Tom heard voices before he opened his eyes.
They sounded far away at first, like he was still dreaming or underwater. His head felt heavy and slow. For a few seconds he didn't move. He just lay there, trying to remember what was going on.
Then it came back.
Practice.
Walking.
Everything going black.
His eyes opened quickly.
The ceiling above him was white. Plain. Definitely not his room. He blinked a few times, trying to focus. The lights were bright and made his eyes feel uncomfortable.
He tried to sit up.
The room spun slightly, and he dropped back onto the bed.
"Easy."
Tom turned his head. Coach Blunt was sitting next to the bed. He didn't look angry like usual. He looked worried, which was strange.
"What happened?" Tom asked.
"You collapsed," Coach Blunt said.
Tom frowned. "Collapsed?"
"Yes. One second you were walking, next second you were on the ground."
Tom stared at him. That didn't sound right.
"I didn't trip."
"No one said you tripped."
Tom stayed quiet.
"How long was I out?" he asked.
"Long enough."
"That doesn't answer the question."
"Long enough to scare everyone."
Tom didn't like the way that sounded.
A nurse walked into the room a moment later. She carried a tray and moved like everything was completely normal.
"You're awake. Good," she said.
Tom nodded slightly.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine."
She gave a small smile. "Any dizziness?"
"A bit."
"Headache?"
"No."
"Nausea?"
"No."
She checked something on a machine beside the bed. Tom hadn't even noticed it before.
"We're going to run a few checks," she said.
Tom immediately shook his head. "Why?"
"Standard."
"For fainting?"
"For collapsing during practice."
"I don't need checks."
Coach Blunt answered for her. "Yes, you do."
Tom sighed but didn't argue further. His head still felt strange, and he didn't feel like fighting anyone.
The next while was just tests and questions.
Nothing exciting. Mostly annoying.
Had he eaten? Yes.
Had he slept? Yes.
Any medical problems? No.
Any history of fainting? No.
Everything felt pointless. He wasn't hurt. He hadn't been hit. He had just been walking.
Eventually the doctor seemed satisfied.
"You should rest today," he said.
"I have a game in two days."
"Rest anyway."
Tom didn't like that answer.
By the time he left the clinic, practice was over.
The field was empty. No players, no noise. Just quiet. It felt weird seeing it like that when it should have been full of movement.
Tyler was standing near the gate.
"You good?" Tyler asked.
"Yeah."
"You don't look good."
"I'm fine."
Tyler crossed his arms. "Coach said you just dropped."
"I didn't drop."
"You know what I mean."
Tom kept walking. Tyler followed.
"It was nothing," Tom said.
"You were unconscious."
"For like a few seconds."
"Longer than that."
Tom stopped. "Why is everyone acting like this is a big deal?"
Tyler shrugged. "Because it is."
"It's not."
"You don't just collapse for fun."
Tom didn't answer.
After a few seconds he started walking again.
The rest of the walk was mostly quiet.
Tom didn't like that either. Normally he and Tyler talked nonstop. Today his thoughts kept drifting back to the same thing.
He didn't remember feeling dizzy before blacking out.
It had just happened.
That part bothered him.
That night, sleep didn't come easily.
Tom lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He wasn't tired in the usual way. Just restless. His head still felt slightly off, like he wasn't completely focused.
After a while, he sat up.
There was a car outside.
Parked across the street.
Engine off.
Tom looked at it for a few seconds.
Someone might have been inside. Hard to tell.
He kept watching.
Nothing happened.
Eventually he lay back down.
When he checked later, the car was gone.
He told himself it didn't matter.
But it stayed in his mind anyway.
Tom didn't sleep well after that.
And for the first time in a long time, he wasn't thinking about football.
He was thinking about how none of this made sense.
Something about the day felt wrong.
He just didn't know why.