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“Leave me alone, Kendra. Leave me alone, please.”

“Colleen, no... I'm here for you.” I tried to talk some sense into her, but it was pointless. Her sadness and anguish were palpable and it hurt me too. Not going to the competition meantending her college sports career without having the chance to be on the Daytona stage one last time. I couldn't even imagine the pain and frustration she was feeling over being hurt, but I was part of the family and I only wanted the best for her. “Let me stay here with you…” I asked, feeling the lump in my throat increasing.

The rigid expression on her face would tear anyone's heart.

“Go mind your own business, I want and need to be alone. Go away, Kendra. Now!” She demanded.

I shrugged my shoulders a little and picked up my things. I walked to the bedroom door and left in complete silence. It was only in the hallway that I allowed myself to cry softly, letting silent tears run down my face and stain my shirt.

The feeling of helplessness was enormous and corrosive.

My cousin had a dream ripped away from her. It was horrible knowing how important that sport was to her. Seeing that chance being taken away in an abrupt and cowardly way was terrifying. It wasn't her mistake. The fall was the fault of all of us, as a team, and that turned my misery into something even bigger.

I sniffled, but the tears didn't stop. They just spilled more and more for minutes on end. When I finally calmed down, I saw a new text from Veronica.

VERONICA:Hey, Derek wants to see Colleen, do you think he can get in? I'll go with him, then I'll see you too.

I took a deep breath and sat down on the cold plastic bench in the hallway to answer her.

Half an hour later, she and her brother were in front of the hospital. Derek's friend Ivan, if I wasn't mistaken, was also there, as he was driving the car. I had a brief conversation with the older Torres and he soon went in to see my cousin, while Veronica offered me a hug, which I accepted. I was tired, my body ached, I had a headache and my eyes burned from crying so much.

My activities for the rest of that day were on autopilot. By a miracle, Colleen let Derek stay there with her and he ended up becoming her sleeping companion at the hospital. Ivan took us back to Belinda Stone campus and Veronica led me inside our dorm building.

I took a shower to get rid of the hospital smell and returned to my room in an almost corpse state. The thought that I might have lost Colleen in that fall hit me hard as the bubbles ran down the drain, then the tears hit me again. I couldn't lose her. I couldn't lose mysister.

I returned to the room and was greeted by Veronica, who was willing to pay attention to me. She gently combed and dried my hair once more. In the end, she also ordered food and we ate in silence. I gave her a brief summary of Colleen's condition, but luckily she didn't ask any more questions, so I could have some peace.

I was a bit monosyllabic, but it wasn’t intentional—I was just really exhausted.

“Hey, what if I go take a shower and then come back to sleep here with you. We can cuddle.” Roni suggested, holding a strand of my hair and putting it behind my ear.

I nodded and got a kiss from her.

Veronica left the room and returned about half an hour later. I was already fighting sleepiness, but I waited until she got under my covers. She hugged me, pulling me so that my head rested on her breasts as she wrapped me in her arms.

“Thank you…” I whispered, feeling my throat constricted again.

“I will always be here for you, Ken.” That sentence emanated frankness and sincerity that I was unaware of. I thought I knew what that felt like, but no, the only person to show me that kind of honesty was Veronica Torres. Her heart beat calmly, and her warm, tanned skin made me feel like I was in a safe place.

I gripped her tighter and felt the tears leaving me.

Veronica didn't say anything else, just kept me in the safest place in the world: in her affection.

I cried a lot and continued like that until I finally closed my eyes. But it was not a peaceful night; in fact, I spent a lot of time between naps. I didn't actually sleep. I woke up worried about Colleen and checked my phone to see if anyone had sent anything, whether it was my cousin or even my mother, confirming that she had spoken to my aunt and uncle. But there was nothing.

When the sun started to rise outside, I got out of bed, looking for my robe and decided to leave the room. I didn't want to wake Veronica, so I just took my cell phone and went downstairs to the coffee machine in the main lobby.

The clock showed 6:02 am, it was very early.

I took what I wanted and as I was heading towards the stairs again, I received a call from my mother.

I answered, a little anxiously.

“Hi, mom. How is everything?”

“Hi, dear... I just landed in Dallas and I'm getting a car to go to Belinda. Can you send me the address of the hospital where your cousin is?”

I frowned, my brain a little slow by the lack of proper rest.