Chapter 5
I stand up so I can see over the guys in front of me. Braden’s lying on the field, holding his leg.
“What happened?” I ask.
“Fuck,” the guy in front of me says. “There goes the season.”
“Do you know what happened?” I ask the guy.
He turns back and smiles. “I didn’t know you were sitting behind me. How’s the hand?”
“It’s fine. What do you know about Braden? Did he get hit?”
“A guy on the other team ran into him.”
“Which guy? Who did it?”
“Number 34.” He points to him. “That guy right there. He was running to catch the ball and slammed into Braden. Looked like an accident, but who knows? He could’ve done it on purpose.”
“What happened when he hit him?”
“Braden fell and twisted his knee.”
“Is he gonna be okay?”
“Depends on what he did. A knee injury could put you out for the season.”
We watch as two men help Braden off the field.
“Looks like he’s out for the game,” the guy in front of me says.
The guy next to him shrugs. “We already won. There’s no way the other team could win with us this far ahead.”
Brock appears on the sidelines, meeting up with Braden and a man who must be the team doctor. He’s kneeling beside Braden and pressing down on his leg while Brock talks to Braden.
I feel a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go.”
I turn and see Trystan there. “Go where?”
“Braden’s hurt. We gotta get down there.”
Peyton and Alyssa give each other a look, but I’m not sure what it means. Is it concern for Braden or surprise that Trystan is treating me like family?
I get up and follow him down to the field. There’s a low whisper coming from the crowd.
Trystan kneels down next to his brother. “What the fuck happened?”
“The fucker tripped me.” Braden’s jaw is clenched, either from anger or pain or both.
“You think he did it on purpose?” Trystan asks.
“Hell yeah. Weren’t you watching? The fucker came right at me!”
“How’s it feel now?” Brock asks.
“Fuckin’ hurts.” Braden winces as the doctor presses down on the side of his knee.
“We need to get him inside and get some ice on it,” the doctor says.
The coach appears. “What’s the diagnosis? Can he play?”
“No,” the doctor says. “We need to get the swelling down and then assess his mobility.”
“I’m fine,” Braden says, pushing himself up from the ground. “I’m going back in.”
“Braden, no!” I say, feeling concern for him despite how horrible he is to me.
Everyone looks at me, including the coach.
“I, um . . . I don’t think he should,” I say, my eyes darting to the coach, then Brock, then Braden. Braden’s looking at me like I’m crazy for speaking up, and maybe I am. I don’t know anything about his injury, but I can tell he’s in pain.
“It’s not up to you,” Braden says, holding onto Trystan as he attempts to stand up. He balances on one leg, then slowly lowers the other one until his foot touches the ground. “See? It’s nothing. I can play.”
“Walk there and back,” the coach says, pointing a few feet away.
Braden takes a step and cringes. “Fuck!”
The doctor races up to him. “Okay, that’s enough. We’re getting you inside and getting some ice on that knee.”
“That fucker did it on purpose!” Braden yells at the coach. “Throw his ass out of the game and call a damn penalty!”
“Braden, we can’t prove it was intentional,” the coach says. “And a penalty wouldn’t help us. We’ve already won the game. They can’t make up the points in the time remaining, even without you.”
“I said to throw his fucking ass out of the game!” Braden says through gritted teeth.
“Let’s go,” the doctor says, putting his arm around Braden’s waist. “Mr. Halliway, could you assist on the other side?”
Brock looks unsure, glancing down at his phone like whatever’s on there is more important than helping his son.
“I’ll do it,” Trystan says, sounding annoyed as he hurries over to Braden.
The coach leaves, and as they’re taking Braden away, I hear the announcer say, “The Twisted Pine quarterback is out with an injury. Theodore Dukin will be his replacement.”
Theo Dukin is a junior. He sits at a different table at lunch — the one for football players who aren’t seniors — so I haven’t really talked to him.
He’s smaller than Braden, but people say he’s really good at throwing the ball.
Braden disagrees. He says Theo lacks strength and throws too short, but Braden finds fault with all his teammates.
In his mind, none of them are as good as him.
As Braden leaves, Brock and I remain behind, standing on the sidelines as the game resumes.
“You think he’ll be okay?” I ask Brock.
“He’ll be fine,” he says as he texts someone.
“You don’t even know what’s wrong with him.”
“He’s young. In good shape. He’ll bounce back.”
“What if he can’t play?”
