Goalie Interference (NHL Scorpions) (27 page)

When the three of them returned home, Crystal went directly to her room and stayed there until dinner.

“We have to stop letting her hide in her room, Vlad. I spoke to Julie again. We can let her have time to herself, but she can’t be alone all the time.”

“I was thinking about that, too. After dinner, I think we should sit her down and make her talk to us. I understand that she might need some time alone to process her thoughts, but she’s only eight. She needs to talk to us so we can help her. She needs to know that she can come to me, you know?”

After dinner, which none of them really touched, Vlad suggested grabbing some blankets and sitting out on the deck. The night-time temperature in San Diego only got down to about fifty degrees, so it was rarely too cold to sit outside.

Crystal snuggled herself into one of the lounge chairs while Zoe and Vlad sat in two of the chairs that surrounded the round table, facing her.

“How are you feeling, Crystal?” Vlad started the conversation.

“Fine.”

“Crystal, you’re not fine. Your eye’s swollen shut, you have bruises all over, and you have a cut on your lip.” Vlad placed his hands on the table and leaned forward. “Honey, we need you to talk to us about this. I want to know what you’re feeling. We want to help you if we can.”

Crystal was shifting her legs around and picking at the blanket. “I don’t know what you want me to say. Everybody hates me. Hates me!” She kicked the blanket off and stood up with her hands on her hips. “Nobody wants to be my friend. They all talk about me. You don’t know what it’s like. I hate it here!” She was screaming by the time she was done.

Vlad got up and walked over to her, but before he reached her, she bolted for the door. “Crystal, wait.”

She looked at him and then opened the door and ran up to her bedroom, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the windows.

Vlad hung his head in defeat. “Goddammit. How do I get through to her?”

“Well, Julie said we’re doing what we’re supposed to. We keep talking to her while letting her have some time alone. There’s no exact right way, Vlad. We have to figure out what works for her. If it’s okay with you, I’m going to see if she’ll talk to me.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Zoe gently knocked on Crystal’s door. “Crystal? Can I come in?” She tried the knob, but it was locked. “Crystal, let me in please.” She could hear her banging drawers and thought maybe she was in the bathroom, so she knocked on that door.

“Crystal? I want to talk to you, open the door please.”

Crystal swung the door open and went back into her room to sit on the bed, clutching a pillow. “What?”

“I know you’re upset and you’re not feeling well, but you have to talk to us, sweetheart.”

“Why? You have no idea how it is. My mother is dead. That’s what all the kids say. I’m a freak because my mother’s dead.” Tears leaked out of her eyes, but she continued. “They say … they say …”

Zoe sat down next to her and put her arm around her. “They say what, honey?”

“They say I killed her! They say I’m so stupid and ugly that she didn’t want to be here with me anymore, so she died!” Crystal laid her head against Zoe’s chest and wept.

Vlad was standing at the door listening, his heart breaking. “Crystal, your mother loved you more than anything in the world. She would have never left you if she had a choice. You know that, don’t you?” He walked over and sat on her other side.

Crystal lifted her head up and pushed herself out of Zoe’s arms. “I know, but when they keep saying it, I think maybe it’s true. They’re so mean. I don’t know why.”

“I don’t know why either. But I do know that your mother loved you, I love you, and Zoe loves you. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Do I have to go to school tomorrow? They’ll all be even madder at me for getting Veronica and the other girls thrown out of school. I don’t ever want to go back!” She flung herself back down on her bed and started crying again.

Vlad knew she needed to go to school, but he didn’t have it in him to make her. “No, you don’t have to go tomorrow, but you do have to go back. You never know, maybe the other kids will be happier now that those nasty girls are gone. I’m sure you’re not the only kid they’ve tormented.”

“No, I’m not. There are a couple of other girls who told me they bother them, too. But they won’t hang around with me. They’re afraid to.” Crystal had stopped crying, but she had the hiccups. “I’m really tired. Can I go to bed now?”

“Sure.”

As they were leaving, Zoe cried out. “Ouch!” She looked down and saw a thumbtack sticking out of her bare foot.

Crystal was up in a flash, grabbing the tack from Zoe. “I’m sorry, it must have slipped out of my school bag.” She tugged on her sleeves, as was her habit, and hurried back into bed.

Zoe rubbed her toe, watching Crystal hop in bed. “Okay. Goodnight, Crystal.”

Vlad walked over and tucked her in. He kissed her on the forehead and told her he loved her. She didn’t say anything back and was fast asleep when Vlad checked on her an hour later.

Sunshine was just starting to peek through the curtains when Vlad rolled over and covered Zoe’s body with his. He nuzzled her neck and stroked his hand over her hip.

“Open your eyes.” He gave her a nip that had her squirming against him. “Give me some lovin’ before the little one wakes up.” He ground himself against her, making sure she knew he was ready when she was.

“No kissing.”

“Yes, I know the tooth brushing rule. Now, shut up and feel me.” He let his hands glide over her, teasing all the way.

