“Last night, when Marcus came to see you. I think he really cares for you, Brooke.”
“Marcus was here, last night?” My mouth hung open in surprise.
“My, my, you must have been sick. Don’t you remember him tucking you in?”
A warm, fuzzy feeling gushed through me in the form of relief. “Oh, right. I remember.” I nodded, keeping up the act.
“Okay, well, Jim and I will soon be leaving for the day. His receptionist is sick. I’ll be filling in for her. Call my cell if you need anything,” she said, then turned and walked away, stopping at Sammy’s bedroom door.
I closed the door and walked to the bed, falling back against it. With a rare smile on my face, I wrapped the quilt around me that Marcus had covered me with.
I remembered taking Tylenol and lying down, and that was the extent of my memories. Pain meds always made me drowsy.
It was just after nine now. I couldn’t refrain from calling Marcus any longer.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Hi, you weren’t sleeping were you?”
“I’m so happy to hear your voice, and no, I wasn’t sleeping. Actually, I’ve been dying to call you, but I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Oh, I’ve been awake for a while, and I was dying to call you, too. I wish I’d been awake last night when you were here.”
“It doesn’t matter. I was just happy to be there. Did you get my message?”
My smile grew. He had left me a message. “Nope. I lost my phone and found it in Sammy’s hand. She must have erased it.”
“I wanted to know if you wanted to spend the whole day together, doing whatever you like.”
“Oh yeah, it’s Saturday.” I’d lost track of time. “That sounds awesome. What do you wanna do?”
“I don’t know. We can drive to Boston if you want.”
That tempted me enough to sit up. “Wow, I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I really don’t want to go to Boston right now. Hey, don’t you have a soccer game today?”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t going to go.”
“I think you should go. I’ll come too.”
“Well, if you’re up for it.”
“You have to be there for the team.”
“They’ll live without me, but you talked me into it. Why don’t I pick you up around eleven and take you out for lunch before the game?”
A rush of excitement shot through me. “Okay, it’ll be like a date.”
“You sound happy.”
“Well, at the moment, I am.”
“Good, see you soon.”
I kissed into the phone and hung up.
Suddenly aware of how I was dressed, I ripped the wet towel off my head, threw it on the floor and hurried to my closet. Forgetting for a moment about the dark side of my life, I got ready for my day with Marcus.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Marcus picked me up in the truck. After a pleasant lunch at a seaside restaurant, he drove us to the soccer field. Amy and Christy were on the bleachers waving frantically at me when I got out of the truck.
“Good. You’ll have friends to sit with,” Marcus said as he heaved his gym bag over his shoulder.
He offered to walk me to the bleachers, but I brushed him off. After a lengthy kiss and a couple of teasing shouts from Amy and Christy, Marcus left me to go to the locker room to change. As I walked to the bleachers to sit with my new friends, I felt as if I belonged somewhere again.
The day was moving along beautifully.
“Hey girlfriend.” Amy greeted me, smiling hugely. She moved over a space, offering me the spot between her and Christy.
“Hey, nice T-shirts,” I said, complimenting them on their skimpy, Deadwich Ravens tees.
“We’ll have to get you a Ravens shirt for the next game,” Amy suggested.
“That’d be cool,” I agreed.
I scanned the bleachers hoping no one noticed.
“Don’t look back, but the three witches are sitting at the top left corner,” Amy said.
“Huh?” I jumped in my seat and did exactly what she’d told me not to do. I looked back.
There they were, three of the seven Ravenwyck witches. Amy had no idea how accurate she’d been in her name-calling.
Even though I knew something was up with Sammy, Megan and Robyn, looking upon the three of them for the first time, knowing what they really were, sent a cold shiver across my skin, leaving goose bumps behind on this blistering hot day. As if they sensed my stare, all three of them glared at me at the same time with definite malevolent intent. With the back of my goose bump-covered arm, I wiped sweat beads off my forehead.
“Geez, are you alright?” Amy asked. “You’re as white as a ghost.”
