Chapter 2: Everyone Is Having A Bad Day

Payton's grip tightened on the slip of paper she'd gotten from the dean. She felt it crumple in her hand and she wasn't sure if she should worry that she couldn't make out the information on it if she didn't watch it, or if she should be happy it'd be destroyed. The dean had known the basics of what was going on, but as Payton got into some specifics, the look on her face changed. At first Payton thought she pitied her, but when Dean Barnett had actually told her how strong she thought she was, Payton broke down. Payton didn't feel strong. After that, Payton opened up about some of the medical issues she was having, and the dean had given her the name of her own neurologist. Come to find out, the dean suffered from intense headaches most of her life and knew a doctor that she loved.

It had been almost two months since her accident, and Payton still hadn't gotten rid of her lingering headaches. In the beginning, she thought that the slight memory issues were because of the pain. Who would remember everything if they were dealing with horrible pain? However, as the time progressed it never got better, in fact, it was getting worse. Obviously she couldn't even remember meetings with her professor and simple class changes. Some days were fine like before the accident, and others it was all a jumbled mess in her head. Her phone and taking notes had become key. She had to write it down or it wouldn't get done.

The last doctor she'd seen had told her it was just going to take time. He had said a lot about medication regimens and things that sounded really long term. Honestly, she was happy with just taking the occasional pain pill when she needed it. She didn't see a need for all those other treatments. When he started talking about preventative pills and then shots down the road if it was needed, she shut off. She wasn't about to start all that with everything else on her plate.

Stopping at the bench in front of her dorm building, she took a seat and let everything float away. It was that or face her roommate, Hailey, and if she could just wait for a few more minutes, Hailey would be leaving. Pulling out her purse, Payton grabbed her lip gloss and a small mirror. She took one look in the mirror and wrinkled her nose. "Lip gloss is the least of your worries."

Just as she finished up she heard a familiar voice, "What are you doing out here?" Busted. "I thought you had class this afternoon."

"Yeah, I just got out a little early today."

"I'd say so."

Payton grabbed her phone and hit the home button to check the time. It was still another forty minutes before her class was supposed to be over. "Slow day?"

"Sure. Well, I'm headed to practice and then I have my radio spot. Wanna come hang out in the booth with me tonight?"

"No, I've got a paper to do, and I need get started on it."

"Just bring your laptop."

Payton shook her head. She really wanted to be alone for a while, and sometimes Hailey didn't get that. She loved her roommate dearly, but she just needed some space.

"Suit yourself. See you when I'm done." Hailey took off across the road and headed into the gym.

Payton leaned her head back and closed her eyes. The afternoon sun felt nice, but she did want to get started on the paper she needed to write, and she really needed to email the professor of the class she'd just missed. After a deep breath, she opened her eyes and started to gather her things.

A loud rumble of laughter erupted, and then she heard male voices goofing off. She smiled at herself and stood before looking over at the group of guys coming her way. At first glance there wasn't anyone she knew in the group, however, after a quick double take, she realized that he was there. The guy who'd been in the waiting room at the dean's office was easy to pick out. He had this head of unruly, dark brown hair, and brown eyes that even with just the quick glance she had gotten, looked like melted milk chocolate. He was tall, muscular, and very attractive. He looked like he knew it too.

She tried to get her feet to move, but they seemed to be stuck in place. Move it, Whitmore. She told herself, hoping to urge her feet to move along. But they didn't, and she just kept looking at him. He was the kind of guy she needed to stay away from, the kind of guy who made her forget that she needed to stay focused, and she should steer clear of guys.

Realizing she was staring, she quickly looked away and started to gather her things. She found her keys, and of course they were all the way down at the bottom of her bag. No way could it be that easy. Ah! Success! Her fingers wrapped around the cool metal of her keys, and she pulled them out as she walked toward the door. She slipped the key into the lock and heard another rumble of laughter.

When she looked back this time, she locked eyes with Mr. Guy From the Office himself. She felt the blush burn in her cheeks and as much as she wished she could look away, she was stuck. As if realizing just that, a slight grin formed on his lips and he gave her a quick nod of acknowledgment. That was what she needed; she tore her gaze away and made her way into the building and up the two flights of stairs in record time. When she made it through the front door to her room, she was out of breath.

"Pull it together," she chided herself.

She slipped her phone out of her back pocket as she tossed her bag by her desk. She activated the screen and found her grandpa's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Gramps, how's Mom today?" She didn't usually waste time getting to the point. They all knew why she was calling.

"Same as yesterday. Doctor's due in later tonight to have a look, though." When she didn't say anything, he continued, "You know it's going to be okay no matter what happens."

She blew out a breath, "I just wish I hadn't come back to school."

"You did the right thing. Kathy would want you to be there. You know how important it is to her that you finish school."

