For the Rush (Playing for Keeps #3) (11 page)

Holden

The energy radiating through the stadium was contagious. It was so thick you could feel it like a tangible thing. As our team took to the field, my heart raced. We were playing our rival team tonight, and I wanted to win so bad I could hardly stand it. Victory was just within my reach, and it would be so sweet.

Ryan jogged beside me in his football gear, his expression unreadable. I expected him to be cocky tonight, but ever since he’d stepped into the locker room his demeanor had been off. Something had happened, and if I had to take a guess I would say he had a run-in with his dad before coming here. I knew better than to press him about it though, so I’d help him the only way I could.

“Ready to kick some ass?” I shouted through my helmet.

“Hell yeah.” Turning to me, he flashed a confident smile. “I’m gonna wipe the floor with Kade and his drones.”

I chuckled, slapping him on the back. Sawyer jogged up beside us.

“Hey, Riddles,” Ryan greeted him.

“Did you see the new guy?” Sawyer asked. “He’s huge.”

My chest tightened.
The secret weapon Kade bragged about?
I raised an eyebrow toward Ryan.

Ryan turned around, scouring the field. “Doesn’t matter. We can take all of those losers.”

I nodded, his confidence buoying me. No matter what happened, Ryan always had my back. There was nothing to worry about. My cleats crunched on the turf as I got in position. When my gaze lifted to the stands, I caught sight of Chloe standing near the fence wearing her marching band uniform. I threw her a smile and a wave, and was satisfied when she returned it. We’d been inseparable all week, but I felt like I could never get enough of her. Ryan had given me shit about it until I warned him to back off. Since then he’d avoided the subject. I knew we’d have to discuss it at some point, but I was in no hurry. Chloe and Ryan were like oil and water. They did not mix. I wasn’t sure they ever would. I wanted them to, but they were both so damned stubborn. But I figured once Ryan realized how serious I was about Chloe he’d come around. It’s like I said, he always had my back – on and off the field.

The game got off to a great start, and we picked up an early lead. I was feeling pretty good about it until Kade caught up to me.

“Don’t get too cocky, Drop ‘em.” He nudged me.

I moved away from him. “Want me to get you a pair of glasses so you can see the scoreboard?”

“Oh, I can read just fine, thanks.” Kade wore a smug smile. It was like he knew something I didn’t, and it made my stomach sour. I watched him as he jogged toward his teammates. When he reached them he said something, and a few of them glanced over at me. The sick grins on their faces confirmed my fears. Something was going down, and it wasn’t going to be good. A stone descended in my gut as I palmed the ball. The large guy that Sawyer had mentioned honed in on me, narrowing his eyes. Finding Ryan, I nodded my head toward the new guy, hoping he’d read my expression. He bobbed his head back as if he caught my meaning, and I prayed he had.

This time I didn’t throw it to Ryan. He was open and in a perfect position to catch the ball, but something kept me from doing that. Instead I threw it to Sawyer who thankfully, caught it and took off running, a trail of players in his wake. He was fast and he zipped in and out of them with ease. My lips curled upward watching him. Out of the corner of my eye, movement caught my attention. My head snapped toward it. The new, big guy was rushing toward me, and I was blinded by momentary confusion. What the hell? I didn’t have the ball. My heart sank. This wasn’t about the ball. It was about me.

Their plan was to take me out.

I’d never been seriously injured. Guys had tried to take me out, but had never been successful. And I sure as hell wasn’t going down this way. Not in my last high school season. And sure as hell not while playing this team.

Taking a deep breath, I moved out of the way, but the guy was still coming toward me. My insides coiled. He was a freaking tank. If he got me, he’d kill me. And I wasn’t sure if I could get away from him. He was on a mission and he seemed intent on his target. Also, he was freakishly fast for a big guy. At the moment that I thought his body would slam into mine, there was a flash of orange and black so fast it blurred past. There was a grunt and snap as the big guy fell on top of someone. Regaining my composure, I stared down at the ground in front of me. Ryan lie beneath the big guy, his face contorted in pain.

Shit.

After that everything seemed to happen in slow motion. A whistle blew out, a ref taking the field. When the big guy moved away, I knelt beside Ryan. He was grunting, his leg bent at a funny angle.

“You okay, Ry?”

He grinned, but it was clearly forced. “Never better.”

“Shit, man. What the hell happened?” I glanced up to see our Coaches hurrying in our direction.

“Told you I’d have your back, man.” Ryan nudged my knee with his hand.

I nodded. It was why I put up with so much when it came to him. We’d always had each other’s backs. I could count on him in a way I’d never been able to count on anyone else. He may have been an ass most of the time, but he was always around when I needed him. Unlike my dad who had abandoned me. I’d never worried that Ryan would do that. Scrambling up off the ground, I moved out of the way when the Coaches attended to Ryan. Pretty soon, a stretcher was brought out and he was carried out of the stadium to the backdrop of cheers.

