Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32770 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32770 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
“He had a concussion last year. It was bad. One minute he was running down the field and the next he didn’t move for what seemed like hours. When they lifted him onto the stretcher, his arm flopped down by his side like he was…dead.” She stops to collect herself. “After he woke up, he started vomiting, and his head hurt so much he couldn't talk. We took him home, and it seemed like he didn’t even know who we were. He was mean and snapped at us all the time. The doctor said it was a common side effect of a brain injury. A brain injury, Dunc! From football!”
I nod because what else can I say?
Sadie continues, “Mom cried almost every day. He was a junior, so he didn’t play much after that, and at the end of the season, Mom begged him not to play again. When we moved here and he didn’t try out, we thought…he was done with it.”
“Guess it’s hard when you love something to give it up like that.”
“Maybe.” She doesn’t want to hear it so I shut up because it’s none of my business. I park and help her down out of the truck. A few of our classmates stare at us with questions in their eyes as I keep my arm draped around Sadie’s back. She doesn’t notice—either my arm or their attention—as she scans the now empty practice field for Van.
“He’s probably inside showering right now.”
She lets out a huff. “Why can’t he love chess?”
“Probably not enough violence.”
“He can throw pieces at his opponent. Also, I watched The Queen’s Gambit, and there’s a lot of stress in that game.”
Her exasperation is adorable.
“Why are you grinning at me?” she asks with narrowed eyes.
“Nervous reaction.”
“Right.” She rolls her eyes. “Where would Van be now?”
The grin on my face slides right off. Why’s she so obsessed with him? I’m right here. “No idea. Class is about to start.”
This perks her up. “Oh good. I’ll see him there.”
“How many classes do you have with him?”
“Almost all of them. We planned it that way so I wouldn’t—I mean, we wouldn’t be alone.”
I notice her slip and wonder what that means. Why would she be afraid of being alone? I don’t know enough about Sadie’s life before she moved here. Van would know, but I don’t want to go to him. The perfect person to talk about Sadie is right at home. Fischl. I bet she’d be thrilled to talk about her kids. That’s how parents are wired.
“I’ll see you at lunch then. Save me a seat in Algebra.” At least I end the day with Sadie. Maybe I should change my schedule so that it’s me in all her classes, not Van.
“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Sadie touches my arm. She looks up at me with a sweet, pleading expression, and if she asked me to fly to the moon, I would have jetted off right there powered by her sweetness.
“Yeah?” I manage to respond, my voice hoarse, my jeans tight.
“Why didn’t you play football?”
The side of my mouth tilts up. “Do I look like I’m a team player? I’m selfish, Sadie. I don’t play well with others. What I want, I take, and I keep it. I don’t ever share.”
CHAPTER 12
SADIE
Dunc’s comment plays on a loop in my mind. I’m not sure what to make of him for the past week that I’d been stuck at home. He’d been at my beck and call, showing me another side of him that I wasn’t expecting. It was different from how he’d been before the accident. His mixed signals are driving me crazy even though they shouldn’t. I have to make a conscious effort to remind myself that we are never going to be a thing. That it’s impossible. That it would never work. No matter how much I wish it could.
When I enter class, I don’t see Van anywhere. I drop down in my seat and pull my phone out to text him. A second before the bell sounds, he’s sitting down in the seat next to mine.
The hell? I mouth to him. He only shrugs. I hate having to wait till the end of the class to finally talk to him. Plus, I’ve become accustomed to him being around in most of my classes. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a bit uneasy that he won’t be around as much. I know it’s selfish of me.
“I’ll be fine,” he says before I can get a word out. “I want to do this.” His words don’t put me at ease at all. I gather up my things before heading out of class.
“Van.” I sigh. Why can’t I boss him around like he does me? We walk to our next class together. I notice a few people glance our way.