Chapter 27
BURTON
The next two days are a whirlwind, but we hold off the Rattlers and come out with two wins.
Laney was there at both games, cheering us on loudly, and I finally understand what it’s like to have someone in my corner who isn’t related to me. Kissing her was an impulse, but one I’m so glad I followed. We’ve shared a few kisses in the past couple of days, and I’m catching feelings.
Big old Courtney Burton is falling for someone. It’s like this magical dream I’m afraid to wake up from.
Laney likes to call me Court while we’re alone, and I don’t hate it. Maybe it’s because she’s the one saying it, and she’s not trying to do it in a teasing tone.
Sunday comes, and we’ve got one more game against the Rattlers.
We’re in the third quarter, and I still feel great. The extra running and training have been crucial for that.
Turner Fifield, the Rattlers star midfielder, goes tearing down the field with the ball, and Denning, our goalie, stops it.
I breathe out a sigh. Anytime we can stop Turner is a good day.
“Are you ready to lose, Courtney Burton?” someone says from behind me. I glance back and then turn to focus on the ball. Billy Thornton has been a pain in my side for the last couple of years.
“We’re doing pretty well on the weekend, I’d say.” I run up and cut away from him, getting open for the pass. With a quick fake to the right, I move left and have the perfect shot lined up. I shoot, and it goes sailing into the back of the net, past the goalie’s head.
I walk over in front of Billy and say nothing.
The crowd is going wild, and Laney is just as animated.
Finny wins the faceoff and runs down the field, coming toward us. I try to get away from Billy, but this time he’s sticking with me, as if he learned his lesson from last time.
Finny passes to Jackson, who cradles the ball for a few seconds and then passes to me. The ball goes wide, and I cut, trying to stretch to get it before it goes out of bounds.
Pain shoots up my hamstring, and I limp a little.
“What happened, Courtney? Did you turn into a woman who can’t handle this sport?”
There’s nothing more I want to do right now than turn around and punch Billy, but with the game being so close, we don’t need a penalty to bring us a man down.
The ball goes to our defensive zone, and I wave to Coach Martin to send out a sub as I try to hobble off. A rookie, Luke, goes in, and I collapse on the bench, trying to fight through the pain.
“Tell me what happened,” Frank, our trainer, asks.
“I’m hoping I just pulled my hamstring.”
I’m not sure how it happened like that. It would’ve been different if we were in the first quarter, but this is the third, so my body is plenty warmed up. And I’ve done a move like that dozens, if not hundreds, of times and never had a problem.
The trainer has me do a few movements with my leg, telling him when I’m in pain or not.
“I think it’s just pulled, but let’s get some ice on it and go from there.”
Ice in the middle of a game is never a good thing. That means I won’t be going back in.
Billy Thornton knocks both Jackson and Finny to the ground within the next few plays and finally gets called for a checking penalty. It’s about time.
The game is a fierce battle back and forth, but the Rattlers score the last shot, putting us down fourteen to thirteen. The buzzer sounds, and the game is over.
I keep telling myself that winning two out of three isn’t bad, but losing to this team isn’t something I ever wanted to have happen again after last year.
At least I don’t have to go through the line with this injury. But hamstrings are tricky. Am I going to heal by next weekend, when we travel to Colorado?
We get to the training room, and I slide into the cold pool, allowing my muscles to tighten a bit.
By the time I’m out, Laney is the only one waiting in the lobby.
“Hey,” I say, tired and groggy. I lean down and give her a quick kiss on the mouth.
“Hey. How’s the leg?” she asks, pointing to the surrounding bandage.
I shake my head, letting the frustration build a little. “It’s still attached. But I’m not sure how long it will take to heal.”
She nods. “Hamstrings can happen again and quickly. But you don’t want to hear that right now.”
She gives me a small smile, and I nod. “Lots of physical therapy this week and then a lot of ice.”
“Walking is always a good thing,” she says, giving me a small smile. “I’ll be out at the usual time every morning this week if you need a partner.”
I pull her in and kiss the top of her head, grateful for her and her optimism.
“I can get behind something like that,” I say. “Now, I need to head out to the restaurant for my shift. Can I see you after?”
She nods, but she’s got that frowning wrinkle in the middle of her forehead. “You really have to work today? Aren’t you exhausted?”
I wave it off. “With some ice and ibuprofen, I’ll be great. The chances of me running through the place are slim, so I should be okay.”
She laughs, and we walk out to the parking lot together. I open her driver’s side door and wait until she gets in to shut it, waving as she takes off out of the parking lot.
Now, I’ve got to battle with my shift before I can relax for the next couple of days. I know I should’ve called out, but I’d already switched with one of my coworkers for this weekend and don’t want to leave Aliana with no one to help serve.