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“Just run the damn play,” I snapped, jogging into position.
The Raiders had the win in the bag so there was no pressure there. But I felt the eyes of every single person watching, waiting for me to slip up, to drop the ball, to prove why I deserved to be on the bench.
Shaking off their judgment, I forced myself to get into the zone. Inhaling a deep breath, I glanced around down the scrimmage line, checking my players and theirs. I knew this play. I knew every damn play in the Raiders playbook. I’d made it my priority to learn them. I’d fake the pass to my running back then throw the ball down field to the wide receiver.
But when the whistle blew and Aaron snapped me the ball, I dropped back to fake the handoff to the running back, but he went wide.
“What the fuck?” I yelled, aware of the sea of Marshall players rushing toward me. I needed to get rid of the ball and quick. I searched for my open wide receiver, but he wasn’t there either.
Motherfucker.
Cole called for the ball just as a player slammed into me, knocking me to the ground with a resoundingthud. I lay there winded, staring up at the sky, anger surging through me like an uncontrollable storm. If I reacted, I’d only prove them right.
Clambering to my feet, I moved back into position for the second down. So they didn’t want to play with me running the show? I’d cut them out and do my own thing.
I didn’t need them.
I didn’t need any of them.
Chapter Fifteen
Lily
“This is a bad idea,”I said for the third time since leaving Dawson Stadium.
Peyton and Ashleigh were going to the party whether I went or not. But after watching Kaiden rip off his helmet and storm off the field at the end of the game, I’d blurted out that I wanted to go too.
So here I was, in my Raiders t-shirt underneath a long cardigan, a flowy black skirt, and my favorite ankle boots. I looked like I was going to tea with my grams, not to a party, but it wasn’t like I was here to impress anyone.
Anyone except Kaiden. I shut down the little voice. After asking me if I was coming to the party the other day in class, he hadn’t asked again, and I hadn’t brought it up. I didn’t party. It wasn’t my thing. But finding excuses to be around Kaiden wasn’t exactly easy. I saw him for an hour a day in class and around school, but that was it.
“Relax,” Ashleigh said, lacing her arm through mine.
“What if he’s—”
“He asked you if you were coming, right?”
“Yeah, but he might not want me here after tonight.”
“You know that had nothing to do with you.” She gave me a reassuring smile. “The guys froze him out.”
We’d all seen it. Kaiden had called a play and his team had messed it up. More than once.
The Raiders still won, but the fourth quarter was a disaster.
“What’s up with Peyton?” Ashleigh asked. “She seems… tense.”
“Her mom’s getting out of rehab. She just found out today.”
“Does that mean she’ll go home?”
“I don’t know what it means yet.” I watched my best friend as she walked ahead of us, talking to a couple of other senior girls who had rode to the party with us.
“Your dad will let her stay with you though, right?”
“He will, but I’m not sure it’s that simple, Leigh. She’s still a minor.”
“Speaking of… we need to decide what we want to do for our birthdays.” She waggled her brows.
