ball. I control the score. The only thing standing between us and a win is me.
Stepping out onto the field is a rite of passage at a home game. Cheerleaders line the track. A banner waits for us to barrel through, and smoke and fireworks fill the sky. It’s a sight to see. Glass Heart Academy has a reputation for theatrics. We live for this shit. It’s in our blood.
With my team, I run out onto the field, stopping when we hit the sidelines. I turn towards the crowd, scanning the student section that’s buzzing like a livewire tonight. I spot Dixon and Breaker instantly. Girls surround them, and the boys give them their breathing room, right in the middle of the crowd.
I hold out my hands, asking Breaker a question he immediately responds to with a quick point. Palmer is walking up the steps, the sea of students parting for her, much to their dismay. She sits down in front of Breaker and leans back into him to whisper something.
He grins, eyeing me the whole time. I mouth fucking asshole, which he clearly reads. An entertained middle finger is waved at me. Palmer circles back around, skimming the sidelines. Our eyes lock, and she visibly sighs, offering me a bothered wave.
She needs me to know she’s here, but not happy about it. Or that’s at least what she needs to tell herself as she sits in the stands. She’ll pretend as if she isn’t watching me stretching, and she’ll turn away when she catches herself searching for my number among the sea of jerseys.
Dillon plays a strong first half, making the right choice by throwing long passes to me deep down the field. There’s a reason why we win. I’m running the ball into the end zone as the time runs out on the scoreboard, signaling the end of the first half.
I jog towards the stands. The guys high-five me, and the girls gaze at me as if I’m something. To them, I am, but their approval isn’t something I chase.
“Where is she?” I yell to Breaker, checking around the stands for any sign of her.
“She said she was going to the bathroom,” Breaker calls out.
“That was a while ago, though,” Delaney adds, standing to scan the area.
I jump the guard rail and race below the stands. The bathrooms and concession stands are beneath. If she’s gone to the bathroom, then she has to be down here somewhere.
Unwarranted panic sets in when I don’t see her. I open the girls’ bathroom door and yell her name. A group of women yell at me, telling me to get the hell out.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
My chin falls to my chest, and I turn to see Palmer standing with a bag of popcorn in her hands. She pops a piece in her mouth and smiles.
“I, umm . . .” For fuck’s sake, could I sound any dumber? “Where were you?”
Her eyes shift from her coveted popcorn to me. “I came down here to answer a phone call from my parents, and thought maybe I should get something to eat because I’m starving. What are you doing down here?” Her eyes narrow. “Wait a second, were you worried about me?”
“And if I was?” I shrug. “There’s still someone out there who attacked you. I’m sorry for worrying. When I didn’t see you, I thought the worst.”
“Because you like me.”
“Whatever.” I head towards the stairwell that leads to the field. “I’m glad you’re not dead, is all.” I smile to myself and pull on my helmet.
The second half of the game goes just as I suspect. We get a decent lead, and after Dillon makes a couple comments about Palmer, I have no choice.
“Don’t block for him,” I say to our largest lineman, Max Edwards.
“But . . .” he pleads.
I’m a believer in a team. He and every other person on this field wearing our school colors knows it.
“I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important,” I offer, hoping to get my point across.
“Wouldn’t have anything to do with that sweet little thing up in the stands, would it? Overheard him plotting some shit the other day in the locker room.”
“Like what?” I pat him on the back.
“I don’t know, man.” He waves the idea off. “Johnson is harmless, so I can’t imagine it would be anything worth worrying about.”
He’s right. The only thing big and bad about Dillon Johnson is his father. Lord knows that mother fucker throws that weight around campus.
I