Losing Grip

Chapter 18➷ He Doesn't Know His Right From His Left

It was more of a rescue operation than anything else.

Brooklyn's car pulled in Arson's driveway with Brooklyn at the wheel and Jayce and I in the backseat.

After Arson's accident, we had driven him to the physiotherapy clinic where my dad worked. Dad said it was a mild wrist sprain, but since it was the same wrist he had fractured five months earlier and it hadn't completely healed, he suffered from both the new and the old injuries. He could barely move his wrist without grunting in pain.

The day after the accident, Coach William came back to supervise the boys' training as they got ready for the quarter-finals they had qualified for. Arson still went to assist with the training even though Coach kept him away from the court. As much as he tried to pretend it was okay, I did not miss the glances of envy he shot to his teammates, as he watched from the stadium seats.

I could only wonder how he felt since he was so obstinate not to let me in on his true feelings by wearing his usual toothy grins that convinced others that he was fine.

We knocked and waited for Arson's mom to open the door. When she did, an apron was wrapped around her neck and her waist.

"How nice of you girls to come see Arson." She welcomed us inside the living room.

The sweet aroma of apples embalmed the room and I heard the oven whir from the kitchen.

If food didn't cheer Arson up, I didn't know what could.

I smiled at her grinning face that looked much more serene now than it did the last time I saw her.

"Not in a hurry, Mrs. Slater?" I asked.

"Call me Holly. I took a few days off work," she explained. "I'll go get him. Please make yourselves comfortable."

I sat on the couch as Brooklyn and Jayce examined the family pictures covering the walls, intrigued by the images of baby Arson.

A few minutes later, Holly returned with Arson on her tail. He was in his Flash pajama set and his hair was disheveled as usual.

"You don't have to dote on me, Mom. It's just a wrist sprain." His eyes widened when he saw our little group in his living room. "Mom, you said Avery was downstairs."

"Well, she is, isn't she?" She smiled at her son before heading to the kitchen.

It had only been a day since I last saw him, but he seemed to have lost weight and all his energy since. He was wearing the black wrist splint Dad had given him two days ago.

Brooklyn and Arson stared at each other for a while, before she cleared her throat. "Hey, Arson. Do you want to go out?" Brooklyn asked. "We've planned everything."

Brooklyn had planned everything but Jayce and I didn't correct her.

He nodded before his expression switched to a more guarded one. "Is Bradley coming?"

"Do you not want him there?" she asked, cautiously.

It's not like he did have a choice. The other guys were already driving to Brooklyn's mystery destination while we were picking up Arson.

He shrugged with indifference, or at least as much indifference a person who actually cared could muster.

"You should go, honey," Holly said from the kitchen. "When you come back," she added with a wink, "maybe your turnovers will be ready."

"Turnovers?" His blue eyes widened in excitement and absorbed the light in the room. "We should bring some to Mrs. Pillsbury." He seemed to think about it for a while. "Fine, I'll go. Give me five minutes to change."