For a moment she genuinely believed she had misheard.
“Three weeks?”
Cameron nodded.
Nia stared.
“You've been playing on an injured knee for three weeks?”
“I don't know if it's injured.”
“You have been limping?”
“A little.”
“You told me your shoes were bothering you.”
Cameron looked away.
Her stomach dropped.
Two Tuesdays earlier she had watched him cross the kitchen after practice with a slight hitch in his step.
“What happened?”
she asked.
“New shoes.”
he said.
She believed him.
The new shoes were real.
He had complained about them before.
Nia looked toward Marcus.
“Did you know?”
His face tightened.
“Not for three weeks.”
“When did you know?”
“Today.”
“When?”
“Second quarter.”
Nia felt heat rise.
“And you left him in?”
“No.”
Marcus’s answer came immediately.
“I took him out as soon as I knew.”
Nia looked at Cameron.
“Then what happened?”
The boy swallowed.
Eli answered.
“His knee gave out.”
Nia turned.
Eli continued.
“He was cutting toward the basket.”
“He planted.”
“Then he went down.”
Nia’s breathing changed.
“Did you touch him?”
“No.”
Cameron whispered:
“He caught me.”
Nia went still.
“What?”
Cameron finally looked directly at her.
“Eli caught me.”
The gym noise disappeared.
Not literally.
Nia simply stopped hearing it.
Cameron continued.
“I was falling.”
“Eli grabbed me.”
“He hurt his wrist.”
Nia’s eyes moved toward Eli’s swollen hand.
The boy stared back.
No triumph.
No satisfaction.
Just hurt.
Nia looked at Marcus.
He nodded.
“That is what happened.”
The story she built in her head collapsed so fast it left her embarrassed before she had time to become relieved.
She looked at Eli.
“I…”
Nothing useful came.
Eli glanced away.
Nia tried again.
“I’m sorry.”
He did not answer.
Specific.
She needed specific.
“I’m sorry I accused you before I knew what happened.”
Eli looked back.
Nia continued.
“And I’m sorry I touched your wrist after you told me not to.”
His face softened slightly.
Not much.
“Okay.”
Not forgiveness.
Not acceptance.
Enough for the moment.
Then Nia turned toward Cameron.
“Why didn't you tell me your knee was hurting?”
His face changed again.
Fear.
Not of injury.
Of answer.
Marcus noticed.
So did Nia.
“Cam.”