18 - Zoo-Wee Mama

18

Zoo-Wee Mama

T he black brace on my knee is such a glaring contrast to my skin.

If I look too long, I start feeling nauseous. I've replayed the injury a million times in less than twenty-four hours, and I wish I could scrub my brain clean. The crutches are quiet on the floor of the locker room as I make my way through. Coach Teller is waiting in her office for me, the door wide open.

"Hey, Coach."

Her head whips around. "Hey, come on in. Please sit. How are you doing today?"

I shrug. "Could be better but could be worse." I slide over the papers the doctors gave me. Of course, they'll send her the results and images of the MRI and all the details later. "It's a grade two MCL tear. They want me to have surgery in two days on Monday."

Coach Teller looks over the papers. They mostly just detail the surgery, the recovery, and what can be expected. No high impact work, pain (obviously), a brace at all times until the surgery and shortly after, and physical therapy. Twelve weeks is the expected recovery time. By that schedule, I'll be back on my feet by the end of January. That leaves me almost a month and half to prepare for the first training camp.

If all goes well.

"I'm sorry, Coach." I cast my eyes down. Logically, I know this isn't my fault, but that doesn't automatically erase the guilt of letting my team down. Certainly not the guilt of letting myself down.

"None of that, Matthews. You didn't do a damn thing to apologize for." The papers rustle as she sets them down. "You have gotten through setbacks before. And you'll get through this."

Heavy. That's how it feels. Another injury, another setback. I know I'll get out of this funk once I'm working toward getting better, but the days before recovery starts are bleak. Hours of mulling over it until you drive yourself crazy.

"Yeah, okay." I look up to see her firm smile. Like she believes it, even if I don't yet. "Once the surgery is over, can I still attend practices? I wanna be there for the girls."

"Of course. But you'll take this weekend off. And get settled first. Make sure you don't push too fast. You listen to everything the physical therapist says, you understand?"

My lip twitches. "Yes, Coach."

"The team is important. But so are you. And you're going to be at that showcase."

Coach Teller may be a typical coach—you know, all stoic, focused, and never one to let us in too close. But she loves us. She believes in us. And her confidence in me makes me sit up straighter. "You think so?"

"I know so, Matthews. Now get out and go home."

"Yes, ma'am." Gradually, I stand, still getting used to the feeling of the crutches under my arm. The hallways are empty as I head back toward Isaiah's car.

He's been…so attentive since yesterday. This morning, I woke up in his bed despite falling asleep on the couch. Raven was cuddled next to my leg that had been elevated, and I decided that Isaiah's shoulder was better than any pillow. He was warm and steady. Solid underneath me, even in sleep. I'd much rather have stayed there all day instead of going to doctors appointments and scheduling surgeries.

The sweatshirt of his that I stole this morning falls past my hips, his shorts hitting right above the top of the thick brace on my knee. When the outside air blows across my face and twists my curls, I immediately find him. Although, he isn't alone.

Maazina, Sylvia, and Vivian stand with him. They seem to be laughing or, at the very least, having a pleasant interaction. It takes me a bit by surprise. Not that they have really been anything but supportive or kind, but when I first told them more details, they were definitely skeptical. Though, after I tell them about the past few days, I'm sure any skepticism will fall away.

I crutch my way over.

"Hey," Isaiah says, taking my bag out of my hands and throwing it over his shoulder. Maazina wiggles her eyebrows behind him.

"Hi. Thanks."

He hums in response, eyes tracking over me quickly. They linger for only a second, yet leave a solid warmth behind.

Before I can say anything, the girls hug me.

"You look sexy with a knee brace."

"You wear those crutches so well."

"Want me to find that girl and hit her knee I, Tonya style?"

All of us that aren't Maazina look at Maazina with wide eyes. "Maazina, you can't just say that!"

She shrugs. "What? It's not like you're going to say yes, and I wouldn't actually do it."

"Have you been psychologically evaluated?" I ask, even though my lips are curling into a smile.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Maazina whips around and looks at Isaiah. "Just so you know, I'm the one you should be scared of."

Isaiah blinks and deadpans, "Yeah, that's been noted."

Sylvia and Vivian chuckle. "We thought we could accompany you back home, watch movies, and hang out. Is that okay with you?" Sylvia bounces on the balls of her feet.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Isaiah opens the passenger side door and the back door. "Everyone, hop on in." Maazina is the first to slide in like a baseball player in the backseat, causing him to huff out a laugh. After the three of them squeeze in, he helps me in the passenger seat.

"Did you do this?" I ask quietly when his hand lands on my waist. Our faces are so close, they might touch. The space between us is charged. Out of the corner of my eye, I see all three girls leaning forward with wide eyes.

"What makes you think that?" There's a twinkle in his eye, and he uses his fingers to squeeze my waist. I can see every freckle, every eyelash, every scar. Every inch of his beautiful, dark skin that is shining under the sunlight.

My heart swells. "Thank you."

Isaiah doesn't say anything else, just wordlessly helps me into the car and closes the door after me. He opens the back door once more. "You girls mind holding these?" he asks, referring to my crutches.

"Not at all."

The door shuts again, and in the mere moments where he is outside the bubble, I hear, "Jesus Christ, Aurora, that man is—"

"Zoo-wee mama," Maazina mumbles. I think she might be googly-eyed.

"Shut up." I shake my head, trying to hide my laughter.

Isaiah climbs in seconds later and smiles as if he doesn't have a care in the world. "Ready?"

"Ready."

In my lap, my phone vibrates. It's the Idiot Brigade group message.

