NovelEnglishFADE AWAY
JOSH
The roar of the crowd was deafening as | ran onto the field, the cold air biting at my skin. The stakes were higher
than ever-this gwould decide whether we went to the Super Bowl. My mind was laser-focused, but not on
the right things.
The tension insidehad been building for weeks, maybe months. Every t| thought about Laura, lying in
that bed, motionless, something insidetwisted, turned sharp. | channeled it all into the game, into every
snap, every hit. And maybe | was taking it too far. "Josh, man," Luke jogged up toduring a huddle, lowering
his voice. "You good? You've been off today."
"Just focus on the game, Luke," | snapped, not bothering to look at him.
Luke frowned but nodded, backing off.
When the play restarted, | was on fire, charging down the field with an intensity that bordered on reckless. The
opposing defender squared up to block me, and I didn't just push past him-I drove into him, shoulders low,
practically throwing him to the ground. The refs blew the whistle, flags flying everywhere.
"Unnecessary roughness, offense, number 86!"
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Luke was in my face before | could even step off the field. "What the hell was that?" he barked, grabbing my
jersey to pullback as tempers flared on both sides.
| shrugged him off, glaring. "Back off, Luke."
"Josh-"
"I said back off!"
Coach had seen enough. He pulledfrom the field, benchingfor the rest of the game. | sat there on the
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtsidelines, seething. The gunfolded without me, but in the end, we won, securing our spot in the Super Bowl.
The victory should've felt good, but all | felt was hollow
The locker room was buzzing with excitement, guys laughing, celebrating, the energy electric. | toweled off,
keeping to myself. When Luke walked by, | called out to him. "Hey, you heading out?"
He stopped, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder. "Yeah, man. Jess is cooking dinner. Gotta get back to her and
the kids. You should bring Asha over. It's been a while since we've seen her."
| shrugged, avoiding his gaze. "Nah, I'm good. Asha's with the nanny. She loves her-it's all good."
Luke's face tightened. "Josh, con. When are you going to chome? Living in that apartment isn't good
for Asha. We can help you."
| shot him a glare, my jaw tightening. "You know | can't go back there, Luke. Everything remindsof her."
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"She's alive, Josh."
"Is she?" | snapped, my voice rising. "She's never fucking waking up! Don't you get that?"
The locker room fell silent, every pair of eyes on me. | didn't care. | grabbed my bag and stormed out, the door
slamming shut behind me.
Outside, the cool night air hitlike a slap in the face. | stood there for a moment, my chest heaving, trying to
calm down. But Luke's words echoed in my head. "She's alive."
Yeah, she was alive. But it didn't feel like it. Not anymore.
As | walked to my car, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Pulling it out, | saw a text from the nanny.
"Asha's in bed. She asked about you, and when you're coming home. Also... she asked when she can visit
Mommy again."
| let out a shaky breath, staring at the screen. It felt like a punch to the gut. Asha was three. Too little to
understand why her mom wasn't coming hor why Daddy couldn't give her a straight answer.
My thumb hovered over the keyboard, but I didn't know what to type. What could | say? That | couldn't face it?
That I didn't know how to be enough for her when | felt like | was failing at everything else?
| shoved the phone back in my pocket and leaned against the car, running my hand through my hair.
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FADE AWAY
"Fuck," | muttered under my breath.
Asha deserved better. She deserved
more than a dad who couldn't gehhis
shit together and a yhoo she hight
neyéh HAYS Temories of. She
deserved a family, not a broken shell
of one. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
She kept asking about Laura. "When can | see Mommy?" she'd whisper with her big, hopeful eyes, clutching her
little stuffed bunny. And every time, I'd choke on the answer.
How do you explain to a
three-year-old that her mommy was
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
still here but not fee pW do
ypu gmdNaGy ry t| sat next
to Laura's bed, | felt like | was
watching her fade into nothingness, a
little more every day? My hands
balled into fists at my sides. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
| couldn't do it. | couldn't stand there
and pretend to be strong for ASH
when every t|0dKed at Laura, all
| Baw wht Ry failure. | couldn't
protect her, couldn't bring her back,
couldn't even make her better. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
www
And yet, Asha kept looking atlike | was her whole world. She deserved better than this mess of a father,
better than a mom trapped in a hospital bed.
| let out a long breath and climbed into the car. My hands gripped the steering wheel, the leather cool under my
fingers.
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