“I need to stop you right there. What I decide to do now, with my life, is my choice.”
“We just?—”
I broke in. “Josh is my choice. And despite what you’re afraid of, when I considered dropping out of school, Josh urged me not to give up on my dreams. He supported me, said it was my decision, but encouraged me to keep going.”
“Oh. Um, well, that’s good.” Dad’s tone suggested it was also surprising, but there was more to drop on them.
“You may have heard he was injured. His mother flew out and found me in his room. She banned me, so Josh told her I was going to be part of his life, and she needed to deal with that.”
Mom snorted. “She’s too tied up with her son’s life. She needs to let him live for himself.”
Did they hear the irony there? Probably not. “We’re not sure if she’ll come around or not. I’m willing to try with her, but I’m not sure she’ll do the same. Which means I’m staying in Toronto over the holidays to help Josh when they send him home from the hospital.”
“What? We’ve been planning on this. You have your tickets.”
“I know, and I didn’t decide this lightly. But Josh is important to me, and he needs me. Right now, when we’ve just got everything worked out between us, we need that time together.”
“Do you think he’s going to forget you over the holidays? What does that tell you?” Mom was reaching for any argument.
They really didn’t think Josh was like that, did they? The only time he’d hurt me was at their instigation. “That’s not what I said. I didn’t call to discuss this with you, but to inform you. I’m not changing my mind.”
“So, that’s it? We don’t get to see you?”
I held back a sigh. “I’ll come during reading week in February instead, when Josh will be able to get around on his own better. I really am sorry to miss Christmas, but even if Josh wasn’t in the picture, I don’t think I’ll be settling in Halifax. We’ll have to come up with new traditions.”
That didn’t go over well. I didn’t waver. I wasn’t leaving Josh alone or letting his mother poison his mind. My parents had to learn to respect my choices, just like Mrs. Middleton had to do with her son’s.
Things were still tense when I ended the call, but I felt good. I wasn’t staying in school for my parents, or because it was easy. It was my dream, and I was pursuing it.
Now I had to get to my boyfriend, to support him while his dream was in jeopardy.
Josh
I met someone from physio in the morning. There were exercises I could start right away, but everyone was cautioning me to take it slowly. They could tell how much I wanted to get back. I needed to know if I could play again, and having to wait was frustrating.
I believed them when they said I’d walk again. But no one knew if I’d be able to skate. And if I could, if I could skate the same. I had months of rehab ahead, and not till then would I know if I still had my dream, my job.
If it wasn’t for Katie, I’d be going out of my mind. And it was difficult enough with her. We’d been messaging since she’d left yesterday. She was in an exam now, so I had nothing to do but flip through my phone and try to find a distraction.
I heard footsteps again, and expected someone was coming by to check that I was alive and had blood pressure. But it was Coach.
I shoved myself a little straighter against the back of the bed, wincing as I disturbed my knee. “Hey, Coach.”
He paused in the doorway, examining the room.
Fortunately, the scary duck was now hidden among flowers and fruit baskets and other shit people had sent. It was touching, that people I didn’t even know cared, but would they even remember me in another year if I wasn’t playing again?
“Bet you can’t wait to get out of here.”
“Absolutely. They’ll soon let me go if I have someone around to help me.”
His eyebrows lowered. “You room with Fitch, right? He has to travel with the team.”
“Yeah, but my girlfriend will stay with me for a couple of weeks.”
“She reliable?”
“Absolutely. She’s writing her last exam today, so she’s free till the next semester starts.” Her parents were going to be pissed, but I needed her. And I’d prefer her assistance to Mom’s, if Mom was even willing to help now.
