Penny:Is.
Penny:Perfect!!!
Silas:I say this with all the gentility that I can muster, but how is our center rolling his ankle perfect?
OC:Clearly, Penny knows all so we should just listen to her. Yay, you rolled your ankle!
Posey:Dude, have some nuts.
Pacey:I’m with Levi.
OC:I’m so confused!
Penny:Okay, it sucks for the team, but this is perfect for Halsey. He will be out for, what? A week or two? Blakely will be so distraught that she’ll want to take care of him every chance she gets, leading to them falling in love! Can’t you see, it’s perfect!
Posey:She’s right.
Silas:Huh, that does make sense.
OC:See, all hail Queen Penny.
Penny:Okay, pull it back, new guy.
OC:Sorry.
Halsey:She has a job. There is no way she will take care of me, and I don’t need to be taken care of.
Posey:Don’t be a stubborn motherfucker. Take this chance and go with it.
Pacey:Take it, dude.
“Are you still doing okay?”
I glance over at her, and her worried lip. “Yes, Blakely. Seriously, I’m good.”
“Okay.” Her eyes fixate on the road in front of her, but I can see the tension in her shoulders and the sorrow in her expression.
“I shouldn’t have tried to move the bed or pop it for that matter. Call me old-fashioned, but I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable. You’re my guest.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I was being stubborn and trying not to get in the way and bother you, but I ended up making it worse.We burned dinner and popped an air mattress and made a mess of our rooms. And you won’t be able to play hockey. Do you think it will be for the rest of the season? I really am sorry.”
“It won’t be the rest of the season, and it will be fine. Okay? I should have just left everything alone.”
“No, I should have.”
I sigh. “Listen, Blakely. We can go around in circles about this, or we can just apologize to each other and not bring it up anymore.”
She stops at a red light and turns toward me, tears in her eyes. “I just feel really bad.”
Shit.
I don’t want to see her cry.
Ever.
Those tears about to pour over feel like tiny sharp knives digging into my chest.
I want to pull her into my chest, hug her, brush my hand over her hair, tell her everything is going to be okay, but I don’t own that privilege, so instead, I say, “I know, Blakely. But I promise you, it will be fine. Okay?”
