Page 35 of Forever

“Can we come to practice today? Pleeeeease?”

He’d been asking me every day. And every day, I looked at Brooklyn. Waiting for her to change her mind. Waiting for her to start moving forward again.

She shook her head.

I cleared my throat. “Not today, Jacob. Maybe next week.”

“Noooooo. I want to come today. Mommy, please?” He turned to her.

“You heard, Matt,” she said.

I pressed my lips together. I didn’t love the way she was making it seem like I was saying no. I wanted nothing more than for Jacob and her to come to practice with me. But what could I say?

I ruffled Jacob’s hair. “We can play outside when I get home, okay?”

“When will that be? And can Scarlett come?”

I looked up at Brooklyn.

She shook her head.

“I’ll be home before dinner. We’re going to have a quiet night in just the three of us. Your mom is making homemade tomato sauce. Doesn’t that sound good?”

“Yessie. Sí. Oui.”

I smiled. I looked up at Brooklyn to see if she was smiling too, but she wasn’t paying attention.

I stood up, lifting Jacob upside down by his ankles.

He laughed as he tried to wiggle free. “Put me down!” he said through his laughter.

“What? I can’t hear you!”

Jacob laughed harder. “I said put me down, Coach!”

“What?” I lifted him higher in the air.

“Coach!”

I plopped him down on the kitchen counter and stole another glance at Brooklyn. No smile. No laughter. Iswallowed hard. I just wanted to help. I desperately wanted to help her smile again. But everything I did just seemed to make it worse. “I’ll see the two of you later, okay?”

“Mhm,” Brooklyn said, but she didn’t look up or say goodbye.

“Call me if you need me, yeah?”

“Okay, Coach,” Jacob said.

But still Brooklyn didn’t say anything.

I gave Jacob one last smile and headed to the door. I needed to do something to fix this. But I didn’t know how.

***

There was only one person that knew Brooklyn as well as I did.Kennedy.But Brooklyn refused to see her. I didn’t understand why. Maybe Brooklyn was right. Maybe I wasn’t listening. But I was trying my best. I just wanted to see her smile again.

I eyed my cell phone.

There was one other person that knew Brooklyn pretty damn well.James.But I didn’t want to call him about this.

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