Page 89 of Touchdown, Tennessee

I watched Gray’s eyes land on him, studying him in a way he never had before tonight.

Did you really mean it when you said you wouldn’t write about me and Danny?

Doubt still permeated me.

Until Homecoming weekend, when the article was out, we weren’t going to know the truth. Gray could be telling me lies, ready to betray the whole team when it was published.

But something inside me wanted to trust him.

Wanted to feel like I’d won over the enemy.

Maybe even like I’d made him mine.

“They’re here! That’s the TV crew,” Luke pointed out as the small fleet of ESPN vehicles arrived.

There were four vans. They parked and one by one, members of the camera crew spilled out, bringing out giant camera rigs, lights, and equipment.

My heart pounded in my chest.

I didn’t feel ready.

Would Ieverfeel ready for something like this?

As the crew set up bright lights, I tried to keep my eyes over on Gray.

And for the first time, over on the sidelines, he smiled at me and blew me a little kiss.

The motherfucker.

For weeks and weeks, all he’d ever given me from the sidelines was a cold, calculating stare. Like he had to be a neutral, unattached observer.

Why, why, why do I have to like you so much?

After the crew got set up, the interviewer got into place. She let us know the questions she’d be asking, but before I knew it, the cameras started rolling.

“Miranda Bennett here at Tennessee North University. We’re here with Luke Linford, quarterback of the Tempests, and Andrew Peachel, the Tempests’ new wide receiver this season. Linford, how has it been working with Peachel so far?”

“It’s been a fucking dream. Oh God, I can’t swear—it’s beenadream.”

The interviewer laughed. “Don’t sweat it. Peachel, rumor has it that you’re looking to go pro in the next year or two. Can you confirm or deny that?”

“Well, it’s always up to fate,” I said. “But I think if the right opportunity came my way, I’d have a hard time saying no.”

The interview happened fast.

We talked for about ten minutes, but I swore it felt like two. Miranda asked us about Coach Ennick, and we both gave our standard answers. She asked how it felt to be bringing TNU football “back on the map” after hockey had reigned supreme for so long.

“I just want to ask you both. What inspires you, on and off the field?”

Luke took the question first, handling it well.

“I do everything for our fans,” Luke said. “They show up every game, decked out in green and gold. They keep ushyped. And they’re the best fans in all of college football.”

“Agreed,” I said. “And I also do it for everyone out there who thinks they can’t make it. For anyone who doesn’t believe they’re good at anything else other than football.”

My heart squeezed in my chest as I said it.

It was the goddamntruth.