Weak, But Not Defeated

“Eric, don’t you have a house?”

“Well excuse me, Madeline, for wanting to hang out with my best friend. What are you even doing here?” Eric asked as he looked into John’s refrigerator.

“I’m hanging out with my best friend because my boyfriend and parents are out of town,” she said.

Eric shut the refrigerator door, “Are we about to fight over our best friend?”

“Well considering you barely ever come around and you’ve lived in the same town as us forever, I would say I’ll win anyways,” Maddie said.

“You’ve caught me, Maddie. I’m only staying around for you,” Eric said, winking at her.

“I used to really like you, Eric. You were my favorite. You’re kind of a creep though,” she said.

“You would be surprised how many times I’ve heard that,” he replied.

“I’m actually not surprised at all,” Maddie said. “Where is John?”

“In the shower… why are you dressed like that?” he asked, surveying her blue jersey, white shorts, and orange cleats.

“Oh, I forgot, you can’t even watch an athletic event without falling asleep. I play soccer. The one where you kick the ball and the object is to score a goal,” she told him.

“Oh, shut up, I like soccer. Were you going to ask John to come?” Eric asked.

“I was just making sure he was awake. Would you like to come too, Eric?” she asked, noticing the glum look on his face.

His lips turned up into a smile, “I would love to, thanks, favorite!”

Maddie left John’s to get to warm up early. She and Caroline were leading the lap around the field as they talked to one another.

“So what are you going to do without Garrett this week?” Caroline asked.

Maddie shrugged, “Probably hang out with John. Nothing too exciting, Garrett is in Oklahoma doing absolutely nothing but visiting family, so I don’t want to get too crazy.”

“You and John sure hang out a lot,” Caroline commented.

Maddie pursed her lips, not sure how to respond. She turned to her team, “Everyone stretch,” she directed.

Maddie avoided Caroline for the entire warm up. The game began and Maddie was positioned at left wing, closest to the sideline where spectators stood. Before the whistle was blown to signal the start, Maddie found her friends. Kennedy was standing with Eric, John, and Courtney. Courtney was snuggled into John while she spoke to Eric. Maddie chuckled as she realized Eric really had a charm on anyone.

The game began and Caroline passed the ball to Maddie from her forward position. She dribbled the ball effortlessly and Eric’s cheering only made her hustle harder.

She was always an aggressive player, but never unfair. She would throw the occasional elbow and stiffen her body when girls tried to fight against her. But the girl playing for the other team that Maddie was guarding played dirty. She stepped on feet and kicked shin guards and Maddie was getting angry.

It was when the girl threw a stiff elbow into Maddie’s hip that she drew the line. She used all of her speed to catch the girl and began defending her intensely. The girl grunted as Maddie stole the ball and dribbled towards the goal.

As Maddie swung her leg back and made contact with the ball she felt her stable leg go right out from under her as the opponent slide tackled her illegally.

The crowd that was cheering for Maddie’s goal suddenly became quiet as she lay on the ground, cradling her left knee and letting out small cries. She couldn’t see straight from the overwhelming pain and she felt sick to her stomach. It was the worst pain she had felt in her life.

She felt John at her side as he held her hand and moved the hair out of her face, “Baby, are you okay?”

She shook her head as she bit her tongue, trying not to scream. “We need to take her to the hospital,” she heard Courtney say from next to John.

“Maddie? We’re going to move you off the field carefully, don’t worry, you’re okay,” her coach said.

Maddie was completely out of it as John carefully carried her off of the field. “Why is she acting so weird?” John asked.

“Its endorphins,” Courtney stated simply.

“What?” John asked.

“Like, the body’s natural morphine when you experience intense pain. She’s pretty much on drugs right now.”

John glanced at Eric and he scoffed, “Duh, you didn’t know that?”

John rolled his eyes and looked back at Maddie. She had stopped crying and was staring at him. “You’ll be all right, Maddie.”

“I know I will, but the girl who knocked me down won’t be. That stupid bi-”

“All right,” John said, scooping Maddie up in his arms, “I think she’s okay. Let’s get you to the hospital.”

John drove himself, Maddie, and Eric to the hospital, dropping Courtney off on the way. Maddie sat anxiously in the emergency room in a wheel chair, “Really, John, I feel fine.”

“No, you’re not. Your knee is swollen like one of those balloons a five year old gets that they think will carry them away!” Eric exclaimed.

“Madeline Riggs?” she heard the nurse call her name. They followed the woman, John rolling Maddie down the hall into an empty bed, only covered from other patients by a thin curtain.

