Read Online Changing Forever by Lisa de Jong - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lisa de Jong
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it the way I should, but that’s hard to do with all the responsibility I carry. I’m supposed to be the strong one, taking care of everyone else in my family, but it hasn’t left any time for me. I barely know who I am anymore, because I’m too busy making sure that everyone else is doing okay and following a football dream that may not even be mine.
Campus is quiet, but I wouldn’t expect anything less on a Saturday morning like this. My old tennis shoes hit the wet pavement, crunching against rain-soaked leaves. It brings me back to that morning because it was just like this … exactly like this in so many ways.
Making it even more eerie, I pass a car that looks exactly like his. Usually, I keep my eyes forward when I run, but the similarities have me doing a double take, and that’s when I see her. Familiar dark hair, exotic brown eyes. As I approach the old white Ford, I watch her pound her forehead against the steering wheel over and over again.
“Damnit!” I hear her yell. I lower my head, watching as she beats her palms against the dash. I lightly tap my knuckles against the glass, trying to get her attention without scaring her.
The rain starts falling fast again, soaking through my white t-shirt. When I look through the window, she’s just staring at me, mouth hanging open slightly. Anxious to get out of the rain, I knock against the window again, and this time her fingers find the lock and let me in.
She squints her eyes as she watches me climb into the passenger seat. The way her eyes roam my soaked clothes says everything … she thinks I’m an idiot, or I’m stalking her. It feels like I’m everywhere she is, or maybe she’s everywhere I am.
“Couldn’t multi-task again?” I ask, running my fingers through my wet hair.
“What makes you say that?”
“You can’t stare at me and unlock the door at the same time,” I remark, focusing in on her white knuckles. “And you know, you probably don’t have to hold on to that so tightly when the car isn’t even moving.”
She rolls her eyes, obviously not in the mood to play any games today. “Why are you here, Drake?”
I shrug, looking straight ahead at the deserted, grassy area. “Because you let me in.”
“Don’t you have a game today?”
“No, it’s a bye week, which means we have today off. I thought I’d go for a run to keep myself loose, but then this happened,” I say, waving toward outside. The rain is falling harder now, making it more difficult to see out the windows. It also makes the weight on my chest heavier. I hate this weather. Absolutely fucking hate it, and everything it reminds me of.
We both remain quiet for what feels like forever. I can’t stand it, honestly. Without anything else to talk about, my mind always goes to him, and it’s exhausting. There’s a chill in the air today, but the inside of her car is overwhelmingly warm. When my eyes finally wander back in her direction, she stares outside.
“Are you always up this early when you don’t have a game?” she asks, breaking through the silence, but keeping her eyes fixed on the rain-soaked window.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I say, rubbing my palm across my chest. Her eyes search for mine, and when they find them, they stay locked there. She looks lost. Sad. I wonder if this is the real her, who she hides under the stubborn, focused girl I usually see.
Looking at her is like facing myself in a mirror. I want to know what’s going on inside that head of hers, but I’m not in the sharing mood today, and I’m not one to ask for something I can’t give.
“So how was your date?”
When I saw her come in with Kate last night in her short shorts and boots, I was excited. All sorts of ideas were running through my mind, but then I saw him. I couldn’t stand to watch her with him, so I kicked someone off our table and invited Emery over. Never in my life have I gotten jealous over a girl, but when I saw her with that guy … I wanted to take her
Campus is quiet, but I wouldn’t expect anything less on a Saturday morning like this. My old tennis shoes hit the wet pavement, crunching against rain-soaked leaves. It brings me back to that morning because it was just like this … exactly like this in so many ways.
Making it even more eerie, I pass a car that looks exactly like his. Usually, I keep my eyes forward when I run, but the similarities have me doing a double take, and that’s when I see her. Familiar dark hair, exotic brown eyes. As I approach the old white Ford, I watch her pound her forehead against the steering wheel over and over again.
“Damnit!” I hear her yell. I lower my head, watching as she beats her palms against the dash. I lightly tap my knuckles against the glass, trying to get her attention without scaring her.
The rain starts falling fast again, soaking through my white t-shirt. When I look through the window, she’s just staring at me, mouth hanging open slightly. Anxious to get out of the rain, I knock against the window again, and this time her fingers find the lock and let me in.
She squints her eyes as she watches me climb into the passenger seat. The way her eyes roam my soaked clothes says everything … she thinks I’m an idiot, or I’m stalking her. It feels like I’m everywhere she is, or maybe she’s everywhere I am.
“Couldn’t multi-task again?” I ask, running my fingers through my wet hair.
“What makes you say that?”
“You can’t stare at me and unlock the door at the same time,” I remark, focusing in on her white knuckles. “And you know, you probably don’t have to hold on to that so tightly when the car isn’t even moving.”
She rolls her eyes, obviously not in the mood to play any games today. “Why are you here, Drake?”
I shrug, looking straight ahead at the deserted, grassy area. “Because you let me in.”
“Don’t you have a game today?”
“No, it’s a bye week, which means we have today off. I thought I’d go for a run to keep myself loose, but then this happened,” I say, waving toward outside. The rain is falling harder now, making it more difficult to see out the windows. It also makes the weight on my chest heavier. I hate this weather. Absolutely fucking hate it, and everything it reminds me of.
We both remain quiet for what feels like forever. I can’t stand it, honestly. Without anything else to talk about, my mind always goes to him, and it’s exhausting. There’s a chill in the air today, but the inside of her car is overwhelmingly warm. When my eyes finally wander back in her direction, she stares outside.
“Are you always up this early when you don’t have a game?” she asks, breaking through the silence, but keeping her eyes fixed on the rain-soaked window.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I say, rubbing my palm across my chest. Her eyes search for mine, and when they find them, they stay locked there. She looks lost. Sad. I wonder if this is the real her, who she hides under the stubborn, focused girl I usually see.
Looking at her is like facing myself in a mirror. I want to know what’s going on inside that head of hers, but I’m not in the sharing mood today, and I’m not one to ask for something I can’t give.
“So how was your date?”
When I saw her come in with Kate last night in her short shorts and boots, I was excited. All sorts of ideas were running through my mind, but then I saw him. I couldn’t stand to watch her with him, so I kicked someone off our table and invited Emery over. Never in my life have I gotten jealous over a girl, but when I saw her with that guy … I wanted to take her
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