Page 105 of Rise Above

“No.” I hated that term. Being a wife and girlfriend

(WAG) was why Melody wanted to date me in the first place. She wanted fame and notoriety and a hot boy toy. She didn’t care to know me; she didn’t want to know me.

Chris, Zeke, and I left the locker room together.

Chris stared me down for a moment. I knew he had more to say; he always did. Davis and the women were waiting for us, but Aife was missing. My brows furrowed. Where did she go?

Davis fist bumped us all before engaging Chris in a

critique of the game. Dre and Zeke were exchanging insults, and Nat looked worried. My mind was still on Aife, however. She always met with us after the games. What was going on? Was she okay?

Before I could ask any questions, a loud thump

sounded from the women’s restroom. Dre and Nat shared a look and barreled into the bathroom. I didn’t even think before following after them.

Aife was sprawled on the floor, her long hair

displaced around her. A small trail of blood smeared her hairline. She was so pale. Bile threatened to rise in my throat before I registered her nurse friends practically triaging her.

“Aife?” Nat called her name. She reached her

fingers down to check her pulse. “Faint but there. She’s breathing. Walker, call 911 and tell them we need an ambulance. Give very specific directions. This arena is huge.”

Nodding, I pulled my phone out and told the

operator where to send the ambulance. Then I knelt down

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next to Aife. I had no experience, but I wanted to comfort her somehow.

“What happened?” My voice came out rough and

hoarse.

“After the game, she said she had a terrible

headache.” Dre placed a damp cloth on Aife’s neck. “Nat, do you think…?”

Nat chewed on her lips. “Get Dr. Su’s number. He

needs to know what’s going on. Wasn’t her MRI fine?”

“She never said one way or another.”

My mind tried to process their words, but all I could

hear was a sharp ringing. What the fuck was going on?

The bathroom door creaked open and EMTs

flooded in. They politely shooed us out as they worked on Aife. Worry etched every feature on my face. What the hell was going on?

I sank to the floor, my head resting against the wall.

Useless. I felt completely useless. There were no words to describe how I was feeling. What was going on with my girl? Why had she collapsed? My brain was in a fog. Something inexplicable had happened from my leaving the rink to exiting the locker room. Bile rose in my throat again.