Now and Then by Brenda Rothert Read Free Book Online Page B

hugging the ball to his body for fear of dropping it. As he added yards of distance between himself and the other team’s players, he allowed himself to hear the roar of the crowd. Glancing over, he saw nothing but a swirl of blue. Fans were decked out in blue shirts, feathered hats and even face paint.
    Once he hit his mark, it was pandemonium. He c ouldn’t help the tears that flowed as two teammates crushed him with a powerful embrace that knocked him to the ground. They were tears of happiness, sure, but there were other things there, too. Resentment. Sadness. Anger, even. Of the thousands of people in the crowd, many screaming his name, the people he wanted to share this moment with more than anything in the world were absent. It was bittersweet.
    He pushed his hard feelings aside as Coach McGraw approached. He was a good coach, and his expression of elated pride brought a few more tears rolling down Cole’s cheeks.
    “I’m proud of you, son,” he said, gripping Cole’s shoulders and slapping his helmet befo re hugging him fiercely. McGraw looked out into the crowd of faces, scanning them. “Where are your parents?” he asked. “Let’s get them down here!”
    “They’re not here! ” Cole said, yelling over the noise of the crowd. McGraw looked at him, his mouth dropping open with shock.
    “Death in the family,” he explained in his coach’s ear. “My Dad’s mother.”
    The lie tasted bitter on his lips, but Cole pushed that feeling aside, too. Shannon Crouse was rushing his way, her cheerleading skirt flying as she ran. His parents might not be here to celebrate this moment with him, but she would. And if not her, another girl. It didn’t really matter who it was, he just needed someone to want him tonight.
     
    *****
     
    “So you said your parents are gone for the whole night?” Shannon asked Cole as they walked into his house.
    “Yep. Out of town,” he said, tossing his football equipment bag to the floor.
    “You might get lonely here all by yourself,” she said, smiling coyly. Shannon had dark, chin length hair and full red lips. Her toned body had just the right amount of curves.
    “I might,” Cole said, stepping closer to her. “Maybe you can help with that.”
    Her eyes widened when he bent to kiss her, and Cole’s hard feelings about his parents drained away, replaced by the burn of arousal. Shannon moaned as he pulled her close, and Cole decided there was no reason to wait.
    “Let’s go upstairs,” he said, leading her across the kitchen, through the living room and up the stairs.
    “I’ve never been in your house before,” Shannon said. “I’ve wanted you to ask me out for so long. This is really--”
    She stopped and Cole turned around to see her gazing into an open doorway.
    “Come on,” he urged.
    “What’s this room?” she asked, stepping inside. Cole cringed and his annoyance flared.
    “It’s … my sister’s room,” he said. Sh annon looked around at the white walls, pale purple bedspread and a few personal items left on Shay’s desk. Her eyes lingered on the nonsense words scrawled on the wall next to the closet in black marker.
    “So you do have a sister?” she said, eyeing him. “I heard you did, but you’ve never said anything. I heard she’s weird.”
    Cole shifted his feet, his desire for a quick screw gone.
    “I’m not feeling this anymore, Shannon,” he said. “You should go.”
    “What? No!” she whined, pressing her palms to his chest. Cole turned and led her out of the room and back down the stairs.
    “Really, it’s been a long day and I just want to go to bed,” he said.
    “What did I do?” she asked, her red lips forming into a pout.
    “I don’t feel like talking. Just go,” he said, anger creeping into his voice. Shannon glared at him as she walked out the front door.
    Cole sighed deeply and headed for the kitchen, his emotions swir ling. The high of winning the game had dissipated into a memory already. There was nothing that