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Y/n Richardson
Angel POV
I woke up with my head pounding.
Not the normal kind either. The kind where your skull feels too small for your brain. My mouth was dry, tongue thick, body heavy like I slept under water. I groaned and rolled over, reaching across the bed on instinct.
Empty.
"Y/n?" I mumbled, eyes still closed.
Nothing.
I frowned, blinking slowly as the room came into focus. My phone was on the nightstand, screen black. Her side of the bed untouched. No hoodie. No shoes by the door. No quiet breathing.
I sat up too fast and the room spun.
"Damn," I muttered, pressing my fingers to my temples.
Memories started creeping in, disjointed at first. The party. Laughing. The car ride. Her carrying me upstairs. Saying she'd be right back.
My stomach twisted.
I checked my phone.
No missed calls from her. No texts. Just a bunch of notifications I hadn't opened yet.
Team group chat. Missed call from an unknown number. Another missed call. A voicemail.
My heart started beating weird. Too slow. Then too fast.
I tapped the voicemail.
Static. Breathing. Then a woman's voice.
"Angel Reese, this is University Hospital. Please return our call as soon as possible regarding Y/n Richardson."
My chest tightened.
Why would the hospital be calling me?
I tried calling back immediately. Straight to voicemail.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, nausea hitting hard. I ran to the bathroom, gagging over the sink, head spinning. My hangover suddenly felt like the least of my problems.
My phone buzzed again.
Mandatory practice meeting. 8:00 AM. Locker room.
Coach Mulkey.
No explanation.
That's when fear really settled in.
⸻
The locker room felt colder than usual.
Nobody was talking. Not even the loud ones. The air was thick, like everybody was holding their breath. I could feel eyes on me the moment I walked in, but nobody said anything.
Flau'jae looked like she'd been crying. Janae wouldn't meet my gaze. Lex wasn't there.
I sat down slowly, my knee bouncing uncontrollably.
