“Oh, you know Zane. He is, but he’d never admit it.”
I grin. “Yep, sounds like my brother.”
“He’s going to do great today,” Evie says confidently.
I nod in agreement. We settle back for the pregame fun, and then it’s time for the guys to take the field. Evie and I cheer with the other thousands of students, and then it’s time to play. They get possession first, so we sit back and watch our defense. I take in all the details. I've been watching Zane and even Quint play for years, so I know the game pretty well. There are a few new guys on the D-line, and I watch how they do. The other team makes several smaller plays and starts working their way up the field, but our defense stops them. They have to kick it away, and we’re ready for it. Zane and his offensive line run out onto the field.
“Here we go!” I shout to Evie. We’re both standing, not wanting to miss a thing. The first few plays don’t accomplish a whole lot, but then on third down, Zane throws a long pass to Quint. Quint pulls it out of the air and turns and runs. He spins around a defensive player; and then it’s an open field. He runs it into the end zone.
Touchdown!
“And that is how it’s done!” Evie yells. The guys run together to celebrate, smacking Quint on the back of his helmet.
“He’ll be obnoxious tonight with that score,” Reid says, and I laugh.
“Isn’t Quint always obnoxious?” I ask, and his lips tug up in the corners.
We get the extra point on the field goal, and then we find our seats as the defense takes the field again. “Is Tessa gone with Slater again this weekend?” I ask Evie during a timeout.
“Yeah. She’s having such a blast reporting for their games, and she’s really good at it. Have you watched one of the games yet?”
“No. I need to,” I admit.
“You should. I’m so happy that she’s doing it.”
“It’s good because Slater will probably go pro, won’t he?”
Evie nods. “Most likely. So yeah, she’ll be in the sports’ world for a while.”
The game starts back up again, and we get lost in the fun of it. We groan with the crowd when the opposing team gets a touchdown, but we get a good return off the kick, setting up Zane and his offense nicely. We make steady progress down the field, picking up a few yards each time. By the end of it, we’re unable to score a touchdown; but Elliot kicks a field goal, putting us up by three. We’re able to maintain our lead as we head into halftime. “Oh, these games make me so stressed,” Evie says, standing to her feet.
I smile at her. “I don’t envy you. I’d always much rather be the one playing than the one watching.”
“Oh, no, I am happy watching and letting Zane do all the playing.” She takes a deep breath. “All right. It’s bathroom break time. Want to go with me? Usually, Tessa does the honors, but seeing as she’s not here...”
I laugh. “Yes, I’ll go with you.”
I turn to Reid, who’s studying something on his phone. “We’re going to the bathroom.”
He stands gracefully and pockets his phone. “I’ll go with.”
My eyebrows rise. “To the women’s bathroom? I think we’re good.” He doesn’t answer but starts making his way down the row. I turn to look back at Evie. “I guess he’s going with us.”
“Somebody always accompanies us; too many bad things have happened.”
I take that in as I follow Reid. I haven’t really been at the center of anything that’s happened with the skinwalkers, though my dad has told me repeatedly that the threats have come personally for me. But I trust him and the others in our pack to keep all of us safe. My dad would tear anyone apart that tried to hurt me; I know that for a fact.
We follow Reid all the way to the women’s bathroom. “I’ll wait out here for you,” Reid says right before we head in.
I smirk. “No kidding.” He just shakes his head, and we leave him behind. It’s a long line for the bathroom, and Evie and I use the time to catch up on this past week. I fill her in on which classes I have, and I ask her about the house she’s now living in with Zane. When we finally make it out of the bathroom, Reid’s standing only a few feet from the door. “Did we worry you?” I ask with a grin.
“It took forever.”
“Yep. That’s the joy of the women’s restroom during a packed game,” Evie says, not missing a beat. “Let’s go; I don’t want to miss any of the second half.” I wait for Reid to lead, but Evie charges ahead. I glance back at Reid, who merely shrugs and follows us. We get back to our seats just as the game starts up again. The second half is a little more exciting than the first half. Both teams score in the third quarter, but we hold onto our lead as we start the fourth quarter. But they get a field goal only a few minutes in, and now it’s tied. I keep an eye on the clock and an eye on our offense. “You’ve got plenty of time, Zane,” I mutter under my breath. The first two plays, we pick up only a few yards; and just like that, it’s third down. Our offense lines up, and Owen, our center, snaps it to Zane. Zane takes a few steps back, looking downfield. A defensive player gets past his guy and comes at Zane from his blindside.
“Run!” Evie screams along with everybody else. Zane sees the hit coming and spins around to get out of the way, but it’s too late. He’s sacked, and the crowd hisses its displeasure. I look at the clock. There’s only a little over three minutes left. “Do you think he’ll go for it?” Evie asks.
I fold my hands under my chin and watch their coach. He's been known a time or two to go for fourth down but not very often. “I don’t know.”
