Page 8

CHAPTER 8

anna

B y the end of the third quarter, the sun had set and the lights of Smoky Mountain Stadium were on. With all the fans wearing team merch, it was a sea of orange and baby blue. The last quarter was simply a formality. Knoxville had already annihilated South Carolina. There was no way they were coming back. 35-11 with three minutes left. Blue whipped that left arm back, which the fans called The Missile Launcher, and let another fly. Number 20 caught it and ran it in for another easy touchdown. Just like after every other Knoxville touchdown, fireworks shot out of silver tubes lining the top circumference of the stadium. Make that 41-11. Man, Knoxville was not messing around. It almost blew my mind that this simple girl from a jerkwater town in Virginia had once dated the boy who was making it all happen. And he wanted to meet up when it was over.

My eyes drifted to the clock, repeatedly, the minutes creeping by.

“What are you going to tell Jonah?” Brooklyn asked.

My forehead furrowed. “There’s nothing to tell.”

“Anna, you sobbed into his neck. Everyone saw.” They were still seeing. I’d never had so many people interested in my every reaction before. Every few minutes, another camera would turn my way. “Jonah’s going to see if he hasn’t already.”

He had. At halftime, I’d seen the text on my phone and then quickly slid it back into my purse putting it squarely out of my mind. Okay, not squarely. Because when your boyfriend texts the words “We need to talk,” you can’t put it all the way out. But you put that crap off as long as you can. Especially when your gorgeous ex, who you’re pretty sure you’re still in love with, wants to meet up after his college football game.

My stomach churned. “I’m a terrible person,” I mumbled.

Ashton leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “No, you’re not. Anna?” The question in his voice brought my head around. His eyes were soft, crinkling at the corners from his gentle smile. “What would your mom tell you if she was here?”

Ashton did that a lot. Whenever I freaked out, he’d say, what would your mom say? Or what would your mom tell you to do? And usually, I realized I was being much harder on myself than she would’ve been.

In this particular instance, I absolutely knew what she’d say. “She’d tell me not to settle. To go after my heart.”

He nodded. “Exactly.”

“She’d also tell you to forgive your Uncle,” Ford slurred from his location of exile, down on the other side of Tally. Then he took another gulp of beer.

“Pretty sure she’d help me egg your fancy truck,” I called. “Also, I can’t hear people who are dead to me.”

He grunted and took another swig. But then two preteen girls walked over asking for his autograph. He perked right up.

I focused back on the game. Back on Blue.

And then it happened.

He dodged, sucking in his stomach to miss an opposing player's grasp by inches. Only to be slammed from behind so hard by another guy that his momentum was halted like he’d crashed into a brick wall. His head snapped backward and he immediately dropped to the ground, his legs collapsing under him. The ball went skittering across the grass. An opposing player dove on top of it.

I gasped, shooting to my feet. The entire stadium rose with me. My hand reached for Brooklyn’s.

I looked at Ashton for reassurance, but he was wearing the same fearful expression that I was.

I willed him to tell me it was no big deal. That those helmets could keep anyone safe from anything. He went up on his tiptoes as if that would help him see. On the field, whistles were being blown from every direction.

A mass of orange and baby blue jerseys huddled over Blue. Coaches sprinted across the grass.

“C’mon,” I muttered, my fists balled at my side. Get up , I willed him. But he didn’t. Not after thirty seconds, or a minute, or three. When paramedics ran onto the field, pushing a stretcher, my heart tried to come up out of my throat.

What if he was…

No. I couldn’t think it. Not after losing Mom.

Then his arm came up, waving them back and the relief made my eyes fill up.

But they didn’t let him stand. A few minutes later, they lifted him, fully supine, on a spinal board.

“Anna, breathe. It’s probably just a precaution.” Brooklyn slipped her arm around my waist. Which was good since my knees were shaking.

For the first time since "Rocky Top,” no one was focused on me. Every single player, coach, fan, and reporter were focused on Blue.

Cleats clicked rapid-fire against the concrete walkway and we all turned to see one of the football players jogging toward us. Number 20. The guy who’d run the last touchdown in. He was super tall. Even taller than Ash. His dark blond hair was matted with sweat. He came to a stop in front of us, eyes a little wild. Tally let out a swoony-gasp from down the row. If my heart hadn’t been in my throat and my nerves a live wire, I would’ve teased her about it.

His gaze skittered between me and Ash. For a split second I could see a question in his face, as if wondering whether we were a couple. But then he looked back at me, not seeming to care if we were or we weren’t. “Anna, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Is Blue okay?”

“I don’t know.” His Adam’s apple bobbed with a swallow. “They’re taking him to the hospital. But he was asking for you. Calling your name.” He jammed his hands into his hair. “And then he passed out,” he said so low I almost didn’t catch it. Then louder, “Can you come with me? To the hospital? I think he’d like you there.”

I nodded, my heart sprinting. “Yeah. Of course.”

I unzipped my purse, found the key to Stella, and handed it to Ash. “I’ll text you as soon as I know something.”

“Okay.” He squeezed my hand. “We’ll head for the car. See you in a few minutes.”

I jogged behind Blue’s teammate, trying to keep up with his long legs. The person guarding the gate had it open, ready for us. I followed Number 20, taking those stairs for the third time today, this time much faster. Once on the grass, we cut a hard right straight into a tunnel that led beneath the stadium. Our footsteps echoed off the concrete walls, down a hallway that seemed to go on forever.

