CHANGE- uswnt

peace

I woke up slowly, my body heavy with exhaustion. My eyes blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the dim room. The sun was just beginning to creep through the curtains, and for a moment, I felt disoriented, like I didn't quite know where I was. The familiar ache in my knee hit me before anything else—no surprise there—but it wasn't just my knee. The deeper ache, the one in my chest, was still there, raw and relentless. I didn't remember falling asleep.

The room was quiet, too quiet. My crutches were leaning against the wall next to the bed, my hoodie discarded on the floor nearby. And Mallory was sitting in the chair by the window, her phone resting in her lap, her eyes on me.

For a moment, I didn't say anything. I didn't want to. The memory of last night—the shouting, the desperation, the raw, ugly emotions that had come pouring out of me—felt too fresh. I didn't want to go there again.

I tried to sit up, but my body protested the movement, my muscles stiff and sore, as though the emotional strain of the night had settled into my bones. Every movement felt like it took twice the energy. I felt exhausted. And I still felt like I was losing control.

"Maddy?" Mallory's voice broke through the haze, soft and careful. "How are you feeling?"

I didn't know how to answer. I wasn't sure if I was even capable of answering. Part of me wanted to curl back into the blankets, to pretend like everything was fine—like the mess from last night had never happened. But the other part of me, the one that felt overwhelmed and desperate, wanted to scream that nothing was okay. That I didn't want to go back to school, that I didn't want to leave this room, this hotel, this safety. I wanted to stay with Mallory. I wanted everything to just stop, to have her tell me that I didn't have to go back to that life I couldn't face anymore.

But I didn't say any of that. Not yet.

Instead, I just rubbed my eyes and gave her the closest thing I could to a nod. "I'm... I don't know."

Mallory stood up slowly, moving toward the bed, as if she wasn't sure whether she should stay or go. She looked hesitant, like she was trying to gauge what I needed, but also afraid of pushing me too far.

"I know," she said, sitting beside me on the bed, her voice low but steady. "I know you're scared. But we need to talk, Maddy."

I froze. The words hit me like a ton of bricks. Talk. I wasn't sure I was ready to talk. I wasn't ready to face what was coming next. All I wanted was to curl up and make it all go away, but Mallory wasn't backing down. I could see it in her eyes—she wasn't letting me run this time.

She reached for my hand gently, her touch warm and grounding.

"I talked to Dansby," she said softly, her fingers brushing against mine. "And we've been talking about what comes next. You don't have to go back to school, Maddy. You don't have to go back there if you don't want to."

I blinked, trying to process her words. "What?" I whispered, the knot in my stomach tightening. Was this another one of those moments where someone says something to make you feel better, only for everything to come crashing down later?

But Mallory's expression didn't change. Her eyes held mine, steady and unwavering. "I mean it," she said, a slight smile tugging at her lips. "You're not going back there. Not if you don't want to. We've got a plan. We're working on something else."

I didn't know what to say. My chest felt tight, like there wasn't enough air in the room. Part of me wanted to break down and cry, part of me wanted to laugh because I couldn't believe it. For the first time in days, I felt like someone—Mallory—was really listening. She understood.

Mallory took a deep breath, clearly trying to gather her thoughts before continuing. "We've been thinking about it all night, and Dansby and I both agree that you need to be somewhere safe. Somewhere you feel supported. And we can make that happen. We're going to help you."

I swallowed hard, trying to make sense of it all. "What do you mean?" I asked, my voice shaky. "How are we going to make it happen?"

She didn't hesitate. She pulled her phone out and tapped it a few times before turning it to face me. On the screen were several options for schools. Not the ones I'd been going to—the ones with all the pressure, where everyone expected you to be perfect, to be something you weren't. No, these were different. These schools were closer to Chicago, places that would be more than just about sports. They would take me in, understand my needs, and work with my rehab.

"We're going to find a new school," Mallory said, her voice calm but firm. "One that's more about you than about what sport you play. One where you can get the help you need with reading and focusing. And, more importantly, we're going to help you with your knee. We're going to make sure you have everything you need to get better, whatever it takes."

I stared at the screen, at the list of names, but all I could focus on was the feeling that was stirring inside me. It was hope—fragile and unsure, but it was there.

"I... I don't even know how to believe it," I said quietly. "I've been let down so many times, Mallory. I'm not normal. I can't focus in class. I can't read like the other kids. I don't fit in there anymore, not with my knee and not with anything else."

Her fingers brushed against my shoulder, gentle but firm. "You are normal, Maddy," she said softly. "You're just different. And that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. You don't have to fit into some mold that's not meant for you. We're going to find a place that gets you, that works with you. And we're going to help you get your knee better."

I couldn't quite process everything. It felt like too much, too fast. But the way she was looking at me—the sincerity in her eyes—made it feel like I might actually be able to believe it. Like maybe, just maybe, this wasn't just some fleeting dream.

"I'm not going back?" I asked again, my voice small, just to make sure I wasn't imagining things.

Mallory smiled at me softly, her hand still on my shoulder. "Not unless you want to. This is your decision, Maddy. But we're here. We're doing this together."

I nodded slowly, feeling the weight of her words sink in. There was still so much unknown, so many steps ahead of me, but for the first time in a long time, I felt a small glimmer of hope. I wasn't alone in this anymore. Mallory had my back. Dansby had my back. And maybe, just maybe, I could start believing that things could be different.

I didn't know what the next steps would look like, but I knew one thing for sure. I was going to be okay.

As Mallory made calls, meeting with the lawyer, setting up the next steps, I felt the weight of the world start to lift, little by little. I didn't have all the answers. I didn't have everything figured out. But I wasn't fighting this fight on my own anymore. And that was enough to start rebuilding.

That's it. I kinda messed up when I started this story, I didn't have an actual plot. I also should've stated this would be a short story, but, I feel like it worked out in the end. So yeah, bye.