Page 115 of Rise Above

“So, my words hurt more than yours? You and Dad

have said horrible things to me. The axe forgets, but the tree remembers. You called me a financial burden… many times. This last time around you both implied I was wasting my time getting a doctorate. You both said spending money on my surgery was a waste. Dad said you should have let me kill myself. Neither you nor my brother said a word to defend me. I owe you nothing.”

My anger got the better of me, and I hung up the

phone before even waiting for a response. I’d spent years working on my anger and reactions. Thanksgiving had nearly broken my spirit. My family that claimed to love me had significantly hurt me.

Wiping away the tears forming in my eyes, I turned

back to my laptop. This paper wasn’t going to write itself. At the very least, it was a welcomed distraction. One more chapter, and it would be smooth sailing.

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“I thought I told you to rest,” Talon said, closing his

front door behind him. “Writing is not resting that brain of yours.”

My eyes met his over my laptop. “I’m literally

almost done. One more paragraph, and I promise I’ll rest.”

Talon’s eyes softened a bit. He sighed and pulled a

hand through his curly hair. “Don’t make me take that laptop away, woman.” He smiled gently, kissing my forehead with reverence.

“Shush, Talon. I’m literally almost done.” Typing a

final sentence, I saved my dissertation before emailing it to my advisor. “See, officially done with the bulk of the writing.”

Shaking his head, Talon sat next to me. “You’re

staying with me for a few days, okay?”

“Okay. Don’t you have games though? I don’t want

to—”

“If you say burden, I will tackle you. Let’s just say

you’re staying for the little bit of sanity I have left, okay?”

“Fine. How was practice?”

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He sighed loudly, leaning his head against the back

of his couch. Small worry lines etched the corners of his eyes. There were even the faintest of lines around his mouth. Talon looked tired, older than his twenty-eight years. A weight clearly rested heavily on him.

“Practice was brutal. Coach is pushing us hard to

make playoffs. We haven’t been playing at our normal caliber, and it is definitely showing. Really the only guy that looks halfway decent is Zeke. Even he seems to be struggling right now,” he said, keeping his eyes closed. “It sucks too because we are a talented team.”

“Are y’all just in a slump?” Popping my neck, I