The fourth quarter comes to a close. The crowd is deflated and the team defeated. Any hope of our first season win crumbled in the third quarter with our defense. We're down by 21 points, leaving no room for a comeback. Another game lost.
Disappointed fans filter out of the stadium with their heads hung low. At least what's left of them. The stands thinned out at the end of quarter three when they were forced to accept the reality that Matt was down for the count. He wasn't returning and neither was our chance at winning.

Hoping to see Matt before he goes home, Teddy and I wait behind the bleachers. Our eyes stay focused on the locker room keeping a lookout for any signs of a strawberry blonde boy with glasses. Our shoulders sink lower each time a player steps out that's not him.

"Hey Kiers," I hear from behind.

Relief washes over me when I see Whitney, Bridgette, and Sal on their way to us. If anyone knows what's going on, it's the three of them.

"Is Matt okay?"

"Maybe yes, maybe no. It's not clear," Whitney says, eager to share the hot goss. "But, get ready for this, Ruthie thinks it was some dirty revenge plot orchestrated by Hayden to take Matt out Nancy Kerrigan-style. Matt goes out, Hayden goes in. Pure sabotage."

"You really think he would do that?" I say. 

Sure, there's bad blood between Hayden and Matt, but he told me he was going to take care of it. Apologize and put it behind them. He hasn't mentioned anything that would indicate Hayden was going to retaliate, especially not to this extent. But knowing Matt, he was probably too proud to tell me.

"Oh, yeah," Whitney says confidently. "My sources are never wrong, honey."

My worries deepen and settle into my stomach. I turn my attention to Sal, hoping he'll deny Whitney's story, but the somber look on his face tells me it's true.

"She's right," Sal confirms. "Hayden's been after him at practice all week. I thought for sure when Mr. Purdy told him he wasn't playing tonight, he'd go berserk. It was weird though. He was completely calm. Telling Mr. Purdy he understood, apologizin,' acting all innocent. I think he was trying to cover his tracks. Put himself in Mr. Purdy's good graces, so no one could accuse him of nothing."

"Do you think he bought it?" Teddy asks.

"No way," Sal shakes his head. "Ever since Monday, he's flipped a switch. He hasn't let anything slide. Heck, he made a guy run a mile just for looking at Matt wrong. He's gone full-on Papa Bear on their asses."

"Well, good," Bridgette says. "They deserve it."

Our friends nod in agreement, but I can't get my one-track mind to focus. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy that Hayden is getting his comeuppance, but restitution can't heal broken bones.

"But is Matt okay?"

"I'm sorry, Kiers, I don't know. Mr. Purdy's got him on lock. He ain't letting anyone near him."

"Not even you?"

"I tried," Sal says. "He told me to give him space and that he'd let me know when he knew something. He seemed pretty shaken up, so I let him be."

I nod my head sadly and try to reconcile with the not-knowing. It can't be that bad, I convince myself. He was up and walking around and even wanted to continue playing. Surely, he has to be fine.

Still, I wish I knew.

"So, do we want to wait for him?" I ask the group.

I know what my answer is, but who knows, with Mr. Purdy keeping Matt so close to the hip, we may be waiting all night.
"Mr. Purdy's probably planning to take him straight home," Bridgette says.

"Yeah," Teddy agrees. "I don't reckon we'll see him tonight."

Sal and Whitney both chime in and agree with Teddy and Bridgette. I'm not quite ready to give up, but I think they're right. It's time.

As we're about to throw in the towel, Mr. Purdy emerges from the locker room and heads our way. My spirits raise ever so slightly, but I'm careful to not get my hopes too high. Mr. Purdy looks as sullen as sullen can be. More so than usual.
"Hey, guys," he says. "Thanks for waiting up. I appreciate it. I know Matt does too."
"Is everything okay?" Whitney says, cutting right to the chase.

"No, um, not exactly. I gotta take him to the ER and get him checked out. The athletic trainers think he might've broken a couple ribs, maybe an arm. Nothing too serious, but he's hurting pretty bad."

Mr. Purdy lets out a heavy, beaten down sigh and tries to rub away the headache that's forming behind his eyes.

"Ah, Jesus, I gotta find a sitter. I told Mrs. Bradbury I'd pick Marcie up at 9:00," he mutters.

I definitely don't think he meant us to hear that last part, but he seems much too stressed to pretend he's okay.
Thinking quickly on her feet, Whitney jumps in.

"We can watch them until you get back."

Seeing what she's doing, the rest of us nod in agreement in an attempt to convince him. If he lets us watch the kids at the house, it'll guarantee we'll see Matt when they get home.

"Nah, I don't want to put y'all out like that," Mr. Purdy pushes back. "I'll figure something out."

"We don't mind, do we guys?"

Whitney's question is met with a chorus of no's and reassurances that it's fine. Mr. Purdy doesn't take us up on it immediately, but I think he knows he has no other options and reluctantly agrees.

