“Let’s hope so.”
“Well, with cheerleaders as pretty as you girls, they better.” He gives me a little wink, and my cheeks heat at the attention.
“Excuse me?”
I look up to see a woman waiting for me to move so she can pass by.
“Sorry.” I shift, giving her space. When she’s gone, I look down to the sidelines, hoping to catch a glimpse of Emmett, but he’s nowhere to be seen.
Rose Hathaway, however, is right there, staring up at me, or more like glaring. Her hair is pulled in a high ponytail, with a purple-gold bow on top that matches her cheerleading uniform. Her makeup is flawless, and she’d look beautiful if it weren’t for the scowl on her face. She looks between Penny and me, her gaze zeroing in on the cane clasped in Penny’s hands.
“Coming?” Becky places her hand on my forearm, snapping me out of my staring contest.
“Hmm?” I look back, but Rose’s back is turned to the bleachers. “Oh, yeah, right. Let’s go.”
EMMETT
“Fuck, yeah!” Miguel fist-pumps as Vincent, our wide receiver, runs into the end zone and throws the ball on the grass.
People in the stands cheer and clap as the score on the board changes to 21-21 after we score the extra point.
The game has been a mess since the start. We lost the coin toss, and they chose to start with the offense. While we have the advantage of playing on our home turf, those guys are hungry to win. We’ve been going back and forth the whole game. They’d score a touchdown, and then we’d do the same, but with mere minutes left on the clock, we can’t let them score again.
As if he can read my thoughts, Coach stops us before we get out on the field. “Whatever you do, do not let them score. Keep an eye on the receivers. That Kelly boy’s got fast feet.”
“Got it, Coach.”
After a slap on my shoulder, I run out onto the field, taking my place on the line.
The quarterback calls out the play, and the center snaps the ball. The first lines collide.
I keep my eyes on the Kelly guy, waiting for the ball to fall into his hands, but it never does. Then I see one of the running backs slipping from the side.
“Fucking hell.”
Miguel sees him a second later too, but it’s already too late because he’s running toward the end zone. Thankfully, Nico manages to tackle him to the ground at thirty yards.
“A perfect time to change the fucking tactic.” Miguel spits on the grass.
“Keep your eyes open.”
The referee blows the whistle, and we take our places.
“Ready to run off to your momma to cry once the game’s over?” one of the opposing players asks with a grin on his face.
“The only one who’ll be running off is you once we wipe the grass with you.”
His grin is replaced by a scowl, but then the quarterback calls out a play. This time, I don’t look for where the ball should go. When the offense and defense crash, I go for the guard, giving Miguel a chance to slip through their line and go for their QB. He tackles him to the ground, but it’s too late, because the ball is sailing through the air.
The pass is weak, and before Kelly can change course to catch it, Nico intercepts it and starts running to the end zone.
The chants of the crowd grow louder when they realize we’ve got possession of the ball.
Getting rid of the asshole guard, I run after the players who’re at Nico’s heels. He passes the ball to Miguel, two of the Panther players on his tail.
His eyes meet mine, and just before one of them tackles him to the ground, he lets the ball spiral into my hands.
My skin burns when the pigskin slips between my palms. Tucking it to my chest, I run as my teammates do their best to clear my path.
Thirty yards.
Twenty.
Ten.
“The-fucking-end!”
I throw the ball to the ground as soon as I cross into the end zone.
The whistle blows, signaling the end of the game, and the field turns into pandemonium. Miguel sprints toward me, throwing his arms around my shoulders and screaming at the top of his lungs. “We won! Fuck, yeah!”
The rest of our teammates come rushing onto the field and jump all over us until we all land in a mass of limbs on the grass.
I laugh as the last few moments play over in my mind.
Un-fucking-believable.
The next few minutes pass in a daze. Referees cut our celebration so we can kick the extra point, and then it’s really done.
As soon as the whistle blows, the field overflows with people. It seems like the whole town has come to the game and is now standing on the field, celebrating our victory.
“Holy shit, that was amazing!” Becky squeals loudly, throwing herself at Miguel and kissing him soundly on the mouth.
Seriously? Gross.
But if Becky is here, that means… I turn around, my eyes falling on Kate and Penny instantly. Kate’s arm is wrapped around her sister’s shoulder, holding on to her tightly as they try to push their way through to us. Penny’s clenching her white cane tightly.
Seeing them on the field, dressed in the purple Bluebonnet Eagles shirts I got them, makes my chest tighten a bit.
Kate’s eyes meet mine for a second before one of my teammates gets in the way. I push him out of my way and close the distance between us.
“Hey, there,” I say, pulling both of them closer, doing my best to shield them from the people mingling around.
“Hi,” Kate breathes, stumbling a little when somebody pushes her from the back. “This is crazy.”
“Congrats on the win, Emmett,” Penny leans closer and yells over the noises of the crowd.
“Thanks, Little Adams. Whaddya think?”
“Well,” she drawls, trying to imitate the southern accent. She’s actually pretty decent. “From what I could see, you were not too shabby.”
I pinch her nose. “You think you’re funny, huh?”
Penny giggles, swatting my hand away. “Hey, you asked!” Tentatively, she reaches for me. Her hand pats its way up my chest and over my shoulders until she wraps it around my neck, giving me a hug. “I mean it, though. Becky made a point to explain everything to me, and I do mean everything, since Kate is hopeless when it comes to sports. Congrats.”
“Thanks, darlin’,” I whisper, my throat suddenly dry. I tighten my hold on her, lifting her slightly off the ground. “I’m happy you made it.”
Kate and I exchange a look over Penny’s shoulder before I put her back down.
“You know I really like you, right?” Penny takes a step back.
“Of course, I do.”
“Then don’t take this the wrong way.” Penny’s nose scrunches. “But you stink, Emmett.”
“What? You wound me, Little Adams.” I turn to Kate, throwing my arm around her. “What do you say, Kitty? Your sister is ruthless. And that’s the thanks I get for winning this game?” I tsk. “I’m not that bad, right?”
Kate makes a face. “She might be right.”
“What?!”
Her hand slides behind my neck, and she pulls me down for a kiss. “But I like you anyway. Stink and all.”
I pull back so I can see her face. Her hair is loose, falling down over her shoulders, her cheeks pink from all the excitement. I skim my knuckles over her cheek. Those blue eyes stare into mine intently, her teeth grazing over her lower lip.