It's Always Been Briar

Chapter 52.

It's been 5 weeks since Briar's 8-week appointment that was actually her 7-week appointment. We went back the following week and the doctor confirmed that the baby was growing accordingly and was measuring at 8 weeks. Happy the baby is growing, even tho Briar is still pretty sick.

We are about halfway into the month of August which means football is right around the corner. It's bittersweet that I'll be starting in my last college season. But more importantly, tomorrow we get to see peanut again! The tiniest bump has started to pop out and I am LIVING for it!

Not much else has happened, which has been nice. We have fallen into a nice routine. Excited for the weekend. We are trying to figure out some things before the semester starts.

The black mystery truck is no longer a mystery. William texted later that night and told us the truck belonged to the one and only, Austin Reynolds. Briar and I have been seeing it around, more than normal. So I just make sure to get her from her car when she gets home. We did as instructed and ignored it, never confronted him about it.

Briar has been working hard to get her semester figured out. Luckily, she took a couple exams to test out of the final few classes that she needed. She won't need to take any classes this semester and she will graduate in December. So proud of her! This is honestly the best case scenario. We are both grateful how that worked out.

I am a little nervous right now as I'm walking into the stadium before practice. I'm not sure why. Briar and I normally come together but she is coming straight from lunch with her parents and I think William.

So I got here pretty early, well earlier than usual. I wanted to get with one of the trainers to help me stretch. My hips have been super tight and I noticed it effecting me at practice yesterday. Hopefully we can do some stretching and some band work and it will be fine.

I gave Coach my phone, just in case. I normally couldn't care less about my phone but knowing that Briar isn't here yet, it just helps me feel better knowing that he has it and I can be reached. For a grumpy old asshole, he agreed to hold it with no further argument.

I'm getting stretched out and talking with Ricky, one of the 4th year trainers. He's a solid dude, we have been working together since the beginning of our Trojan career. All of a sudden the whole stadium stops. Everyone stops moving and talking. 

It's silent.

There was a super loud crash that everyone heard. It sounded close. My anxiety is starting to rise as I look over at Coach. He doesn't reach for my phone or anything, so that's good, it's not ringing. Then we all hear a loud screech of tires and another loud crash. Fuck, that was really, really close.

Looking back at Coach, nothing. Looking at my watch, it's 3:17 pm. Briar said she was going to try to be here before 3:30 pm. My heart is in my throat, my anxiety has kicked into overdrive. Ricky can sense my unease and right as he is about to speak, Coach calls me. 'River!' He yells.

No, no, no, no, no.

Coach doesn't call me River. He calls me QB or Shippy, he never ever calls me by my first name. My entire life stops moving and everyone around me is moving in slow motion as I look and see my phone in his hand.

My feet somehow take me to him. 'It keeps ringing from some unknown number. You should probably answer it, son.' He tells me while he hands over my vibrating phone.

I swipe to answer the call.

'Hello. Hello, is this River Blankenship?'

The voice on the other end asks. It's a woman, she sounds concerned.

'Yes.' I croak.

'There was an accident, outside of the stadium....'

I have no idea what else she said. My brain heard accident and stadium, I dropped the phone and took off towards the exit. People are calling after me but I can't really hear them and I can't stop.