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My head swivels as Emerson steps forward to stand beside me. Somehow, I just noticed how much thicker his shoulders are than mine. How much tallerthan me he is.
I bite down hard, my jaw digging into the edge of my helmet.
Coach Thomas nods. “You two go with Jefferson. The rest of you are with me. Let’s get warmed up.”
He waves an arm and walks toward center field, the remaining scouts following close behind him.
Jordan takes a step toward us so he doesn’t have to shout over the growing mayhem on the field. “So,” he says with a cocky southern drawl, “you two are my shadows this season.” A sadistic laugh. “Get ready to spend a lot of time together.”
Emerson looks at me as I look at him.
Well, shit.
So much for avoiding him entirely.
CHAPTER 9
CONNOR
“I can’t believe that guy thinks he can be quarterback.” Alex’s white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel hasn’t loosened since we left campus. “Or even a Bearhawk.”
I exhale softly from the backseat, having had this conversation with myself multiple times throughout practice.
Emerson shouldn’t be here. Why not?
Well, he doesn’t deserve to be. Why not? He tried out, same as you.
But what’s he done to be QB?What makes me so entitled to it?
Well, my dad is Junior Morgan.So what? His dad is Douglas Floyd. He was a Bearhawk, too. He played pro, too.
But... it’s my legacy. Right?
Yeah, and like it or not...
It’s Emerson’s, too.
“He has every right to be there,” I say, attempting to not sound as defeated as I feel. “Just like he said.”
“Well, I’m not falling in line,” Ben says, twisting from the passenger’s seat to look at me in the back. “If he makes starting quarterback over you, I’m quitting.”
“Me, too,” Alex says, raising a fist in solidarity. “A quarterback is nothing without his team. He can go fuck himself.”
I lean forward to bump our fists together. “Thanks, guys.”
We arrive at the Kirby house, Alex parking his red car next to Dana’s in the driveway. I exhale as I climb out of the car, relieved she’s here, safe and sound at home instead of on campus, potentially running into Emerson. The shock of it might send her to the campus wellness center, or worse.
I follow Alex and Ben inside, the two of them clearly having the same thoughts as me, because they beeline straight for the stairwell. Upstairs, they march past their own rooms, heading straight for Dana’s closed door at the end of the hall on the right. Strongly in sync, the two of them knock. Hard. Repeatedly.
“Dana, open up!” Alex says.
The door opens on... some random dude. In Dana’s room?
I take a step closer.
“How may I help you gentlemen?” he asks.
“Who the fuck are you?” Alex asks.
