Page 34

Brackets

Colt

S crew tacos. I want to deck that guy so hard his veneers fall off.

I was never the one with the kind of fire that started fights on the field. There were guys on the high school team we counted on for that, and when I moved up to the collegiate level, there were guys for that there, too. On the Woodchucks, I’d say it’s probably Connor, as temperamental as he can be. But after watching that asshole try to corner May, I’m struggling to grit my teeth and settle for imagining throwing the punches.

She changes out of her Western shirt and into a vintage OKC tee. Her braid mussed, she pops on a baseball hat once we’re in the stands, and glances my way for confirmation. ‘Does that do it?’

How do I tell her that it beyond does it? That she could be in stable-mucking jeans and boots or a pantsuit or the most generic college lacrosse uniform and be the most beautiful woman in the entire world every time?

I swallow hard and nod. ‘Looks good to me.’

She returns my nod with one of thanks, coupled with a teasing smirk. ‘You still look pissed. You’ll scare people with that frown of yours.’

‘Sorry.’ I try my best to relax my face. The lingering anger won’t leave it.

May sighs. She reaches out and presses her hand to my left one where I’ve been rubbing it nervously against my thigh. ‘I am completely fine, Colt. He’s just some uppity rodeo dickhead. It’s nothing new. My dad told me about some of the guys he rode with when he was younger. I should’ve known—’

‘It’s not your responsibility to know anything in that situation.’ My voice comes out more upset than I’m prepared for. Gruff? Absolutely not. ‘It’s his responsibility to stop at “no”.’

May nods steadily, shifting her brown-eyed gaze towards the ring. ‘I appreciate that, Colt.’

She gives my hand a soft squeeze, and I see that her appreciation isn’t just words. It’s more than that – it’s someone who’s always thought it was her against the world recognizing that she’s not alone. I know it well, because I recently started to realize the same thing.

The rodeo incident sits fresh in my brain for a couple days after the fact. I give May the same space I usually do, let her do her thing, but the ‘text me when you get there’ messages become more frequent during the rest of the week. Just the way that guy looked at her … ugh.

That Wednesday, the National College Lacrosse Association wraps up seeding all the teams, a longer process than usual owing to extremely close scores for the season, and the bracket comes out as we wait on the field, gathered around Coach Dillon’s laptop with bated breath. With a stunning record this year, we’re hoping for a good spot that will put the Riders straight through to the first round of the playoffs.

‘First round,’ Maddie hums, eyes squeezed shut and fingers crossed. ‘Please. Please. Please—’

‘It’s here!’ Coach announces, and the girls are immediately pushing forward in a bid to get a glance at the screen.

May grabs my arm, eyes wide. ‘Oh my god. Okay. We got …’

The both of us lean in, and the groan we share is immediate. Great. I thought we’d have been seeded higher, but we fell right in the middle of the pack, second fiddle to the East Coast lacrosse schools. And our first match of the playoffs, first round, will be against …

‘Alabama?’ Brianna presses a hand to her forehead. ‘May, look at this bracket! We’re against ’Bama!’

‘Damn it,’ grumbles May. ‘Alabama …’

‘Took you guys out last year,’ I finish for her. Yikes. I mean, they could have been a lower seed and really got stuck with a terrific team as their playoff match-up, so this might be the best-case scenario, but the lore goes deep. Playing a team that knocked you out of the national playoffs always holds double weight.

‘Yep. And we’ve never beaten them. Our meeting record? Twenty-nine to nothing.’ May steps back and plops right down in the grass, blowing a hair out of her face and throwing her crosse in her lap. ‘Looks like we’re going back for round two.’

‘What if’ – I pick up her stick and extend a hand – ‘I said I’d watched hours of Alabama’s film for this exact reason, because I saw you guys lose to them last year?’

May takes my hand reluctantly, narrowing her eyes. ‘As long as this doesn’t involve setting me up to take a demo shot I’m never going to make in front of the entire team, go on.’

‘What if I said I tailored a shot clinic in case you’d have to go up against them again?’

Coach Dillon closes her laptop, smiling. ‘Oh, and this is exactly why you are here, Bradley. What if you did indeed tailor this perfect shot clinic?’

‘Well, if I did, I’d say we might have a good shot at turning the tide.’ I hand May her stick, and she purses her lips.

‘You think we can beat the best team in the South in the first round?’ Lexi’s voice pipes up. She crosses her arms, regarding me with disbelief.

I’m going to be totally honest. Lexi terrifies me. I clear my throat to avoid an unfortunate voice crack. ‘I do.’

And holy shit. The girl cracks a smile. ‘Then let’s get to it, Bradley.’