Read Online Making It Through by Erin Cristofoli - Free Book Online Page A

bubbled, threatening to overwhelm me.
    In my ear, I heard his soothing voice. “Mady. Come back, Mady, you’re going to be fine.”
    I felt him lead me towards a nearby bench, where we sat for what could have been hours, but which was probably only a few minutes, all the while, he whispered soothingly in my ear.
    Once I had calmed, he gently turned my face to his. “Mady, I’m sorry. I knew this was important between you and Matt, but you have to know that he wouldn’t want you to give it up because of what happened. He would want you to keep loving and enjoying it. We can go home if you really want to, but I would love to be able to cheer on our team together. Not to replace Matt; I would never want that. But maybe I could help build some new, positive memories with you.
    I took a huge breath, pausing a moment before exhaling. “I’m sorry for my freakout. I’m not sure why you're still sitting here with me. You didn’t sign up for all this when you agreed to be my tutor. Even as my friend, this must be a little much.”
    “You’re worth it.”
    I laughed halfheartedly. “ I'm moody and miserable, and I'm sure I'm a joy to be around. You really are too good a friend for me. I guess I’m trying to say, thank you.”
    Max looked at me, a troubled expression crossing his face. Just as quickly, it was gone.
    “You’re welcome. All right, so this is the moment of truth, Mady, are you up to give this a try?”
    I looked at the foreboding stadium, looked back at Max, and nodded. “Okay.”
    He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. With a small smile, he led the way to our gate, and pulled tickets from his jacket.
    As we made our way inside, Max insisted on stopping at the snack bar.
    “Want anything?”
    “No, it’s okay , I can get my own stuff. You go ahead.” He rolled his eyes at me. “Woman, just tell me what you want. This was my idea, I insist.”
    A few minutes later we were seated in incredible seats, only a few rows back, on the home team’s bench, right at mid-field. The smell of nacho cheese wafted from my lap as I took a moment to absorb my surroundings. The teams were doing last-minute warm ups, and the crowd emitted a low hum of excitement.
    “How on earth did you manage these seats?” I asked distractedly. I looked for the band I could faintly hear.
    “Both being football players and die-hard fans, my buddy and I decided to each get a season ticket and then take turns using them.”
    “Sounds like a pretty good deal.”
    He nodded enthusiastically. “Turned out perfectly today, in my opinion.”
    The game began, and the crowd got pumped up around me. The excitement was usually infectious, but my heart still hurt to be there. I tried to focus on the plays being made on the field, looking at the sidelines between plays to see which players I recognized.
    Midway through the second quarter, Max hopped up and excused himself. “I want to grab another drink before halftime. You want anything?”
    I shook my head. I turned back to the game; I really did enjoy football. Someone beside me cleared their throat. I turned toward the sound expecting Max, but instead I came face to face with some other guy sitting in Max’s spot. “Hello, I’m Pete. It’s nice to meet you.”
    I raised an eyebrow at him. What did this guy think he was doing? “Hello.”
    “So, I noticed you when you sat down earlier. I was thinking maybe I could get your number, and I could call you sometime.”
    Now both my eyebrows raised. Really? I was trying to formulate what would be the best way to tell him to get lost, when I heard another voice.
    “What do you think you’re doing? Are you messing with my girl?” I glanced up, and relief swept through me as our eyes met.
    Pete did not look happy. “Your girl? I’m sorry, I didn’t get the impression that she was taken.”
    “Why, exactly? Because I haven’t mauled her in public? I happen to have more respect for her than that. Now, get moving.”
    Pete was a