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I fake a shiver, trying to fight a smile. “That sounds like a nightmare.”
She gives my shoulder a gentle shove, then stands up. “Love you, big brother. I’ll see you soon.”
“Love you too, brat. I promise I won’t be a stranger.”
After she leaves, I spend a good amount of time staring at the ceiling until I decide that I’m being an idiot, and there are better things for me to do with my time, like grading papers. So that’s what I do.
Staying stuck in my head isn’t going to help things with Ben. The only thing there is to do is wait and stay busy doing it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
BEN
When Katy shows up at my apartment, I’m a little nervous she’s going to be mad that I asked her to leave her brother behind, but thankfully she isn’t.
“How pissed is he?” I ask when she sits on the couch.
I have myself situated in a recliner with my foot on a few pillows to keep it elevated, according to the instructions I received from the nurse.
“Not pissed, more like kicking himself for being an idiot,” she states.
I sigh, then give my head a shake. “Okay, no more talk of your brother. This is our time, and I refuse to spend it being upset,” I tell her.
She giggles. “Sounds like a plan. What did you want to do?”
“Do you like Mario Party?” I question, and her face lights up, which is the only answer I need. “The controllers are under the TV.” She quickly moves to grab them so we can start a game.
“Are you playing Mario Party without me?” Rio asks as we’re getting things set up.
“It’s not too late to join us.”
That’s all I needed to offer because he grabs a controller and plops down beside Katy.
“Should we invite Bronny too? Don’t need him being all mopey because we forgot about him.”
Rio shakes his head. “He has a wrestling match this afternoon. He’s already at the campus getting ready with his team.”
“Oh, right, I completely forgot about that.” I normally like to support my friends and watch their sports, but Bronny has a weird superstition about his friends being at his events, so we never attend out of respect for him. But his one coach always takes high-quality footage, and Bronny shows us after each match.
“Perfect, let’s get this party started then,” I announce, hitting the button to start the game.
We spend the next hour battling in mini-games and talking smack every chance we get. Katy shows us she has a mouth I wasn’t expecting from such a pretty woman. She’s the queen of talking shit, and it makes me like her even more.
By the time Katy has to leave, my stomach hurts from laughing ridiculously hard, and I feel a lot lighter than I was before she came over.
“Did you want me to drive you to my brother’s house on my way out of town?” she asks, causing my stomach to knot with anxiety.
I should take her up on the offer, but I find myself shaking my head instead. “I’m sorry. I still need a little bit more time,” I murmur.
“I get it, but don’t take too long. Just like in physical therapy, sometimes you have to work through the pain to get the results you want,” she reminds me before leaving.
Rio leaves not long after Katy to go hang out with Sasha, telling me to call him whenever I need a ride. I wanted to be alone, but now the apartment is too quiet. So, I shoot a text off to Coach, asking him to come over for a visit.
“I’m surprised you aren’t at Ian’s,” he says when I open the door for him, which is awkward on crutches.
“We kind of got into an argument after you left last night,” I explain, slowly returning to my chair.
“What about?” he asks, making himself comfortable on the couch.
