Page 49 (1/1)

This one is , sensitivity to light and sound, and the familiar pressure in my head But the coaches and the trainers are serious about concussions Withthis week, mild or no, just to be safe

And we’re so daular season, and we’ve got a daaaht be good enough to get us into one of the ram had always been lackluster prior to Coach Cole’s arrival That kind of bowl appearance could change the conversation coet a lotinto next season, and the bulk of our teaest contenders will still be here next year Our most prominent senior this year was Jake Carter, and he’s already been suspended, and we’re doing just fine without hio for the title next year It would be crazy A long shot But not i up in ets just as much attention as those powerhouses I’d always drea for The ones that didn’t want me in the end And all the years of doubt would be worth it

I’ of those possibilities when Coach calls practice to a close I keep my head down in the huddle so no one seesto set in, and I have to dig down deep to stand fro position when Coach dismisses us

Nohen I’h with the syet checked out by the trainer They won’t send me to the hospital They would just send n Brookes or Moore to check on ht to et worse And then they’d limit my practice tis, and if they’re worried enoughbench ot plenty of ti to Coach, I keep my helmet on until I’m off the field and into the dim hallway that leads to our locker rooently pull off my helmet My head throbs for a few eable by the time I step into the locker room

The trick is not to let anyone lookht in the hotel roo to lose interest, and no one comments on how quiet I aather s and head out to my truck, where I’ll at least have a little privacy I pull lasses I keep in the center console

Now I have to figure out how to hide it at hoht to o hoo to Nell’s instead Or take her hoht toNell hoot a look atis up

No, the best thing would be to go to Nell’s place and hope she doesn’tthere It takes me a while to find our text conversation on ht double vision makes it hard to read the words Once I find it, I type e from muscle memory and hope that for once autocorrect does its job and fixes anywheel while I wait, but even that s She answers And I can tell by the length of the blurred text that it’s just one word After so the phone around, I finally h, I start up et to Nell’s place, and I’h with the roads to know frons are The double vision isn’t as bad when I’s up close, so while the cars around htly fuzzy, I can see them just fine Even so, I drive at half ine that Nell won’t be happy that I’ve driven at all But I couldn’t risk leaving my truck at the athletic complex That definitely would have been noticed It takes et to her apart spot with no cars nearby

For a few seconds I just sit there, zoned out, forgetting why I came here in the first place Thento read the text Instead I clilasses on, and head for Nell’s apart on the stairs and make myself focus on the steps At the top, I bracethe sound will hurt

Nell ansearing jeans, and a snug long-sleeved shirt, both of which hug her curves perfectly All I want to do is sink into her, see if she can chase away this, too

"Hey," she says, her voice bright and cheerful and too loud "What’s up?"

I step past her, re, another voice cuts in "Hey, Torres"

My eyes find Dylan on the couch, and da here I should find so norish, and I’, "Hey"

I turn back to Nell and gesture toward the hallway that leads back to her bedroom "Can we?"

She frowns, but nods "Sure"

I don’t look back at Dylan as I follow Nell out of the living roo the wall of the hall to help steady and straighten out my steps Inside her room, I collapse onto her bed and drop my head into my hands I hear the door click closed, but Nell doesn’t move after that She stays at the other side of the room, and when I look up her arms are crossed over her chest and her expression is decidedly wary

"I’ht to the point "What’s going on? Are youAre we"

Aw, shit She thinks this about her