Anything Less Than Everything by Heather Adkins Read Free Book Online Page A

then he spoke.
    “I’m really
proud of you, Brooke.”
    “You are?” He
was? No one else had said that. They questioned my reasoning, my timing, everything.
Some were excited about the material side of a new place. But no one had
acknowledged that this was not an easy thing for me. I might have been feeling
stronger, but I was far from being completely together again. And maybe, just
like Humpty Dumpty, I never would be.
    Except for
when I talked to Aaron. Talking to him made me feel normal. He didn’t give me
the sad smiles of assumed understanding that everyone else did. He didn’t offer
advice on what I could have done differently. He was just there. For me.
     “Of course I
am,” he broke into my thoughts. “I know what it’s like to feel like life is
happening to you, Brooke, like someone else is behind the wheel.” I wondered
what he meant by that, but he didn’t elaborate. “You stepped up and took control.
A lot of people just keep letting others make their choices for them. And
judging from my brief interactions with your family, I’m guessing you got some
resistance.”
    “You guess
right. Well, maybe not resistance exactly, but definitely questions.” I sighed.
“But enough of my drama,” I said. “Tell me about camp.”
    “It’s good,”
he said. “I know a lot of these guys from playing and other camps, so it’s fun
to see them. Plus some of the staff have NFL contacts. That’s always good. And
the cable here has at least 400 channels, which helps pass the time when you’re
icing your leg.”
    “Wait--so you
chose talking to me over a television dream come true? Are you sure that guy
just hit your leg?”
    Aaron laughed
softly. “You’re much more interesting than any show I’ve ever seen, Brooke.
Besides, I couldn’t have you forgetting who I was.”
    “That’s
likely,” I replied. “It’s not every day that I meet a Famous College Athlete.”
    “Except that
I know you could care less about my so-called celebrity status,” he said. “I
mean, I know you care because you’re a fan of the team, but I also know that it
has nothing to do with why you’re talking to me right now.” He had me there. I
would be having this conversation with Aaron even if he didn’t know a first
down from a fumble because of how I felt about myself when I was around him, or
his voice, as it were. There was no pressure to flirt or make a good impression
like I might feel with most available guys. Aaron and I were friends, and his
calling cemented that fact for me. But I couldn’t tell him any of this. Instead
I gently steered the conversation to lighter topics.
    “Well, I hope
they at least feed you well there. I mean, with roommates on the prowl and
drills that cause you to hurt yourself, there ought to be something good in
it.”
    He must have
heard the smile in my voice, because he laughed a little before answering.
“It’s not bad, but they are seriously lacking in the beverage department.”
    “What? No Dr.
Pepper??” I teased back, remembering how he had added a bottle to our pizza purchase.
    “None. Not at
our group meals, not in the vending machines. Nowhere.”
    “How do they
expect you to perform to your full potential without adequate hydration?” I
asked.
    “See, that’s
exactly what I was thinking. It’s tragic, really.”  I laughed at his mock
seriousness.
    “However will
you survive the next two days?”
    “It’s going
to be tough. A bruised hamstring I can handle; a day without DP...I don’t
know.” We laughed together and the conversation moved to other topics about as
serious as the lack of Dr. Pepper. It wasn’t until I heard my parents coming
back into the house that I looked over at the clock on my nightstand. It was
eleven o’clock. We’d been on the phone for nearly three hours.
    “I hate to
end this,” I said, “but it’s late, and I have to mentally prepare myself for an
entire day of shopping with my friend Marcie.”
    “You’re
right,” he