Read Crossing the Barrier for Free Online Page A

the ignition. He drove out of the parking lot and down the road to one of the few places where he could always find peace.
    Five minutes later, he parked behind the school and got out of his jeep. Shoving his hands into his jeans pockets, he made his way to the football practice field, the smell of fresh laundry and wet grass floating in the air. Malakai would have rather gone to the stadium where the team usually played to soak in the feel of it, to visualize the real thing, but the place was locked, and he didn’t think it would be a good idea to get caught sneaking in. Regardless, this practice field was a place he knew well and loved.
    Football was a major part of his life. It was the only thing he knew would be there the next day and the next. Malakai gave it his all, practicing and weight lifting six times a week, running an hour every day, and sometimes throwing the ball with his friends on Sundays. Even in the off-season, he kept up with the weight training and running.
    Football was also a comfort to him. When he played, he was himself and forgot everything that was not the game, everything that was not his desire to do his best and win. Football gave him a sense of purpose, which he had lost after his friend’s death and hadn’t found anywhere else. It was his escape, his way to forget about everything that was wrong with his life, his way to get help when he couldn’t get it anywhere else and didn’t know how to ask for it. It had given him a sense of self-worth, which he would have never regained had his grandmother not forced him to play shortly after he and his father moved in with her.
    According to the coaches, Malakai was one of the best wide receivers they had seen in years. He didn’t believe he was good enough to make it to the pros, but at least it was going to pay for college. South Texas may not be the greatest football team in its conference, but it was where he wanted to go because it had one of the best kinesiology programs in the southern United States.
    Despite his excitement, his news was tarnished by the fact he didn’t have the benefit of talking the offer through with his father.
    He made his way to the fifty-yard line and stood there, remembering the practices of the last few days with Wes and Tristan, the sophomore quarterback. He replayed in his mind every move he had made, every way he had gone wrong, and everything he had done right. He also remembered how his thoughts of Lily had hindered his ability to concentrate and practice at his normal level.
    As he thought of her, he made his way to the twenty-yard line and looked at where the stands would be if he were at the regular stadium. The band would be sitting there, playing something, entertaining the crowd, giving the players some form of encouragement. He had always liked the way the band and the crowd helped him concentrate better. The noise was a way to drown out everything else but the game, and he had always welcomed it. It was not the case for all the players, but it was for him.
    And Lily was a part of all that; she was a part of his own personal entertainment act. Malakai looked at the ground in front of him and remembered being with her again. He had been comfortable enough to tell her about his college offer, something he had pretty much kept to himself, but telling Lily had felt so…right.
    He was looking at the stands again when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned and saw David making his way across the field, a football in his hand.
    “’Sup?” David asked.
    Malakai shrugged.
    “You playing in jeans? In this heat?”
    Malakai looked down at himself, then grinned at David.
    “Give me a minute, will you?”
    Malakai ran to his jeep to change. Two minutes later, they were throwing the ball around the field.

 
     
    Chapter Eight
     
     
    LILY
    “ Lily, you’re awfully quiet again,” Sandra said as they drove to school for their band practice the next Monday. “What’s wrong?”
    Lily hesitated. “My