Page 140 of Hometown Halftime

Riley goes still beside me as heat spreads through my cheeks because apparently my emotional breakdown just included an accidental confession.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

I drag both hands down my face with a groan. “See? This is what I mean. Everything feels so unhinged.”

“Kinsey—”

“I’m serious,” I say, looking back at him helplessly. “I feel like I can’t control anything right now and I just feel like screaming.”

For one brief second, Riley studies me quietly. Then something shifts in his expression. It isn’t a look of concern this time. A small smile tugs unexpectedly at the corner of his mouth before he pushes up from the bed.

“I have an idea.”

I blink at him. “What is it?”

Riley reaches down and gently brushes my hair back from my face. “Do you feel good enough to get dressed and go for a drive with me?”

I shake my head. “I can’t go out in public like this.”

“Don’t worry, we’re going somewhere where we’ll be alone.”

I look up at him, and then I say, “Okay.”

The further Riley drives away from Cedar Falls, the quieter my brain becomes.

At first, we passed the familiar parts of town. The high school and the feed store. Main Street glowing softly beneath the early evening light. Then the buildings thin out, replaced by winding back roads and rolling hills painted with the beauty of fall. Deep shades of yellow, gold, and red scattered through the trees as we climb higher into the mountains.

I rest my head against the passenger window while Riley drives one-handed beside me, his other arm draped loosely across the center console to hold my hand. Music plays softly through the speakers, but neither of us talks much.

The roads grow steeper as we climb farther into the hills outside of town until Riley turns onto a gravel pull-off overlooking a massive open field bordered by trees blazing with autumn color. He parks the truck and turns off the engine.

I sit up. “Where are we?”

“You’ll see.”

I narrow my eyes suspiciously as he climbs out of the truck, and despite everything weighing on my chest this evening, I feel the smallest flicker of curiosity.

Cold air brushes against my skin the second I step outside. The field stretches endlessly ahead of us, tall grass swaying softly beneath the golden sky while mountains rise in the distance.

It’s beautiful.

Riley reaches for my hand and leads me farther into the field until we’re standing near the middle with nothing around us except open space and sky. Then he stops, and I glance at him in confusion. Riley releases my hand before spreading his arms wide.

“Scream.”

I stare at him.

“What?”

"Scream," he repeats simply. "Yell. Get angry. Let it all out."

A disbelieving laugh escapes me. "Riley, that's crazy."

"I'm serious." He points toward the mountains. "C'mon, Malone. Let me and the sky have it."

I cross my arms. “Absolutely not.”

Riley tilts his head, fully slipping into coach mode now.