Page 30 of Catching Feelings

Will’s wearing an impeccably tailored blazer over his jersey—all the better for the impressions of famous politicians he’ll do on the gym floor, its last hurrah before getting shut down for construction—and pacing back and forth, checking on all the guys. He gives me a nod, and I tilt my chin back at him in a way that I hope says, No drama here, dude, keep walking. He smiles back, so I must pass the test.

I’ve never had a quarterback so intent on making sure his team was all getting along. Sure, Santi was always checking on people, but Will’s next-level. That talent will make him a great QB at UCLA. It’s pretty nice, if a little disconcerting.

You have nothing to worry about, Tyler. I take a deep breath to slow my racing thoughts. You’re not here to cause any trouble for him this year.

Because if I have more to gain here in Hamilton Lakes, I also have more to lose. No scout is going to recruit someone who was kicked off his last team for fighting. So I have even more reason to keep my head down and make good on my story that I only came here for football.

I’m not the only one who’s on edge. Gabe has a strange, dissociated look on his face as he practices his juggling. He gets like that sometimes, in between smiles and cheer, but a good practice usually shakes it out of him.

I advance cautiously, trying not to spook him. “You good, Legs?”

My efforts were unsuccessful. He almost drops a ball, falls halfway across the floor to regain his rhythm and balance, but still manages to flash me a thumbs-up. “Fine! Totally fine! Just promise me you won’t do that when these are on fire, okay?”

“They’re gonna be on fire?”

But he’s already lost in his own world, frowning as he grabs another ball to toss into the rotation. I’ll check on him later.

“Okay, okay, circle up!” Will calls. And just like we would before a big game, the team gathers in a huddle in the middle of the squeaky-clean locker room floor, Kai shushing everyone with reminders to “let Captain Hook cook.”

Once we’re settled, Will continues. “Now, this isn’t a normal game, but it’s no less important. We’re going to show this school that we’re their favorite team to support, okay? That we have talents on the field and off! That we—”

“Everyone decent?” a bubbly voice calls from the locker room door.

My pulse trips. I would recognize that voice anywhere—especially when asking about locker room entry.

Will stops mid-speech with a frustrated sigh. “Can you give us a minute?”

“Does that mean you’re—” A dramatic gasp. “Unclothed?”

Kai can’t resist. “Would you rather? We can get that way, sweetheart—”

Sabrina pokes her head into the locker room with a playful grimace, hand over her eyes. She peeks between two fingers and crows in triumph. “I knew it! Kai, if you need a girlfriend, I can set you up before homecoming, you know—”

“I don’t need help finding a date!”

“Are you sure about that? Because—”

“Sabrina.” Will scowls at her. “I was in the middle of a pep talk.”

“Oh!” She drops her hand, does a little jig on the spot. “That’s so funny, because I was about to give one too!”

Will sighs, a gust born of years of good-natured frustration. He sweeps a hand dramatically before him. “Be my guest.”

Sabrina meets all our eyes in turn. When she catches mine, the faintest flush appears on her cheeks. Like she’s remembering the last time we met in a locker room.

But she regains her composure, pointing at us. “I worked hard on this. Don’t fuck it up.” Then she nods at Will. “Your turn.”

“I—that was it?”

She shrugs. “What else is there to say?”

Will gapes for a moment, then shakes his head helplessly. “You know what? The girl has a point. Don’t fuck it up, guys.”

And then the roar of the crowd outside is peaking, and Sabrina’s holding open the door and rushing us all off, and it’s go time. I can’t help smiling.

It feels really, really good to be part of a team again. And at Hamilton Lakes, that means a team team. Everything is bigger, more serious—including this pep rally.

If I think about it for too long, I get nervous about the attention. But we’re all doing it, and Sabrina has made it clear she has a vision and no one can let her down.