“Sorry, I have to grab my keys,” the guy said over his shoulder. “I’m Madden, by the way.” He gestured to a fancy leather bench. “I’ll just be a second.” Then he walked into a room and the door eased shut behind him.

But I couldn’t sit. Not with Blue on the way to the hospital. Two minutes later Madden was back.

“You ready?” he asked, now wearing sweats, a Knoxville T-shirt, and tennis shoes.

“Yeah.”

“So, you’re the famous Anna,” he said as we jogged back up the hallway.

“Famous?” I faked an easy laugh. “Blue told you about me?”

He chuckled. “Yeah. A lot.”

What did that mean?

Madden pulled his phone from his pocket. “Okay. It looks like they’re taking him to Knoxville Memorial, in case you want to let your boyfriend know.”

“The guy I was standing with?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s my uncle.”

He chuckled again. “Okay. You just…you don’t look anything like him so I kind of assumed.”

“Well, my momma always said you should never assume. It makes an…well, you know.”

He laughed again. “Yes. I do. So, no boyfriend then?”

“Oh, I have a boyfriend.” I sighed. “At least, I did before this game started.”

He grinned. “’Nuff said.”

When we got to his shiny gray Corvette, he walked over to open my door.

“You don’t have to do that.” We needed to hurry.

He shrugged. “Blue would kill me if I didn’t.” Blue always had been a gentleman. Called everyone ma’am and sir. Lemon hated it. Said it made her feel like an old lady. But he wouldn’t quit.

I slipped inside and let Madden close the door behind me. Under absolutely no other circumstance would I get in a car alone with a man I’d just met. But Madden seemed like a good guy. I could tell by the worry that hadn’t left his face since the minute he walked up, regardless of how cool he was trying to appear. And he was taking me to Blue.

He got in, cranked the engine, and we were out of that parking lot in thirty seconds.

My phone buzzed in my purse. I shut my eyes for a moment. I didn’t want to deal with Jonah right now but I pulled it from my bag anyway. My heart climbed higher up my throat when I read the caller’s name. Blue’s Mom—Missy Bishop. Her name was exactly how I’d listed it in my contacts back in ninth grade. This whole thing felt like an otherworldly time warp.

I hit the green accept call button. “Hello?”

“Anna?” She sounded frantic.

“Hi, Ms. Bishop,” I said, glancing at Madden.

“I need to know how Blue is. I saw you at the game. I was watching on TV. Can you tell me how my boy is?”

“Yes, ma’am. I was at the game.”

“Put her on speaker,” Madden said.

So I did.

“Hey, Missy, it’s Madden. Anna and I are on our way to the hospital right now.” From those two lines I knew this wasn’t just one of Blue’s friends. He was one of Blue’s best friends. Maybe he’d even been to Seddledowne before.

“How is he?” She choked on a sob, sounding helpless. Missy was a really good lady. She’d always been so kind to me. She loved her boys intensely, and I could only imagine how hard this must’ve been for her.

Madden glanced at me, worry in his face. “We’re not sure yet. He’s probably at the hospital already. I think he’ll be fine. But he probably has a concussion.” Did he really think Blue would be fine? I didn’t know him well enough to tell.

“Oh.” She sobbed. “I hate that stupid sport.” Then she let out a breath loud enough that we could hear it. “I’m already in the car. Colt’s with me. We’ll be there in…six hours and…” She whimpered. “Thirteen minutes.”

“It’s okay,” Madden said. “He has a lot of people here to help until you arrive.”

“Anna?” Missy said.

I straightened. “Yes?”

“You’ll stay with him until I get there?” It caught me off guard. Ever since I got in this car, I’d asked myself what I was doing. Blue and I weren’t a couple anymore. We weren’t even friends. I felt like an imposter up in the middle of this. I didn’t belong here and at some point, someone was going to tell me exactly that. But I couldn’t turn Missy down, and truth be told, this was exactly where I wanted to be.

“Yes. Of course. And we’ll let you know as soon as they tell us what’s going on.” I forced authority in my tone, even though I felt small, weak, and as powerless as she sounded.

“Thank you, darling girl.” She sounded calmer. “Oh, and you two?” Her calm was replaced with fire. “Don’t let Shane anywhere near him until I get there.” Then she hung up.

“Blue’s dad is here?” I asked Madden. “Does he live in Knoxville now?”

“Yup. He goes wherever Blue goes.”

Unreal. But not surprising either.

Blue’s dad was a force to be reckoned with. His disdain for anyone who got in the way of what he wanted was unparalleled. And what he wanted was for Blue to go pro and make him millions. Looked like his plan was working out so far. I didn’t want to see what this hitch was going to do to him.

Madden let out another chuckle. “Not sure how she thinks we’re supposed to keep Shane away from him. I don’t wear a cape. Just a mere human over here.”

I chewed my lip. “Same.”

Madden flipped his blinker, passed the slowpoke in front of us, and gassed it.

When we walked into the hospital it was eerily calm. Madden spotted a man he knew and tipped his head indicating that I should follow him.

“Frist.” The man nodded at Madden and then me. There was a purse to his lips that I didn’t like. But maybe he always wore that concerned expression.

I hugged myself, again feeling like I didn’t belong.

Madden folded his arms. “How is he, Coach?”

“He’s awake but when they brought him in, he didn’t know anyone or anything. Not good.”

“He didn’t know you?” Madden said, his mouth hanging open.

The man shook his head, concerned. “He didn’t even know himself.”