Free Blur (Blur Trilogy) by Steven James Page B

Well, an yw a y. I’m sure whoever yo u ask will sa y ye s.”
    “Oka y, ” was all Daniel could think to sa y.
    “You sure yo u’re alright?” She looked like she was about to reach over and touch his arm, but held back. “I was worried about yo u.”
    “Reall y, Nicole. I am. Trust me.”
    Yeah, but I did see Emil y again, this time during the game. Oh, and b y the wa y, sometimes she talks to me too. So it’s not like I’m losing it or an yt hing. Nothing like that.
    “So,” Nicole said uncertainl y, “we’re cool?”
    “We’re cool.”
    Remember what K yl e said? Don’t discount her. Going to homecoming with her would be—
    Coach Warner caught his attention from the edge of the parking lot.
    “Great.” It was clear b y Nicole’s tone how relieved she felt. “That’s awesome.”
    “I’ll see yo u later.”
    Daniel’s coach started toward him, looking frustrated, and Daniel had the sense that it wasn’t just from them losing their homecoming game.
    After Nicole told him one more time that she was glad he was oka y, Daniel excused himself to talk to his coach to find out what was up.

CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
    “He y, I saw yo u talking with the scout from Ohio State. That go alright?”
    “It was good,” Daniel replied. “He said he’d contact me this week, check up, see if m y head’s feeling better. But it alread y is. It feels fine.”
    “Glad to hear that.” His gaze slipped past Daniel toward the school. “Listen, yo u know procedure, Daniel. Jumping through the hoops. It’s all about liabilit y issues these da ys . The school board, the law ye rs.”
    “Procedure?”
    Coach Warner glanced to the left. One of the paramedics had driven the ambulance around the edge of the field and was on his wa y to their end of the parking lot.
    “No, Coach. You’re not serious.”
    “Just bear with it. Get yo ur head looked over, get home, get some rest. You pla ye d well tonight. Nothing to be ashamed of. Now take care of yo urself. We face the Bulldogs next week and I’m going to need yo u on yo ur A game.”
    “I will be.”
    Daniel took a second to mentall y shift gears and get read y for this.
    While he was on his wa y to the ambulance, K yl e jogged over and met up with him. “Dude, yo u got slobberknocked out there.”
    “Yeah. No kidding.”
    “You need me to give yo u a ride home or an yt hing?”
    He pointed at the ambulance. “The y want to check me over at the hospital, but ma yb e yo u could meet me there, bring me back here to pick up m y car afterward?”
    Daniel’s dad was on his wa y toward them.
    “Done. Or I could just take yo u to yo ur place when yo u’re finished and we could grab yo ur car in the morning.”
    “Either wa y works.”
    As Daniel was boarding the ambulance, Coach Warner and the paramedic explained to his father what was going on.
    He left for his squad car. “I’ll follow yo u to the hospital.”
    Thankfull y, the emergenc y room visit didn’t end up being too big a deal. The docs told Daniel he needed to take it eas y for a couple da ys and to ice his head and take some Advil if it was still hurting.
    The y emphasized that he was not to drive tonight, but cleared him for practice on Monda y, as long as he didn’t have an y recurring headaches.
    Daniel’s dad had to answer a call from the station, so he oka ye d K yl e’s driving him back to the house. The y decided one of them would shuttle Daniel over in the morning to pick up his car from school.
    B y the time K yl e pulled up to the curb in front of Daniel’s house it was nearl y eleven o’clock.
    Daniel climbed out.
    “Text me tomorrow,” K yl e said.
    “I will.”
    The night had grown colder. The air felt heav y and raw, as if winter were gnawing at autumn, anxious to move in and take its place.
    K yl e left, and as Daniel was walking up the drivewa y to his house he saw movement in the shadows near the garage.
    He froze.
    A wave of apprehension swept over him as he remembered the vision