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Liz nodded once as she rose out of her stretch, rolling her shoulders back. “Hope you kept up your cardio. It won’t be fun if I can outrun you.”

“Even if I hadn’t,” Sam said as she stood, brushing the grass off her shorts, “you’d still never be able to outrun me.”

Liz hummed, the edges of her eyes tightening. “We’ll see.”

Sam grabbed her water off the ground. She took a long, steady sip, feeling the anticipation settle into her chest. It had been years since she’d played, but just being out there—the smell of fresh-cut grass, the sounds of cleats scraping turf—already brought everything rushing back.

Liz waved her to follow, leading her toward the others gathered near the center of the field. After quick introductions and handshakes, they split up into teams, falling easily into position.

Although it had been years since she’d last touched a soccer ball, everything came back to her at lightning speed. Within minutes, she adjusted to their faster pace and more physical style. And by the time they hit the half hour mark, every bit of rust had worn off.

“You sure you didn’t play in college?” One woman called out to her from a few feet away after she blocked one of Liz’s pass attempts and launched the ball down the field.

Sam grinned as Liz ran beside her, shoving her in the shoulder.

“I let you have that one,” she grumbled, the competitive playfulness clear in her tone.

With every play, Liz pushed harder, her movements sharp and unrelenting as they grappled for control of the ball. The tension between them escalated, each tackle becoming more aggressive than the last. And when the ball came sailing their way again, Liz grabbed a fistful of Sam’s jersey, yanking her sideways as she surged forward.

Sam stumbled, her footing slipping for just a second before she caught herself and bolted after her. Liz reached the ball first, but Sam was close behind.

Their hips collided hard as Sam leaned in. Liz grunted, throwing her weight against her, but Sam held her ground, refusing to give even an inch.

The ball sprang loose, rolling a few precious inches ahead.

And then Sam saw her opening.

She stepped forward, cutting across Liz’s path. But just as she moved, Liz shoved backwards, swinging an arm wildly as she tried to regain control.

Sam barely registered what happened before Liz’s elbow smashed into her brow with a sickening thud.

The pain was instant—sharp and blinding. It radiated through her face as her vision went white for a split second.

She staggered, instinctively lifting a hand to her right eye as she squeezed it shut against the sting.

“Shit,” she hissed as the dull throb rippled beneath her skin.

She heard a woman’s muffled yell somewhere nearby.“What the hell, Jacobs?”

Sam let herself pause for a moment, although she could see everyone around her continuing the play, with Liz running down the field after the ball.

She pulled her hand away, glancing at the smear of red stained against her fingertips.Luckily, it was less than she’d expected, which probably meant it was just a minor gash and wouldn’t need stitches.

She lifted her shirt, wiping the blood and sweat from her brow before jogging forward to rejoin the game.

Liz cut a quick pass to a teammate, the ball gliding seamlessly across the field as they started to connect a series of sharp, clean touches. Sam followed closely, shadowing Liz’s movements, her eye narrowing as the opposing player lined up for a shot.

The ball sailed through the air, a little too high, cutting an arc a few feet above the crossbar.

The play halted as one of the defenders broke off to chase the ball down. Sam slowed to a stop, exhaling through her nose as she wiped her face again.

“Halftime?” one person called out to the rest of the players on the field, and they all nodded or offered breathless, mumbled responses.

Sam braced her hands on her knees, breathing hard. A light tickle traced her cheek, and she swiped a hand up to brush away the thin line of blood trailing down toward her jaw.

She straightened up, ignoring the sting as she turned and ambled off the field to where she’d left her backpack and water bottle.

As she neared the sideline, she caught sight of Jess striding toward her.