Running a hand over my head, I searched the field for Kade. When my gaze landed on him, I glared hard. This meant war. And I was out for blood.

Chloe

I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

The way he took command on the field was possibly the sexiest thing I’d ever seen in my life. I promised him I’d change into my uniform early and try to catch some of the game before the halftime show. But what he didn’t realize was that he never had to ask. I was planning to watch him no matter what. It was thrilling to see him in his element. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. When he threw the ball, I knew the rest of the spectators followed where it went. I could hear the shouts of cheer and encouragement to the guy who caught it. But my eyes never left Holden. I loved the way his muscles flexed when he threw. Loved the way he looked in his uniform.

The volume rose around me, but still I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Holden. As I watched him, his demeanor changed, his body tensing. I couldn’t really see his face through his helmet, but I could read his stance. Something was wrong. When I followed his stare I saw a humongous guy charging him.  My pulse quickened. What was happening? I didn’t know much about football, but I was pretty sure the only guy that was supposed to get tackled was the guy with the ball. And Holden had released the ball already. Irrationally, I contemplated hollering that out. I imagined it would be something like, “No. He doesn’t have the ball. Go the other way!”

However, I had a sneaking suspicion that Big Guy knew Holden didn’t have the ball. Yet, that wasn’t stopping him. Judging by Holden’s reaction, I could tell he knew it too. I stepped forward, momentarily thinking I would race out onto the field to protect him, but I knew that was stupid. One, I wouldn’t get to him in time. Two, what the hell would I do if I did? If Holden wasn’t a match for this guy, then I certainly wasn’t either.

I cringed as Big Guy neared Holden. Holding my breath, I prayed he’d be all right. At that very moment, I saw Ryan race toward Holden and Big Guy. Like a superhero he whisked in between them, taking the brunt of the hit. I winced as Big Guy and Ryan fell to the ground.

As Holden fell to his knees beside his friend, it was the first time I’d understood their friendship. In fact, I’d never seen anything like it. There was no reason for Ryan to step in and take that hit. Actually, there was no reason for him to even be on that side of the field. The rest of the team was following the ball while Ryan was busy protecting Holden. I remembered the conversation Holden and I had in the parking lot the afternoon he asked me for another chance. He told me I didn’t know Ryan. That I didn’t understand their relationship. And he was right. Things aren’t always black and white when it comes to people. We all have many shades and colors, many experiences and attitudes that have shaped us.

I felt guilty for the relief I felt that Holden hadn’t been injured. Football meant so much to him, and I didn’t want him to lose that. As they wheeled Ryan past me, I felt a rush of gratitude toward him. Without thinking, I raced forward, catching up with the stretcher.

“Ryan!” I called out.

His head rolled toward me, confusion clouding his eyes. “Yeah?”

I stopped short, wondering what I was doing. We’d never even had a conversation before. But I felt like I needed to say something. “That was really cool what you did out there.”

“I’d do anything for Holden. He knows that.” His words weren’t exactly friendly. In fact, he sounded more annoyed with me than anything. Still, I was grateful.

“Well, thank you.” Gently, I placed my hand on his arm.

He furrowed his brows as the guys carrying him moved forward. My hand slipped off his arm as they walked. When I glanced up, I saw Preston standing a few feet away watching me with a hard expression. I sighed and headed over to him.

“Hey,” I said.

“So, first Holden, and now Ryan, huh?” His tone was bitter, his mouth curving downward.

“I’m not dating Ryan, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“No, but clearly you’re friends with him.”

“Not friends,” I answered. “I guess I just saw him in a different light tonight.”

“Why?” Preston scrunched up his nose. “Because he took a hit? He’s a football player. It’s what they do.”

“I just think there’s more to him than what we think. Maybe he’s not the person we thought he was.”

“Well, you’re definitely not who I thought you were.”

My head swiveled in his direction. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You said you were my friend. That you would help me. But that was a lie.” When he shoved past me, his shoulder slammed into mine, causing my teeth to slam into my lip. Shock ripped through me, and the metal taste of blood filled my mouth.

“Pres,” I called after him.

“Just leave me alone.” He waved his hand behind his back.

“C’mon.” I followed him.

“I mean it. You’ve chosen your side.” His eyes darkened, and I took a step back. Something about his expression scared me, and I allowed him to walk away. Hugging myself, a shiver ran up my spine.

Ryan broke his leg and was out for the rest of the season. Holden was pretty upset about it all weekend. I did my best to comfort him, but I wasn’t sure how successful I was. However, I had fun trying. Especially when it involved kissing.

Kissing Holden had pretty much become my favorite pastime. In fact, it’s what I was thinking about during lunchtime as Holden ate his sandwich beside me. We were sitting at the band table, and Jasmine and Gianna were talking about some youtuber they were into. I was too busy staring at Holden’s lips to concentrate on anything else. After wiping his mouth with a napkin, he glanced up at me, a knowing smile on his face.

