The Things We Leave Behind

Chapter 5

The next few days fly by and it's Friday before I know it. I haven't spoken to Logan since that day outside the cafeteria. I'm currently sitting on a cold metal bench on the bleachers with a plaid red and white blanket draped over my shoulders. Lana has convinced me to go to the football game. There's a game every week and today's game is special because it's a home game against the Grace High School Panthers. The Tigers emerge from locker room and cheers erupt the bleachers. They parade around the field, throwing their arms in the air and screaming. They all move to their bench on the sidelines as the Panthers come out.

The screams are much softer because most of the cheerers are family and friends who've come to see the game but because it's not their school, most people aren't bothered to show up. The teams take their positions on the field as they are ready to start the game. It's the first game of the season because since everyone came back from summer break, the teams have been put together and have been training for the past few weeks.

I spot Logan easily on the field. The Tigers are starting with offense and because Logan's the quarterback, he's on the field. The game begins and people get tackled to the ground very quickly. Logan runs backwards with the ball and then makes a quick turn and runs around the side of the group of people still fighting with one another. He passes it to who I assume is one of the receivers. Then Logan runs towards the goal and just he's about to pass the line, he gets the ball thrown back to him. He passes the goal line and scores a touchdown. Cheers burst from the bleachers, and everyone is screaming.

I hear a few girls muttering about how hot Logan is and I want to chop my ears off. Logan does a little happy dance as his teammates run over to cheer for him. Logan looms up and we lock eyes for a few seconds before I look down at my hands. Quickly the game continues and soon the score is 35-28 with Tigers in the lead. It's the start of the last quarter of the game with twelve minutes to go. Logan's got the ball again and he's passing it back and forth with a guy who's jersey says Moritz. I think that's Lana's last name.

"Hey," I say, turning to her. "Is that your brother?"

"Yep. Asher. He's dick."

She doesn't say anymore so I guess we're done talking about him. Logan's almost to the goal line when he's tackled to the ground for the first time in the game. But he doesn't get up. Everyone's waiting. He still doesn't get up. His teammates jog over to him and pull him into a sitting up position.

He still doesn't move. They call for the school nurse and he runs out. He has Logan lie down and checks his heart rate. The whole field is silent. The boy who tackled Logan has taken off his helmet and looks petrified. He probably thinks he killed him. Logan eventually starts moving. He sits up again and Asher and another boy help him stand to take him to the nurses office to lie down.

Logan leans over to Asher and whispers something to him. Asher looks over to me and Lana on the bleachers and then back to Logan and nods his head. Asher starts to run towards us, and the other boy helps Logan inside. Asher climbs the few stairs to where we are sitting and leans over to us.

"Hey, Cassandra, right?" He asks me. I nod.

"Logan's asking for you. Said something about you making him feel better when he's hurt."

By now, everyone's looking at us. The people on the bleachers, the players, and the coaches. I nod my head again to Asher and quickly stand up. He guides me inside and down the corridor to the nurses office, which is next to the admin room.

Asher knocks on the door, and it swings wide open. On the other side is the boy who helped Logan in. He looks at me and smiles. I recognise him from the table that Logan was sitting at a few days ago.