Chapter Thirteen
Paxon’s next game was just about to begin. The bleachers were already filling with spectators. I was sandwiched between Bryan and Justin once again. Bryan was talking, but I was having trouble paying attention as my eyes stayed glued to Paxon and his dad. They were at the bottom, talking intimately. George had his hand cupped behind Paxon’s head, leaning in slightly as he talked, whatever he said serious enough to keep both their expressions solemn.
The whole thing was private, despite being so public, and very emotional by the way Paxon nodded and swallowed and blinked, never saying anything, and at the same time looking like he was struggling to figure out what to say.
George finally released a smile that twisted my heart. It was bittersweet. Not joyous. Not excited. But still positive, but in a way that hurt.
Paxon nodded hard and then went in for a tight hug that his dad was more than happy to return. After a long, few seconds, his dad patted his back and stepped back.
Both of them were smiling at each other in such a loving way that even I could feel it from where I was sitting. Paxon turned to us and stopped on me. He met my gaze and waved before going to join the rest of his team for their warmups.
George stood there, arms crossed over his chest, watching after his son with a small smile. And all I could see in that moment was how proud he was of his son. How much he loved his son.
It was awe-inspiring.
George stayed by the sidelines, even as the game started. The others stayed around me and we began cheering, Toby and Cal behind me, trying to be the loudest. Toby already had a booming voice and had no trouble calling out for Paxon. Cal tried to keep up, but his lung capacity just wasn’t there yet. But if he kept hanging out with Toby like this, no doubt people would be able to hear him clearly across the field in no time.
The game had only started for like five minutes when Justin jumped to his feet, scowling at his phone.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, ready to get up.
Justin waved me off. “A phone call. I need to take this,” he responded, not looking at me or anyone else. He took off down the bleachers and practically ran out of sight as he lifted the phone to his ear.
“Think he’s okay?” I asked Bryan.
Bryan was practically scowling. “I don’t know, but I know all the shit with his dad can’t be easy. I hope nothing happened.”
I blinked before I realized what he was telling me. It was hugely possible that Justin’s dad had died and that was the phone call he was receiving.
“I got it,” Seth yelled out before flying by me. He had been sitting behind Toby and Cal, talking with some friends.
“If it’s anything big, Seth will let us know,” Bryan said.
“What’s going on?” Toby asked, leaning forward so he could talk into my ear.
“Seth went to check on Justin,” Bryan replied.
Toby pursed his lip and the excitement of the game bled away to worry as he stared after where his friends had disappeared. It was clear he wanted to go after them.
My phone buzzed and so did the others. We all quickly checked it to see a message from Seth.
Seth: It’s fine. These doctors are quacks. Will be back shortly.
I pursed my lips. “What do you think that means?”
“That I need to make a fucking phone call,” Bryan said and got up, leaving us.
“This is getting crazy,” Toby said. Both he and Cal moved so that they were sitting with me. Cal looked more than happy to be snuggled between the two of us.
“Are you cold?” I asked, grabbing his freezing hands.
“No, I’m fine,” Cal said, cheeks red.
I dug through my small bag and pulled out my gloves. I gave them to Cal and then had to help him put them on.
“Thank you.” He smiled big at me.
“All’s good. I have hand warmers too.”
“Oh, can I have those?” Toby asked.
I snorted. “Yeah.” I had a box in there. A trick I learned when I had to do performances outside so late into the fall. Fall and winter festivals were huge in New York State around the holidays. Even more so if I went to any of the New England states.
After Toby was content with his, and I slipped some into Cal’s shoes, I tried to focus back on the game.
I had missed a chunk, but it was easy to tell that Paxon’s team was still dominating. They had full control of the ball, even when the other team had it. Like they knew how to wrangle in the other team to smoothly get it where they needed for an intercept.
Seth and Justin returned first. Justin took the open seat next to me while Seth settled in behind us. I didn’t miss it when Seth leaned forward and squeezed Justin’s shoulder in support. Justin himself looked like he was in pain. And angry.
I grabbed his hand and held it in my lap. He stiffened briefly before slowly relaxing next to me, his shoulder resting against mine. I didn’t say anything and only made sure he understood that I was there for him, whatever he needed.
Bryan came back a few moments later.
“Those doctors are fucking idiots,” he muttered as he settled in next to Seth. “But it’s taken care of.”
“Thank you,” Justin said, his voice cracking slightly.
I burned with curiosity, but kept my mouth shut. Justin kept his gaze on the field, but they were distant, his thoughts elsewhere. He looked haunted almost.
I scooted closer to him, hooked our arms together and rested my head on his shoulder. His warmth seeped through his jacket, helping me to stay warm as we both sat still, distractedly watching the game.
~*~
George treated all of us to dinner at a chain restaurant after Paxon’s victory in the second game. If I thought I had known what chaos was, it didn’t compare to what I went through as all the guys were unable to remain still, too pumped about winning.
Paxon was going to the finals tomorrow.
Even Justin felt better to join in on the celebration, but then again, with how Paxon and Toby were reacting, it was impossible to not get pulled in.
