Page 12 of Penalty Kick

But all that was what had landed him in this position to begin with. A night that he didn’t remember, social media posts showing off all his assets, and putting his job at risk. A job he loved. One that provided a comfortable life for his mother and sister.

Mamá and Maria…

So much for the idea that he didn’t answer to anyone. Because he most certainly answered to them. They were what mattered most. Getting them out of the gang-ruled neighborhood he’d grown up in had been the first thing he’d done after signing his first major professional contract. Life had been shitty up until that point, and from then on, it was his mission to make sure they never suffered again. Letting them down was the worst kind of failure there was.

And right about now, he’d let them down big time.

But he was going to fix it. Somehow.

Ten minutes into the pickup game, they were at the far end of the pitch, Liam in goal, the ball at Tanner’s feet. They had each gotten one by the gentle giant—Dash's a sneaky shot to the upper left corner, Tanner’s a grounder to the right—both feeling pretty good about themselves. Out of the corner of his eye, Dash couldn’t help but watch Talia. Who, it just so happened, had stopped a couple of times to watch them. The smile on her face told him that she liked what she saw too. Deep down he knew that what was making her smile was Tanner and seeing him happy playing with two of his favorite Rising players. But just knowing that he was a part of that reason made him happy.

Now, if I can just make her that happy one-on-one…

Zigzagging in front of Liam, Tanner almost lost the ball as he sidestepped. Dash intervened though, keeping the ball in his path. Liam looked over at him, a knowing look on his face as Tanner moved a little more to his left. Dash nodded, knowing exactly where Liam was going with this. There was a buzz inside him that he couldn’t name, one that seemed to grow with each second as he waited for Tanner to make his move. Dash could almost hear the inspirational music that would play in the background if this were a movie—tugging at the viewers’ heartstrings, making their pulse kick up a notch. It was simply that kind of moment.

Tanner swung his leg back, starting his kick. Liam dove to the right, arms stretched above his head, making himself as big as he could. Dash’s heart skipped a beat, waiting for the sound of Tanner’s cleat marking the leather of the ball. A second later that telltale sound rang out, Tanner sending the ball directly in front of him, to the wide-open net.

“Gooooooooooal!” Dash shouted, just as a TV announcer would, Tanner’s arms raised high in celebration.

“You got me good there, Tan!” Liam said, pushing himself up from the ground, his smile as wide as the teenager’s.

Grabbing the ball from Liam, Dash’s gaze once again found Talia, standing in the middle of the pitch, holding a stack of cones. He couldn’t tell if she had missed Tanner’s goal or not and knew that she wouldn’t let on either way. Still, he wanted her to be a part of this. To be enjoying it with them, rather than from a distance.

“Talia!” he shouted, drop-kicking the ball as hard as he could, sending it flying her way.

Talia spun around at the sound of her name, her eyes flaring wide as she saw the ball soaring toward her. In an awkward lunge, trying to move out of the way, her leg twisted, sending her to the ground and the cones into the air.

“Mierda!” Dash muttered. He realized as he said it that Tanner probably heard him.

Please don’t let him know how to swear in Spanish…

Rushing over to her side, Dash dropped to his knees when he reached her, Tanner and Liam not far behind. His heart was racing, dread washing over him. The last thing he wanted was for her to be hurt. Even worse, for it to be his fault. That would just be the cherry on top of the sundae.

“Are you alright?”

“Fine, I just twisted my ankle,” she said, looking more than a little embarrassed. Trying to push herself up, she winced as she put weight on her ankle, dropping back down to the ground.

“No, take a moment to rest,” he assured her.

“Avery!” Liam shouted.

Tanner took her hand, his eyes looking worried. Talia mouthed “I’m fine” to him, but based on the expression on his face, he wasn’t convinced.

A second later, the sweet redheaded PT had joined them, not wasting any time in starting to examine her roommate. Dash’s gut twisted, the same rock that had been there this morning starting to return. This was not what was supposed to happen. He’d wanted to make her laugh, not break her.

“Good news, it’s not broken,” Avery assured.

“Thanks?”

“But it is sprained. You should be okay in a couple of days. Just remember ICE—Ice, Compression, Elevation.”

Tanner nodded emphatically, like he was the one giving instructions. Dash could see the relief on his face, helping to calm him slightly as well. Only slightly though. Talia was still hurt.

“I live with a PT. Can I count on her to remember that?” Talia asked sarcastically.

“Indeed,” Avery responded, playfully sticking out her tongue. “You just need to stay off it for a couple of days.”

“I don’t have a couple of days. I don’t even have a couple of hours. I need to take Tanner home.”