“Can’t they look at the camera feed?” Coach Jameson demanded. “There are cameras everywhere.”
“That’s true. And people were still getting there,” Coach Rob added. “A student from Ellis found him and called 911.”
“We’re trying to get the camera feeds,” someone else said.
“What’s happening?” I asked, my voice a croak.How long had I been lying here?
“You need to come back and ask your questions later,” my mom said. “He needs to rest.”
A man, Officer Hughes, I realized, sighed. “Just one question. Do you remember anything?”
“Nothing at all.” I frowned at my own words.
They all said goodbye to me as they left the room, and then it was only Mom and Liam. Both had worried looks on their faces that made my heart drop. I moved my arms and legs to make sure they were working. They were. Why were they so worried? I was fine. I’dbefine. . .right?
“How long have I been out?”
“Three days,” Liam said.
“Three days?” I tried to move up but instantly regretted it again. Mom launched forward to help me lie back down.
“You need to rest, Lach.” She fluffed my pillow.
“Where’s Lyla?” I asked, and followed the question with, “Did we win?”
He blinked. “You’re not serious.”
“Did we or not?”
“You’re in the fucking hospital, and you’re worried about the stupid game?” Liam spat. “You won by default. The game wasn’t played,” Mom replied.
“Because of this?” I asked. When Mom nodded, I shut my eyes and thought about my teammates.
Most of them weren’t going pro, either because they weren’t good enough or didn’t want to. They’d been looking forward to that game, since it was their last. I tried to comfort myself with the reminder that we’d won both previous games, but it wasn’t enough. Guilt still took hold of me. I shut my eyes and felt myself dozing off. Thoughts of Lyla infiltrated my mind, my dreams. When my eyes snapped open again, I expected her to be there. She wasn’t. My mom was still there, but Liam was gone.
“I’m going to go get coffee,” Mom said, kissing my forehead. “Liam went to get food. He’ll be back before me.”
She was walking out, as Prescott walked inside.
“Hey, man,” he said. “How are you feeling?”
“Like shit. I heard you didn’t play the last game.”
“Who cares?” Pres frowned. “They gave us the option, and not one person on the team said yes. Same with Ellis. When they heard what happened, they chose to end the series. We were up anyway.”
“That’s fucked.” I shook my head.
“We won.” He shrugged. “We’re good with that.”
I believed him. My team was selfless like that.
“Where’s Lyla?” I asked. His sudden change of expression made my heart sink. “Did something happen to her?”
He sighed heavily. “I’ll be right back.”
He walked toward the door, opened it slightly, grabbed something, and shut it again. When he turned around, he was holding a bouquet of black roses. My heart dropped again. She wasn’t coming. I was sure of it. He placed the vase with the rest of the flowers I’d received — all lively and positive in comparison. Hers were my favorite. I swallowed thickly and took a sip of the water the nurse brought me earlier. Pres plucked the attached card and brought it over, handing it to me. My hand shook as I took it. I didn’t have to read it to know she was gone. I already felt her absence.
“She left, didn’t she?” I asked, voice hoarse.