Toby would start up a chant, a moment later, joined by Paxon. Then Cal. Then George would make them all shut up before we got kicked out.
Not even two minutes later, Toby would do it again.
I only suspected our meal came out so quickly because the server was hoping it’d shut them up. It only kind of worked, but at least the chanting had stopped.
I put my phone down, done talking with Micah and the twins. They were with some other friends, going out to do something else before heading back to the hotel so I wasn’t worried about them.
“How are you feeling?” I asked Paxon after he had some time to eat.
Paxon’s contagious grin was an answer enough, but he still said, “Like I’m on top of the world. I never thought we’d make it this far, truthfully.”
“Everyone put in the hard work. Of course you would,” I said.
“Thank you,” he said, pushing his shoulder with mine. Then he turned to his food and finished devouring it. His food never stood a chance.
I thought he had ordered a lot, getting a pasta dish, chicken fingers, and fries. But he proved me wrong as he ate it all faster than I could eat my chicken sandwich and fries.
“No!” Bryan covered his food, glaring hard at Paxon.
I laughed. “Leave his food alone. Have my fries instead.” I passed over the rest of my fries. Paxon smiled with appreciation as he devoured those too. Only after he finished that did he lean back, relaxing in his seat.
“Everyone looked like they were having fun,” I said, not commenting on the obvious. In both games, while they were hyped and did extremely well, there was no doubt about the tension.
And it was clear that it was caused because of Benji’s presence.
Benji spent both games warming the seat for the most part. There were times when he was on the field, but once it became clear that his own teammates weren’t willing to pass him the ball, the coach pulled him.
That was how severe his situation was.
I had only noticed when Toby pointed it out to me. Benji was one of the starters, but it had been noticeable that people would rather risk not following their plan instead of passing him the ball.
And Benji visibly became more pissed off. He even faced off with one of his teammates—not Paxon thankfully—until the coach pulled him. Then he rarely went on the field and was ignored after that.
Outside of that, they killed it. And that excitement was holding them together.
“As long as we stay focused. Whenever we make it to the second day, it’s always harder—tired from today, lack of sleep, bodies sore.” Paxon was more than happy to talk about his past experiences in other tournaments.
“Which is why I have more snacks back at the hotel,” George said. “To help with your recovery.”
Paxon groaned.
“How are your legs feeling?” Toby asked.
Paxon’s response was a little too fast. “Perfect shape.”
“Lies,” Bryan called him out.
That led to teasing Paxon about being an old man.
The rest of the dinner was fun and then we headed back to the hotel.
As soon as I was able to check in, Paxon was swiping my key card. “Movie night in Cadence’s room,” he called out.
“Only after you put your stuff away in your rooms,” George warned. “And remember to sleep in your own rooms. Don’t waste the money.”
The guys groaned but grabbed their keycards from George.
“Justin, you can help Cadence, we’ll take your bag with us,” Bryan said.
Justin nodded and reached for my bag.
I pulled it away from him. “You realize it’s a bookbag, right? And it isn’t heavy.”
Justin smiled. “Just give me the damn bag.”
I blinked. “Well, if you’re so desperate to carry it.” I finally handed it over and silently admitted to myself that it was a relief. I needed to take my medication, my back slowly aching from the cold and sitting on bleachers all day. Dinner had ended up being a nice relief with the cushioned seats and the back support.
Definitely needed a really hot bath too. That’d help.
Justin grabbed my room key from Paxon as we all piled into the elevator. The guys had to get off on the floor below me, grumbling about being too far from my room.
I used the moment walking to my room to check in with Micah and the twins.
They were checked in too. Micah was on the top floor while the twins were actually staying on the same floor as me. They were still eating dinner at the attached restaurant though, so I would pop in afterward.
Justin opened the door for me and held it as I slipped in. The room was exactly what I expected. Two beds, since it was actually cheaper to book that way. The bathroom was directly to my right, by the front door. A massive dresser sat against the wall with a huge TV taking over the top of it.
Justin put my bag down on top of the cushioned bench by the TV. On the other side of the TV was a desk by the window. Justin went around and turned on some lights while I dug through my bag.
“I really need to take a bath,” I said.
“Go ahead. Take your time,” he said as he crawled onto the bed by the window and stretched out, turning the TV on.
I blinked. Was he going to just stay here while I took a bath?
“Okay,” I mumbled, taking out what I needed and going into the bathroom.
It was really quiet, even with the TV on. I could hear every time he changed the channel. Maybe he needed the quiet too? I tried to push past the fact that he was right there while I ran my water.
I stepped out. “Can you go downstairs and get me a couple bottles of water?”
“They gave us two complimentary ones,” he answered. “I put them in the freezer so they’ll be cold by the time you get out. Enjoy your bath. The others are getting ready too.”
“You don’t want to get changed?” I asked.
“I’m fine,” he replied.
“Okay.” I wasn’t going to push it.
I turned the volume up on my phone and played music while the tub filled. I used that moment to try to calm down. I was a little too aware of the fact that Justin was in the hotel room with me.
