Storm: Book 2 by Evelyn Rosado Read Free Book Online

it. And I’ll be sure to out-squat all of you in the gym too!”
    Brenda, the team captain, cocks her hand back after I made that comment. “Oh, is that right?”
    I hold up my palms in protest and keel back. “Okay. Okay. Except for you!”
    “Hey kiddo. I didn’t expect to see you here,” Coach says to me as the girls head to the locker room. “You okay?”
    “I’m a lot better. Baby steps you know.”
    “That’s the best way to do it. You’re a strong girl, you’ll get past this. You know you don’t have to be here right?”
    “I know. I just wanted to say hi.” I pause. “And to say thank you for all that you’ve done for me this year. You went above and beyond a coach’s duty. From fighting to keep my scholarship to being at the hospital—”
    “This just isn’t about sports. You girls are in the process of becoming women. My responsibility goes beyond x’s and o’s. What kind of human being will let another person squander away all of their potential.”
    I nod. “Thanks again coach.”
    He looks at me and pauses. “We’ve already had this talk. So why are you really here?”
    He plants his foot on the bleacher and rests his elbow on his knee.
    “It’s about Chase.” I hate to reveal this to him, but I have to. There’s no other way I can find out what he’s hiding from me. Chase isn’t going to tell me himself. “I don’t know how to say this but we’ve been kinda seeing each other.”
    He nods. “I kind of figured that would happen.”
    “I thought so too, but—”
    “He broke up with you didn’t he?” My eyes stretch wide. “When your name his mentioned, that boy’s face lights up like The Fourth Of July. I wasn’t shocked to know that he spent every moment by your side in the hospital.”
    “He never left my side.”
    “I asked him what he thought about you and he brushed it off like he was just training you. Strictly business. I knew by the look in his eye that he liked you. Normally I just recommend keep things on a professional level but I know how lines can get crossed.”
    “But how did you know you about the breakup?”
    “He doesn’t like people to get too close. He’s guarded.”
    “He said that. I just don’t understand why someone would do that. If you have feelings for someone you don’t push them away.”
    “He has his reasons. Trust me.”
    “What is he hiding?”
    The stadium lights flash off. He looks around and removes the red baseball cap from his head and sighs. “He’s from a rough upbringing. And unfortunately his past has a nasty habit of creeping up into his present. Especially people that are close to him.”
    “But why? What happened?”
    “I shouldn’t be telling you this—”
    I realize he isn’t the person to tell me.
    “Then don’t. I don’t want to come between you two. That’s wrong of me to do.”
    I look up at the sky. It’s full of purple and orange streaks. The moon is out.
    “If he does get around to telling you, don’t let his past push you away. He’s really a good kid.” He puts his hat on and pats me on the shoulder. “Call me anytime if you need me,” he says smiling, walking towards the locker room.
    As I sit on the bench, letting the cool breeze flow through me, I take it all in. The salty air, crisp from the Pacific Ocean. I walk up and down the long, green field, decorated with yard markers., reminiscing about when I was back on the team and the stands were full, people cheering us to victory. I felt like I belonged, like I had a purpose at this school. I remember the first game of the year, before the semester even started, we beat a northern California school who at the time was top five in the nation and I scored the winning goal with five seconds left in the game. The team carried me off the field. I never felt a rush like that before.
    I’m really fucking up. I have a chance to be apart of something special and I’m blowing it. One day, people are going to stop giving me second chances. If I