Soon a young male doctor entered and Maddie smiled bashfully as she immediately recognized the good looking man, “Madeline?”

“It’s Maddie,” she said.

He looked up at her, then at John. He sighed as he recognized the two, “What the hell do you keep doing to her, kid?” he asked John, “First you bring her in with a broken ankle from riding a quad in the middle of the night, now she has a huge knee. Why do you hang out with him?” he asked Maddie.

John laughed at the doctor he knew from what seemed like so long ago, “I didn’t do it this time!”

“Mhmm,” the man sighed, looking at Maddie’s chart, “So you two married yet?”

Maddie laughed, “Nope.”

“Well, it’s only a matter of time. Anyways, I see here you already have a partially torn ACL. Your x-rays don’t show that it’s not completely torn yet, but I need you to be careful. Seriously, one wrong move and you’ll be crying like a baby,” the doctor said.

“Got it,” Maddie said.

“Does she need surgery or anything?” John asked.

“She does, but it’s not necessary yet,” the doctor said. “I’ll prescribe you some meds to keep the pain low. Just don’t get addicted, because then this whole thing with you two would get messy.”

“How so?” John asked.

“You know, you would have to go through rehab with her, then therapy and a challenging relapse, probably, before she finally gets back to normal,” he said.

Maddie stared at him, “You’re not a very encouraging man.”

“Well, I obviously wasn’t loved as a child,” he said simply, “Here’s your medicine, be careful.”

Maddie and John laughed as the man exited the room. Maddie popped a pill in her mouth before they met up with Eric in the waiting room.

“How’s my little drug addict doing?” Eric asked, letting Maddie hold onto his arm as they walked to the car.

“I feel awesome,” she said.

“Maddie, you’re sleeping at my house tonight. You took that pill literally two seconds ago and you’re already being weird,” John said.

Maddie climbed in the back seat of the car, “As long as Eric doesn’t come.”

“What! Why not?” Eric asked from the passenger’s seat.

“You’re really skinny, Eric, has anyone told you that before?” she asked, ignoring his question.

“Yeah well you’re really short, so ha!” he said.

Maddie fell against the seat, lying down dramatically, “Ah, you slay me.”

Eric laughed at her, “I kind of hate you, Maddie.”

“I love you, too,” she said, tiredly.

John shook his head with laughter and they soon arrived at Eric’s house. He climbed out of the car, shutting his door and opening up the one to the back seat.

“Maddie?” he asked, causing her to sit up.

“Eric,” she replied.

He placed his hands on her cheeks, “If you overdose on pain killers tonight, I want you to know that I love you.”

She placed her hands on his cheeks as well, “I love you too,” she said pressing his cheeks in and making his lips pucker. They stared into each other’s eyes for ten more seconds before John laughed.

“Stop harassing her, Halvo!” John said.

Eric dropped his hands and smiled, “Maddie you have to let go of my face.”

She stared at him intently before pulling his face close to her and kissing his forehead. “Goodbye, Eric.”

John drove to his apartment and carried her up the stairs. He lay her down on the couch and shook his head, “You have the tolerance of an infant when it comes to medicine.”

“I’m sorry I’m such a bother,” she frowned, “Thanks for taking care of me.”

“Of course, baby,” John said as he packed a bag of ice and placed it on her still swollen knee.

“Let’s watch movies and eat junk food!” she said.

John grinned at her before ordering a pizza and putting in The Godfather, Maddie’s favorite movie. As they sat in silence, watching the Corleone family grieve over the eldest son’s death, Maddie looked at John. Her head was resting on a pillow in his lap, “Do you remember the last time we watched this?”

“I do,” he said, still looking at the screen. Maddie bit her lip and he looked at her, “It was the first time you let me kiss you.”

“I think of that every time I watch this movie,” she told him.

“Does that make you angry?” he asked.

“Why would it make me angry?” Maddie asked.

“I mean, does it upset you that your favorite movie carries along such a pointless memory?” John asked.

Maddie looked at him, slightly offended, “I don’t think it’s pointless at all. Do you?”

“No memory I have of you is pointless,” he told her honestly.

“Why not? I kind of screwed you over,” she said.

“You don’t get to choose which memories you remember and forget. I just so happen to remember every romantic moment I’ve spent with you.”

“Is it because you loooove me?” Maddie grinned sloppily.

He stared down at her and smiled, moving the hair out of her face, “Of course it is.”

She continued to smile and giggled quietly, “I have no idea what’s going on.”

“I know you don’t,” he said as he watched her eyelids droop, “You never did.”