I went up for a jump shot inside the three-point line, and Drew came in late for the block, nudging me with his shoulder. I landed hard on my right foot, and my ankle gave out under the pressure. I stumbled to the floor.
I pulled my knee into my chest, grabbing my ankle and sucking in air through clenched teeth.
"I'm so sorry," he rushed, bending down beside me. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," I grunted, inspecting the damage. "Just landed wrong."
"That would suck to take out the captain of the team right before play … " His sentence trailed when his eyes connected with the scar. "Oh, Em. Are you okay? Really?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," I tried to answer lightly, playing off the strain in my voice. He held out his hand, slowly pulling me to my feet. I tested my weight and limped to the bench.
"I'll get an ice pack." Before I could refuse, he was jogging to the locker room. He returned a minute later with a white plastic pack, twisting it to initiate the cooling process. I rested my leg on the bench, and he set the pack on top of my ankle.
"I'll be fine," I stated adamantly, slightly embarrassed by his concern. "Besides, aren't you throwing a party or something? You don't have to take care of me."
He smiled. "The party takes care of itself. And I wish I'd taken better care of you when I had you."
His words stilled my chest as I remained silent.
"What I meant to say is that I'm sorry," he said softly, sitting at the end of the bench near my foot, holding the ice pack in place. "I was such an asshole at that party, and I wish I could take it back. So I just … I wanted you to know I'm sorry."
I swallowed, since it seemed to be the only thing that I was capable of doing. I met his eyes, sincerity glistening in their tranquil hue. I didn't know what to say. But I believed him.
My view shifted past him to the clock on the wall. "Shit. I'm late."
"What?" Drew asked, my panic unexpected.
"I was supposed to meet Casey about an hour ago. I'm such an idiot.'
"She's probably still inside," he assured me.
I pulled my foot out from under his hand and shoved on my socks and shoes. My ankle was tender, but I'd been through worse. I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door.
"Wait," Drew called after me, grabbing his jacket and fumbling with his shoes.
I pulled my phone from my pocket to call her and noticed I had five missed calls, three of them from Casey, and a string of texts. I groaned
The last text read, Have no idea where you are, but I left. At another party across town. Call me if you're stuck.
"Great," I grumbled.
"What's wrong?" Drew asked, tying his shoes beside me.
"She left. Now what am I going to do?"
"Do you want to leave?" he asked, standing up and sliding his arms into his sweater before pulling it over his head.
"No offense, I'm sure it a great party, but … "
"I get it," he concluded. "I'll drive you."
"You can't leave your own party," I rebuffed.
"They haven't missed me yet," he smiled sardonically. "I haven't had more than one beer, and I can't say that for just about anyone else at this party besides you. Still don't drink, right?"
I shook my head.
"Then let me drive you home."
I took a breath to give me a moment to decide. "Fine."
I followed Drew to the house so he could grab his keys. We shuffled through the crowd that had grown to raging proportions during our absence.
"Where've you been?" a girl with long, flowing blond hair and a fitted strapless top asked Drew as we neared the stairs.
"I've been here," he responded without really looking at her. "I'll be back." We passed by, and I avoided the daggers that followed me up the steps.
A man dressed all in black stood at the top of the stairs. He looked like he was about to stop us when he recognized Drew. "Good evening, Mr. Carson."
"Hi, Frank," Drew greeted. "Anyone giving you a hard time?"
"No one I can't handle," the muscular figure responded. I noticed an ear piece in his ear, and he squeezed a small mic on his collar to talk, conversing with someone.
"You take partying to a whole other level," I observed, continuing down the long, wide hallway.
"I know what can happen when it goes wrong," Drew responded, stopping at a door. I remained still when he opened it. "You can come in if you want."
"No," I answered quickly. "I'll wait in the hall."