A Million Quite Allowances
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"I’m fine," Neil snapped, pulling the hem of his jersey down as if that would hide the state he was in. "It’s just a cut."
"It’s not just a cut," Andrew said, stepping closer. "You’d have gone back out there half-conscious if they hadn’t pulled you."
"Because the game’s not over!" Neil’s voice rose now, frustration lacing every word. "We’re down by two points, Andrew. Two points. Do you know what that means?"
Andrew stared at him, unimpressed. "It means you’re an idiot who doesn’t know when to quit."
Neil stood, wincing slightly but ignoring the pain. "It means we could’ve won if they’d just let me finish. You think I care about a little bruise? I’ve played through worse."
Andrew’s eyes narrowed, his expression blank, but Neil could see the tightness in his shoulders, the way his fists clenched at his sides. "And that’s exactly the problem. What if the racquet had been faster? Or what if it wasn’t just a mistake and an intentional swing? What happens when you don’t get back up next time?"
Series
- Part 1 of A Million Quite Allowances
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"I'm not taking them, unless you actually speak to me." Neil repeats, "You can’t just feed me and medicate me like a stray you found in a dumpster, Andrew. Talk to me.”
Andrew doesn’t move. Rather his gaze only intensifies until it starts to feel like he’s looking through Neil, dissecting a difficult puzzle he is considering throwing away.
Neil feels his patience fraying, "Drew," he prompts, his voice dropping an octave, softened by a plea he knows better than to put into words.
"You are a twenty-six-year-old man," Andrew finally says. The words sound like they are being dragged over gravel. He doesn't even look angry anymore, just exhausted. "Not a child who thinks holding his own health hostage is a valid negotiation tactic.”
"It got you to say something," Neil counters, though a sharp pang of guilt twists in his gut at the look in Andrew's eyes.
"Take the pills, Neil. I’m not going to argue with you about your inability to follow basic medical instructions. Not when I spent the night wondering if you were even going to wake up.”
Series
- Part 9 of Snapshots of Us
- Part 2 of A Million Quite Allowances