it, but I was pretty sure Drake’s mom gave him a trinket to help him with his game. Something similar to the sneakers us cheerleaders wore. And if Peachville did it, other demon gates probably used magic on the field too.
As I watched, I realized this was possibly the first game all season that seemed like a fair match. I suddenly felt sorry for all of those non-magic teams we beat earlier in the year. Technically speaking, it wasn’t really fair. Using magic was no different from using illegal steroids. The only thing was that it was a hell of a lot harder to prove.
Jackson warned me that using magic was dangerous for lots of reasons. Not just the awful headaches or feeling sick when you used too much power. Magic was addictive. Worse than any opiate or crack or whatever else. Once a witch got used to having power, it was very difficult to live without it. I hated to say that I kind of understood what he meant. Ever since my confirmation, magic had been so easy for me, it was definitely becoming addictive.
I turned toward the stadium full of Peachville fans. I cheered and kept a smile on my face, but my eyes searched for Jackson’s face. If I could trade all the magical power running through my veins for the safe release of his brother, I would do it in a heartbeat.
The crowd roared. I flipped around mid-cheer to see Drake’s perfect pass land in the hands of number sixty-three. Touchdown. The game was tied with only two minutes of game-play left. Usually at this point in the game, Peachville was at least fourteen points up. Now, we were fighting just to stay in it.
The Demons football team went for the two-point conversion and scored, putting Peachville up by one point. Everyone in the stadium was on their feet, and for a moment, I was just a normal girl cheering for her team. All my thoughts of magic and responsibility faded away. I cheered with my community, and I felt like part of the town.
Cypress had the ball and made an attempt to run it down the field, but on the second down, Foster Adams intercepted the ball. I never heard so much sound come from a crowd of people as I did in that moment. People on the Peachville side jumped up and down. With the ball in Peachville’s hands, the clock ran down quickly. Peachville won by one point, and everyone was ready to celebrate.
Most of the cheerleaders were all smiles as we made our way to the locker rooms to change.
“Did you see that last pass Drake threw?” Brooke said. She’d rushed up to me on our walk back and hugged me so hard my shoulder screamed in pain.
I winced. “Ouch. Still kind of sore over there, Brooke.”
She looked offended. “Isn’t that ever going to heal?”
I wanted to roll my eyes. I’d been stabbed with a ritual dagger made from metal that isn’t even found in this dimension, and she expected me to be healed in three weeks. “Not if people keep aggravating it,” I said.
She cleared her throat, then seemed to brush it off. She smiled again and put that high-pitched excitement in her voice that she had when she first walked up. “So did you see the pass? He’s amazing isn’t he?”
“Great,” I said, not wanting to argue. “It was an awesome game.”
“I really don’t see why you guys broke up,” she said. “You were the perfect couple. Foster says he never stops talking about you and that he hasn’t even been able to think about other girls since you broke his heart.”
“He really should move on,” I said. “I’m just not interested.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said with a laugh. “Any girl in this school would kill to go out with him. How could you not be interested in a super-rich, super-goodlooking star quarterback?”
Gee. I don’t know. Could be the fact that he’s an asshole.
I kept my mouth shut and prayed for someone to save me from the conversation. I spotted Lark holding the door for us just up ahead. I jogged to meet her.
“Thanks,” I said cheerfully.
“You guys are coming to
As I watched, I realized this was possibly the first game all season that seemed like a fair match. I suddenly felt sorry for all of those non-magic teams we beat earlier in the year. Technically speaking, it wasn’t really fair. Using magic was no different from using illegal steroids. The only thing was that it was a hell of a lot harder to prove.
Jackson warned me that using magic was dangerous for lots of reasons. Not just the awful headaches or feeling sick when you used too much power. Magic was addictive. Worse than any opiate or crack or whatever else. Once a witch got used to having power, it was very difficult to live without it. I hated to say that I kind of understood what he meant. Ever since my confirmation, magic had been so easy for me, it was definitely becoming addictive.
I turned toward the stadium full of Peachville fans. I cheered and kept a smile on my face, but my eyes searched for Jackson’s face. If I could trade all the magical power running through my veins for the safe release of his brother, I would do it in a heartbeat.
The crowd roared. I flipped around mid-cheer to see Drake’s perfect pass land in the hands of number sixty-three. Touchdown. The game was tied with only two minutes of game-play left. Usually at this point in the game, Peachville was at least fourteen points up. Now, we were fighting just to stay in it.
The Demons football team went for the two-point conversion and scored, putting Peachville up by one point. Everyone in the stadium was on their feet, and for a moment, I was just a normal girl cheering for her team. All my thoughts of magic and responsibility faded away. I cheered with my community, and I felt like part of the town.
Cypress had the ball and made an attempt to run it down the field, but on the second down, Foster Adams intercepted the ball. I never heard so much sound come from a crowd of people as I did in that moment. People on the Peachville side jumped up and down. With the ball in Peachville’s hands, the clock ran down quickly. Peachville won by one point, and everyone was ready to celebrate.
Most of the cheerleaders were all smiles as we made our way to the locker rooms to change.
“Did you see that last pass Drake threw?” Brooke said. She’d rushed up to me on our walk back and hugged me so hard my shoulder screamed in pain.
I winced. “Ouch. Still kind of sore over there, Brooke.”
She looked offended. “Isn’t that ever going to heal?”
I wanted to roll my eyes. I’d been stabbed with a ritual dagger made from metal that isn’t even found in this dimension, and she expected me to be healed in three weeks. “Not if people keep aggravating it,” I said.
She cleared her throat, then seemed to brush it off. She smiled again and put that high-pitched excitement in her voice that she had when she first walked up. “So did you see the pass? He’s amazing isn’t he?”
“Great,” I said, not wanting to argue. “It was an awesome game.”
“I really don’t see why you guys broke up,” she said. “You were the perfect couple. Foster says he never stops talking about you and that he hasn’t even been able to think about other girls since you broke his heart.”
“He really should move on,” I said. “I’m just not interested.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said with a laugh. “Any girl in this school would kill to go out with him. How could you not be interested in a super-rich, super-goodlooking star quarterback?”
Gee. I don’t know. Could be the fact that he’s an asshole.
I kept my mouth shut and prayed for someone to save me from the conversation. I spotted Lark holding the door for us just up ahead. I jogged to meet her.
“Thanks,” I said cheerfully.
“You guys are coming to