Her voice brought me back to my senses. I faked a smile.
“Which reminds me, I haven’t seen you since the dance. What happened?” As Christy asked, a sly grin spread across her face.
I sighed at the lie I was about to tell. “Um, I didn’t feel very good, so I left early. I needed yesterday off to recover.”
“It doesn’t look like you’re over whatever it was you had,” Christy said.
Amy ignored Christy’s comment to me and nudged me in the arm. “We heard you spent the night in Marcus’ boathouse.”
Her and Christy’s smirks and raised eyebrows told me they’d already had their minds made up as to why I’d spent the night at the boathouse. I knew there was no point in protesting the issue. But just the same, I felt my cheeks warm knowing what it was they thought.
“She’s not touching that one, Amy,” Christy said, then winked at Amy.
I didn’t comment. They both giggled. I blushed further, feeling shamefully proud.
“Do you know how many girls would trade places with you in a heartbeat to spend a night there?” Amy said, linking her arm through mine.
“With either brother,” Christy added.
“Seriously,” Amy said.
I laughed inwardly at the irony. If only they had insight into my twisted existence, none of them would want to trade places with me. But I wouldn’t give up any of it, not if it meant that Marcus wouldn’t be in my life. As long as we were together I could endure whatever horrors awaited me.
The crowd began to cheer—finally something to draw Amy and Christy’s attention away from me. The Deadwich Ravens jogged onto the field, followed by their rivals; the Ipswich Vultures. I searched the blue and white jerseys until I found number fourteen.
Amy and Christy babbled back and forth about how cute the Ipswich guys were. Apparently, Amy had gone out with one. I totally ignored them. Tall, dark and handsome, number fourteen was the only guy who grabbed my attention. Although, I couldn’t ignore Evan, no matter how hard I tried.
His laughter resonated above everyone else’s on the field. Not to mention, he was obnoxiously animated, elbowing his buddies, perhaps a little too hard. His friends played along with his antics, though, as if he was Deadwich’s greatest gift and they were satisfied to be a part of his entourage.
“Whoa, check out number fourteen, girl,” Amy said, elbowing me playfully.
“Yeah, he’s pretty hot,” I said gushing.
“Evan too,” Christy added, sounding appalled that we would leave him out.
It was hard not to scowl as I said, “Yeah, him too.”
I hoped that one day I could see the cuteness in Evan again, but right now, any good attributes he’d once had were lost somewhere deep inside the evil Evan. And just like the evil Sammy, I wasn’t sure if they would ever surface again.
The whistle blew. The captains shook hands with the coaches and referees and the players assumed their positions on the field. Ipswich Vultures had the kickoff.
After a couple of good plays by Ipswich, they scored the first goal. Marcus and Evan played offence together; Marcus as the lead striker, Evan as a midfielder. Although it was the first game I’d watched them play, I would have to be blind not to see the tension between the two brothers.
>
Instead of passing Marcus the ball, Evan would greedily keep it and try to score himself, but Marcus caught a pass from Dave and scored the first goal for the Ravens, tying the game 1-1.
It was apparent that the Ravens’ coach noticed Evan’s behavior, because he pulled him from the field and made him sit the rest of the first half out.
“What’s with Evan?” Amy asked, looking at me. “Aren’t Marcus and Evan getting along? I mean, yeah, they hardly spoke to each other in school all week, but can’t they just get along for the game’s sake?”
I shrugged. “You know more about their relationship than I do.” Then in Marcus’ defense I added, “I think it’s more Evan than it is Marcus, though, don’t you think?”
“You’re right. Evan’s been acting like a jerk lately,” Amy said.
“Seriously, It’s hard to believe they’re twins,” Christy added.
I let out a long, slow breath. The sun had grown even hotter, if that were even possible. Or was it just me? With the back of my hand, I continually wiped sweat from my forehead. I rummaged through my purse until I found a clip and pulled my hair back into a ponytail.
Amy looked at me concerned. “I think you should go see a doctor, Brooke.”
