Second Down (Moving the Chains Book 2) Read Online Free

sure I won’t bolt back down the hallway or throw up on the floor. She knows damn well I don’t want to be here. She also knows puking has become my new normal. I lost track of how many times I worshipped the porcelain god since I woke up this morning.
    The sound of Evie’s soft laughter floats to my ears from inside the room. I vaguely register Mom calling me, but I’m too far gone.
    I’m drawn in the door like a moth to the flame. The crushing guilt, overwhelming sadness, and defensive numbness is replaced instantly by the greatest joy I’ve ever experienced at hearing what closely resembles my favorite song.
    For too long yesterday, I thought I might never hear it again.
    She’s sitting up in the bed. Her face still bears the marks of his hands on her, but both of her eyes are open and sparkling like my car after a fresh wash and wax. A smile is painted across her lips. The same lips I kissed less than twenty-four hours ago.
    My first instinct is to go to her, feel her lips on mine again, tangle my fingers in her crazy hair. I want to beg for her mercy, though I’ll never ask for her forgiveness. Want to cocoon her against me like the night of the bonfire; promise I’ll spend the rest of my life cherishing her and trying my damndest to make up for my failures. And if she can’t get past my transgressions, still swear that I’ll always be here for her in whatever capacity she needs me until the day I die.
    Her eyes land on me slowly approaching. She looks immediately uncomfortable which I expect after all that’s happened. I knew last night that everyone touching her was a bad idea.
    She recovers quickly, trying to hide her slight moment of panic at seeing me. Instead, she gives me a halting smile. “Superjock!”
    Mike turns around, and our eyes meet. I hadn’t even noticed him sitting in a chair beside her bed.
    “Hey, Rob.”
    “What are you doing here?” Accusation laces my voice. I can’t help it. I don’t want any guys around her ever again. Friends or not.
    His frame is relaxed, his tone calmer than I feel. “Evie called me this morning and asked me to come.”
    That’s it. That’s all he gives me. The fact that she called him and not me only reinforces what I already know. She doesn’t want me anymore. She doesn’t need me for comfort. Taking care of her is Mike’s job once again.
    Evie adjusts herself a bit in the bed. It’s obvious that every little movement causes her pain. “Wow, you really take being Bio partners seriously. I didn’t expect to see you here.”  
    The cheek that isn’t covered in bruises flushes pink, and she casts her eyes down to the bed, pulling the blanket up higher in an effort to cover her thin hospital gown.
    She’s obviously embarrassed for me to see her like this.
    Everything in me screams for me to walk back out the way I came. But my muscles are giving out, so I sit in the chair next to Mike. He shakes his head ever so slightly, but whatever he’s trying to tell me doesn’t cut through the sense of failure that permeates every bone in my body.
    “How, uh, how’s your ankle? Looks like you’re walking okay.”  
    What did she just ask me?
    “Evie,” Mike starts gently. “Remember what we told you? That was three days ago. Rob’s ankle is fine.”
    Three days ago...what the honest fuck?
    Christina comes up beside me, resting her small hand on my shoulder. “Evie has amnesia. The doctors think it’s from her concussion and...what happened. She doesn’t remember any of it or the days leading up to it.”
    “Yeah, I must’ve been hit by a semi or something. No one will tell me if my car is totaled or not.” Evie flashes a rueful smile at the three of us.
    Mike and Tini exchange nervous glances.
    That’s when it dawns on me.
    No one has told her yet about what really happened.
    Evie fiddles with her blanket, the same nervous habit she usually reserves for the corners of her notebooks. “Sorry. I know it’s weird. The doctor said that the