The New Kid (Book 1)

Chapter 9

Colton

I was sitting on the cold metal bleachers waiting for both football teams to enter the field so that the game could start, with Jared, who hasn't asked me anymore weird questions since practice the other day, and his girlfriend Becca sitting next to me. Jared was starting to explain some of the rules to us, but I wasn't understanding them very well.

Suddenly, the crowd started going wild and I turned my attention away from the couple. The Crest Hill football team was running onto the field excitedly. I cheered alongside the rest of the fans, but unlike them, I was cheering for only one player in particular. My smile widened as my eyes landed on Elliot, dressed up in all his padding and the number 32 on his jersey.

Soon enough, the game was underway. Jared was still trying to tell me some of the rules, but even watching as things happened, they weren't making any sense to me. That's why I only played soccer. Soccer made sense.

It was near the end of the second quarter (is that even the right term?) when everything went wrong. I was watching Elliot sprint down the field with the ball in his hand when, out of nowhere, someone on the other team tackled him to the ground. I cringed, but, as this wasn't his first time being tackled, I waited for him to get up. 

Except he didn't.

The game was stopped as a coach ran out to Elliot. A few of the players crowded around, so I wasn't able to see what was going on. But it didn't matter, because in that second, I was running down the bleachers until I was at the sideline.

Two figures appeared next to me, and I almost didn't look until I recognized one of the voices asking if Elliot was alright. I looked at who had spoken to see both of his moms standing there, looking even more worried than I felt.

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked the woman closest to me - Mama, I think. "Does this normally happen in football? Why isn't he getting up?"

"Calm down, Colton," she said to me. "He's gotten hurt before. I hope this time it isn't too bad again."

"Again?"

She nodded slowly, frowning. "Two years ago he broke his leg during a game."

"Ms. Reynolds," I heard a deep voice say. Both women turned to look at the man who had spoken, I think he's one of the coaches. "The EMTs are taking Elliot to the hospital. It's nothing serious, but they just want to check him out there."

I looked back out onto the field and noticed that the game was going on again. They must have been able to move him to the side. But where?

"Abbey, do you want to go with him, or did you want to take the car?" the other woman - Mom - asked her wife.

Abbey turned around. "I'll drive. Go." Mom nodded her quickly before disappearing into the crowds. She looked like she knew where she was going. "Did you want to come, Colton?"

"What?"

"I'm sure seeing that he's okay will get you to stop worrying so much. Come on, I don't mind."

I gave her a small smile. "Thank you."

I followed her away from the field just as the marching band was coming on. I guess it was halftime. My first football game ever and I wasn't even staying through the whole thing.

It took us fifteen minutes to get to the hospital, and the whole way there, Abbey was reassuring me that Elliot was fine. I actually think she was trying to reassure herself, but it helped me too.

Unfortunately, the doctors were only allowing family into the room right now, at least until he wakes up, apparently, so I waited out in the hallway. I was pacing up and down the hall for what felt like years, but was probably only a couple of minutes, when I heard my name being called.