Page 18

6

CLEM

Istruggle to breathe; short shallow puffs of air all I can manage. My body sags to the floor, my knees hitting the concrete with a thud.

“Clem.” I know it’s Raine’s voice, but I can’t move. I can’t talk. I just… can’t.

“Clem,” she repeats, and I don’t miss the urgency in her voice. “Clem, what happened?” She holds my cell up between us, the screen completely shattered. “Who was on the phone?”

The words are heavy on my tongue, but I can’t seem to make my mouth move to release them.

“Clem. Who was on the phone?”

“Lennox,” I manage to spit out. “It’s about Lennox.”

Instead of asking me any more questions, she carefully drags her finger over the cracked screen and then raises it to her ear.Holding my hand in hers, she keeps her gaze on mine as she waits for someone to answer.

“Hey,” she says. “It’s Raine. Can you tell me what’s going on? Because I can’t get Clem to speak.”

Frown lines appear on her forehead as she processes each morsel of information. “Okay, I’ll bring her to you. Do either of you need me to bring anything?” Only knowing her side of the conversation, I wait for more clues on what the hell I’m supposed to do next.

When she hangs up, I see the worry in her eyes, the crack in her stoic facade.

“Okay. Clem, listen to me.” I nod. “I’m going to bring you some water, then I’m going to call Billy and work out who can cover us. Samuel will call if anything changes.”

“I have to call Arlo and Remy,” I blurt out. “And Frankie.”

“Just one thing at a time.” Raine picks herself up off the floor and then extends her hand out to me. “Lennox is in good hands, and I’m not letting you out of my sight until I know you’ve calmed down.”

Doing as Raine says, I sit down in the staffroom and drink a whole bottle of cold water. My pulse has slowed down significantly, and now that the shock has somewhat worn off, I’m trying to remember every single detail of Samuel’s phone call as I reiterate it to Arlo.

“He got injured in the game and was unconscious for a little bit. When he came to, they said he broke his collarbone and he lost his hearing.”

“Can you repeat that,” Arlo says. “Did you just say Lennox lost his hearing?”

“That’s what Samuel told me. He said the coaches and medical staff were trying to give him instructions and he panicked, called for Samuel, and told him he couldn’t hear anything.”

The line goes silent, and just like Raine did for me, I give Arlo the time he needs to take everything in.

“Are you going to call Frankie?” he asks.

I know how much strength it takes for Arlo to ask, considering when Frankie left us four years ago, he hurt Arlo and Lennox the most. None of us have seen him since, and as far as I know, I’m the only one who checks in with him whenever I can.

“Samuel said he specifically asked me not to,” I confess. “But I can’t just not call his brother, Arlo.”

He doesn’t agree or disagree with my statement, choosing to bypass the reality of the situation and talk about things we can make sense of.

“And you? How are you?” he asks.

“Well, Raine won’t let me leave here until I’ve drunk enough water and eaten at least a sandwich?—”

He interrupts. “That’s not what I’m asking, Clem.”

“Why the hell didn’t I go to his game?” It’s the same thought that’s been plaguing me for the past forty-five minutes. “I should’ve been there.”

“And done what? It still would’ve happened.”

Huffing, I pinch the bridge of my nose, willing myself not to cry. He’s right. I know he’s right, but there is nothing I hate more than not being there for the people I love. It feels like I let him down, and for what? The double shift I’m leaving early now anyway.