Page 117 of Touchdown, Tennessee

The rest of the third quarter was as tooth-and-nail as the whole first half had been. The Tempests were playing great, but the Hyenas had gotten a lot tighter since we’d last played them, too.

Luke and I couldn’t make anything happen, and I felt my heart sink into my stomach when the game ended up 10 to 7 by the end of the quarter, the Hyenas coming out ahead of us.

And when the fourth quarter started up, I watched hell break loose.

Our defense let Brett Mickels, their wide receiver,rightinto the goddamn end zone.

“No,” I shouted, moving without thinking.

I went over to the table beside me, reaching out and knocking over a big stack of plastic cups, scattering them over the edge of the grass.

My heart pounded in my chest.

Ineverlost my temper like that.

But Tuscaloosa had just scored the easiest touchdown I’d ever seen, right in front of my eyes.

The crowd was pissed, too. I let out a breath, glancing at Luke and seeing the rage in his eyes.

“We take it back,” Luke said. “Trust.”

17 to 7, and we had a quarter left to bring it back.

A moment later I glanced over at Gray again and I did something I shouldn’t have. I ran over to him for a moment, looking in his eyes.

“I’m going to do this,” I told him. “End of story.”

“Do your worst, Peachel,” he said, nodding. “I’m here.”

The fire inside me was burning even hotter when I made my way back out onto the field.

I was tired of it.

Tired of Valen being on my ass.

Tired of missing Luke’s perfect fucking throws because of it.

We were going to end this. And I was going to stop doing whatever the fuck I did to make my movements so damn obvious.

I’m faster than him. I know I am.

When I next heard the whistle, everything in my body slowed to a direct focus like I’d never felt before.

Pure flow.

Just energy.

Nothing in the world existed but that football.

And for the first time all night, I didn’t think about the only goddamn thing that I’d beenableto think about for years.

Years and years of my life, with one thought hovering in every corner of my mind.

Going pro.

So what if it didn’t happen?

So what if I played the worst football of my life from here on out, losing games and seeing it all fall away?