Page 7 of Aftersome
“Wren.” She snapped me out of the trance I was in. “It’s nothing bad, I promise. I should’ve clarified that before I said we needed your help.”
Sighing in relief, my shoulders slowly sagged along with the racing tempo of my heart. If thinking the worst was a sport, I’d be a professional athlete.
But could you blame me?
“No, it’s okay.” I shook my head, trying to let her know it wasn’t her fault for causing a mini panic attack. “But whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.”
Thinking I would get one of her signature smiles, I did, but it didn’t reach her eyes. If anything, she looked hesitant to tell me.
“You will? Without even knowing what it is, you’ll do it?”
Chuckling at her ridiculous question, I nodded.
“You could ask me to unclog your toilet and I would do it.”
Shaking her head on a chuckle, she massaged the spot in the center of her forehead.
“Well, that makes me feel a little better about what I have to ask you to help us with then.”
Oh boy.
“Oh, come on, it can’t be that bad.”
Right?
Sighing, she smiled once again. Somberly.
“I came across a video on Facebook the other day.” Her voice sounded distant. “I don’t even know why I felt the need to watch it, but I did.”
Confused, I waited silently for more.
“You know, it’s been almost ten years since I’ve watched hockey?” Her gaze was set on the black screen of the TV in front of her. A look I couldn’t decipher was spread across her face asboth her hands intertwined in the center of her lap. “I couldn’t stomach it. The pain it gave me was… unimaginable.”
And just then, unwanted memories came flooding in. Without warning.
A hand, but it wasn’t just any hand.
The most warm, inviting hand was waiting for me to grab onto as I hesitated to step out onto the ice in front of me. I was nervous. Beyond nervous, but I knew I was safe. With him, I would always be safe.
Then placing my hand in his, he slowly walked us out onto the ice.
“You got this, Blue. I’ll be holding your hand the whole time.”
Fuck.
Don’t.
Don’t cry.
Shaking off the memory, I refocused my attention back on Shelia.
“It was a hockey game. The Orchids against some other team. I wanted to scroll past it, and I almost did. But something told me not to.”
I had no clue where this story was going, but something deep inside my gut told me I wouldn’t like it. Whatever it was, it began to twist and pull at my stomach until I had to rest a hand over my aching belly.
“Near the end of the video, one of the players was hit pretty hard. He wobbled around a bit, holding his shoulder, and I waited for him to get pulled off the ice. But he didn’t.”
She laughed, but the tone and richness of it was completely off. Like she was on the verge of crying but something stopped her.
