Wait, Micah Brannigan? The equipment guy?
Me
Yeah. When I came out of the exam room, he had her cornered. She won’t tell me what he said, but he was a smug piece of shit and now she’s shut down completely.
I pace the kitchen, wincing as my ribs protest the movement. The pain is nothing compared to the knot in my chest.
Hop
What do you mean by “shut down”?
Me
She won’t talk to me. She keeps saying everything is fine, but I know it’s not because she doesn’t want to be anywhere near me. She went straight to the guest house when we got home. I know he had to have said something to her. Something’s wrong, and she won’t let me help.
Kill
Fuck. That guy’s always been a creep. Remember when he got suspended for harassing that cheerleader last season?
I hadn’t remembered that until now, but the memory makes my blood run cold.
Me
I need to know what happened between them, but I can’t force her to talk.
Seb
Did they know each other before?
The question hits hard. I never thought of asking if they knew each other before. She’s never mentioned him.
But the way she reacted…
Me
I don’t know. She’s never said anything about him. But he did mention something about catching up with an old friend.
I set my phone down and press my palms against the counter, trying to breathe through the pain in my ribs. But it’s nothing compared to the ache in my chest when I think about Sutton alone in the guest house, wrestling with whatever demons Brannigan stirred up.
“Fuck!” I shout before my phone buzzes again.
Hop
Give her space, man. If something happened between them, pushing won’t help.
Seb
But let her know you’re there. That you’re not going anywhere.
Me
I did tell her that.
Kill
And if Brannigan comes near her again, we’ll make sure he regrets it.
I appreciate my brothers, but their advice isn’t helping the helpless feeling spreading through me. I should be able to fix this. That’s what I do. I fix things. I solve problems. I make things better.
