I turned my head to look at him and noticed that he was casting a sideways glance in my direction out of the corner of his eye.I gave a shrug and replied, "Perhaps it was the way that we collided.""I thought about that, too," Maxwell responded, "but he didn't hit you there, either."As I turned my back to face the window, I remarked to him, "It's obvious that you have the eyes of a referee." "You are as stupid as a fucking bat. According to the x-ray, I have a broken rib; thus, you must have overlooked something.Maxwell chose not to answer, but he did spin the wheel sharply in order to get us off the freeway and into my driveway. He floored the accelerator and drove us up the steep hill and through the forest on the other side. When he came to a stop near the home, I threw open the door and ran out without stopping to consider. I grimaced in pain and grabbed my side for a whole minute until I regained control of my breathing again.Maxwell circled back around from the opposite side

She positioned herself directly behind the ball and scanned the field, looking alternately to the left and right sides of the net. I lowered myself into a crouch and moved around on my knees for a while.She questioned the number of opportunities given to her, "How many tries do I get?"."In a typical situation, one," I stated, "but because I'm such a nice guy, you can have three."She let out a snort.It's possible that I would have let her kick me all afternoon, but at some point I would have been exhausted. Additionally, it was still a little difficult to breathe.“Okay.”She kicked while bending her knees and bringing her foot back behind her knee. The ball grazed her toe and continued rolling at roughly the same speed as a plastic toy truck designed for a toddler. I ran over there and grabbed it just in time to prevent it from hitting the side bar."Ruth, Ruth, Ruth," I made fun of her three times. "You have to put some muscle behind it!"I approached her while holding the ball,

I responded by telling her, "He just...pushed me away." In the hallway, you'll find an old version of those objects that seem like vanity tables. I took a rib fracture from that. It was my responsibility, not his, that we got into this situation."Sharon remarked, "He pushed you, and you hit a table; and when you hit the table, was that when your rib broke?"“Yeah.”She asked her question in a hushed tone, "How exactly is that your fault?""It's all my fault," I proclaimed at the time. My arms began to constrict around her, and I buried my head in her shoulder as we became closer. "I am to blame for her passing away.""According to my father, it was a car accident.""However, if it weren't for me, she probably wouldn't have been there." I then continued to tell her about an incident in which I had forgotten my gloves and how my mother had gone back to get them.After I had finished, Sharon asserted, "It was a complete accident." "Sometimes it seems like everyone forgets something..."

Before I stepped out of the car and went to knock on Sharon's door, I removed a pair of Ray-Bans from the glove compartment so that I could protect my eyes from the glare of the sun. I began shifting my weight from one foot to the other while simultaneously casting a gaze at the ground below the porch. The second container of mums that I had left for her was ultimately planted in those flowerbeds. As Sheriff Brown answered the door, I flashed him a grin and pondered whether or not I ought to say anything about them.Not what I had anticipated at all."Oh...um...hi," I mumbled incoherently. "I'm here to pick up Sharon," the speaker said."Yeah, I've heard," he muttered under his breath. He gave me an elaborate welcome by throwing his arm out and opening the door all the way for me. As soon as I stepped into the little foyer, I could hear Sharon's footsteps coming up the stairs. "Just so we're clear, I think your little 'plan' is a little bit insane," I said. "For the record."He employ

I reassured myself, "It's okay," as I worked to maintain control of my breathing. "It's really not that bad...it's just that there's a certain spot where I have to hit it, you know?""I don't know," Maxwell stated his uncertainty. "No one has ever broken any of my ribs," she said."Rib," I was the one to correct him. The answer is "only one."“Whatever.” He gave me a moment of his undivided attention as he dusted off the ball and then re-deposited it on the ground. I positioned myself so that I was directly in the middle of the goal and squatted down, observing the tension in his legs and hips and trying to figure out which direction he would move in and which way he would kick the ball."All right, guys—let's get some practice in!" The voice of Coach Wagner could be heard calling out from the sidelines. When I looked over to the stands, I saw Sharon walking up and standing close to the fence beside the bleachers. At that moment, everyone began to line up in the center of the arena.M