Slipping into the water, I sighed. A hot bath was the number one recommended thing to do by my doctor. Hydrotherapy. It didn’t take long to start feeling all my muscles loosen as I fully relaxed. The hot water soaked into my bones and seemed to burn away my stress. I closed my eyes, enjoyed feeling like I was wrapped up in a cozy blanket just pulled from the dryer. The music played softly next to me, keeping my mind relaxed.
There weren’t any lyrics to what I was listening to, but the songs didn’t need them either, the instruments used perfectly conveying the messages.
I was dozing off when the front door opened and Cal came in laughing. I sat up straighter as I picked up chuckles from the others, realizing they were all here now.
My phone buzzed.
Seth: We can leave if you want.
Me: I’ll be out in a minute.
They talked softly while I got out and dried off, unpinning my hair from the bun I put it into to keep from getting wet. I threw on my pajama pants and the T-shirt I had stolen from Seth. Or at least one of them. At this point, I definitely had one for every day of the week, and yet still he seemed to have more and more in his closet.
I loved these shirts. This particular black T-shirt read ‘I may be wrong, but it’s highly unlikely.’ It was one of my favorites.
As I stepped out of the bathroom, there was a squeal and laughter. I came out in time to see Cal bouncing on the bed and Toby standing at the edge with a big shit eating grin on his face.
“You shouldn’t throw him around,” I said.
“Cadie, watch a movie with me,” Cal said, patting the space next to him.
I smiled. “Sure, little man. Have you figured out what you’re going to watch yet?”
“We want scary,” Toby called out.
“I want superheroes,” Cal admitted.
“Just nothing sad,” I said, stretching out next to Cal on the bed.
Cal snuggled in next to me, his warmth keeping me company as Justin finally settled on an action-packed movie.
“Cadie,” Cal whispered.
I leaned down so I could better hear him as the movie started off quickly with a car chase. “Yeah?”
“I heard about the concert. At the place Paxon sometimes takes me.”
I was surprised by this. “You go to the recreational center?”
“Only sometimes, when they hold special events. Sometimes birthday parties.”
That made sense. Members who utilized the center had more opportunities to use the space for special occasions and with the acknowledgment that kids there could participate too. It was great for kids who didn’t necessarily have the space or support to throw a party. The center even provided some assistance, like with decorations.
“I want to sing too.”
“Really?” My already raised eyebrows went higher. Cal was impressing me more and more. “Are you going to play the guitar also?”
He ducked his head down and in a lower voice that I almost didn’t hear, he said, “I don’t think I’m good enough. I keep messing up with the songs you gave me.”
I shifted so I was more turned to him, no longer caring about the movie. Movies were hard for me anyway. I needed distractions and movies made it all too easy to get lost in my head instead.
“If anyone expects perfection from you, then they’re idiots. Concerts show off skills sure, but they also show off how far you came in the things you love the most. You’ll mess up, but you’ll also be able to show them your progress. You started off as someone who couldn’t even read music sheets or how to use a guitar and now you’re someone capable of playing a song and sharing your love for it.”
“But I can’t do both. I want to sing.”
I grabbed his small hands. “You can do both. I do both. And if I could, I’d even play the piano at the same time.”
That got a giggle out of him. “How would you do that?”
“Hmm.” I pointed to my mouth. “I sing from here.”
That made him laugh a little louder, but he covered his mouth, trying to hold back. I had to suppress my own laughter.
I wiggled my fingers. “Guitar with these stubby babies.”
A snort came out of him, his body shaking.
“And I’d use my feet for the piano.” I kicked the bed with my toes.
He broke out in loud laughter, no longer able to help.
“I think I can get away with it.”
“What are you doing to Mini-me?” Paxon asked from the other bed. He was sitting up, back against the headboard.
“That’s between me and him,” I said.
Cal was still too busy trying to get himself under control.
“I’ll help you,” I said. “Let me know what you want to do, and I’ll help.”
“Can I be like you?” Cal finally asked in a hushed voice.
“Well, I’d rather you be like you. But I can help you dress up like me for Halloween next year.”
“That isn’t what I mean!”
“I know.” I smiled big. “You want to play the guitar and sing at the same time?”
He nodded.
“Do you know what song?”
He turned a little red. “I’m not sure. I think I want to write my own song.”
I pursed my lips, trying to think of the timeline. “That doesn’t give you much time. Do you have experience singing?”
“I do! At school, I’m in chorus.” The excitement dwindled a little. “Though, I haven’t sung on my own yet. I can’t.”
I didn’t know that. That was pretty cool. And super brave of him.
I nodded. “Well, we’ll have to find time to work together. When I go to the center, I’ll see about you coming with me. Get you signed up.”
“Thank you,” he said, smiling bright at the good news.
“No, thank you. I’m looking forward to working with you.”
“Are you done chatting now?” Paxon said. “Because we’re getting to the good part.”
Just as he spoke, explosions happened all over the screen. Cal instantly got drawn into it as I tried to piece together what was happening in the movie other than lots of gunfire and speeding cars.