The Physics of Limping
Copyright© 2025 by Heel
Chapter 4: The Law of Reaction
Adrian hadn’t expected her to look at him that way.
When he stepped into the hospital room — clutching a get-well card shaped like a parabola (he’d thought it clever at the time) — Sophia’s expression stopped him cold. No dry humor, no tolerant smile. Only pain, tight-jawed anger, and something that felt heavier than either.
Her right leg rested on a stack of pillows, enclosed in a brace that looked equal parts medical device and medieval invention. Metal rods framed the knee, straps and hinges fixed the ankle, and somewhere inside, hidden under gauze and padding, her heel was trying to remember what it meant to exist without agony.
“Don’t,” she said as soon as he opened his mouth. “Just—don’t.”
He froze. The parabola drooped in his hand.
“I only wanted to see if you’re—”
“Fine? I’m not fine.” Her voice broke on the word. “Someone set a trap, Adrian. And half the campus thinks it was you.”
He blinked, stunned. “That’s absurd.”
“Is it?” she shot back. “You were the one who spent weeks analyzing my cast like it was a piece of modern art. Maybe you decided to build your own ... installation.”
For the first time in his life, Adrian found a problem he couldn’t solve with logic. “Sophia, I couldn’t even rig a toaster without starting a small fire. Why would I—”
“Because you think in experiments,” she said bitterly. “Maybe this was just another one.”
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