Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Coach shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Logan, but Jax gave me his clearance this morning. Said his doctor signed off on it.”
“Bullshit,” Logan spits. “Did you call his doctor or just take Jax’s word for it? He’s dying in the back of that fucking ambulance because you played him.”
“Logan,” I warn. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” he roars. “Don’t call people out on their bullshit when I see it? My brother is fucking dying, Tanner. Dying. He’s not taking a fucking vacation. He’ll be back in surgery, with another six months of recovery. What about college, huh? He’ll get dropped so fucking fast.”
“Stop,” Chanel says, forcing his stare back to her. “We don’t need to be thinking about that now. All that matters is making sure Jax gets through his surgery unscathed. After that, you can point your finger all you like. For now, can we just get out of here? They’re going to need you down at the hospital. You’re his closest family.”
Logan looks back at Coach Wyld. “You better hope he’s alright,” Logan spits before gripping Chanel’s hand and taking off toward the student parking lot.
Coach clenches his jaw, shaking his head in disbelief, no doubt struggling with the guilt of playing Jax when he knows damn well he shouldn’t have. Hell, I even tried to warn him, but once his mind was made up, there was no going back. But I’m not fooled. Jax would have done anything to be able to play tonight. They’re both to blame, but at least Coach didn’t do it consciously. Jax knew damn well he hadn’t been cleared and went to great lengths to submit a forged clearance.
“He just needs some time to cool off,” I tell Coach.
“Yeah, I know,” he says before nodding toward the field. “Right, get back in there. We have four minutes left in this game and you know damn well those reserves can’t pull off this win. There’s nothing you can do for Jax right now.”
I gape at Coach Wyld. Is he fucking kidding himself? He wants us to play right now?
“Yes, Coach,” Hudson says before making a start for the field.
“The fuck?” I grunt, catching his elbow and pulling him back. “We’re not fucking playing. We’re going to the hospital.”
“It’s four fucking minutes,” Hudson argues. “Coach is right. There’s nothing we can do for Jax right now, and besides, if Jax is going down for this game, the least we can do is fucking win it for him.”
Shit. I hate it when he’s right.
Mom’s heels click against the cheap linoleum as she races toward us in the waiting room. “Oh, Logan,” she cries, rushing into him and throwing her arms around him, forcing him to stop pacing for just a moment. “I came as soon as I heard. Have there been any updates?”
Logan shakes his head. “Nothing yet. Just that there’s a lot of internal bleeding. They’ll need to locate the source and then try to get it under control, but apart from that, we know nothing. I’ve tried getting an update, but they won’t tell me shit.”
“It’s okay, my sweet boy,” she says. “I’ll deal with them and work out the paperwork. You just focus on keeping calm. You’re not helping anybody by getting all worked up, okay?”
Logan mutters a barely audible “Mmkay,” before dropping down between Chanel and Hudson, and true to her word, Mom takes control of the situation. “Have your parents been called?” she asks Logan before quickly glancing at me.
I nod. “Coach Wyld called Uncle Linc straight after, but I don’t know if he’s had any further updates. Not sure about their mom.”
“Okay,” she says, stepping into me. She pulls me into a quick hug, rubbing her hand in a circle on my back. “How are you holding up? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just—” I cut myself off, shaking my head. “This shouldn’t have happened.”
“I know,” she tells me, pulling away and giving my hand a firm squeeze. “But the why doesn’t matter right now. We’ll worry about that once Jaxon is out of surgery. I’m sure there will be some kind of internal investigation at school. But if Jax really did forge a doctor’s clearance, he could be looking at some real trouble, and not just the kicked off the team kind of trouble.”
Mom gives me a tight smile before dropping her hand. “I’m going to check in with the nurses and see if I can get us an update.”
She takes off as I drop down beside Bri, taking her hand and pulling it into my lap. “You okay?” I murmur, glancing across the room to where Ari sits alone with tears on her face after Logan decided to take his frustrations out on her.
“Yeah, I’m just worried about him,” she tells me. “We should have seen this coming. He’s been too upset about having to sit out, and plus all the mind-fuck stuff with Ari. He’s been silently spiraling. I should have known he’d pull a stunt like this.”