The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback (Astra and Zayne) novel Chapter 139

Chapter 139

ASTRA

The iron gates glided open with a familiar metallic hum, and the car rolled onto the estate.

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Inside, the house carried its usual late-afternoon rhythm-vacuum humming upstairs, soft laughter drifting from the kitchen.

Then a small tornado rounded the corner.

“Astra!”

Lucas launched himself at me. I barely had time to brace before he slammed into my legs, arms wrapping tight. I laughed, dropping my bag to hug him back.

“Easy, little monster. You’re going to knock me over.”

“You were gone forever!” His voice was muffled against my uniform.

“I was at school.”

“Forever,” he insisted.

Mason appeared behind him, math notebook tucked under one arm, expression as dry as ever. “It was approximately eight hours.”

Lucas shot him a betrayed look. “Traitor.”

I pinched Lucas’s cheek gently, grinning. “I missed you too, you know.”

His face lit up with that proud, gap-toothed smile. “I already finished my spelling.”

“And I finished everything,” Mason added matter-of-factly.

“I know

you did.” I ruffled both their heads. “Come on, let’s finish the rest before dinner.”

Lucas groaned theatrically, the kind of suffering only an eight-year-old could summon. “But…”

“No buts.”

He sighed like the weight of the world sat on his small shoulders, then let me herd them toward the stu room, still bickering the whole way.

I was still smiling to myself when one of the house staff approached, voice soft.

“Miss Astra?”

“Yes?”

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“Mr. Ashton asked me to tell you… your mother has been transferred.”

The words landed strangely. I blinked. “Transferred?”

“To Kingswell Medical Center.”

Kingswell.

One of the most respected private hospitals in the state.

My heart gave a sharp, hopeful lurch.

“Today?” My voice came out smaller than I intended.

“Yes, miss. Arrangements were made this morning.”

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Yesterday she’d still been at St. Mary’s. Today… she was already somewhere better. A rush of warmth flooded my chest so fast my eyes stung. I swallowed hard.

“Can I… see her?”

“Of course.” The staff member offered a gentle smile. “Mr. Ashton said everything is ready whenever you are.”

I stood there, frozen, trying to process it, when a low voice came from the foot of the staircase.

“They don’t waste time.”

Zane leaned against the banister, watching me.

“I’ll drive you.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You heard me.” He pushed off the railing. “Go get changed. I’ll wait.”

“I don’t want to trouble…”

“Astra.” That calm, certain tone again. The one that said the decision was already made. “I’m driving v

Twenty minutes later I came back downstairs in jeans and a light sweater. The twins were already at dinner table, plates half-cleared. I slid in beside Lucas and helped him tackle the last two multiplicati problems while he muttered dramatic complaints.

“Multiplication was invented by evil people.”

“Mathematicians,” I corrected, biting back a laugh.

“Same thing.”

“They’re just numbers, Lucas and please eat your vegetables.”

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He poked at the carrots with deep suspicion. “They’re looking at me.”

“They’re carrots,” Mason said without looking up.

“They know what they did.”

I shook my head, smiling despite myself. “I won’t be long, okay? Be good.”

Lucas nodded seriously. “Tell your mom I said hi.”

“I will.”

“Tell her she’s borrowing my best friend, but only until she gets better.”

My heart melted.

“I’ll tell her.”

The front door opened. Zane stepped in, keys spinning lazily around his finger.

“Ready?”

I nodded, pulse quickening. “Y..yeah.”

គ

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We headed out to the waiting car together. Once I was settled in the passenger seat, the weight of the day finally caught up with me. I pulled out my phone with shaky fingers and opened the banking app.

Mr. Ashton had given me the first $1,000 yesterday.

Before I could overthink it, I sent every dollar straight to the loan account.

*Payment Successful.*

Remaining amount due this month: $2,500.

I stared at the screen, throat tight. In two weeks, another payment from tutoring Zane, another from the taking care of the twins…

For the first time in months, the mountain of debt didn’t feel quite so impossible.

I closed my eyes and let out a slow, trembling breath.

Maybe… just maybe… I was finally starting to breathe again.

*****

The drive stretched in a heavy kind of silence-not awkward, exactly, but thick with everything neither of us wanted to say. Streetlights blurred past the tinted windows as the city shifted around us. Familiar, worn-down blocks gave way to sleek glass towers that gleamed under the dying gold of sunset, their reflections dancing across the hood of Zane’s car.

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He turned beneath a wide stone archway carved with elegant lettering.

KINGSWELL MEDICAL CENTER

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My stomach twisted. The place looked less like a hospital and more like some exclusive resort-polished granite, a fountain whispering softly beneath carefully angled lights, uniformed attendants gliding between arriving cars.

“This is…” I breathed.

“Bigger than St. Mary’s?” Zane finished, a hint of dry humor in his voice.

I managed a weak nod. “A little.”

“A little?” He snorted, pulling into a reserved spot near the entrance. “Trouble, this place looks like a damn five-star hotel.”

It really did. Towering glass doors parted silently as we approached, and the lobby hit me like a wave-soft lighting, fresh flowers on every surface, the faint scent of lavender instead of the usual bite of antiseptic. Nurses moved with quiet efficiency. Everything felt calm. Expensive. My scuffed sneakers suddenly felt painfully out of place on the gleaming marble floors.

Zane noticed. Of course he did.

Without a word, his hand settled lightly against the middle of my back, warm and steady through my shirt. The touch lingered just long enough to loosen the knot in my chest, then slipped away as we stepped up to the reception desk.

The receptionist’s smile was immediate and genuine. “Good evening. How can I help you?”

“I’m here to see my mother,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “Aurelia Hawthorne.”

She typed quickly, then asked for the date of birth. After a moment, her expression softened. “Mrs. Hawthorne was transferred earlier today. She’s settled in comfortably in her room.”

The tight band around my ribs eased a fraction. “Thank you.”

“I’ll have someone escort you up.”

A young nurse appeared moments later and led us through wide, hushed hallways instead of peeling posters. The floors shone under recessed lighting. Every detail s

She stopped outside a private room. “She’s right inside.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. I glanced at Zane.

He gave a small nod, eyes steady on mine. “Go ahead.”

I pushed the door open slowly.

dart

are.

The room took my breath away. A wide window framed the glittering city skyline, the last of the sunset

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spilling warm gold across everything. Fresh lilies perfumed the air from the windowsill. The hospital bed looked plush, almost luxurious, and Mom lay there asleep, her face softer than I’d seen it in months.

For a long moment I just stood there, drinking her in. She looked… peaceful. Healthier. Or maybe that was just the hope clawing its way up my throat.

I crossed to her side on quiet feet and slipped my hand into hers.

“Mom…” I whispered.

Her fingers twitched, then curled weakly around mine. Her eyes fluttered open, hazy at first, before recognition lit them.

“Astra?” A sleepy smile curved her lips. “There you are.”

A soft laugh escaped me, tears burning at the corners of my eyes. “I’m here.”