"All right," Mr. Purdy says slowly. "Bridgette, I'll put you in charge. You have my number if you need it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay good, I trust you," he says then reaches into his wallet and tosses her a $100 bill. "Food's on me. Get whatever you want."

Mr. Purdy thanks us profusely before turning on his heel and rushes off to Matt. With Mr. Purdy heading out, Bridgette directs the group towards the swing set where Drew and Carrie are playing so they can take them home.

My eyes dart back and forth between my friends and Mr. Purdy. If I go with my friends, I know I'll see Matt when he gets back from the hospital. But that could be hours from now, and honestly, I don't want to wait that long. I want to see Matt now.
My eyes land on Mr. Purdy again. He's almost out of sight. I make my decision.

"Wait, Mr. Purdy," I say, running after him. "Can I come with you?"

Mr. Purdy takes a pause and looks me up and down, making up his mind. I give him my best pleading puppy-dog eyes hoping he'll give in. After a brief internal debate, Mr. Purdy sighs and waves me over.

"Okay," he agrees and tucks me under his arm. "Come on."

Mr. Purdy hurries me along, ushering me towards the parking lot. A giddy feeling burns through me, making my heart thump and my cheeks turn warm and flush. Finally, it feels like my perma-ban from Matt is coming to an end. My mind races, tripping over itself, thinking of all the things we'll be able to do together again. The sugary-sweet taste of Chellie's Famous Mudslide Milkshake coats my tongue. The soft serenity of Lake Hutton calms my beating heart. The smell of Mrs. Allen's signature slightly-burnt Sunday Night Football Fondue fills my nose and comforts me.

It's all so close. It's calling our names.

Matt...Kiersten...I miss you....

But then.

Mr. Purdy comes to an abrupt stop. His face drops.

I turn to see what's wrong and my heart breaks to pieces. Sitting alone in his dad's truck is poor Matty, curled up in a ball. He's leaning against the passenger side window with his arms tucked inside his sweatshirt like a little kid trying to give himself a hug. Every few seconds, his shoulders start to shake uncontrollably, a tell-tale sign that he's trying to stop himself from crying.

"Uh, give me a second, okay?" Mr. Purdy says.

I nod and peel away to give them some space. I sit myself down on the nearest curb and do my darndest to respect their privacy, but my curiosity gets the better of me. I steal a couple glances here and there. I only get a handful of bits and pieces, but it's enough to build a story.

Mr. Purdy opens the passenger side door. Kneels next to Matt. They talk. Mr. Purdy asks him a question. Matt looks over in my direction. He shakes his head.

He doesn't want me to come with them.

The sting of rejection is sharp. It tugs at my heart and bites the back of my eyes. But Mr. Purdy is heading back this way and I need to keep it together.

"Hey, Kiers," he says softly. He crouches down so he's at eye level with me and places a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I'm thinking it might be best if you hang back and give the girls a hand wrangling the little monsters, huh?"

I'll give him credit, he's trying his best, but I can see through his suggestion like a piece of tracing paper.

"Why doesn't he want me to come?"

I try to hide the hurt in my voice, but fail miserably.

"He's had a rough night, kiddo. He needs a little time to himself."

I nod my head, but I can still feel the tears threatening to fall. Picking up on how little that helped me, Mr. Purdy tries another approach.

"How 'bout this?" He says with as much optimism as he can muster. "We get him fixed up, feeling good and then if he's up for it, you can see him back at the house. How's that?"

If he's up for it. Not exactly the guarantee I was looking for, but it's better than nothing I suppose.

"Okay," I say

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," I reaffirm with a smile.

"All right," Mr. Purdy says victoriously, feeling satisfied he was able to stop at least one kid from crying tonight.

"You need me to call your dad to come pick you up?"

"No, that's okay. I'll walk."

"You sure? It's pretty dark out."

"It's fine, really."

I assure Mr. Purdy that I'm perfectly okay walking home by myself. I'm not going to fall off a cliff or get eaten by bears or be held at gunpoint, but that doesn't satiate his need to be a dad.

"Text Teddy and have him meet you halfway."

I tell him I will, but honestly, I mostly said it to appease him. I'm not in any danger and I'd hate to bother Teddy like that. Especially since I know he'd do it in a heartbeat. All you have to do is whisper the words damsel in distress around a southern boy and they'll be crawling all over themselves to walk you home.

"Kiersten," he calls out.

I turn around somewhat impatiently, because I know I wouldn't be getting away that easily.

"Please?"

See, now I know where Matt gets it from.

"Seriously, Mr. Purdy, I'm fine," I say with a laugh.

"If you don't do it, I'll do it for you," he says it like he's joking, but I know he's serious.

"Mr. Purdy..."

I try to stop him, but he's already pulling out his phone. And now he's texting Teddy.

"There," he says with a smirk. "He'll be here in five."

I shake my head and roll my eyes as I smile. Now, that's one apple that don't fall too far from the tree.