“Don’t tease me. I’ve been lying here for almost an hour thinking about you. I’m ready.” She shifted so that he was more fully on top of her and spread her legs.

“I love when you do that.” He slid deep inside her. “Morning sex is the best.”

Zoe wrapped her legs around him and arched her back, silently agreeing with him. She suddenly pushed her hands against his chest. “Stop!” she whispered urgently.

“Why?” he whispered back, slowly moving inside her.

“Oh God. Stop doing that for a second. I thought I heard something.”

He stopped but let out a disgruntled groan. “It’s too early. I’m sure Crystal’s not awake yet.” After a minute he resumed his thrusting, but Zoe stopped him again.

“No, Vlad. Stop.” She pushed him off her and got up, putting her robe on.

Vlad punched his pillow. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to check on Crystal. Keep your pants on.” Seeing the sheet standing up about seven inches or so, she amended her instructions. “Well, keep your sheet on. I’ll be right back.”

Zoe quietly tiptoed to Crystal’s room and found her still deep asleep. She went back into their bedroom, locked the door, and dropped her robe. “Follow me.”

Vlad followed her into the bathroom and watched as she turned the shower on, along with the ventilation fan for some added background noise. She stepped into the shower and motioned for him to follow.

Once inside the shower, Vlad picked her up and entered her in one swift motion as she wrapped her legs around him.

Between gasping breaths, Zoe asked, “Is your hip okay like this?”

“Uh huh.” He backed her against the wall and she let out a squeak as she hit the cold tiles. “Sorry,” he mumbled into her neck. He squeezed his hands tighter on her ass and thrust harder. All was forgiven.

Zoe was enjoying herself, but she was worried about Vlad’s hip. She slowed him down with a hand to his chest and slowly unlocked her legs from him.

“What are you doing?”

“Shhh.” She put a finger to his lips and slid the rest of the way down his body. “I think this might be a little more comfortable for you. Believe me, you’ll make it up to me.”

“Zoe, you know I love—oh God.” His hands went right to her head, and his fingers threaded through her hair. “No, wait. I want it to be good for you, too.” She kept moving her mouth on him. “God, Zoe. You have to stop. Ah, sweetheart. Fuck, never mind. Don’t stop.”

And she didn’t.

Later that morning, Zoe was cleaning Crystal’s bathroom when she came across a strange sight. One of her razors was in the bath tub, and it had blood on it. “Crystal?” Zoe walked out of the bathroom. “Crystal?”

“What?” Crystal was sitting on the floor beside her bed, holding a book, but not reading it.

The pink razor caught Crystal’s eye, and Zoe saw a fleeting look of panic move across her face. “Why do you have my razor, and why is there blood on it?”

“I was just playing. I guess I cut myself. It’s okay.”

“Let me see. Do you need a bandage?”

She moved away when Zoe got closer. “Zoe, I’m fine. I don’t know why I picked up your razor. I’m sorry, I won’t do it again. Can I finish my homework please? If I have to go back to school, I have to read ten more pages.”

Zoe thought that maybe Crystal needed a break from interrogation, so she left her alone to finish her reading. She found Vlad in the kitchen stirring a cup of coffee.

“Hey. I found my razor in Crystal’s bathroom. She said she was bored and wanted to try it, but she wouldn’t show me her leg. She said she put a bandage on it.”

“Where is she now?”

“Still in her room, reading. At least she says she’s reading. I don’t know that I believe her. Honestly, Vlad. I don’t know what to do about her. Everything I read says to give her time. I know she’s only been here for a little less than a month, but she seems to be getting worse instead of better.”

“I know. I have my last physical therapy session with the ice queen today. I reserved a suite for the Leafs game on Sunday, like we talked about. Tracey’s daughter is eight years old, too. I thought maybe she and Crystal might become friends. Who knows? Her daughter goes to a private school. I want to talk to Tracey about that. What do you think?”

“I think if you keep calling the poor woman ‘the ice queen’, she’s not going to want to help you.” Zoe laughed. She knew Vlad would have picked Tracey over every other therapist there
because
she was so hard on him.

“You’ll understand when you meet her. Wait until you hear her talk about how good the Leafs’ goalie is. It’s all she talked about. She says his five hole is non-existent; he covers the corners of the net perfectly. It’s disgusting. He’s not that good. My record was
way
better than his last year.”

“Wow, she really does push your buttons, doesn’t she? I love it.”

Vlad rolled his eyes at her. “Whatever. So, do you think Crystal will want to go? She said once before that she might want to watch hockey.”

Zoe thought about it for a minute. “Well, there’s a game on tonight. The Scorpions are playing the Red Wings. Why don’t we watch that?”

“Okay. Let’s make a night of it. I’ll bring home crappy, greasy food for dinner. We’ll have a party.”

“Sounds good. Will you be home normal time or are you setting up teams tonight?”

“I’ll be home normal time. Jody wants to wait until it gets closer to our first game to pick teams.” They had so many kids sign up for the youth league that they had to form two complete teams. They wanted to make sure the talent was spread between them.