Page 133 of The Way We Collide

“We meet again, hot shot,” he growls.

Pulling my chin back, I can’t stop a grin. “Ready to shoot right past you.”

The ball snaps, and I rush forward, holding him off Tyler, who’s getting pressure from the sides. I manage to evade the safety, but Tyler has to run it. We’re close, but no first down. The next down goes pretty much the same way, lots of holding plenty of blocking, little movement.

We’re back on the sidelines, and D-line is headed out again.

“These guys are a fucking wall,” Tyler grumbles, walking up and down the side. “We’ve got to mix it up, guys. We can do this. We’ve done the work.”

It’s true, and we’ve been studying the tapes and drilling.We’ve practiced new plays they haven’t memorized, and when it’s time to take the field again, we gain more yardage.

I’m ready for the next snap, taking a quick twist away from 53 in a very dancerly move. Dylan would be proud. Hell, Garrett is probably yelling right now.

Digging in, I run for the opening, looking back to see Tyler’s in trouble. Again, he’s about to go down, but he fires the pass to me. It’s short, and I have to double back, but I manage to scoop it out of the cornerback’s hand, preventing an interception.

I get some yardage, but again, no score.

It keeps going, possession after possession. The tension is so taut on the sidelines, my neck hurts, and I look up to see Allie holding Haddy and waving her little hand.

Frowning, I scan all the faces in my box. Allie is standing beside Liv, who’s holding Gigi, but Raven’s not there.

Maybe she had to go to the bathroom? I don’t like it, but I have to get back on the field.

The snap goes, and I start to spin, but 53 is ready this time. He has me around the waist, and I hit the turf.

33

Raven

I’ve nearly chewed a hole in the side of my finger. The Wisconsin team is killer, and the Tigers don’t progress much when they have the ball.

“It’s hard when the defense is this good.” Jack patiently explains to me what’s happening on the field. “We have a strong offensive line, but it’s hard to break through that wall.”

“Oh!” Half the stadium echoes my groan as Tyler is forced to run out of bounds.

“They’ve got to do a better job covering him.” Garrett’s arms are crossed, and I remember his position was offensive lineman.

“That big guy’s keeping Hendrix in place.” Liv is right beside me, bouncing Gigi on her hip.

We’re all wearing our jerseys and the babies are wearing royal blue and yellow pom-pom headbands. They’re adorable, but the game is stressing us all out.

I know how much it means to Hendrix to win, and it’s thelast and biggest game of the season. My stomach is in knots and my blood pressure is spiking.

My phone goes off, and I jump, looking down to see a text from Star. Frowning, I take a step away to read it.

Star

Can you talk? I know it’s the biggest game of the year, but major 911!!!

Walking up to Allie, I give her a nudge. “Would you mind holding her for just a second?”

“I won’t mind at all!” Allie cries, taking Haddy off my hip. “Hello, Haddy-boo! Remember me?”

Haddy pats her shoulder, holding Axel and blowing bubbles.

“That’s right!” Allie laughs. “Books.”

“I just have to make a call, but I’ll be right back.”

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