Page 154 of Let the Game Begin

We were blank sheet of paper onto which something still had yet to be inscribed.

***

That night was devastating for everyone.

Alyssa, Cory, and the rest of Logan’s friends all rushed to the hospital as soon as they heard about the accident. Alyssa, in particular, was distraught, and she told me that night that she was in love with Logan. I thought about how happy he would have been if he’d been able to hear her declaration of love. But I was positive that he would hear Alyssa’s voice again, that he was going to wake up and come back to us.

Anna and Chloe joined us later, the latter of whom supported her mother through the hours of agony. I knew having her children close by would help keep Mia’s hopes alive.

What no one saw coming, however, was the sudden appearance of the man Neil hated most in all the world.

“Where is my son? What happened?” The voice was strong and deep but nevertheless revealed the agitated state of mind of its owner, Mr. William Miller. He was a good-looking man, impeccably turned out with an icy stare. The kind of person who aroused suspicion with the very perfection he showed off so ostentatiously. I’d heard about him and seen the occasional picture of him in the tabloids, but I’d never seen him in person.

“Are you kidding me? Get this piece of shit out of here!” Neil barked,stabbing a finger at his father while never taking his eyes off Mia. Unexpectedly, I found myself standing between the two men, unsure of what I should do.

I didn’t know much about his history with his father, because Mr. Disaster had never really told me anything about him. He refused to confide in me or allow me to get to know him in even the smallest ways.

It wasn’t that I wanted to invade his personal life or force him to change or pass judgment on him. I just wanted to be a touchstone for him, a person he could trust.

“Neil…” I instinctively put my hand on his shoulder, perhaps trying to get a handle on this ridiculous situation. Mia was looking between her ex-husband and her son in such a bewildered fashion that I felt pity for her.

“Don’t touch me, Selene!” Neil barked out the order, making me take a step back. It was as though his body was being lit up by the fires of his hatred, a hatred that was driving him further into oblivion.

“Neil, William is your father; he has a right to know your brother’s condition,” Mia said finally, though her voice was a barely audible whisper.

“This is your fault, isn’t it?” William gestured at his son, ignoring my presence completely.

“I wasn’t with him. I have no idea what happened,” Neil snapped defensively, and his mother got to her feet, clinging on to his arm. Was she afraid an actual fight might break out between father and son? Could they really be that far gone?

“I have a funny feeling that you had something to do with whatever happened. It’s always been this way with you, ever since you were a child. You make a mess and everyone else has to suffer the consequences,” William answered threateningly through gritted teeth. So this outwardly handsome, put-together man had something to hide after all. There was something deeply ugly way down in his soul that made me shrink back from him.

“Shut your mouth if you don’t want me to boot your ass out of here,” Neil barked.

“You solve all your problems with violence,” William answered with a dark, shameless smile.

“Just how you taught me, you son of a bitch,” Neil whispered grimly, hisgolden eyes glaring daggers at the man. Mia’s fingers tightened around her son’s bicep.

I got the sense that William Miller had not been an exemplary father to Neil. Maybe he’d even hit him. The idea made me shudder. I didn’t want to picture Neil as a defenseless child, suffering violence at the hands of that icy man. That was probably why Neil never wanted to tell me about himself, why he was so introspective and mistrustful, walled up in his own world.

“I want to see my son.” William turned to his ex-wife, apparently deciding to end this ill-advised conversation with Neil. Just then, Matt approached us, wearing a white coat and looking exhausted.

Everyone’s attention shifted to Matt. In that moment, any preexisting resentments were set aside for one reason and one reason only: Logan.

“How is he?” Neil asked.

“They’ve intubated him for now. He’s sustained severe trauma, and now all we can do is wait. He won’t be out of the woods until we can get him to breathe on his own,” Matt explained, leaving room for negative outcomes that he didn’t elaborate upon. Neil staggered back from him, running his hands through his hair, and Mia burst into tears with a wail so anguished that it pierced my heart.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done, Matt.” William smiled woefully at him before taking a seat next to his ex-wife and balancing his elbows on his knees. Neil, on the other hand, remained on the fringes of the group, and seeing how isolated he was, I decided to get closer to him. I didn’t want him to endure all of this alone.

He stood perfectly still—his stare vacant and his plush lips compressed into a line of bitterness. I sat down next to him, not asking for permission.

The clean scent of his clothing washed over me. It smelled freshly scrubbed, exactly like his skin.

“You know what my mother always says?” I said, out of nowhere. I worried he would shoo me away, but surprisingly, he didn’t. He just kept leaning forward and staring intently at the floor as he listened to me.

“That life is a violin, and hope is its bow.” I gave him a small smile. I wanted to touch him but held myself back, knowing Neil wouldn’t like it. “And do you know why?” I went on, leaning slightly to get closer to him.“Think about it: Can you play a violin without its bow? Maybe, but it certainly wouldn’t sound the same,” I mused aloud. “In the same way, you can’t really live without hope.”

Neil turned in my direction and stared at me with those gleaming, honey-colored eyes. He studied my face for several moments before sighing and turning his gaze back in front of him.