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We both keep our mouths shut, gazes locked on the wall behind him. Coach looks from Nixon to me, his jaw working as he grits his teeth.
“Cat got your tongue?” he taunts. “I should bench both of your asses for the next game. Show you what happens when you fight in my locker room.”
My stomach tightens at the idea.
The silence stretches, neither of us budging under his penetrating gaze.
Coach shakes his head in disgust. “But that would hurt the team and me more than it would hurt you.” After a few more moments, he lets out a dark chuckle. “Fine, have it your way. You’re both cleaning the locker room for the next month. And that’s just for starters. But before that, I want to see you out on the field. Bleacher suicides. Two hundred each of you. And you better not stop because the moment you do, you’ll start counting again.” He shifts his gaze from Nixon to me and back. “Both of you.”
Nixon opens his mouth as if he’s about to protest but changes his mind at the last second.
Coach lifts one of his brows as if he’s daring us to say anything. When we don’t, he tips his chin toward the door.
“Off with you two.”
CHAPTERSIX
JADE
The black screen of the phone beckons me as I stare at it from across the bed. Like I’ve been doing for the past thirty minutes. As if it’s a snake, and I’m just waiting for it to attack me.
“Don’t be a wuss, Jade,” I mutter, cracking my neck to relieve the pressure in my shoulders. The tension that’s been building there ever since Nixon walked into my room.
Okay, that might not be entirely fair. Yes, Nixon pissed me off and continued to do so over the weekend with his constant calls and text messages, but if I’m completely honest, he wasn’t the only reason for this tension, nor the cause.
It was the fact that I have cancer.
Now, if only I could confirm it, and be done with this unknown that’s messing with my head.
Inhaling deeply, I force my hand to extend. Wrapping my fingers around my phone, I unlock the screen and go to my contacts, dialing before I can chicken out.
My heart is beating so loudly that I can barely hear thebeepingas I press the phone to my ear.
“Massachusetts General, oncology department, how may I help you?” asks the perky voice from the other side of the line.
“Can I talk to Doctor Hendriks?”
My fingers are gripping the phone tightly as I wait for the answer. I’ve been putting this call off for as long as possible, but I can’t postpone it anymore.
“Who’s asking?” the receptionist loudly asks so I can hear him over the noises of the hospital.
“Jade Cole.”
“Wait a second.”
“Sure thing,” I say softly, but he’s already put me on hold.
I let out a shaky breath as I try to calm my nerves.
Breathe, Jade. Just… breathe.
But it’s easier said than done. Thankfully, I don’t have to wait too long before the line picks up again, and the familiar voice of Dr. Hendriks comes through the speaker. “What can I do for you, Jade?”
“Hey, Dr. Hendriks. Sorry for bothering you, but…” I slide my tongue over my dry lips before letting it all out. I tell her about the bruises and bumps in my armpit and about the lump on my breast. She quietly listens until I get it all out in the open.
“I see. Okay, here’s what we’ll do…”
There’s a soft clicking of the keyboard in the distance. “How about you come and see me tomorrow? I’ll have a look, and we’ll run some tests, okay?”