“Why? Don’t you guys find it hot?” I asked, fanning myself with a piece of folded paper I’d found inside my bag.
Christy shrugged. “It’s nice actually.”
“Seriously?” Come to think of it, after having a quick glance around, I discovered that I was the only one who was visibly sweating.
“Yeah, seriously. You’re still sick. Do you want me to get you a bottle of water?” Christy offered.
“Maybe that would help.” I smiled at her.
“I’m coming, too,” Amy said. “Do you want to come with us, Brooke?”
“Uh-uh. I think I’ll just wait here.” I handed her some change for the machine. The truth was my legs were suddenly weak.
“Okay, we’ll be right back,” Christy said.
Something was up. My stomach knotted, making me feel sick. I risked a quick glance to the top left corner of the bleachers. Sammy, Megan and Robyn shot glares my way. The knot tightened. I turned around quickly.
I found Marcus. He was sitting on the bench. His shoulders rose up and down from his efforts on the field. As if he felt me looking at him, he turned and smiled up at me. I smiled back.
After a brief rest, Marcus was back on the field. He and Jared were in the middle of an intense play, when I heard a voice that momentarily stopped my heart.
“Hi, Country Girl.”
Wide-eyed, I looked down. Luke was standing in front of the bleachers. He sprinted up the middle and plopped himself down beside me.
My mouth dropped open. “What the … how did you know where I was?”
His grin dwindled, but even when Luke wasn’t smiling it was hard to tell what mood he was in. He was gifted with a perpetual look of happiness.
“Your Aunt Rachel told me where you were.” I could tell by the change in his tone that he was disappointed in my reaction to seeing him.
“Cool.” I tried to look happy.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Evan in a break-a-way. Luke turned his attention toward the field—so did I.
Evan dribbled the ball down center field, followed closely by two Ipswich players. Marcus was in front of the opposing goal waiting for the pass. But it was clear Evan wasn’t going to pass it. The crowd yelled frantically at Evan to pass the ball.
The Vultures’ attacking offense pulled out from behind Evan and intercepted the ball from him. Jared caught up to the Vultures player, pulled out in front, and stayed within touching distance of him, waiting for an opportunity to take the ball. When he saw his chance to retrieve the ball for the Ravens, as the opposing player was about to turn and pass it to his team mate on the left, Jared maneuvered himself close enough to the Vultures player to intercept the ball.
The crowd went wild. I glanced sideways at Luke. His eyes were glued to the game. It was as if I wasn’t even beside him. I rolled my eyes and switched my focus back to the game, also.
Marcus was deep into the opponents half when Jared passed him the ball. He stopped it with his thigh. It dropped in front of him. From a distance of about ten yards from the goal, Marcus booted the ball. The crowd cheered wildly, including Luke. The ball flew through the air and into the top left corner of the net.
“Good play,” Luke said.
I smiled, tight-lipped.
While the teams switched players, he turned his attention back to me. He held his arms out for a hug. I shot a quick glance to the field. Marcus was standing by his bench back to me, drinking from his water bottle. He was having a discussion with Evan.
I felt Luke’s arm go around my back, then his other arm came across the front of me.
“You have no idea how much Boston sucks without you.” He lowered an arm, but kept one draped across my shoulders “So, are you happy here?”
That was a tough question, but I thought it best to tell him that I was.
“Believe it or not, I am happy, but I miss you guys so much.”
The sudden shrill of the referee’s whistle drew my attention back to the field. Evan and Marcus’ discussion had turned into a heated one. Marcus glanced over his shoulder in my direction. I froze. Luke looked at me and then back to the field. I didn’t like the look on Marcus’ face.
“Is … are … who’s he?” Luke finally spit the words out.
“Ah, he’s someone special.” I looked at Luke apologetically.
“Oh.” In that instant, Luke lifted his arm from around my shoulders.
