Begin Again

Chapter 32

I woke up around two in the morning because there was an extreme pain in my ankle. Jeez it really hurts. Why does it hurt? Wait, where am I? I look around the dark space as anxiety starts to build up in my chest. The last thing I remember is being in Erik's truck.

I see my Thomas Rhett poster on the wall and look over to where my nightstand is and see my ihome with my phone plugged into it. Relief washes over me as I realize I'm safe in my own room. How did I get here again? I was with Erik in his truck...

Memories come flooding back and I remember what happened at our practice. Erik stepped on my ankle, accidentally, and it twisted really badly. Then I remember the trip to the hospital and getting an ankle boot with crutches. My ankle is severely sprained. I remember the doctor handing my mom a small bottle of pills and a small piece of paper. After that, everything is a little fuzzy. I think they were pain meds.

The absolute last thing I remember is riding in Erik's truck.

Ouch, ouch, ouch, I really need my pain meds, if I even have any. My ankle is throbbing now and I realize it's been propped up with pillow. I look back at my nightstand and see two pills sitting next to a glass of water. Who did all this? A surge of pain bursts in my ankle and without any further delay I gulp the pills down.

Laying back down, I think harder about last night, trying to recall more details. I remember crutching my way to Erik's truck then getting in. There was a George Strait song on the radio I think and I vaguely remember hearing 'sweet dreams Trys' before everything went dark. It must've been Erik. I guess I feel asleep on the ride home.

My eyes start to feel heavy and before I know it I'm back to sleep.

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I'm reeling in the biggest fish I've ever seen in my life. It looks like a 25 pound bass, maybe bigger. I'm praying the line doesn't break on me. Finally I get the fish to the boat. Taking a net, I scoop it up out of the river, careful to not snap the line. It takes all my strength to haul the beauty of the beast onto my boat. I unhook it and hold it up, using both hands. It starts speaking to me. What?

"Trys, wake up."

"I am awake."

Why am I talking to a fish?

"Come on Trys. Get up."

"Get up", it keeps repeating.

Slowly, the river fades away and I'm no longer standing in a boat.

Someone is shaking me gently.

"Trys, wake up. It's time for school."

"Huh?", I manage to say, my voice groggy.

Opening my eyes, I see a face hovering over mine. My eyes widen in shock and before I realize what I'm doing, my hands slam into their chest, a very hard chest might I add. The person doesn't even budge. Only a small grunt escapes their lips.

"Come on now, don't you know Goliath can only be defeated with a stone?"

Oops.

Erik.

Why do I always freak out like this?

I really need to actually look at people before I go all ninja on them.

"Are you enjoyin' feelin' my chiseled chest?"

I realize that I do indeed have my hands still firmly planted on his chest. My cheeks grow hot and butterflies go on a frenzy in my stomach. Slowly, I remove them and look at his face to see a sexy smirk playing on his lips.