AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hunter laughs. “I know the feeling.” He eyes me closely. “So, what’d she ask you about?”
I pause, wondering if I should be truthful or make something up. Hunter works for the athletics department. The baseball branch, sure, but he’d probably know more about a “shake-up” at Chicago North than I would.
“Nothing,” I say. “Just excited to see us play, that’s all.”
“She’s not the only one.” He steps forward up the ramp. “Let’s go.”
“You’re coming, too?”
Hunter smiles as we walk. “I am taking the afternoon off to watch boys I’ve known their entire lives take the field at Chicago North for the first time.”
“It’s just a scrimmage.”
“It’s more than that.” He takes a quick step ahead of me and pauses. “As persistentas Trisha can be, she has a point. It’s your legacy out there, Connor. That field is your home for the next four years, just as it was your dad’s home for four years. And John’s. And Ty’s, too. And sure, your grandfather only coached them for a season, but he left his mark on this school, too. Now, it’s your turn.”
I take a breath. “Didn’t realize you all were so sentimental.”
“You’ll understand better when you’re older.” He pats my shoulder. “Come on. Go show ‘em what you got.”
We continue up the ramp; him veering off toward the bleachers while I join up with Alex and Ben on the sidelines along with a dozen other players from the scout team. My gaze hops directly to the man standing a few yards away, his presence so obvious I don’t even need to read his name along the back to know who he is.
FLOYD.
“Where’d you go?” Alex asks me. “You were right behind us.”
I point over our shoulders, and he scoffs at the group gathered there. My parents. Their parents. Ty, too. Trisha finds a seat next to Daisy with her phone in her hands, thumbs tapping away at the screen while Daisy fiddles with her camera.
And the legendary Cary Pierce, of course.
My grandfather grins at me, offering a wave. I wave back before sliding my helmet on.
“They’re not gonna do this every practice, are they?” Ben asks, annoyed.
I laugh, recalling how Courtney used to get pissed at this same thing. Mom and Dad showed up at her rehearsals in Talon Hall for weeks before she politelyasked them to back off.
“Nah, it’ll die down eventually,” I say, choosing to believe it myself. “They’re just excited to see us play.”
“You know they’ll come to every game, though,” Alex says.
I nod.“Can’t be helped.”
Ben groans.
“Scout team! Huddle up!”
Two dozen of us step forward, prompted by the booming voice of Coach Thomas carrying from the forty-yard line. He walks toward us, meeting us halfway along with another player in starter colors. Even with the helmet on, I can tell who he is. A man who needs no introduction.
Jordan Jefferson, starting quarterback for the Chicago North Bearhawks.
I stand up taller, unable to fight the urge to be noticed.
“All right!” Coach Thomas claps his clipboard. “Let’s get warmed up. First, I need my QBs-in-training to go with Jefferson here.” He glances at his page. “That’s Morgan...”
I step forward, prompting a burst of shouts from the bleachers, which I ignore completely.
“And Floyd!”
Floyd?
