would happen. A short gain, a short gain, a first down—and then, disaster. Will was sacked for a big loss with sixteen seconds left to play.
The crowd groaned with one voice. Out of time-outs, Will hurried his players back to the line and called one more play—all he’d have time for before the end of the game.
He backpedaled with the ball, which meant a pass was coming. At the same time, a sea of red jerseys came toward him looking like the apocalypse about to happen.
Will stayed calm. He slipped out of one tackle, evaded another, and then planted his back foot and threw the ball.
And I mean he threw that sucker. It sailed over the field like it had wings, and down near the goal line I saw one lone receiver who’d managed, somehow, to get all the way down there—probably because he was running like a bat out of hell. But was he going fast enough to get under the ball?
At the five yard line he turned his head, made a perfect catch, and crossed into the end zone.
All around us the fans erupted into shouts and cheers, dancing in the stands like a bunch of lunatics—and Rikki and I were doing the exact same thing. We were jumping up and down and screaming, and then we were hugging Holly and Alex like we’d known them for years.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so purely happy. Call it mob psychology if you want, but I left the stadium flying high, cheering for those crazy shirtless guys with their navy blue body paint and doing high fives with total strangers.
Rikki had plans with Sam, so I dropped her off at Bracton before heading to Will’s house. I thought about going upstairs to shower and change first, but I didn’t. For one thing, I didn’t think that was something a friend would do, and I was determined to be Will’s friend. For another, I was too excited to see him to wait. I drove to his place, parked, and went inside.
Except for a guy and a girl I didn’t know, I was the first one there.
Okay, so maybe I could have spared the time for a shower.
The guy and the girl were making out on the couch. I wandered into the kitchen to be out of their way, but I could still hear them panting and moaning.
After a minute of that I went upstairs to Will’s room. I didn’t think he’d mind if I waited there for him.
My focus was different now from the last time I was here. I wasn’t drunk, for one thing, and I hadn’t just broken up with my boyfriend.
I was walking around slowly, looking at his books and posters, when the door opened behind me. I spun around and there was Will, standing in the doorway looking surprised.
“Hey!” I took a step forward and started talking. “I’m so sorry, I hope it’s okay for me to be here. There was a couple downstairs really going at it and I felt sort of uncomfortable, so…”
“It’s no problem. You can come up here anytime.”
I relaxed, and then I noticed Will’s face for the first time.
He had a split lip, a cut running through his left eyebrow, a bruise under his right eye, and a bruise along his jaw.
“Oh my God. Are you okay?”
He looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“Your face, you idiot. Sit down. Let me look at you.”
Will blinked at me. “I don’t—”
I grabbed him by the hand and led him over to his bed, making him sit so I could get a good view of the damage. I put a hand under his chin—gently, because of his bruised jaw—and tilted his head up.
He didn’t pull away. He still looked mystified, but he sat perfectly still and let me examine him.
He’d obviously taken a shower after the game—his hair was still damp. The cut on his forehead was clean but it needed a bandage. The bruises looked painful and could use some ice. His split lip—
I raised my hand from his chin to his jaw, moving my fingers softly over the bruise there. Then I brushed my fingertips over his lower lip.
“This looks bad. Do you have Neosporin or something? And Band-Aids? This cut here needs a Band-Aid,” I added, moving my
The crowd groaned with one voice. Out of time-outs, Will hurried his players back to the line and called one more play—all he’d have time for before the end of the game.
He backpedaled with the ball, which meant a pass was coming. At the same time, a sea of red jerseys came toward him looking like the apocalypse about to happen.
Will stayed calm. He slipped out of one tackle, evaded another, and then planted his back foot and threw the ball.
And I mean he threw that sucker. It sailed over the field like it had wings, and down near the goal line I saw one lone receiver who’d managed, somehow, to get all the way down there—probably because he was running like a bat out of hell. But was he going fast enough to get under the ball?
At the five yard line he turned his head, made a perfect catch, and crossed into the end zone.
All around us the fans erupted into shouts and cheers, dancing in the stands like a bunch of lunatics—and Rikki and I were doing the exact same thing. We were jumping up and down and screaming, and then we were hugging Holly and Alex like we’d known them for years.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so purely happy. Call it mob psychology if you want, but I left the stadium flying high, cheering for those crazy shirtless guys with their navy blue body paint and doing high fives with total strangers.
Rikki had plans with Sam, so I dropped her off at Bracton before heading to Will’s house. I thought about going upstairs to shower and change first, but I didn’t. For one thing, I didn’t think that was something a friend would do, and I was determined to be Will’s friend. For another, I was too excited to see him to wait. I drove to his place, parked, and went inside.
Except for a guy and a girl I didn’t know, I was the first one there.
Okay, so maybe I could have spared the time for a shower.
The guy and the girl were making out on the couch. I wandered into the kitchen to be out of their way, but I could still hear them panting and moaning.
After a minute of that I went upstairs to Will’s room. I didn’t think he’d mind if I waited there for him.
My focus was different now from the last time I was here. I wasn’t drunk, for one thing, and I hadn’t just broken up with my boyfriend.
I was walking around slowly, looking at his books and posters, when the door opened behind me. I spun around and there was Will, standing in the doorway looking surprised.
“Hey!” I took a step forward and started talking. “I’m so sorry, I hope it’s okay for me to be here. There was a couple downstairs really going at it and I felt sort of uncomfortable, so…”
“It’s no problem. You can come up here anytime.”
I relaxed, and then I noticed Will’s face for the first time.
He had a split lip, a cut running through his left eyebrow, a bruise under his right eye, and a bruise along his jaw.
“Oh my God. Are you okay?”
He looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“Your face, you idiot. Sit down. Let me look at you.”
Will blinked at me. “I don’t—”
I grabbed him by the hand and led him over to his bed, making him sit so I could get a good view of the damage. I put a hand under his chin—gently, because of his bruised jaw—and tilted his head up.
He didn’t pull away. He still looked mystified, but he sat perfectly still and let me examine him.
He’d obviously taken a shower after the game—his hair was still damp. The cut on his forehead was clean but it needed a bandage. The bruises looked painful and could use some ice. His split lip—
I raised my hand from his chin to his jaw, moving my fingers softly over the bruise there. Then I brushed my fingertips over his lower lip.
“This looks bad. Do you have Neosporin or something? And Band-Aids? This cut here needs a Band-Aid,” I added, moving my
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