Breaking the Grid

Hospital

Leah's POV:

We were halfway through training, the ball darting back and forth between us, when I noticed someone from the staff pacing on the sidelines. She had her phone pressed tightly to her ear, her brow furrowed. It caught my eye, but I tried to focus on the game. I had the ball, made a quick pass, but then I saw her rush over to the coach, whispering urgently.

That's when I heard it. My name, called sharply across the field.

"Leah!"

The entire team turned to look, half of them already making jokes as I jogged toward the sideline. Alessia was the first to crack, nudging Katie with a grin. "Ooh, what did you do this time?"

"Yeah, Leah, getting called out like a naughty schoolgirl," Beth chimed in, laughing.

I ignored them, but the pit in my stomach grew. Something felt off. When I got to the sideline, the staff member held out her phone to me without saying much.

"Here, Leah, it's for you," she said, her voice unusually serious.

I raised an eyebrow but took the phone, pressing it to my ear. "Hello? Who is this?"

There was no reply at first, just the sound of soft crying on the other end. My heart dropped, the confusion swirling into dread.

"Hello? Who is it?" I asked again, my voice more urgent.

Then, finally, a voice. A familiar one. Kimi.

"Leah, it's... it's Kimi..." His voice cracked, barely above a whisper.

"Kimi?" I said, feeling the panic rise. "What happened? Are you okay?"

He didn't answer right away, just mumbled something incoherent. I could hear him struggling to form the words, his breath shaky. My grip tightened on the phone as I tried to make sense of it.

"Kimi? What's going on?" I pressed, my heart pounding in my chest.

Then, finally, he spoke. "Blair... she... Leah, Blair had an accident."

I froze. My brain couldn't register the words at first. It felt like the ground had just shifted beneath me. "What do you mean? An accident... what kind of accident?"

"She crashed during the race...," he stammered. "She's at the Northampton General Hospital. It's bad, Leah."

I felt the world blur around me. "What? How bad?"

"...They're trying... Leah, it's really bad. You need to come."

My hand shook as I tried to process what he was saying, but the words barely registered. Blair had crashed. She was in the hospital. She might... No. I couldn't even think about it.

I spun around, my eyes meeting Katie's. "Katie!" I shouted, unable to keep the fear from my voice. "We need to go."

Katie's smile instantly dropped when she saw my face. "What? What's happening?"

"It's Blair," I choked out. "She's in the hospital. We need to go now."

Katie didn't ask any more questions, she just grabbed her bag. The others noticed the urgency and started to gather around, concern flashing in their eyes.

"Wait!" A small voice called out from behind us as we started toward the changing rooms.

We turned and saw Kyra standing there, her face pale, her expression conflicted. For a moment, none of us said anything. Then, finally, Kyra spoke, her voice barely a whisper.

"Can... can I come?" she asked, her eyes searching mine.

Katie and I exchanged glances. "Are you sure?" Katie asked, her tone careful.