The suggestion of a blanket fort was exactly what the night needed- a physical barrier between Annie and a world that felt increasingly sharp. Ellie, ever the practical protector, started raiding the linen closet, hauling in plush duvets and Annie's favorite knitted throws.
Ethan didn't say much, his silence a heavy, protective hum. He moved the furniture in Annie's room with effortless strength, creates a structural skeleton for the fort using the bedframe and a heavy armchair. He draped the blankets over the top, securing them until the room was transformed into a soft, dimly lit sanctuary that smelled of laundry detergent and safety.
"There," Ellie whispered, crawling inside first and arranging a sea of pillows. "No Margarets allowed. No football. Just us."
Annie crawled in next, moving stiffly to keep her ribs from screaming and her sleeves from shifting. Ethan followed last, his large frame taking up most of the remaining space. He'd finally ditched the grass-stained jersey for one of Dylan's old t-shirts he found in the laundry, and without the pads, he looked less like a warrior and more like a boy who was desperately worried about his girl.
They huddled together in the flickering glow of a laptop screen, the blue light reflecting in Annie's tired eyes.
"What are we watching?" Ethan asked, his arm draped naturally behind Annie's head, his fingers occasionally brushing the hair at her temple.
"Something that doesn't require thinking," Ellie decided, scrolling past the dramas. "Old cartoons. The ones where nobody actually gets hurt and everyone lives in a house made of candy."
As the familiar, bouncy theme songs filled the small space, the tension in the room began to thaw.
Ellie kept up a stream of witty commentary, trying to coax a smile out of Annie, while Ethan stayed anchored by Annie's side. He was still hyper-aware, his ears tuned to the sounds of the house- waiting for the front door to creak or a car to pull into the driveway, but for Annie's sake, he stayed still.
Annie leaned her head against Ethan's shoulder. The warmth of him seeped through her hoodie, a stark contrast to the cold tile of the bathroom floor. Underneath her sleeves, the cuts itched and throbbed, but the weight of her two best friends pressing in on either side acted like a different kind of bandage.
"You okay, Doll?" Ethan murmured, using his private nickname for her, his voice vibrating through his chest and into her.
"I am now," Annie lied gently, closing her eyes.
She wasn't okay- she was bruised, bleeding, and grieving, but in the belly of the blanket fort, with the two people who loved her most guarding the entrance, the rest of the world felt a hundred miles away.
The soft hum of a cartoon theme song was interrupted by the sharp, persistent vibration of Ellie's phone against the floorboards. She groaned, squinting at the caller ID.
"It's Riley," she whispered, rolling her eyes. She answered with a hiss. "What do you want? It's late."
"Where are you?" Riley's voice was loud enough to leak out of the speaker, full of his usual high-octane energy. "I looked for you after the game, but you vanished. And man, did you see the second half? It was a disaster! Our star quarterback just pulled a disappearing act at halftime. Vanished! Gone! Poof! Max had to fill in, and let's just say he has the arm strength of a wet noodle. Coach was turning a shade of purple I didn't know existed."
Ethan stiffened beside Annie, his jaw tight, but he didn't say a word. He just kept his arm anchored around her.
"I'm at Annie's, Riley. Calm down," Ellie said.
There was a pause on the other end, then Riley's tone shifted from complaining to pure, bouncy excitement. "You're at Annie's? Like, right now? Is she there? Put her on! Hey, Annie! You were looking literal fire in that big sweater tonight- very 'mysterious forest girl' chic. I was gonna tell you earlier, but Ethan gave me that 'I will end you' look he does."
Riley's voice sped up, his flirtatious nature bubbling over despite his best efforts to be 'respectful' of her grief. "Listen, since you're having a sleepover, does that mean there's snacks? Because I can be there in ten-"
"Riley," Ethan's voice cut in, low and like a warning growl from the shadows of the fort. "Quit it. She's tired, and you're being weird. Hang up."
"Oh! Uh, hey, Cap!" Riley's voice jumped an octave, the sound of a boy who remembered exactly how hard Ethan could hit during practice. "Didn't realize you were... right there. Very cool. Very respectful. I'll just, uh, go eat some cereal. Bye!"
The line went dead, leaving a brief, heavy silence in the fort. But the peace was short-lived. Seconds later, Ethan's own phone began to scream a heavy metal ringtone. He checked the screen, his expression darkening.
"Coach," he muttered. He looked at Annie, his thumb tracing a gentle circle on her shoulder before he reluctantly pulled away. "I have to take this. I'll be right outside the door."
He backed out of the fort, his large frame momentarily blocking the light before he stepped into the hallway. Through the thin wood of the bedroom door, his voice was muffled but sharp.
"Coach... Look, Iknow... I know the score, but I had a family emergency. Something came up that was more important than a game... No, I couldn't call... Look, you can't be serious."
The coach's muffled shouting was audible even from the bed. Ethan's voice grew cold. "I understand. If that's how it has to be, fine. But I'm not apologizing for being where I was needed. Bench me if you have to."
The sound of the call ending was followed by a heavy silence in the hall. Inside the fort, Annie's heart sank. He was losing everything he'd worked for because of her- and he didn't even know the half of what she was hiding under her sleeves.