The Boyfriend Deal(26)

I didn’t want to talk to Dad anymore, so I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. It was really crappy of me, but I needed time to process everything.

Eventually I fell asleep, and then spent most of the next day sleeping as well. The hours crept by and I was eternally bored when I was awake. It was hard to watch TV when I couldn’t see it. And while I had a few visitors, I wasn’t feeling very cheerful or optimistic, so none of them stayed long.

As night progressed, I wondered how Tyler’s game was going. I was supposed to be in the stands, cheering him on, and yet I was stuck in this hospital bed. Mom had thought I would be released today, but after the doctors checked out my eyes a little more, they’d decided to keep me until morning. The news wasn’t good. I could wear glasses, but even with them I wouldn’t have 20/20 vision anymore. The optic nerves in my eyes were too damaged from the poison.

It was after eleven when Tyler entered the room, a vase of pink flowers clutched in his hand. I could feel tension coming off him, even if I couldn’t see his face.

“Are those for me?” I asked.

“I had Mom pick them up for me before the game. I wasn’t sure if the florist shop in the hospital would be open this late.” He set them on the bedside table. “They’re roses. She called and asked what color to get and I wasn’t sure, but I thought you might like pink.”

“The color is really pretty and they smell great, Tyler.”

He sat beside the bed and rubbed his hands up and down his thighs, his palms rasping against the denim of his jeans.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing!”

“Tyler, something had to have happened since you left last night.”

He took my hand in his and caressed my fingers with his thumb. “There were some scouts in the bleachers tonight. Florida State University and University of Georgia both talked to me after the game.”

“What did they say?”

“They’ve offered me a full ride. I told them I wanted to stay closer to home.”

I squeezed his hand, knowing it was my fault he wasn’t going to take them up on their offer. He deserved to go somewhere far from our small Tennessee town. Someplace where you didn’t have to drive almost an hour just to go to a mall. I knew he felt responsible for what had happened to me, but it wasn’t his fault Alicia was completely crazy.

“You should go,” I finally said. “Before we started dating you’d planned to get out of the state and see the world. That shouldn’t change now. Especially after…”

“After what?” he asked.

“There’s a chance I won’t be able to play anymore, and if I can’t read music I won’t be able to read my textbooks either. My life is about to change, Tyler, and I don’t want to drag you down with me.”

“Hadley, there’s no reason you can’t go away with me to college. We could get an apartment together. Even if you can’t go to classes, we could find something you’d enjoy doing.”

“Tyler, I won’t be a burden to you. It’s best if I stay with my parents.”

He got up and sat on the bed, pulling me into his arms. I burrowed against him, loving the feel of his arms around me, the way his scent surrounded me. If Tyler left, I would miss this, but it wasn’t fair to ask him to stay behind. And go with him? How would I function out there on my own?

“Hadley, I know that the world just became a much scarier place for you. I get that, I really do. But if you’ll let me, I’ll help you. If you can’t manage school, I’ll come see you every day when it lets out. If you can’t go to college, I’ll help you find something you can do. As long as we’re together, I don’t care where we go. I can attend any college, as long as they accept me. Would a full ride to UGA be nice? You bet! But it isn’t something I have to have.”

“But tuition…”

He silenced me with a soft kiss. “Doesn’t matter. My parents have saved since I was born. My tuition is covered. The only benefit to going somewhere that’s paid in full is that I could use that fifty thousand to rent an apartment for us.”

“You really think we could make it work?” I asked, not sure I dared to hope.

“I really do. I’d have to go to practices, but you could come watch me if you wanted. And of course, I’d have to attend classes, but we’d be together every night. Depending on how I set up my schedule, maybe I’d have Fridays off and we could have a three day weekend to have some fun.”

“We have time to think about it,” I said. “I don’t want you to pass up a great opportunity because of me. Let’s see how things go with my eyesight, and how well I’m able to function day to day. There’s going to be an adjustment period. I can’t make plans for my future right now, Tyler. If you have to have an answer tonight, I’d have to say no.”