Chapter 35
Thirty-Five
Callie Carter finally gets a dose of humility.
“Did we win?” The words are out of my mouth before I’m even fully conscious. I almost don’t realize I’ve said them until I blink my eyes open and become completely awake.
I’m in a white and gray hospital room, and I have an IV in my arm. Oh bleh. Please someone take it out. Something is beeping, and the air smells sterile. The sheets on the hospital bed are rough on my skin.
My vision clears completely, and Zeke is sitting in a chair next to my bed, staring intently at me, worry on his face. Caroline stands behind him, one hand on his shoulder, holding Mia on her hip. Mia plays with her mom’s black curls, her pink nails shining.
Pain shoots from my ankle and up my leg when I adjust slightly on the bed. I wince. “Ow.”
“I don’t know about the game,” Zeke says. “How do you feel?”
“Mmmmph.” I notice I’m still in my cheer outfit, and my legs are streaked with dried mud. “Is it still Friday?”
“Yes, honey,” Caroline says. “You were only out for a little while. Your mom is on her way, and so is Suzy.”
“The doctor says your ankle is sprained pretty bad,” Zeke says. “But it’s not broken.”
I sigh in relief.
Suzy bursts into the room along with a nurse in purple scrubs, who checks my vitals and explains to me more about the sprain, which should heal with rest, ice, and elevation.
The doctor is worried about a possible head injury, so I’ll stay at the hospital tonight for observation.
Suzy takes the other chair by my bed and taps her foot on the floor until the nurse leaves.
“You okay?” Suzy asks when the nurse is finally gone.
I nod. “It hurts a bit, but I’m fine.”
Suzy puts her head in her hands. “Cal, I don’t know what happened. I swear I had you.”
“Feel better, Callie,” Zeke says. He gets up and leaves without a backward glance.
Umm. What was that? My shoulders sag, and the disappointment of not having him here feels crushing. I didn’t even get to thank him for being my rescuer. And did I really say all those things I think I said? My cheeks flush.
“Praying for you, sweetie,” Caroline says, taking Mia from the room. Mia lays her head on her mom’s shoulder and gives me a slow wave. The door closes behind them.
I turn to Suzy. “I know you had me. I don’t blame you.”
Suzy lifts her head, her face red with anger. “It was Brielle. She dropped you on purpose.”
My hands curl into fists. “She did.”
“I can’t believe her. You could’ve been seriously hurt.”
I force my hands to relax and reach out and put a hand on top of Suzy’s. “I know. It was low, even for her.” Numbness has set in my ankle, but I know that when the ice and painkillers wear off, the pain is going to be brutal. And walking around school with a crutch will be mortifying.
Suzy grits her teeth. “We can only get her back one way.”
“We’re going to win.”
“We have to.” Suzy’s face falls. “Did you see the video?”
My heart drops. “Someone took a video?”
“People are always filming us cheering. I’m sure it wasn’t malicious—”
“Unless it was one of Brielle’s friends,” I mutter.
“It could’ve been.” Suzy pulls up the clip on her phone.
Based on the likes, the video’s already soaring in popularity.
I watch the whole event in horror, my feet slipping out from under me as I fall.
It’s impossible to tell from the angle of the video that Brielle moved her hands intentionally.
The caption reads, “Callie Carter collapses.”
The video is played with silly music in the background, and laughing emojis pop up on screen. I flush. “What?” I scroll furiously through the caption, which talks about how I’m finally falling off my high horse and getting a good dose of humility. Nausea punches my stomach.
“This—this—”
“I know,” Suzy says. “It’s horrible. The stupid things people do to get views.”
I lay back on the pillow, head spinning. It’s too much. And the fun isn’t over. “Did this hurt my votes?”
Suzy doesn’t answer, but the expression on her face tells me everything I need to know.
“Then Brielle got what she wanted,” I say miserably.
“It’s not over yet,” Suzy says. She traces a crease on the hospital sheet. We both know we’re out of ideas.
“Suzy, I—” I swallow. “I have something to tell you.” It’s time to come clean. About the contract, about my feelings for Zeke, all of it. I’m sick of keeping secrets from my friend.
Suzy leans forward, her lips turning down into a frown. “Okay.”
Mom bursts into the room, her ponytail slicked to her head from the rain. Her hot pink workout leggings are drenched. “Oh my gosh, Callie. Are you okay? What happened? Tell me everything!” She takes the seat that Zeke just vacated.
Suzy stands to leave. “I’m so sorry, Cal, but I have to go home. Text me if you need anything, and I’ll be here in a heartbeat. Well, thirty minutes.”
I smile. “Thanks, Suze.”
“You can call me later and tell me what you were going to say.”
I feel sick, and I don’t know if it’s from the meds or from the confession I was about to make, now put off for even longer. I can’t take this anymore. But I also don’t want to tell her over the phone. I’ll just have to stop by . . . whenever I can.