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She smiles, but her eyes haven’t left the stage. I pull my attention from her to the announcer as he begins to speak.

“I’d like to take a moment to congratulate Dawson on a wonderful season, and their fans certainly gave us a great atmosphere today. But the day belonged to the Walker Stallions!”

The crowd around us cheers, and I can hear the roar of the fans that remain in the stadium. Archie is standing right next to the announcer, and Coach Pettys is on the other side. Archie raises his arms, waving them up and down to try to get the fans to cheer louder. When he does, he knocks the hat he was given off his head and laughs. Beck is next to him and bends down to pick it up. He tries putting it back on Archie’s head, but it falls off again, and they look at each other and laugh.

A well-known sports broadcaster steps up to the microphone. “A huge thank-you to the Hanson Organization for sponsoring and hosting this event at this beautiful stadium in Pennsylvania.”

“Coach Pettys, it’s my honor to present to you the Keystone trophy!” The man hands the trophy to Coach and steps away as Coach moves to the microphone.

Coach hoists the trophy in the air, and confetti starts to rain down on the stage and in the area where we’re standing. The crowd roars again, and he lifts the trophy up and down.

“Today is worth celebrating. The credit goes to all the young men who played their hearts out today. They worked hard, played smart, and stayed one step ahead of Dawson all day.”

As he speaks, the players behind him dump a bucket full of confetti over his head.

Coach laughs. “Much better than getting soaked! But, yeah, these guys are the best. Unbelievable, resilient. We executed what we prepared for, but we’ve still got a lot of football left to play. It all comes down to the players, and we’re gonna be ready for Southeast in the championship game!”

The announcer steps in again. “You came out strong, but that second half of the game, you completely dominated the field. What was the key to getting everyone locked in and ready to play this semifinal game?”

“Well, everyone came together. I have a great coaching staff, but it all comes down to the players. Walker!”

The crowd replies, “Stallions!”

“We have a commemorative football to present to you for your win today.” He hands Coach the ball, and Coach steps back slightly.

“We still have a few other trophies to hand out. Let’s start with the Offensive MVP of the game, Bo Callaway! Bo, you’re a true freshman, which is unbelievable, considering you’ve accomplished so much this season and in this game. With six touchdowns and two hundred eighty-nine passing yards, how do you feel about this win?”

Bo steps up to the mic. “Thanks. Well, first, I have to thank God for giving me the strength to bring this win home for Walker!”

The crowd cheers.

“And my family, the coaches, my teammates—this couldn’t have been done without them. These guys have my back. But we came out here hungry today. We wanted this win, and we never gave up. We’re gonna be ready for Southeast!” Bo holds the trophy up and steps back.

The announcer turns to one of our senior defensive ends, Josh Schumacher, next. “Josh, you are today’s Defensive MVP! With four tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble, you helped keep Dawson away from that end zone.”

Josh takes his MVP trophy in hand. He’s a quiet but intense kind of guy, so I’m curious about what he’s going to say, if anything.

“Thank you. It all comes from my Lord and Savior. But we never give up. We keep going to work every day and put it all on the field.”

The announcer asks Josh a few more questions and congratulates the team again, and some of the players stay on the stage, getting pictures with golden keys hanging from key chains in their mouths. A few start to leave the stage, and I lose sight of Beck, who I’ve yet to make eye contact with.

I grab hold of Casey’s arm, and he leans down to hear me over the noise.

“Mom and Dad are still making their way down here. I’ll stay out here until you guys go back, but I want to see Beck first.”

He nods and motions to where Beck is coming down the steps of the stage. Casey puts his arm in the air to signal Beck our way.

Beck spots me and smiles, but then stops walking, and the look on his face changes. I’m not sure what’s going on, but when I follow his gaze, I see he’s looking at his mom. She’s still standing next to me, but her hands are in fists, and she’s biting on her lip nervously.

When I turn back to Beck, I see him charging toward us.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He points accusingly at his mom, and then he turns to me. “Why are you with her? Is this some kind of joke?” He turns to his mom again. “Does my dad know you’re here? Does Brooke? You shouldn’t be here, and I don’t want you here!” He’s trying to keep his voice down, but his teammates are starting to notice, and Casey has now turned to see Beck’s clearly agitated body language.

“Whoa, man. What’s going on?” Casey asks.

Beck points at his mom. “Her. That’s the woman who birthed me.”

Casey whispers, “Oh shit.” He turns to Beck and puts his hands on Beck’s chest. “Okay, we got this. What do you need me to do?”