Chapter 54
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His bathing was A Sealy, its body past dose, this will, less treabling faintly like he was still dreaming.
14 tom tom
There was something sacred in this having a like this, do nd trusting curled into me like I was his shelter. Like I was safe.
1 stared at the exiting my chest fight with something i didn’t want to at Berause beneath the peace, beneath the high of dominance and
11 we had given me more than his body tonight. He’d given me his hear. His healing. His hope. And now I was responsible for helping him
轻度神油多地座机接,1uderwater who had rice weed up to me the same way he did
Gad, Micah
The only boy who ever saw through everything–the control, the mask, the quiet storms behind my eyes–and didn’t flinch.
He gave me everything His subeniesion. Itis affection. His loyalty. And 1 couldn’t give him back even half of it.
When ficab came into my lite, i was already broken. That injury–The in;day took more than just my leg, it took my entire fucking future and fles lutuin of the person i loved more than myself.
ed just own the sigy was viestite Coach was proud, counts were wat lung, the dorms were packed with girls, drinks, time whole “we’r
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10:33 Fri, Feb 13 BBD.
Chapter 54
But the only person I should’ve stayed with was my little brother.
He was fifteen. He’d come all the way out just to watch me play. His eyes lit up every time I made a throw, like I was everything he wanted to
- be.
Jamie was already training to be the next quarterback in my old high school. Fast, Sharp. Better than I was at that age. God, he was determined, Stubborn as hell, 1 took him under my wing early–taught him everything I knew, and he soaked it up like a sponge.
That night, he asked to stay in with me–watch game replays, talk strategy, maybe sneak a pizza and celebrate like brothers do. He was proud of me. Idolized me.
And I told him no.
Not directly, I just… smiled, said we’d do it next time, and offered to drive him home so I could get back in time for the party.
The weather had already turned by then. Coach had warned us all. “Stay put. Don’t drive. No exceptions.”
But I didn’t want to miss the celebration. I wanted the girls. The attention. The validation. I thought I deserved it.
So I got my brother in the car and told myself it would be fine.
It wasn’t.
The snow was already coming down hard when we left. I kept driving. Told him not to worry. Made dumb jokes. Cranked the heat.
We never made it home.
I lost control on the curve just outside the highway. Black ice. The car spun out and tumbled down the hill.
Jamie broke his spine. And I broke everything else.
My ACL tore from the impact. My leg was wrecked. I was told it could heal with surgeries, rehab, time. But I didn’t care. Because no one could tell me what to do about him.
He spent the next year learning how to use a wheelchair.
I spent the next year learning how to hate myself.
No more football. No more stardom. No more brother looking at me like ung the stars. Just silence. Cold. Shame. And the sound of that night on replay every time I closed my eyes.