"Yeah, I guess. It just feels wrong."

"Payton, you have to keep going. Your life doesn't have to stop. You need to make this work. You know she'll be mad when she wakes up if you put your life on hold."

"Yeah sure. Well, call me and let me know what the doctor says."

"Will do. Payton, try to have a good evening."

"I'll try. Bye." She tapped end before she even heard him respond. She was hoping that the call would have lifted her spirits. She should have known better. It seemed like no one understood the guilt she felt over the whole accident. She always felt like part of the whole situation was her fault. She and her mother had gotten into a huge fight just days before the accident. Her mom suggested the shopping trip as a peace offering. Being a brat, Payton wouldn't settle for shopping in town. She wanted to go all the way to Dallas.

Knowing if she didn't stop thinking about that she'd spend the evening in tears, she got busy constructing her first draft of the paper she was assigned in writing class. She looked over all her notes, and after going through them at least five times; she finally found a topic and went to work.

The writing class was one of the few elective classes that Payton took. When she'd taken her Comp 1 and 2 classes, she had Professor Freeman. He had really impacted the way she had viewed writing, and she grew to love it, even the research papers. Since the skill could come in handy for her degree in Business Administration, she continued to take anything he taught that she could fit into her schedule. Because of the way he taught her to view the things around her, she became not only a better writer but also all around.

Ideas were coming now, flowing freely. She let go of all the crap going on around her and in her life, and she put everything into the work in front of her. Pretty soon everything faded away and there was nothing but her and the world she was creating.

*

Josh rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms above his head. He was ready for soccer practice. If anything could get him out of the funk he was in, it was this. With all his pent up frustration, he didn't envy anyone who might get in his way today. He was ready to pour all the shit that had happened from the day into the scrimmage, and he was out for the kill. There would be no prisoners taken today.

Dramatic? Hell yeah. Did he care? Not at all. When he was out on the field, he played with a focus that drove some of the guys on the team mad. He always took the game seriously and made the most of every practice. If he had a bad day, he used it.

The team warmed up with drills for half an hour before splitting into two teams. As the coach called out the teams, Josh realized that his roommate, Wes, wasn't on his team today. However, Geoff, another buddy of his was. After a quick huddle, the whistle blew, and they were underway. Everyone had settled into the game, and under the heat, some of the guys were getting tired already. The first few weeks back after summer break were always hard due to the heat and the fact that half the guys weren't serious enough to condition over the break.

Josh was able to get in a couple of good shots before they all took a quick break. He chugged some water, and they all headed back out. A few minutes into the set, he saw Wes headed toward the side of the field with the ball. He sprinted to block his friend and in his attempt, he tripped him. It wasn't intentional, but when he realized it was going to happen, he didn't hold back. It was a cheap shot, and Josh knew it.

"What the fuck, man?" Wes yelled as he hit the ground.

Josh just shrugged and ran down the field to get lined up for a shot. After another half an hour, the team huddled up and headed out for the day.

Geoff and Josh were sitting at the end of the field talking about plays when Wes came from behind and punched Josh in the arm... hard. Josh winced, keeping his face turned away. No point in Wes thinking he actually got him.

"What the hell was that for?"

"You know exactly what it's for."

"Hey, it's not my fault you can't stay on your feet," Josh retorted.

"It sure as hell was your fault, and you know it."

"Okay, so it was a cheap shot, but the other guys aren't going to be easy on your ass either."

Wes joined his friends on the ground and asked what they had been talking about. As they were talking about practice, Geoff could sense there was something going on with Josh.

"So what's eating you today, Josh?" Geoff asked.

"It's just been a shitty day. I slept through my morning class and it's just gone downhill from there. I can't seem to get caught up. I was doing better until some stupid meeting with Dean Barnett, and then that got pushed back because some chick waltzed in and took my appointment time."

"She just walked in and butt in line?" Wes asked.

"Yeah, but it was like she was expecting her. I don't know. I was about to give her my evil look, but I realized she'd been crying. Not sure what it was all about. It was weird."

They sat quietly for a minute and then Geoff suggested they all go to Woodchucks, a local sports bar, for dinner and a few beers. They all walked back to their apartments, deciding that they'd meet in an hour to head that way.

Josh waited while Wes showered and went through his homework for the next day. He had made a mental note earlier to pack his backpack before going to sleep, so he made sure everything was in it before turning on his laptop.

After it warmed up, he quickly checked his email. Looking through the list of new messages, he deleted at least half because they were junk mail. Glancing through, he noticed he had a message from his brother Bryce, and there was also one from Ella. "What the hell does she want?" Josh wondered to himself. Reading that email would be like pouring salt on an open wound. Deciding that he didn't want to make an already bad day worse, he shut down the laptop without reading either message.