of the bleachers. Before we got very far, the announcer was asking everyone to leave the gym quietly and calmly to ensure no one else was hurt and so that paramedics could swiftly come in once they arrived. Slowly we made our way on the floor toward Alicia, but were caught up in a large amount of people heading toward the exit. Try as we might, we found that we couldn’t do anything but exit with them.
Once out of the gym, Krissa pulled me over to the far side of the commons near the counseling offices. “Let’s wait here for Jibby to see what’s up,” she insisted. “He might be able to stay with her until the paramedics come.”
Screams of sirens soon pierced the air, and it wasn’t long until we saw an ambulance pull up and paramedics run into the gym with heavy red bags slung over their shoulders; one of them carrying a long orange plastic-looking board I assumed was a stretcher. About ten minutes later, Jibby came strolling out. He scanned the commons and saw Krissa frantically waving and yelling for him to come over.
“What happened?” we demanded in unison once he reached us where we stood by the wall.
“Someone dropped a flashlight, or didn’t catch it, and Alicia slipped on the damn thing and broke her ankle. They’re taking her to the hospital now to get it set. I’m sure someone on the team has tried calling her parents, but maybe you should, too.”
“Shit, you’re right. I’ll call them,” I said, looking around and remembering there was a pay phone around the corner, near the attendance office.
Sprinting to where I knew the phone was, I dug through my purse until I found the right amount of change to put in. Suddenly remembering that her dad was out of town and her mom was working at their jewelry store, I grabbed the phone book and began frantically flipping through it to find the number to the store. When Ashlyn finally picked up, I launched right into the story of how Alicia had been injured and was on her way to the hospital. Krissa and Jibby had joined me by then, waiting patiently beside the payphone as I finished giving Alicia’s mom the details.
“We’ll go from here to the hospital and keep her company until you get there,” I offered. Ashlyn thanked me and said she would be jumping in the car right away.
Hanging up, I turned to Krissa and Jibby. After discussing who didn’t have a car and who had ridden to the performance with whom, it was decided that I would drive us to the hospital. Leading the way with my friends slightly behind me, I listened as Krissa asked Jibby what he was doing out on the floor with Alicia.
“I was assessing the situation. I’m an EMT.”
Hearing Jibby, I had to swallow a gasp at his news. He had never shared this with me and I never would have pegged him for an EMT. The guy was full of surprises. With that in mind, I knew I had to get him alone at the hospital to ask what was up with him and Alicia.
Leafing through magazines and sitting patiently in the waiting room at the hospital while Alicia was having a cast put on her leg, we all looked up when Ashlyn arrived shortly after and hurriedly rushed past us and went in to see her daughter.
“Well, at least it wasn’t both of her feet and she can still drive with her left, unless she has a stick, of course,” Krissa commented.
“It’s an auto, but I don’t think that will make much of a difference with Alicia. She’ll be upset if she’s out the rest of the season for drill.” I reached for a different magazine because the one I’d been flipping through wasn’t very entertaining.
“Be right back, I have to pee.” Krissa got up and trotted off to the bathroom. I waited until she was out of earshot before pouncing on Jibby.
“Jibby,” I started out, looking at him.
“Mia,” he mimicked.
“What’s up with you and Alicia? I saw you staring at her all during the performance today. It also appeared that she didn’t get upset with you helping her.”
“She knows I’m an EMT and I wasn’t trying to get fresh with her.” Jibby studied his fingernails and then looked up at me. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You like her,” I playfully accused.
“What? No, I—,” he stopped short, shaking his head and smiling at me when I raise my eyebrow at him. “Shit.” Running his hand through his long, dark, wavy hair, he added, “I can’t lie to you. Yeah, I like her, I probably never stopped. I want her back and I have for a while.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I got up and sat in a chair closer to where he was. “I could have put in a good word.”
“I don’t know. I figured you had your own shit to deal with, and I wasn’t about to ask you to help me get her back.” Jibby looked up at some commotion by the admitting desk where a lady was refusing to get out of a wheelchair. “I blame you, you know.”
“What? Why?” I crossed my arms in front of my chest.
“You started bringing her around more because you two are a package deal.”
“Don’t you think eventually you would have wanted her back even without me bringing her around?”
Jibby nodded. “She’s still dating James, but I don’t think it’s going that well.” Jibby sat back and stared up at the ceiling.
“How do you know that?”
“Because the weekend before Valentine’s Day we hung out together.”
More than just surprised at this admission, I couldn’t believe Alicia had said nothing to me about that.
“She didn’t tell you, did she?” he guessed, judging my face.
“That was the weekend Jensen was here,” I said, shaking my head no, “and we were both preoccupied with what that brought. So what did she say about James?”
“Just that they didn’t talk as much on the phone anymore, and when they did, they fought.”
“What do they fight about?” For some reason I just hadn’t thought to ask Alicia how things were with her and James. It made me feel a little guilty that I was such a one-sided friend.
“You know, the usual stuff—girls and college life.”
Just then we heard Krissa’s loud voice from the hallway that led to the examining rooms on the first floor. She stood there frantically waving her arms trying to get our attention. “Come on, they’re letting us see Alicia!”
Getting up from our chairs we followed Krissa to the room Alicia was in. The door was wide open, and we could hear her complaining to her mom about the fall she took.
“Knock, knock!” Jibby said, pushing past me and Krissa to be the first one in the room. Alicia’s face lit up.
“Hey, guys!” Alicia looked to her mom right away. “Mom, this is Jibby. He helped me out before the ambulance came, he’s an EMT.” That bodes well for Jibby, Alicia actually introducing him to her mom.
“Wow, that’s impressive. It’s nice to meet you, Jibby. I’m Ashlyn.” She offered her hand and he firmly took it. “Jibby ... interesting. Is that a nickname?” She wasn’t being rude, just curious.
“Yeah, Jeremiah is my real name, but I prefer Jibby,” he replied, kicking the nearest chair leg lightly with his foot like a shy little boy would.
“Your name is familiar. Mia mentioned you before, I think.” Ashlyn looked at me and I nodded to let her know she was right. I didn’t dare look at Alicia for fear she was shooting me daggers for talking about Jibby in front of her parents.
“Well, I’m going to step outside and find a phone where I can call Dan to let him know what happened. I’ll let you four visit.” Ashlyn winked at me as she left.
“You guys can sit on the