A Musical Mayhem

32 - Flynn (Part 1)

While Bree, Arielle, Archer, Claude, Ivy, Aimee, and I all headed back to Hotel Flanelles, I couldn't help studying Bree out of the corner of my eye.

Ever since my leg injury, Bree had started acting really . . . distant. Even though we both tried to act like it wasn't a big deal, I could still feel the strange tension that had suddenly settled in between us - a little bit too much.

Bree didn't call me Cheesebrain as much as she used to anymore, and on some days, when we didn't have a reason to run into each other, we didn't even talk at all. It was a weird feeling, and I wasn't sure that I liked it. It was almost like I felt . . . empty inside, now that the playful banter between the two of us no longer seemed to exist anymore. My behavior toward Bree hadn't changed since then, which meant that something about her had changed. But . . . what was it?

Did she think that I was useless now, since I couldn't run with my fractured leg? Or had she always thought that I was useless? Had I done something wrong to make all of this happen? I had no way of knowing . . . but I really wished that I did.

Why can't you just tell me, Bree Campbell? I thought silently, watching her walking around and taking pictures. I won't know unless you tell me. And I don't want us to drift apart. For some reason, I hate the feeling of it, although I'll never admit that.

A few minutes later, our group reached the hotel. I wondered what Alisa was doing right now. I hadn't gotten the chance to see her play the harp yet, which was a bummer, since it had been years since I had last seen her play. The same was for her, too. I was secretly excited to show her how much my violin skills had improved.

"Hey, guys," I said, leaning against one of my crutches to support myself as we stood in front of the hotel. "I get to stop wearing my crutches in less than a week." I smirked, my heart rising with anticipation. I could deal with the cast, since I needed to keep wearing it for a few weeks after getting rid of the crutches, but the crutches were such a hinder to, well . . . everything. It was a relief that soon, I would finally get to walk properly for the first time in what seemed like ages.

"Really? That's such a relief," Arielle said, grinning. "Does that mean that you only have to wear your cast now?"

"Yeah, but at least it's better than these," I replied, sighing and holding up one of my crutches. "But I'll probably have to go back to the hospital to get a check-up soon."

"I'm still worried about your sports," Bree said, taking a step forward. I turned to her, a bit surprised that she was talking to me. "I mean, didn't you say that you were a champion figure skater or something?"

I laughed humorlessly. "Yeah, but . . . I don't know if I'll be able to skate as well as I did before my injury. When I get my cast off, I should see how much my skills have deteriorated."

Bree furrowed her brow, looking concerned, and for some reason, a warm feeling rose in my chest. I didn't know why this was happening, but I did know that I was glad that she was caring at least a little bit about me.

"Well, get some rest, Flynn. Let's all see each other tomorrow," Archer said, and everyone agreed.

When I got to my hotel room, I put my crutches aside and limped over to my bed. It still hurt to walk by myself, and I felt pain whenever I put my hand on the area where my bone had been fractured. I sighed, staring at my leg.

Maybe Bree was right. What if I would never be able to skate, or horseback ride, or even run again? What if the injury was more serious than I wanted to believe? I wanted to ask Alisa if she still did figure skating, just like when we were younger, but I didn't have the confidence to when I couldn't even walk by myself yet. I really wanted to skate with her one more time before we had to go our separate ways again, but I already knew that I wouldn't be able to. Not in the condition that I was in right now.