Page 58 of Redemption
“And?” She’s trying to play it cool, but I see the way she’s clutching the edges of her shorts. She’s worried about the kid, and I was a jerk to pass it off as nothing when she told me about it. She had to deal with her brother dying because of the pressures he was under because of a stupid sport. No matter what’s happened between us or how guilty we both feel over that death, I should have listened to her.
“I think you were right to want to keep an eye on him.”
“I didn’t want to be right,” she whispers into the night.
The sadness in her voice tears me in two. Without thinking, I reach out and pull her toward me. Her head falls against my shoulder, and for the first time in six years, it doesn’t feel like the world is crushing me. But I know it’s only temporary. There’s no place for MJ and me anymore. There was a time when we protected each other, but those times are long gone. For tonight, though, I can pretend.
“I know you didn’t,” I say, stroking my hand against her hair. The strands are like silk against my rough callouses, reminding us that we have always been from different worlds. She’s silk, and I’m cotton.
“Can you, um—tell me why you think that?”
I sigh, keeping my hands steady as I continue to stroke her hair. This isn’t an easy topic for either of us, but if I could go back and see things through a new lens with Langston, I would—and I know she would, too.
“There were several things actually, but honestly, none of them remind me of the things Langston used to do. I’m almost positive the kid isn’t drinking.”
Until now, she’s been tense against me, but at that, I feel her let out her breath. What I don’t say, though, is I don’t think he’s drinking—yet. Langston never drank either until he did, but the problem was no one knew he was drinking until it was too late to save him. Choosing to leave that part out, I continue, “The kid has anger issues—major ones, but I did some research. I talked to Lily about Tanner’s behavior, and then I spoke with some of my old coaches and trainers. It seems that Tanner’s attitude change started shortly after his concussion. Lily couldn’t tell me much, but apparently, it was a major one. The doctors cleared him, though. I had to make sure for the team. He got a full bill of health at a physical this summer. But—what doctors don’t check for is the depression that can occur after a major concussion. Do you know what post-concussion syndrome is?”
MJ sits up, pulling away from my arms and giving me a look that screams,“Really.”
“I’m a nurse, Hayes—of course, I know what that is.”
I grimace. “Right, sorry. It’s easy for me to forget that—after all, it’s never a path you wanted to go down.”
“Yeah, well, people change.”
Resting my hands on the steering wheel, I stare straight ahead because don’t I know it. I feel like I’ve been a thousand people in this lifetime, and I still don’t know who I’m supposed to be.
Langston died, and that tragedy took my identity with it.
“Anyway,” I say, trying to shake the sudden cold that’s come over me now that she’s no longer pressed to my side. “The headaches and the depression make me wonder—and from just knowing Eric, I would say that his home environment doesn’tcontribute to a peaceful environment either. So yes, I think the kid is on a path of self-destruction.”
“What are we going to do about it?” she asks, sitting taller in the seat next to me.
I like that she said we—that it was an automatic assumption that we would do this together.
“I have an idea. Meet me at the field tomorrow. Six A.M..”
“Six in the morning? Are you crazy?” she asks, glaring at me.
The truth is, I could have chosen a later time, but MJ hates getting up early. So, I chose the time that was most likely to get under her skin.
“Look, I told the kid I wanted to do one-on-one practices with him. It’s what our coach did for your brother in high school, and it’s what I’m doing now. It will allow me to cultivate a relationship with him. But, I would like you there just in case.”
There’s a split second where I think she will say no, but she presses her lips together and nods.
“Okay, I’ll be there, but you owe me coffee.”
“You broke my nose. I think we are even.”
A grin breaks across her face, and she winks at me—actually winks at me. “Exactly, and think about what I will do if I don’t have my coffee in the morning.”
Then she’s out the door, slamming it behind her, and I’m left wondering if the woman will be the death of my sanity. Unfortunately, the likely answer is yes.
The real answer, though, is that she already is.
Chapter 19
Mallorie Jade
