Off the Ice | ONGOING

10.

CHAPTER TEN

ROWAN HART

My phone won't stop ringing.

Over, and over, and over again.

I'm going to scream.

I groan while rolling over to my side, the harsh sunlight from the outside glaring through and into my window.

It's a Sunday morning and I have absolutely no desire but to sleep in longer, being effortlessly tired by this past week alone.

I grab my phone from my nightstand and adjust my eyes to the bright screen. I found three missed calls and seven answered text messages from my Dad, immediately making me shoot up in my bed. My hands shake as I make an effort to call him back, my mind racing with what could only be a hundred different circumstances.

"Hello?" He answers, his voice groggy, like I had just woken him up. I sigh in relief when I hear his voice, but there's still a tense feeling in my chest that doesn't seem to go away.

"Is everything okay?" I ask right away, skipping right over saying hello back. I didn't want to waste any time.

"Everything's okay." My dad answers calmly, soothing me with his voice. "Or at least, it will be. Your brother had to be rushed to the hospital last night."

My head clouds with confusion and I rub my temples in an attempt to make my sudden pounding headache go away. "Why?" My voice shakes. "Is he okay?"

"Now, yes, but last night he got into an accident during one of his football games. All of his tests came back fine, but they kept him overnight as a precaution." He explains. "We're still in the hospital, he just hasn't woken up yet."

I nod my head as I absorb the information, my dad explaining a little more of what happened in an effort to make me understand.

"How much damage can an eight year old do?" I question as I chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.

I can feel my dad smiling from the other side of the phone. "If only I knew."

Apparently some kid on the opposing team tackled my brother so hard that he ended up hitting his head against the grass when falling. Even with the helmet on, it was still a big fall, rushing him to the hospital almost immediately.

We end up talking a little more before separating our ways, and I talk to Lucas as well after waking up. My little brother makes me promise to call him more, and if that didn't make my heart break a bit then I'm not sure what did.

After ending the call I finally got out of my bed, noticing it's just a little past noon. I'm glad I was able to sleep in a little more today, but for some reason I always end up more tired compared to waking up earlier.

I brush my teeth, fix my hair, and even get dressed before heading downstairs. Nadia is already on the couch with breakfast in one hand and the TV remote in the other.

"Hey," I say in a tired voice, joining her on the couch. "What are you watching?"

"Don't know yet." She answers with her mouth full. "There's nothing good on anymore."

I nod my head in agreement before stealing the remote from her hands and opening up Netflix. "We should start The Vampire Diaries." I suggest.

"You've never seen TVD before?" She asks me with a bewildered look. I shake my head as an answer and she practically pounces on me, forcing me to click on the first episode.

"So, do you have any plans today?" Nadia casually asks me as the episode starts up, and I look at her, suddenly intrigued.

"Why do you ask?"