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ALLIE
“Let’s welcome our seniors!” Coach said through the microphone, introducing the seniors as they walked out onto the field with their parents or guardians.
Carter walked out first with his millionaire mother and father, giving the crowd that ugly smile of his. A couple more guys on the offense walked out with their families. Jamal came next with his mother and Marquis, who blew kisses to every cheerleader he walked by.
I cheered for him, though I couldn’t quite get into the spirit because Nicole hadn’t come back out from the building yet and joined the others on the field. My stomach tightened at the mere thought of what that officer was doing to her.
When the coach called Jace’s name, I turned my attention back to the field and cheered for him as he walked out onto the field alone. Harlan had always hated football, so it wasn’t a surprise that he hadn’t shown up for the night he should’ve been proudest to be called a father.
Cheering in the stands in one of Jace’s many jerseys, I grinned at him and felt nothing but pride. This man had been through so much these past couple of years. I was glad that his father hadn’t taken football away from him. Football had been the only thing motivating him to push forward after the loss of his mother.
Jamal clapped Jace on the back and pulled him closer, both wearing huge grins. My heart warmed at the sight of them with Jamal’s mom in between, her hair done up and her nose scrunched as she smiled. I was so grateful for her, and I knew Jace was too.
“Let me take a moment to congratulate all these fine men,” Coach said. “I’ve watched them play since they were peewees, running down the field and scoring points at six years old. I’m both proud and sad to watch their last game as Redwood athletes. Thank you for twelve years, boys.”
The crowd roared in excitement, and I tried to get into it, too, but still, Nicole hadn’t come out yet. Determined to find her, I told Imani that I’d be back and started through the crowd. But just as I made it to the stairs, Nicole walked out of the building, wiping some mascara from her cheeks, grabbing her pom-poms, and running onto the field with a fake smile plastered across her face.
“Go Redwood!” she cheered, though the excitement didn’t make it to her eyes. “We love you, Redwood. We love you.”