“Watcha thinking about?” He asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I joked back.

“Yes, actually I would.”

I leaned forward, about to confess when a shot rang out.

It seemed so surreal at first that I almost thought it was an explosion, like it was a science experiment gone wrong or something. But then I heard screaming, a flurry of activity, and dread sank into my gut. I’d heard of school shootings before, watched the news about them even. I saw the kids filing out of the school, covering their heads, tears streaming down their faces. But it always happened in faraway states, in schools I’d never heard of. I felt removed from it, like it could never happen to me. Like it only happened to other people. People in my television set, not in real everyday life. But this was real, everyday life. This was my life. This was my school.

And I couldn’t believe this was happening.

Fear was not something I was super familiar with. I’d never experienced any real trauma in my life. All of my grandparents and family members were still alive. I’d lost a few people I’d known over the years to cancer or old age, but they were mostly acquaintances. Never had I lost anyone I was close with. And my home life was relatively drama free. My parents were too overprotective to let much happen. One year my brother attempted to be rebellious by sneaking out a couple of times and going to a party with friends. But my dad caught him the second time and he was grounded so long he never tried it again. We’d always lived in suburban communities where petty theft and home invasions were the scariest crimes committed. Rarely had I even heard of murders happening, and I’d never heard a gunshot.

Not until today.

Students sprang into action around me. Some of them leapt under the tables, cowering, while others ran for the doors. A few of the lunch ladies started shouting instructions, but I couldn’t hear a word they said over all of the chaos and noise.

Holden jumped up, swinging around. “Oh my god! Ryan!”

I followed his gaze. Sure enough, Ryan was slumped over the cafeteria table, dark black blood pooling around him. The students who had been sitting near him were spattered with blood, almost like someone had taken a paint brush and flung it at them. My hand flew to my mouth, bile rising in my throat.

Holden’s warm hand lowered to my arm. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

I nodded. My breath was labored as he raced toward his friend. Fighting to breathe, my gaze bobbed to a boy standing near Ryan, a gun in his hand.

“Oh, my god.” The air completely left me now, dizziness sweeping over me. As if by its own volition my body moved forward. Jasmine and Gianna’s voices called after me, beckoning me to get out of here, but I couldn’t stop myself. I felt like I was in a dream and had no control over my actions. Everything was hazy and blurry, my head spinning. I had to be wrong. There was no way it was him. “Preston?”

His head snapped to me. So did his gun.

I flinched, but held my ground. Horror enveloped me. How could he do this? Whimpering sounded around me, and my chest tightened. I had to make this stop. “Preston.” I reached out my hand. “Put the gun down.”

His hands shook. “Step back!”

I threw up my arms.  “Please just calm down. This isn’t you. I know you’re upset.” My gaze slipped over to Ryan.
Oh, god he wasn’t moving at all.
Holden was sitting beside him, shaking him and calling his name. I felt sick.

“You have no idea what I’m capable of, Chloe,” Preston responded.

“C’mon. I’m trying to help you.”

A bitter laugh escaped through his lips, and I knew I said the wrong thing. I had promised to help him, and I hadn’t. Now look what happened. Wailing filled the room, and I knew Ryan was gone. Not that I ever thought any differently. There was a flash of movement as a boy lunged at Preston. But he moved quickly, his gun going off again. A squeal shot from my mouth as the boy slumped to the ground, blood spattering.

My heart clattered in my chest, and I swallowed down the vomit creeping up my throat. Keeping my head even, I forced myself not to look down at the boy who had just been shot. I knew if I did, I’d lose it. And I couldn’t afford to do that. I had to make sure no more lives were lost.

“Everyone stay away!” Preston hollered out, sweeping his gun around the room. “Don’t think I won’t shoot every last one of you. Nobody here is my friend.” Darkness blanketed his eyes. “Look at all of you cowering and scared. Whimpering and praying I won’t take your life. You want to know how many times I was scared? How many times you made my life a living hell? Well, now it’s your turn!”

“Preston,” I breathed out, my voice catching as a sob broke through it. “Please stop.”

“I’m just getting started.” The gun was trained on me again. He cocked the trigger.

My legs shook, my body trembling. “Preston, you’re not going to shoot me.”

“You chose your side, Chloe.”

I closed my eyes, preparing for the bullet. I thought of my parents, thought of how hard they had worked to protect me from danger. How they never let me go to parties or stay out late. How they had to meet my friends’ parents before I was allowed to go over to their house. How they had to know where I was at all times. However, even with all the worrying they did, I was certain that they didn’t worry about me when I was at school. Why would they? School was supposed to be safe.

My last thought was how I’d never get to say goodbye to them.