Page 69 of Love at Second Down

My cheek burns where her palm connected, but the pain is nothing compared to the shock of her defense.

“Sacrificed?” I laugh, the sound hollow in the confined space. “What exactly has he sacrificed, Mom? His morals? His integrity?”

“Everything your father did was forus, Avery.” Her voice trembles with conviction. “The houses, the schools, the trips abroad. The life you’ve taken for granted while you play at being independent. Do you know how many girls would kill to have what you have?”

I rub my stinging cheek, staring at my mother in disbelief. “Is that supposed to make me grateful? That other people wish they could be me? I never asked for any of it.”

“That’s exactly it, Avery,” she snaps, her perfectly manicured hand cutting through the air. “You have a life most people dream of, and you act like it’s a burden. Like we’ve done something wrong by giving you a life others can only dream of.”

“You mean, one Dad’s killed for,” I say, regretting the words the minute they’re out of my mouth.

“Come home,” my father demands beside me.

“No.”

“And what about Katie?” My mother’s voice drops, taking on that dangerous quality that means she’s about to go for the kill. “Have you thought about what this means for her?”

I freeze. “Katie has nothing to do with this,” I say, even though I know that’s not true.

What will be left if my father goes to jail? When the civil cases and lawsuits start rolling in? When our family loses everything? Where will she be then?

Guilt pecks at my chest, splitting me open like a bird shelling seed.

“She has everything to do with this!” My mother leans forward, eyes flashing. “If your father goes down because you’vedecided to pursue this . . . this infatuation with the son of the man determined to destroy us, what happens to her at-home care? Her private tutoring, so she doesn’t have to endure the kids who make fun of her for being different? All the technologies that allow her to live a more normal life? The trust fund that pays for her medical treatments?”

The air leaves my lungs in a rush, like I’ve been punched in the stomach. My little sister is eleven and struggling with a genetic disorder that makes every day a battle. She’s the innocent in all this. The one person I would burn the world down to protect.

“That’s not fair,” I whisper, but the words fall from my mouth like stones.

It might not be fair, but it’s reality.

“No, it’s not,” my mother says, her tone quiet, and when she turns to stare out the darkened window, I wonder how much of the anger she’s directing at me is really anger at my father.

“Vinny, Damon’s father, he won’t go to the authorities,” I say, my tone firm with my belief. “Too much time has passed. Damon’s at the top of his game. He’s thriving. There’s no point.”

My father’s cold, hard stare finds me across the darkened car, his eyes like flint striking steel. “And you’re willing to bet my life on it, Katie’s life on it?” he asks, his brows rising to his hairline.

“Yes. I’m sure of it.”

He leans back slowly, lips pressed into a thin line, and after a long stretch of silence, he says, “Famous last words, Avery.”

“I’m right,” I say, because I’m sure of it. Because I have to be.

I call Damon’s cell for the tenth time, frustrated when it goes to voicemail. Again.

“Dammit!” I say as I slam my phone down on my desk.

Ever since I got away from my parents and back to my dorm room, I’ve been trying to get a hold of him, but he’s ignoring all my calls. At least, I think he’s ignoring them, and I don’t really blame him. Not that it’s my fault, but still . . . by not showing tonight, I’ve reinforced every negative thought he has about me. Reiterated all his fears?that I’m unreliable, disloyal, and can’t be trusted with his heart.

Tapping my fingers on my thighs I debate on what to do, too afraid to leave my room and head to his place with my parents still lingering in the area. I wouldn’t put it past them to follow me, to somehow try and stop me from seeing him tonight.

Exhaling, I lean back in my chair.

I need to prove to Damon that he can trust me, that I’ll do what I say when I say it. It’ll be hard to do considering he’s leaving for the championship game tomorrow, and I have zero time to do so.

Wait. The championship game.

Will you come and watch me play?

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