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No. I shook my head and avoided his face the entire lecture. We’d only speak when at the ICU together, and that was it. And if he ever mentioned my brother, I’d punch him in the throat.
4
Theo
I was gonna be late. Nothing worked me up more than missing a deadline. Whether it be an appointment, an assignment, or an oil change, being even a few minutes late stressed me the fuck out.
And this wasn’t any of those things. The meeting was with Coach Reiner. He set up a time to talk after a workout the follow day, but Penny needed to be picked up, along with Daniel, and Em was at her part-time job. By some heroic feat, I had my siblings in the back of my truck as I sped toward the rink.
“You’re driving too fast.” Daniel tapped the window. “Dad would be mad.”
“Dad has other things to worry about,” I said through gritted teeth. Like, avoiding me and his other children, pretending to work, making me the parent. Three minutes until the meeting.
Why did he have to schedule it last minute? Fuck. We were a mile out at least, and parking and the walk… I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated as hell. It wasn’t a good look to be late to a one-on-one. The guys had a hard enough time with me being a rival for three years, but Reiner wanted me on the team.
But to be late?
“I’m hungry.” Penny’s voice had that watering tone, the one she used before bursting into tears. “Snack, please.”
“Pen, I don’t have anything with me.” I swallowed hard and yanked the wheel down the side street. There was an open spot, but we’d have to run to the rink to make it on time. “Okay, I need an hour, please. Then we can get ice cream or pizza. Whatever you want. Just let me talk to the coach, okay?”
“I’m hungry!”
Fuck me. I pinched my nose, taking a deep breath before going into action. “Daniel, there’s a vending machine outside Coach’s office. Use my card and get your sister whatever she wants.”
“What about me?”
“You too, obviously.”
Nine years passed by the time they got out of the damn car. Another decade to get them walking toward the rink. I fired off a quick text saying I was almost there. He could bench me, make me run, skate laps, whatever he wanted. I’d take it.
It was crazy how going through this with my family really did teach me to be more sympathetic toward others. It made me question how kind I was before. Guys who showed up late, who I’d judge harshly, could be going through a million things I’d never know about. Sucked that people had to go through tough moments to grow.
“Okay, let’s walk faster, people.” I hoisted up Penny on my side and jogged. “Daniel, run.”
It was a hot mess, but we got to the rink, and I was only seven minutes past our time. Bad, but not horrible. But I hadn’t thought through this part of the plan. Daniel was nine, not a teenager. He couldn’t watch Penny thoroughly enough.
“What should we do? Where’s my snack?” Penny asked, nervously glancing around the hallway.
“Daniel, you and her need to stay in the hallway until I’m done.”
Tick, tick, tick. Another minute late.
“But what about the food?”
“Guys, please.” I was about to snap. A flash of resentment burst through me. Why did I have to be the fucking parent to my siblings? Why couldn’t I be a normal twenty-one-year-old, focusing on hockey and school? Why did my mom have to have a stroke and my dad essentially left me in charge because he couldn’t handle it? Life wasn’t fucking fair.
“I need food!” Penny yelled and dropped onto the ground. A guy glanced at us down the hall as her cries grew louder.
“Let me talk to my coach, tell him what’s going on.” I gripped my hair, just as Audrey walked down the hallway. She wore a simple olive-green tank top and cutoff jeans. Her hair was down, and she wore a black hat, and damn. She looked cute, but I wasn’t in the mood for her judgement today. And of course, she’d see me at a weak moment. Not that it mattered, but I wished I was working out shirtless or something.
“Snack now!” Penny screamed. “I need food!”
Audrey stopped and frowned at the three of us, but her expression shifted immediately. Not ice queen or timid. She almost seemed concerned. “What kind of food do you like?”
Penny sniffed. “Crackers.”
“Oh, dang. I don’t have crackers, but I have some Pop-Tarts. They are my favorite thing ever. Do you like them?”
