"Hey man, good job today." Chase jogs over to me, patting my back, the both of us covered in sweat. "Shower up, and we'll go for a late lunch." I nod and pick up my things, walking slowly over towards the locker rooms. I open my locker and pull out my towel, replacing it with my water bottle, cleats and clothes. Most of the team is already in here showering, and I claim a stall, turning on the water and hanging my towel on one of the hooks.

"Heard you beat the shit out of a frat guy last night," Luke says to me from the stall beside mine. Mindless chatter goes on all throughout the shower room.

"What's it to you?" I ask and he shrugs.

"Heard it was over a girl. Didn't sound like something you'd do."

"Because it isn't," I say defensively and he backs off with a knowing smile. I finish up and dry off, throwing on my clothes and towel drying my hair. Chase is waiting outside for me with Faye, Aurora, her friend Kiki, Crystal, a few other cheerleaders I recognize, and a few other guys on the team.

Chase wraps his arm around Aurora and leads her to his truck, everybody taking their separate cars and I climb into my Escalade, looking through the window at Aurora sitting in the passenger seat, the truck in the parking spot to the left of mine. Chase reverses out of the spot and I follow behind him. We end up at Pretty's, a diner on the beach that we frequent.

We get directed to our usual table and I take the seat across from Aurora, with Chase and Kiki sitting on either side of her. Everyone orders without looking at their menus and Aurora orders a salad, like the rest of the cheerleaders. I periodically glance up at her, and whenever she catches me, she darts her eyes away to look at anything else.

Conversations ensue and I don't bother to join in. The waitress interrupts a chat between Aurora and Faye as she brings us all our food. Everybody digs in, starving after practice. I notice Aurora picking at her salad, and I kick her leg under the table. She looks up at me surprised and I nod at her food. She shrugs and I give her an unimpressed look. She glares at me as she takes a single bite.

I watch her the whole time, her hair golden in the warm lighting. The sun illuminating her like an angel. Her hands are shaking and she moves them onto her lap. "I'm knackered, will you take me back, Chase?" He nods and holds up a finger, gesturing for her to wait. The longer I look at her the more unwell she begins to look; her skin has taken on a blue tinge, where it's usually pink, making her somehow more pale than before.

"I'll take her, I'm leaving now," I say to Chase and he nods and thanks me, saying a quick goodbye and returning to his conversation, everyone else at the table is oblivious to Aurora's current state.

Walking around to her side of the table, I hold her arm gently, throwing a few bills down on the table and leading her out the door. I wait until we're outside to turn and face her. "Aurora, are you okay?"

She nods. "Yeah, I just got dizzy all of a sudden. I reckon I'll be fine after a nap." She says, but I'm unconvinced. I help her into the car and watch her lean her forehead against the window and close her green eyes.

When I pull up to the house, I park right outside the front door and help her out of the vehicle, and up the stairs because she's unbalanced on her feet. Not letting go of her until she is outside of her own room.

"Let me know if you need anything. I mean it. I'll be in my room," I say and she nods. I go down to the kitchen to get a glass of water and a snack for her, bringing it back up. Knocking on her bedroom door, I receive no answer. I slowly open it and walk in, nothing. I set the glass and snack down on the bedside. My head whips to the door when I hear a loud thud come from the direction of the hallway. I run out and listen again but only hear the sound of the shower water running in our bathroom. I quickly walk over and listen through the door. Trying the handle, it's locked. I knock. "Aurora? You okay?" I shout through the door but don't receive a reply. She should be able to hear me. I repeat myself louder but still receive nothing in response. I keep knocking on the door, drawing the attention of Reece who came straight home from practice.

"What's going on?" He asks, and I start to worry.

"She won't answer, back up," I say sternly and he listens. I kick the door directly beside the lock and the wood splinters. I do it again, causing the door to fly open. Reece waits in the doorway and I see Aurora's pale arm draped over the side of the tub. A few guys exit their rooms from the commotion and I make sure the shower curtain hides her body from any curious eyes.

"Call an ambulance Reece, and get Chase to meet us at the hospital." I demand and he runs to get his phone. Turning off the water, I check Aurora's pulse. Thank god. It's weak but there. I check her head, holding it gently in my hands and see blood on the side of it and the tub. She must have hit it when she fell.

I step into the tub and rip off my black shirt, draping it over her wet, naked body without moving her or the curtain. I wait for the paramedics impatiently. Glancing at the guys crowding around the door, I block the sight of her body with my own.

"Get out and close your fucking eyes," I growl, not wanting any of them to see her so vulnerable. Reece leads the paramedics to the bathroom and I step out, letting them do their job. They tell me I did a good job not to move her and load her up onto a stretcher, covering her with a blanket. I follow them and insist on being in the ambulance.

"I'm her brother," I say when they ask my relationship to her, cringing as the words leave my mouth. They look dubious but don't question it any further. I hold her hand, my heart racing as I stare at her, unconscious. Her naked body covered by a blue blanket.

"It's most likely just a minor concussion." One of the paramedics reassures me and I nod. When we arrive at the hospital, they make me wait in the waiting room while she's rushed to get an emergency head CT.

A little while later, Chase sprints through the doors and rushes to the front desk, frantic.

"Hey," I greet him and he deflates.

"What—"

"She passed out in the shower, I heard. She hit her head pretty bad but they think she'll be okay." I tell him and he nods, wringing his hands nervously.

"Thanks, man, you've no idea." He shakes his head, patting my back in gratitude.

I have a better understanding of how he feels than he realizes.