Page 48 of The Offside Rule
I woke up to someone poking my arm.
“CC,” Jaden whispered.
I groaned and rolled onto my stomach, shoving my face deeper into the pillow. “No.”
“CC. You said we’re going to Six Flags,” he said, sounding so hopeful that it made me feel terrible because I was so tired my body hurt.
I opened one eye. My brother stood beside my bed in basketball shorts and a Dallas Blaze T-shirt, his hair sticking up in every direction. He looked wide awake, which was offensive because it was Saturday and I was pretty sure I had only closed my eyes ten minutes ago.
“What time is it?” I mumbled.
“Nine,” he replied.
I groaned.
“You said you would come,” he continued, laying on the guilt.
“I was emotionally manipulated by your cute little face.”
He grinned. “My face isn’t little. I’m a man.”
I pulled the blanket over my head. “I’m so tired.” I was behaving like I was twelve, but this was my day off, and I had pushed myself harder than usual this week.
Jaden grabbed the edge of my comforter and tugged. “Come on. Dad said we can leave soon. Mom’s off. You promised.”
I did promise. I had promised before I knew this week was going to chew me up and spit me out. Between the arena, the hospital, my research project, intake notes, learning the flow of the medical staff, and pretending I was not constantly aware of Hunter Russell breathing somewhere in the same building, I was dead tired. My brain felt like mush. My body was heavy, and my eyes burned.
“CC,” Jaden whined.
“I love you,” I said from under the blanket. “But I need you to go away.”
His voice turned tragic. “You’re bailing on me?”
Ugh. I loved him so much it was annoying, but right now he was using the younger-brother guilt card, and he knew exactly what he was doing.
I pushed the blanket down and squinted at him. “I’m not bailing.” I sat up too fast, and the room tilted a little. “Give me five minutes, I’ll get dressed.”
Jaden lit up. “Really?”
Before I could answer, Dad appeared in the doorway, already dressed in athletic shorts and a T-shirt, his sunglasses hooked into the collar. He took one look at me and frowned.
“Bud,” he said to Jaden, “let your sister sleep.”
“She said she’d come.”
“She worked hard all week,” Dad said, leaning one shoulder against the doorframe. “Look at her.”
“Thanks,” I muttered. “Very flattering.”
Dad’s mouth twitched. “You know what I mean.”
I threw the blanket off my legs. “I’m fine. I’ll come.”
“No, you won’t,” Dad said.
Jaden turned to him. “But?—”
“We’ll go with Mom today, and CC can come another time,” Dad said with his stern voice that left no room for argument.
