rested my head on his shoulder. His warmth seeped through his jacket, helping me to stay warm as we both sat still, distractedly watching the game.
~*~