Marcus had seen us and so had Evan. With a smirk on his face, Evan pushed Marcus from behind, provoking a fight. Marcus turned and lunged at Evan, grabbing him with such force it scared me. Barely breathing, I slid to the edge of my seat. A wave of adrenaline rushed over the crowd. They stood. No one was silent. They jumped up and down, trying to get a better view of the fight. In no time at all, a circle of people had formed around Marcus and Evan.
“Man, that guy’s got a temper,” Luke said.
I didn’t answer. I knew he was talking about Marcus.
Marcus knocked Evan to the ground. The spectators went wild. The rest of the crowd rushed to the circle to get a better view. The Ravens’ coach grabbed Marcus by the back of the shirt and dragged him off Evan, but he couldn’t hold Marcus back. Now standing, both brothers tense, they flew at each other again. It took a couple of guys to pull each brother off the other and hold them apart. After a long moment, Marcus flung himself out of Jared and Dave’s grips and turned to walk away. The crowd broke up. The coach blew the whistle frantically, trying to get some order.
As Marcus walked toward the bench, he glanced up at me and Luke. Evan came at him a final time pushing him from behind again. He fell, hitting his head on the bench. I jumped in the air, trying to spot Marcus on the ground. All I could see was his unmoving legs, covered in shin guards, on the other side of the bench.
Everything was a blur as I ran down the bleachers and across the track until I was outside of the dense circle of people. I couldn’t get through.
My heart sank when I heard a voice call out, “Someone call an ambulance.”
As a numb sensation crept from the top of my head down over my body, I pushed sideways through the crowd until I saw Marcus lying on his back—his eyes closed—blood leaking from a gash on his forehead.
A woman was administering to him. I wondered briefly if she was his mother. He hadn’t said she was coming. She pressed her fingers to his limp wrist. My head felt woozy. Strong arms held me up.
“Come and sit down,” Luke breathed in my ear. It was useless to argue, I hadn’t the strength to stand anymore. My knees buckled beneath me, just as Luke guided me down to the bench. I leaned against him, fighting to keep my eyes open—it was hopeless.
The will drained from me. My last thought before I passed out was of how weak I was when Marcus needed me.
/>
Muffled sounds came back to me first, and then a cool sensation rushed through me, bringing life with it. My ears unplugged, letting the drone of the crowd back in.
I lifted my head and pushed my upper body away from Luke’s. A distant siren rang in my ears, something I hadn’t heard since I’d left Boston.
“Marcus,” I whispered.
“He’ll be okay. The ambulance is coming,” Luke soothed.
I leaned against him again, trying to focus. Evan came into view. He was standing a distance away with his arms folded smugly across his chest. The neck of his jersey hung open where it had gotten ripped during the fight.
I heaved myself to my feet and turned toward Marcus, who still lay on the ground at the other end of the bench—lifeless.
Luke grabbed my hand to pull me back.
“Luke, let me go.”
“You just fainted, Brooke.”
“I don’t care.”
Frantic now, I snatched my hand back, feeling almost strong again. I pushed past a couple of guys on our team, who graciously parted for me.
When I reached Marcus, my knees gave way. Justin steadied me as I lowered myself to the ground.
“She’s his girlfriend, Mom,” he said to the woman who was attending to Marcus.
She nodded and let me stay. I looked questioningly at Justin.
“She’s a nurse,” he said.
I sat on the ground in silence beside Marcus’ head. Afraid of hurting him, my fingers barely grazed the ends of his sweat-soaked hair.
Justin’s mom looked at me with a friendly smile and said, “He’ll be fine.”
Her words weren’t reassuring.
“But why doesn’t he wake up?” I asked in a broken voice.
And then a glorious sound came from Marcus. He moaned.
His body shifted slightly. I looked down at his face. He squinted and moaned again. Justin’s mom picked his wrist back up and checked his pulse again. I felt as if I was going to faint again, from relief this time, but held it together.
“Marcus,” I whispered.
He didn’t respond. I wiped away a trickle of blood that had found its way to the crease in his eyelid. His beautiful eyes fluttered opened, then closed, then opened more fully and focused on me. The ambulance peeled into the parking lot.