Free Backstage Pass by Elizabeth Nelson Page B

tee. My bag was nearly impossible to keep on and every time it slid off, I got off balance. Add four hundred students all going the opposite way and it was a wonder I hadn’t crushed a few kneecaps with my crutches.

    By the time my chemistry lab rolled around, I was ready to cry.

    I couldn’t wait to get home and crash on the couch. I hadn’t talked to Kerri all day, and Jesse didn’t text me last night either. Today, I’d been adrift alone.

    Apparently everyone else had a shitty Monday too because I had the chem lab practically to myself. I’d done most of my work last week, so I wasn’t in a hurry to get everything finished. I had plenty of time, even if I took the whole lab.

    My phone rang and I glanced at the clock. Wow. I’d totally lost track of time. It was after six.

    “Hey, are you coming out?”

    Oh! I sagged back onto my stool. I’d completely forgotten about Dew’s game. Shit . I lowered my forehead to the counter. Clearly this outfit wasn’t going to work if he really thought tonight was a date. If possible, I looked even worse than yesterday.

    On the other end of the line, Dew yelled at someone.

    “Uh, yeah. I’m just finishing up. Be right out.”

    “Great! We’re totally amped for this game. I’m glad you’ll be there when we crush them.”

    “Yeah.” I tried to infuse some enthusiasm into my voice, but it fell flat.

    Dew hung up and I groaned. My foot throbbed and I should totally be going home to put it up and reload on my meds until I passed out. I should have begged off.

    Standing, I gathered my books and put away my testing rods. I had no idea how long rugby games lasted, but hopefully I could escape home by nine. My bag rammed me in the back and I shifted the contents, tossing me to the left. Maybe before the end of the week, I’d have the crutches figured out, or the genius to empty my bag. I winced and headed to the parking lot.

    Dew sat in a blue Tacoma. Giant wheels and massive lift made me oh-so-eager to try climbing in. He hopped down and grabbed my bag. “Here, you’re gonna need a hand.”

    I smiled. He smelled good and bounded around like an golden retriever. “Thanks.” We rounded the back of his truck and he lifted me onto the seat, then bounded away without shutting the door. I eyed the yawning gap between the ground and the door, then twisted my hand around the seatbelt and leaned over. My cast slipped and banged against the doorframe. By now, I’d become nearly immune to the throbbing pains. I bit my lip and yanked the door shut, barely getting my cast out of the way before it slammed.

    Dew fired up the truck and tore out of the parking lot, barely noticing that I’d managed to not fall out. “We beat these guys last year, but they’ve added a couple new freshmen. Man I hope we spank them again.”

    “Mmmhmm.”

    Dew’s phone rang and he jammed it against his shoulder. “Yeah man. Almost there.” He tossed the phone on the dash and glanced at me with a sideways grin. “You okay if we park by the locker rooms and you walk around to the entrance?”

    Was he for real? I lifted a crutch. “Uh, not exactly.”

    He laughed and slapped his leg. “Oh, right.”

    Cutting across three lanes of traffic, he made a wide right turn. I gripped the door handle to keep from tumbling across the seat and into his lap. My foot banged up into the heater vent. This better be a short game.

    He screeched to a halt and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

    “No, I’ve got it.” Sarcasm dripped from my words.

    “Oh geez.” He raced around, yanked my door, and set me down. “Come down to the locker room after, okay?”

    Without waiting for a response, he bounded into the truck and tore away. I guess there were worse things than musicians.

    I hobbled my way to the ticket booth, showed my student ID and eased through the gate. There weren’t a lot of participants since today was a pre-season game, so I snagged a chair at the top of the main