Climbing hurriedly, I unlocked the door, and my mouth dropped open when I went inside. My living room was wrecked. Taking a few more steps, I looked around. The TV was smashed, the couch cushions were on the floor, and the small table Ava and I had made was on its side. I hurried over to it to check it wasn’t broken.
When I had turned it back upright, I ran to the bedrooms — both of the rooms were ransacked.
“Oh my God,” I whispered as I turned in the spot. I screamed in fright when I saw someone standing there and then realized it was Denzel.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he told me as he walked forward. “What the fuck happened to your apartment?”
“I’ve been robbed.” And then I realized I hadn’t, as my laptop was still sitting where it had always been.
This was because ofthem. I knew it as sure as I was standing there.
Pulling my phone out of my purse, I called Ava. “Hey, it’s me,” I said briskly. I felt tears threaten. “You need to come home, take the others, and . . .” As I went into his room, I sawthat his had been destroyed more than mine. “Someone better find Ash.”
“Why?” Ava asked me with concern.
“Because my home has been wrecked.”
Chapter 15: Ash
My phone had been vibrating for about five minutes continuously, it seemed, but I hadn’t answered it. Lying on my back, staring at my ceiling, I went through the runs of today again. Had I dropped the ball, or had the tackle caused the ball to loosen?
I didn’t know. I hardly ever dropped the ball, and I was pissed off that today had been the day. Fucking ’Bama of all teams. Then Kentucky won, so now the Saints and Kentucky were both on two games lost.
We didn’t play them again — we played Texas. We had to win against Texas. Gray needed to be ready to play that championship gameifwe got there.
My cell started to vibrate again, and I closed my eyes. It would be my cousins looking to see if I was okay and where I was. It wasn’t like me to ditch them, so when we got off the bus, I had made an excuse that I needed the doc. Coach had heard me, and we had walked together to the stadium.
Coach wasn’t a bad guy; he was a hell of a coach, and he never gave me too much shit because I was all about the team game. He also enjoyed silence, so we walked together quietly. When I got to the sports sciences building, he had told me not to worry about the result and to let him know what the doc said.
I had waited for him to go into the stadium, and then I had turned around and walked back to the house. My SUV was parked at the edge of the driveway to the house, and I simply got in and drove the long drive home.
When I got there, the house was empty, and I checked the kitchen calendar. Mom and Dad were out, and Tilly was at a sleepover, so I had the house to myself. Unlike Aunt Sable, my mom could cook, and I was happy to find some food in thefridge. Gathering it all up, I had gone to my room and ate all the food Quinn denied me.
And that I denied myself.
After eating, I lay back on my bed, and then twenty minutes later, I threw it all up. I then spent some time hiding the evidence, and then, completely drained, I lay back down again.
The guilt at losing the game was running through me, the guilt at eating the food was chasing it, and the guilt at making myself sick was coming in hot as a third-place podium contender.
My phone vibrated again.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I reached out for it to switch it off of vibrate.
Tossing it on the floor, I tried to relax my mind. I had to breathe. I could feel myself spiraling out of control.
A voice penetrated my solitude, and then my bedroom door opened.
“Hey there,” my Aunt Sable said softly.
Opening my eyes, I saw her look around my room and notice my phone. “Aunt Sable?”
“Hey, champ, your cousins are freaking out.” She looked me over closely, and then with a sad smile, she came and sat beside me. “What have you done, my sweet Ash?” A cool hand reached out and stroked my forehead, and I shrugged as I looked away. “Did you eat?”
My head jerked once, and I heard her sad sigh. “I thought you had control of things? Did the game trigger you?” she asked me gently.
“Maybe.” I closed my eyes again as she continued to stroke my hair. “No? I dunno.”
“Okay, you want to talk to me about it?” I felt a gentle prod to my side. “Your mom’s going to be home soon if you want to wait?”
