Fighting the Fall ✔

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Lydia Dunst

For a week I wasn't able to do much. My concussion gave me headaches but they were finally letting up. It was a thursday night and I was determined to have some fun after been stuck inside for five days.

I still couldn't seem to get what my Dad said out of my head. I knew it came from a good place but it still hurt. If I wasn't a boxer, then I didn't know what I was. I told myself I had to hold on, because without boxing I would be lost. Dad was washing the dishes while I dried.

"So there was a kid at the tournament I didn't recognize. He was the first one at your side." A body hovered over me and, just vaguely, I could make out a pair of light green eyes before everything went black.

"That was Dustin, the boxer I was telling you about." I answered my Dad as he handed me a pot to dry.

"Oh I thought he looked familiar..." He trailed off. "Well I ran into him at the grocery store today, he was with his siblings."

"Oh yeah, Mckenna and Bishop." I confirmed.

"Have you ever been to his house?" He asked, stopping washing to hear my answer.

"No. We don't really know each other that well." I shook my head. "Why?" 

"I'm just a little worried that's all." Dad reasoned, but I wasn't satisfied with that answer.

"Why are you worried? Is Dustin okay?" I asked, slightly more panicked than I should have been. Dad didn't seem to notice though.

"Oh yeah he's uh- he's fine, it's just a hunch. I don't want to worry you until I know for sure." If he didn't want to worry me he should have said nothing. "If you see or hear anything that is concerning, just let me know okay?" I nodded, but I couldn't let it go.

"What's your hunch?" I pried, he just shook his head at me. "Oh come on, you can't just say you have a hunch and not tell me what it is." He shook his head.

"I don't want to worry you, it's probably nothing." He told me and I tried to think of something that my Dad saw that would make him so worried he'd ask me and then not share further. It was so unlike him. "Just let me know if you see anything." I couldn't think of anything.

"Okay." I shook my head and went back to drying the dishes. "Can Janie and Casen come over?" I asked, usually I didn't ask but for some reason I felt like I had to. Maybe it was because of my concussion or maybe it was the conversation we had still weighing on my shoulders.

"Yeah of course, you don't need to ask." I nodded and put the last dish away in the cupboard. I grabbed my phone off the counter and texted Casen and Janie in our group chat.

To: The Three Musketeers

Hang at my place today?

I sent the text and two seconds later Casen replied.

From: Casen Thorn

Heck yeah! I'll pick up Janie on my way.

I laughed and headed up to my room to get changed. My nose was healing but you could still see dark circles under my eyes and the bruise. I put on a tanktop and a pair of comfy light blue jeggings. I found my favorite sweater in my closet that said take me everywhere and threw it over my tank top just as my bedroom door opened.

"One day your Dad is going to put that sweater in the dryer and shrink it on purpose." Janie laughed pulling me into a hug.

"Yeah and that will be the day he dies." I joke and throw myself at Casen. "It's been so long since we've all hung out together." I pulled Janie into our hug and she groaned. "So what are we going to do? I'm thinking Harry Potter movie marathon? Or oh, Dad got the new Call of Duty so we could try that out? He also turned the pool heater on so it's the temperature of warm bath. Do we feel like swimming?" I gave many options but I knew where that would go. It would be Casen and Janie, World War one thousand.