Vivian: Good god, Aurora, he is so…

Maazina: So ‘sir, yes, sir'?

Vivian: Exactly.

Maazina: I'm ready…. (SpongeBob voice).

Sylvia: Alexa, play… Ready For It (Taylor's version).

Me: I hate every single one of you.

Maazina: Except him.

Except him. Yeah. That's the truth of it.

Maazina is upside down on the couch again. Sylvia is spread out next to her, and Vivian and I are on the floor, my leg elevated, as usual.

Since Isaiah dropped us off almost an hour and a half ago, it's been a full lazy day. We've watched almost two episodes of some trashy reality TV show that Sylvia found and haven't moved since except to fill up waters.

Which is why the apartment buzzer makes no sense.

Vivian jumps up, her long braids swaying as she does. Soon enough, there's a knock. I lean over, peeking through the crack in the door. "Thank you?" she says, muddled. When she turns, there is a large bag of take-out food in her hands. "Did anyone order this?"

We all shake our heads, and she finds the receipt. "Well, lookie here. Somebody is in love."

"No, he didn't."

"Oh, yes, he did."

My cheeks warm in an instant. "And he is not in love. Stop."

"I'm swooning," Maazina says, catapulting off the couch. "And I'm not even the one he's in love with."

I push myself up. "Unbearable."

Sylvia comes to my side and helps me the rest of the way to gather around the counter. Viv lays out the food, copious amounts of take out from my favorite Vietnamese place.

"Can I be serious for a minute?" Sylvia asks, plucking a spring roll from the dishes.

"Please do." I shoot a look toward the other two, who grin sheepishly.

"How are you feeling about the whole thing?"

I mull it over, taking the time to serve various dishes on everyone's plates that Viv pulled out. All that comes to mind is how much fuller my life already feels with him in it. How my heart aches at the sight of him, begging to escape and go to him instead of staying in my chest where it belongs. How the desire to touch him is so overwhelming, sometimes I can't think straight. How easy it feels to know I could call and tell him anything, and it would feel like it once did.

"Better than I thought I ever would." I glance around, finding no judgment in their waiting eyes. "We talked, and he was honest. About everything. He didn't make me feel like I was crazy for feeling the way I felt."

"In love?" Maazina wiggles her eyebrows, taking a bite of her noodles.

I flick her nose. "Isaiah listened to me. More so, he heard me. I think that was something I really needed. It's obviously been very brief, but it's crazy how much it feels like nothing has changed. Like yeah, there are things I guess I might not know about this version of him, but I'm kind of excited about it. Getting to know him again." I shrug my shoulders, casting my eyes down and trying to act like there isn't warmth rushing to my cheeks.

When I glance up, Sylvia looks love struck—elbows resting on the counter with her face in hands with her soft, brown eyes wide. "Okay there, lovebird. Take a deep breath." I point my chopsticks at her.

She smiles, crossing her legs on the stool. "Sorry. I'm just really happy for you. That the friendship is still there. I know, even though you never ever wanted to talk about it, how much it weighed on you. More than you probably ever let us in on. So, it's nice to see the proverbial weight starting to lift off your shoulders."

Maazina looks between us. "Ditto what she said."

Vivian raises a brow. "Sorry we can't take the weight of Maazina's insanity off your shoulders, too."

"Hey, I am a lovely, lovely girl, and she should be honored that her shoulder is my other home."

I blink. "Really, so grateful." In response, she draws a heart with her hands. "Can we talk about someone else's life now? I'm sorry it's been very much all about me."

"Shut up, Aurora," Vivian chimes. "But we can appease you. I'll go first. I have a date on Wednesday. I expect it to go horribly. But she's pretty. We met on the way to the movies, both alone on the bus, and ended up at the same film."

"And you think it's going to go horribly, why?"

Viv twirls her hand in a duh motion. "I mean, when do dates ever go well? For me, especially?" Ironically, we do have a running joke that on every date Viv has gone on, guy or girl, something utterly embarrassing happens.

Maazina bursts out laughing. "Remember that time your drink came out of your nose?"

Vivian sighs. "Unfortunately because you never let me forget it."

"Oh." I chuckle. "And the time the waiter spilled your dinner on you?"

"Okay, and moving on. Sylvia, your turn."

"I've got nothing but my stuffed pig and sour candy. And the occasional hook up with that guy from the men's team. I am in need of a really good crush." Sylvia turns to me. "Isaiah have any friends here besides you? He's gorgeous, obviously, and surely, he could help a girl out."

I deadpan. "Yes, I'll be sure to bring that up." She purses her lips dramatically in thanks. All eyes turn to Maazina.

"Aurora is my sugar mama; we all know this. Why would I let anyone else distract me from that?" Sometimes, she says things so seriously, so convincingly, I worry that one day, she will run the world. Probably by accident.

Deep down, I know it's more so she hasn't really tried dating much since everything happened, and she'd rather laugh about it than acknowledge it. She's talked to us all individually, but I think the pressure of the three of us can be scary.

"I'm not very rich."

Maazina winks at me. "But you are very cute."

I can't stop the big, genuine laugh that snakes its way out. Aside from Isaiah, it's the first real laugh I've let out since the injury, and it's no surprise it happens with them. They are my rocks. In a sense, they are my three found sisters, girls I hope will be a part of my life at every turn and I a part of theirs. Without even trying, they have turned today around. A day that could've stayed dark, they made the sun peek through the clouds.

It's a reminder that even when he wasn't here, I had them. And it proves that through it all, I will always have them.