“Not now, Charlie. Not here. I’ll speak with you later.” He turns to me and wraps his other arm around me, whispering into my ear, “You’re okay. Just take some deep breaths. Stay close to Charlie and her parents. Don’t talk to anyone. I’ll see you at the hotel, okay?”
I haven’t found my voice, so I just nod.
He kisses the side of my head, then turns to walk off the field toward the locker room.
“Char, let’s give him a minute, okay? I don’t know a lot about this situation, but I do know it’s not good. I’ll make sure he’sokay. You take Brooke back toward the waiting area, and we’ll meet you there.” Casey wraps an arm around Charlie and reaches out a hand to me, but I still can’t move.
She shakes off Casey’s arm and reaches for me. “I’m so sorry, Brooke. I have no idea what’s happening, but I’m so, so sorry.”
I just look at her and nod again. That’s all I feel like I can do.
“Let’s go wait for your dad with my parents.” She reaches for my hand.
The mint in my mouth has dissolved and so have my emotions as I focus on what’s important. Beck.
I look around, watching everyone celebrating. “Right, yeah. Okay, let’s do that. Um … where do we go?”
She leads me toward an exit off the field. “Let’s go this way. It’ll take us to the family waiting area.”
When we reach the hallway, we turn the corner, and I can see my dad standing with Charlie and Casey’s parents. The Kings have been like family to us since we moved in across the street from them years ago.
My dad has his back to us, but his arms are spread out to his sides, and he’s shaking his head. I can see the Kings, looking rattled. I mean, what can they say? They know everything that’s happened.
“I’ll talk to him and tell him he needs to explain all of this to Charlie. I’m sorry about this. I had no idea she was coming,” he says as we reach them.
Carol, Charlie’s mom, reaches for her. “Charlie, are you okay?”
She then reaches out to me while holding Charlie. “Brooke, honey, are you okay?”
I swallow and try to seem calm, but when I speak, it’s barely a whisper. “Oh, yeah, I’m okay. I think I’m just a little in shock, seeing her. It’s been so long.”
My dad puts his arm around my shoulders. “Why don’t you go back to the hotel with the Kings? I’m going to wait for Beck to make sure he’s okay.”
I nod, but then shake my head, clearing my voice. “How will you get back to the hotel if we have the rental car?”
He looks over at Charlie’s dad. “Tim will take the rental, and I’ll catch an Uber when he gets on the bus to go back to the hotel.”
“Tim, let’s head out now,” Carol says.
He places a hand on my dad’s shoulder. “Yep, let’s go, girls. Ryan, we’ll see you back at the hotel in a bit. Let me know if you need anything in the meantime.”
The ride back is quiet. We’re all clearly worried about Beck. And based on Charlie’s shaking leg, she is even more anxious to see him.
I’m not really sure what to say. Now that I can think a little more clearly, I realize that Charlie doesn’t know about our past. It makes me feel awkward, on top of an already-upsetting situation.
Tim parks the car, and before I pull the handle to open the door, Charlie reaches for me. “Are you okay, B?”
To try to ease her concern, I place my hand over hers. “I’m okay. I’m sorry this was a shock to you. I thought you knew about our mom. I’m sure Beck has his reasons for not telling you, but give him a chance to explain. Don’t shut him out, okay?”
She nods. “I won’t. I love him—you know that. I just don’t understand why he didn’t tell me.”
“I’m not going to assume to know what the reasons are, so just hear him out and be patient with him.”
Charlie nods and leans over to hug me. “Love you, B. Text me if you need anything.”
“Love you too, Char.” And I mean it. Even if she and my brother weren’t together, she’s like a sister to me.
My brother suffered under my mother’s hand a lot more than I did—physically anyway. He processes our trauma in his own way, and he would never ask for or say he needed support, but he does. He’s always been my protector, and our bond is strong. We might not be twins, but I can read my brother as if we were.He’ll need us, but he’ll want Charlie more. Once he’s calmed down.
