Accidental Love (Accidental Crush #2) (2 page)

Our defense is ready, playing them tough on each play, but they get enough to get a first down. We need to keep them out of field goal range because that
's all they need to win.

They keep barely making another first down, but they are
moving the ball down the field. They are two yards away from being in field goal range when we call a time out.

I
take the opportunity to glance down at the sideline to see how Ryan's doing, only he's not there. My heart drops into my stomach as I instantly look at where my mom was standing a few minutes ago, and she isn't there, either. I feel tears start to well up in my eyes—I'm not sure if it's abandonment or nerves—then I feel my phone buzz.

Don
't worry. I went down with Dad. They are taking R for tests under the stadium.

Since this is a
real-deal stadium, they have major medical facilities in the bowels of it.

Ok. Did U see him? Is he ok?
I text back.

Yes. Don
't worry. Let us know who wins.

Cheers suddenly distract my attention from my phone
, but I can't help wondering if her yes was for 'he's ok' or 'did you see him' or both questions. I'm sure it's nothing; still, I can't shake this worried feeling, especially because she keeps telling me not to worry.

"
They're in field goal range," Sid shouts, and I realize I've completely forgotten where I am for a second.

"
Damn," I say, knowing we may not win this game after everything that's just happened.

There are twenty seconds left on the clock
, and instead of calling their kicker out on the field to attempt a field goal, they set up in formation with their QB out on the field. They must be trying to get closer to give the kicker a better chance of making it.

Their quarterback has the ball
, and before I know it, it's soaring through the air.
What are they doing?

That
's when I notice their best receiver is in the end zone, and he's wide open. This can't be happening.
Why didn't we see this coming?

Everything is
in slow motion. The ball seems to be in the air for ten minutes. One of our defensive players jumps up, his fingertips skim the ball, but it flies past him and lands right in their receiver's hands.
This can't be right.
I see the catch on replay in my head.

"
What an incredible play! The Raiders win it with a last minute touchdown as time expires!" The announcer's voice slices through my heart. "The score is twenty-nine to twenty-four, and the State Champions are the Rockland Raiders! This is one of the most exciting State Championships I've ever seen! It was right down to the wire and The Raiders win it!"

I wish he would stop saying that.

Our entire side of the crowd has gone from pure elation to pure heartbreak in twenty seconds. We all have the same stunned looks on our faces. I feel tears start to well up again, and I don't think I can hold them back this time. I can't believe I care this much.

My eyes search for Todd in the crowd on the field. Just seeing
him makes the tears really start to spill out. He's talking to Brian and Johnny, his head down and his hair soaked with sweat. All three of them look as shocked as I feel. My heart is pounding, my hands are shaking, and I can't control the tears I keep trying to discreetly wipe away. When I feel my phone buzz in my hand, which I forgot I was holding, it's another text from Mom.

We heard the cheers. Who won?

They don't know. Ryan doesn't know. My heart sinks even further at that realization. I take a deep breath and type back.

They did.

Stop it Ash. Not funny.

I
'm NOT kidding. They went for a long pass and got a touchdown.

No response. I wait in silence. No one is
talking; we are all just going through the motions of leaving the bleachers.

How is Ryan?

Again no response. Now I'm starting to get worried. Why isn't she responding? I mean, I know they have service—I just got like twenty texts from her. A million thoughts start racing through my head. Is it Ryan? Is he not okay and she doesn't want to tell me over a text?

My hands are shaking so badly I can
't even type. It takes me three tries to type one word. Stupid iPhone.

MOM???

Come down to the doctor's area under the stadium. Just tell them who you are and they will let you come in,
she finally replies.

Ok but how is he?

Silence.

Chapter 2: Down Under

The
underbelly of the stadium is eerie. It's dark and dingy, and there is water trickling down the sides of the metal walls even though it hasn't rained or snowed in days. Everything is painted a deep green while stripes of rust line the ceiling and walls from the constant stream of dripping water.

My tears from the game have been quickly washed away by fear because I
'm unsure of where to go in this maze of hallways, and I don't like being down here all alone. I should have made Shane or Sid come with me instead of saying I was fine.
I am not fine.

Every noise I hear is magnified
as the lights flicker. I really don't know where I'm going. With every step I take, I get a little more uneasy. I think I must be turned around. I haven't seen a sign for the Medical Center in a while; in fact, I haven't seen any signs at all. My heart is pounding in my chest, and suddenly I can't catch my breath. I take my phone out and start to frantically text my mom.

I turn another corner as I type and slam into something
hard. I look up from my phone, trying not to think about how badly that hurt, and all of my fears melt away. It's Todd, and Brian is with him. Todd is in full pads and uniform. No wonder it hurt so badly, I mean, his chest is firm, but not that firm.

"
Ashley! Are you okay?" His hair is drenched in sweat, poking out from under his EHS hat.

"
Todd!" I instantly hug him. "I'm so happy to see you both. I have no idea where I'm going, and I was starting to freak myself out."

"
I can see that." Todd smiles his perfectly crooked smile, his eyes filled with concern, as he runs his hands over my hair. I have so many favorite parts of him, but in this moment, it is definitely his smile.

I look over at Brian, who
's wearing the same expression. Brian is never one to avoid a sarcastic comment, especially when it involves Todd and me. He still enjoys taking full credit for our relationship. Then it comes flooding back. They just lost the biggest game of their lives; of course he's not in the mood for sarcasm.

"
Sorry about the game, guys," I say, feeling like a heel because I was so caught up in thinking I was about to get murdered that I completely forgot what just happened out on the field and why we're all here.

