Opposite Force

Chapter Twenty-Six

Mikaela Martin | Present

Peyton's concussion means he can't do anything, and Peyton absolutely hates doing nothing. He isn't allowed to go to school for a week, and he isn't allowed back on the football field for at least another six, but Denise doesn't want him playing at all.

It's Wednesday, and he's already listened to four seasons of a history podcast, a bunch of episodes from another history podcast, and six Marvel movies. He accomplished the last one by wearing a sleep mask while they were playing because he isn't allowed to look at screens.

I never knew how serious mild concussions were until Denise gave me the rundown Sunday. Peyton isn't even supposed to exercise his brain. The podcast episodes he listened to were on topics he already knows about. Apparently, merely thinking too hard can worsen the concussion.

"Is that Mikaela?" I hear Peyton call from inside the house after I ring the doorbell. He probably shouldn't yell because he isn't supposed to listen to anything high-volume, including himself, but I'm relieved he's excited to see me. His moods have been all over the place. He hasn't been grouchy with me, of course. Peyton would never be mean to his girlfriend, but anxiety makes my brain worry that it's a possibility.

Denise swings open the door. "Boy, am I glad to see you," she sighs.

I smile awkwardly. "Nice to see you too." I know that isn't what she means, but I have absolutely no idea what else to respond.

"He's in the living room," she says wearily. "Call if you need anything."

"Thanks, Denise."

I push through the living room door. Peyton's in the same spot he was yesterday. I really hope he moved around at some point in between, considering that was eighteen hours ago. "Hi," I murmur. "How are you feeling?"

"Bored. My mom's trying to get us to play board games," he mutters.

"That's kind of nice," I try.

"Do you want to play?"

"Um..." Not really, and I doubt Peyton is interested in them either, but I probably shouldn't give a definite response just in case.

"Good. Me neither. How's school? Are people still talking about it?"

Oh, people are talking about it, alright. By Monday morning, everyone knew that Jake took pills before the game. That's what made him so aggressive. He's kicked off the team, and half his friends won't speak to him anymore. The Hornets' school threw a huge, understandable tantrum and refuses to play the Panthers again unless every player is drug tested before the game, which the team is less than pleased about.

It's pure chaos.

The questions about Peyton are endless. I should have expected it. I'm his girlfriend. I ran onto the field when he was unconscious. I guess I'm not as smart as I thought, though, because I didn't see all the questions coming. And come they have.

Everyone wants to know if Peyton is okay, which is nice. I have a canned response for that. "He has a mild concussion, but he's already feeling better, and he'll be back on Monday." It's a perfect answer, short and sweet with all the details anyone is looking for.

Well, all the details most people are looking for. I've gotten some weird questions. People have asked me about brain damage, if he got any other injuries, if he was on drugs, all sorts of things that aren't any of their business. The answer to the last one is no, of course not, by the way.

"A little bit," I reply, not wanting to upset him. The doctor said he should try to stay positive, which is pretty much impossible when you're concussed, but I'm doing my best to avoid negative topics. Denise asked me to steer the conversation in another direction whenever Peyton brings Jake up, which hasn't been too much, luckily.