Brock looks up from his phone. “Then he can’t play. It’s just a stupid game. It’s not the end of the world.” He puts his phone in his pocket. “Let’s go home.”
“We’re leaving?”
“There’s no point in staying. Braden’s done.”
“Yeah, but the game isn’t.”
His brows rise. “Since when did you become a fan of football?”
“It’s not about football. It’s about being here with my friends.”
“You have friends?” he says with surprise. “I thought you hated these people.”
“I don’t hate them. I just need time to get used to them. Peyton seems okay. I could go back and sit with her, and she could take me home after the game.”
Brock folds his arms over his chest. “Peyton Sanders is a lying, manipulative whore who finds amusement in destroying people’s lives to add interest to her own.”
I pause, not sure if he’s lying or telling the truth. His description does sound a little like Peyton, making me think she’s not someone I should be around. She sounds like trouble, which is something I definitely don’t need right now.
“How do you know Peyton so well?” I ask.
“Let’s just say her little tricks didn’t work on me. I’d advise you to stay away from her.”
“When I told you I was going to sit with her you acted like you wanted me to.”
“Acted is the key word there. I wanted her to think I was okay with it, even though I wasn’t. It’s how you have to be with her. She lives in her own delusional world and if you disrupt that world, she comes after you.”
“Like with Principal Ballantine?”
He cocks his head. “She told you about that?”
“Not in detail. She said she wasn’t allowed to talk about it, but she told me enough that I could figure out what happened. She didn’t seem to care she got the guy fired.”
“He wasn’t fired. He stepped down. And it wasn’t solely based on his relations with Peyton.”
“What were the other reasons?”
He glances at the field. “Let’s go. I have things I need to get done tonight.”
As we turn to leave, a guy runs past us. He’s from the other team. His helmet is off, and his face and hair are all sweaty.
“Tell Braden to get well soon,” he says to Brock with a hint of a smile, before continuing down the sidelines.
“Who was that?” Brock asks as we’re leaving the stadium.
“That’s the guy who ran into Braden. Number 34.” I grab Brock’s arm, stopping him. “Did you see how he smiled like that? Like he was happy with himself? He did it on purpose. He hurt Braden because he wanted him out of the game.”
“Why? The kid’s team was already losing. They couldn’t possibly catch up and win the game.”
“Yeah, but maybe he wanted him out for the season. Maybe he doesn’t want Twisted Pine to win. Or go to State.”
Brock sighs as we head down the long sidewalk that leads to the parking lot. “I’m so tired of these discussions about football and going to State. I’ll be glad when it’s all over and we can stop obsessing over this ridiculous game.”
“You’ve never liked football? Not even when you were a kid?”
“No. My father did, but Devon and I weren’t interested. We’d rather stay home and watch a movie. Our father would force us to go to a football game now and then but all we’d do is complain and ask to go home.”
“If you don’t like football, how did Braden get into it?”
“Friends. He saw other boys playing it and didn’t want to be left out. As he got older, he noticed football players got attention from girls. Seeing that made him want to be the best. And he’s succeeded. He’s the best player at Twisted Pine.”
We arrive at the car and get inside. Brock checks his phone again before starting the engine.
“Did you hear anything?” I ask. “From your agent?”
“No.” He clears his throat. “I didn’t think I would on a Friday night.”
“Maybe you should go see him tomorrow. Drive up to LA.”
He glances at me as he drives. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“No. I just know how anxious you are to find out something. I thought maybe it’d help if you met with your agent.”
“Anything he’d say in person could be said over the phone. He’d contact me if he heard something.”
“Maybe you need a new agent. Doesn’t sound like this guy is doing much.”
“He’s rising up the ranks. I need to stick with him so I’m there when he’s at the top. He’s a go-getter. He gets himself in front of the right people and manages to impress them.”
“He didn’t impress me.”
“He doesn’t need to. You can’t benefit him.”
He checks his phone again as he drives.
“What else do you know about the people at Twisted Pine?” I ask. “Besides Peyton?”
“You’d have to ask Braden or Trystan. I’m not that involved in the school. I only know what the boys tell me.”
“But you knew about Peyton.”
“Because she caused a scandal. And the resignation of the principal.”
“And you both had the same agent? That’s weird.”
“Marilyn had many clients. All very successful. And many of her clients were on family shows, like Peyton and I were on.”
“You mean that show about the minister?”
“Yes. It was by far my least favorite role, but it made me millions. I’m still making money from that.”