The Sinclair Brothers ✔️

(48) Busted Up Sneakers

Due to the stress and physical side effects of the accident on Saturday night, Carolynn allowed Makennah to stay home from school on Monday and Tuesday. However, the boys returned to school immediately because of football. They didn't do much practicing because of their swollen and bruised hands, but they went to practice anyways.

Coach Hanes was informed of what happened and he was more than understanding. The Sinclair's stressed the need for privacy and cooperation during this time. He didn't have any problem with it and promised Makennah that she could still play in all of the games as long as she attended practice the day before.

Grace, Penny, and Meredith called her - no, they couldn't just text. Each of them wanted to know that she was okay. Their concern was heartwarming. Even though they were her friends, Makennah lied about what really happened and instead stated that she crashed the Jeep.

Carolynn express ordered some turtle neck sweaters and shirts that Makennah could wear to cover her neck until makeup would suffice to hide the bruises. Regretfully, she returned to school on Wednesday. Carolynn and Will felt that she needed to return to her normal schedule as soon as possible. Plus, they didn't want Makennah to fall behind in her school work.

Because the state of her neck wasn't quite presentable yet, Makennah opted out of practice.

Instead, Coach Hanes insisted that Makennah take the interview with Hanna for the school newspaper. Apparently he heard the rumors about the interview and was very unhappy that Makennah initially showed some hesitation. According to Coach Hanes, this was a wonderful opportunity for her and would further get her name out for college scouting and other prestigious opportunities.

So Makennah hauled her butt into the journalism office which was empty after school and sat at a computer desk while she waited for Hanna to arrive.

Shoving her glasses up on her nose, Hanna hurried into the room and dumped her stuff on the desk where Makennah waited.

"Wow I'm so sorry I'm late," she apologized profusely. More than once. But once was enough.

"It's okay. No worries." She didn't want to do this. All of the attention focused on her made her extremely uncomfortable.

"I figured we would just get right into it. If you don't mind, can I record this for writing and memory purposes?" Makennah nodded her acceptance. "Great, so if at any time you'd like to take a break or say something off the record, just make sure you say 'off the record' before you say whatever it is that needs to be off the record. Does that make sense?" Hanna seemed to confuse even herself.

Makennah nodded. "Yes, I understand." Her voice was still a little scratchy and throaty from the swelling and bruising that started to go down but hadn't officially disappeared.

"Great. So..." Hannah started the recorder and pulled out a blue notebook which had seen better days. Loose leaf papers had been shoved inside at any possible junction. The binding was a little bent, and the front cover was frayed. "We'll start out easy. How long have you been playing soccer?"

Simple enough. "I joined a team at the local YMCA when I was five years old. I stayed on that team until I was eight. Then I played on and off until...now. So about eleven years respectively."

Hanna jotted down notes as Makennah spoke. She smiled her encouragement. "Even at such a young stage, did you know you wanted to pursue soccer for the foreseeable future?"

Makennah formed her answer based off of what everyone in Braxton knew about her. Soccer was more than just a game; it was her escape from life's hardships. "From what I can remember, yes. I remember different offers to play different sports but I always wanted to stick with soccer. By the time I was nine or ten, I was fully dedicated. And I've been playing pretty much ever since."