"
It's okay, Ash. We just want to make sure Ryan is okay." As I look into Brian's eyes, I can see he is completely sincere.

My stomach washes back over with nerves.
They've been best friends their entire lives, but to see Brian truly not care about the loss and be more concerned for Ryan, validates all my bad feelings. He saw him up close. He knows something is wrong. My tears start to well up again, and I try to blink them away, but it's not working.

"
Hey, Ash. I'm sure he's fine." Todd grabs my chin and runs his thumb across my cheek to catch a tear that escaped, his touch making everything a little better. Then he intertwines his fingers with mine. He's the only thing that feels right about tonight.

"
I hope so." I force a half-smile. "Do you guys have any idea where you're going?"

"
Well, we were down here before to get to the locker room, so I think we're headed in the right direction," Brian answers as he goes into natural-leader mode. Since he couldn't play, he's dressed in his jersey and a fully broken in EHS hat but no pads.

As we start
down the corridor again, we finally see signs for the Medical Center. I'm so turned around I think I must have walked in the complete opposite direction from where the signs are pointing. Down the length of the narrow hallway, I can see my mom pacing. She looks nervous, which makes my heart start beating at double speed. Todd must be able to sense it or hear it because he looks back at me and smiles as we continue walking toward my mom.

"
Don't worry, Ash; he's fine. He walked off the field." I hear his words, but I can see the fear all over his face. No matter how laid back he appears, it's just an act.

My mom finally hears us and comes down the hall to meet us
half-way. "Hi, kids," she says as she hugs me.

"
How is he? Does he know?"

She glances toward the glass window.
Through it, I see Ryan lying on a stretcher-type bed. The room is white and sterile compared to the dingy hallway we are standing in. My brother is still in full pads and uniform as his coach talks to him. I can't see his face because he has his hand to his forehead and he’s pinching the bridge of his nose. I know this move; I've seen it before when Brian and Gretchen were in ICU. He's trying to discreetly stop the tears.

"
Coach is telling him now," Mom says, gesturing toward the glass window. She looks back at Todd and Brian. "Sorry about the game, boys. You really played your hearts out tonight. And really great sideline work, Brian."

I look back through the window and see Ryan pressing his palm into
his forehead. His knee is bent, and I can't help thinking,
At least he can bend his knee
. "Is he okay?"

Mom glances back over to the window.
"He has a concussion, and they're pretty sure his left arm is broken, but they want him to go to the hospital for x-rays and a few more tests. You know your brother, though; he's stubborn. He says he's fine and doesn't want to go, but he has no choice. Dad and I told him we'll drive instead of an ambulance if he wants, but he's going."

"
What is it with this year and hospitals?" I say, shaking my head. I don't need to elaborate; everyone in this hallway knows all too well what I mean. "I'm going, too."

"
We are, too," Todd and Brian say, glancing at each other.

"
Listen, there's no need to go. It's just a precaution. You guys stay here, get cleaned up." She glances at Todd and Brian. "Stay with all your friends and go back to the hotel."

"
We're going, Mrs. Taylor." Todd steps up closer to the glass, his fingers still intertwined with mine.

My mom just shakes her head. She knows there is no use arguing.

"Can we go in to see him?" Brian asks as his eyes stay on my brother through the window.

We all look
over at Ryan, who's being patted on the back by Coach. He's sitting up now and seems to have composed himself. He's definitely cradling his arm, though. I can tell he is in pain, even though he's really good at hiding it.

Brian slams his hands on the
window, causing us all to jump, before he presses his face up against the glass and shouts, "Ryan!"

Ryan looks over and instantly smiles at seeing Todd and Brian. He gestures for us all to come in.

"Boys, that was a hell of a game you played out there. You should all be very proud of yourselves. We'll get 'em next year," Coach says in his deep, booming voice.

You can easily see how you
'd believe anything he tells you. He's so sure of himself, so confident, and his build is just as big as his voice. He looks like he could squash you in a second if he wanted to. At the same time, seeing him in this moment reveals deep inside he's a big teddy bear.

All three boys hang their heads down.
"Sorry, Coach," Brian says. "We had that one. I don't know what happened." Brian looks really shaken up by the loss. I didn't realize that before, but now that we are in the light, I can see the glistening in his eyes. It's clear he's fighting back tears.

"
None of that, boys. We made it to State. That's a damn big accomplishment. And we'll do it again next year."

I
've never really heard their coach speak except for at practices when he's screaming across the field, but I kind of love him. You can tell he really cares about the players. It's more than a game to him. No wonder the team respects him so much.

"
The important thing is, we need to get Ryan patched up in time for college summer camps," he continues, squeezing my brother's shoulder and smiling at my parents. "You gave us a real scare tonight, son." He looks at my brother with a smile. "I've had enough of you boys and the hospital this year, you hear me? Now, I've gotta go talk to the rest of the team. I'm not sure how long Coach Jimmy can try to keep their spirits up." He laughs. Coach Jimmy is the assistant coach and the opposite in every way from Head Coach Willis. The boys still love and respect him; he just doesn't have nearly the commanding presence Coach W has.

Once Coach
leaves, the team doctor takes over. "All right, Ryan, look at me." He takes out his penlight and looks into Ryan's chocolate brown eyes. "Now follow the light."

I can see Ryan listening and trying hard to follow it, but I can also see his reactions are slightly delayed. I
'm not sure what that means, but it can't be good.

"
Okay, let's get you to the hospital." His tone gives nothing away.