Page 107 of Play For Me

So I force a smile onto my face as my family crowds around me. “Which one of you brought me bad luck?” I ask.

Aunt Daisy lets out a shaky laugh. Cade and Ash are stone-faced, like they’re not buying it. Vega is still crying.

“That was pretty scary, girl,” Uncle Daltrey says, him and Aunt Daisy coming up next to the table to pat my back and squeeze my hand. I notice Daltrey grips my dad’s shoulder as he passes.

“You know me,” I tell him, voice light even as I dig my fingers into the foam of the table. “Drama just follows me around.”

There’s some more laughter, the mood lightening a tad. Good. I just need to keep things easy until everyone leaves. I can fall apart later.

“Where’s Aunt Paige?” I ask. “I know I saw her out there. I thought she’d be the first back here fussing.”

“Paige and Reed are watching the babies,” Wyatt says and I have to fight back a wince. I hadn’t thought about my nephews and niece being out there when it happened. Is Theo old enough to realize I got hurt?

“We figured tornado Paige was the last thing you needed in here,” Dad says, managing the first real smile I’ve seen on him.

“That’s good.” I wink at Vega. “She’d probably be trying to redo my braid or something.”

“CeCe,” Ash says, his voice low. He’s one of the only family members not even trying to smile or make light of things and I can’t meet his eye.

“She’ll need an MRI,” Mom says in response to his unasked question. “It could be irritated scar tissue from her last surgery. Or a sprain.”

Or it could be another tear,I think, and have to dig my fingers into my thighs to keep from shuddering.

“How does it feel?” Vega asks, wiping her face.

“I’ll live,” I tell her.

“Ceece,” Will says, frowning at me. “You can tell us.”

I wave a hand. “It hurts. But not as bad as…you know. Before.”

Not at bad as last time,I can’t bring myself to say.

“Well, that’s good,” Vega says, brightening. “Maybe it’s just a sprain, like they said. If it doesn’t hurt as bad.”

“Yup.” My voice is high-pitched and unfamiliar. I’m starting to lose my ability to fake this. I grit my teeth, not meeting anyone’s eye.

“She should be able to have the scan tomorrow,” Mom says. “She’ll have to stay off it until then.”

“That will be fun,” Aunt Daisy says, smiling down at me. “I don’t envy whoever has to try to keep this girl still and resting.”

Cade lets out a good-natured groan. “I just remembered that we’re her roommates. I call not it on keeping Ceece immobile duty."

“She’ll be coming home with us,” Dad says.

I should make some quip. Something about how being fussed at by my over-protective father sounds worse than the injury itself. But I just can’t force myself to open my mouth.

The door swings open again and I look up, expecting to see Devon back with the brace, relieved because he’ll make everyone leave while he treats me and I won’t have to try so hard to be okay.

Instead, my eyes lock with familiar dark ones. Solomon’s face is pale, his eyes huge and worried as they study me. I don’t know what he sees in my face, but sympathy fills his expression.

And suddenly, I’m crying.

More than crying—I’m sobbing, my hands over my face as I try to gasp for air. I don’t understand the sounds coming out of my chest, how I could possibly sound so broken when just a minute ago I’d been forcing myself to laugh like everything was fine.

Everything isnotfine. My knee fucking hurts like crazy and I’m pretty sure my soccer career is over and I just want everyone to go away.

Everyone except for him.