Page 115 of The Way the Heart Breaks: Jade’s Story

She sees me and smiles, and I give her a quick wave before looking toward her friends.

That's when I see my parents. They're farther down the home side, already watching us come out. Mom waves. Dad gives me a nod.

I wave back, but my eyes go straight to Jade again. I hope they don't start shit with her. I don't know how they'll react when they realize how much I already care about this girl, and I sure as hell don't want them making today uncomfortable for her.

Not today, when she's already doing something hard just by being here. She's sitting in those stands, surrounded by people who remember what happened, trying to be here anyway. And she doesn’t even know that I am aware. So strong, she’s so fucking strong.

Then Alex and Ryan walk toward the middle of the field. I don't know what they're doing at first. Then I notice the crowd. It starts with a few people going quiet. The talking fades. People stand. And suddenly the whole stadium is silent.

Alex and Ryan stop at the center of the field. Neither one says a word. They don't need to.

I look at them, and the weight of what they carry, what this town does, I feel it.

“We’re winning this bitch today,” I state.

“No other way to do it.” He looks back at the crowd, and I see disappointment on his face.

“She’ll be here man. She’s probably doing farm girl shit,” I say, dead fucking serious, and he closes his eyes, shakes his head, and looks back at the field as Alex and Ryan walk back toward the team.

***

We’re in position, and it’s just us now. I can feel the grass under my cleats, hear the crowd behind us, and feel the weight of my helmet against my head. Everything else disappears.

The Tigers are good. Really fucking good. They've got size, experience, and they've been playing together for years. But just like Lucas said in there, it doesn’t mean shit. We’ve got that and then some.

The whistle blows, the ball snaps.

We all explode off the line.

The first few plays are fast and physical. They're testing us, we're testing them, and nobody is giving an inch.

Then Links calls the play. I know exactly where I'm going before the ball leaves his hand. I break free. The pass hits me in stride. I don't slow down. Ten yards. Five. End zone. Touchdown.

I turn toward the stands and as I promised Jade, I lift my hand in a J.

She's on her feet, smiling and clapping. I grin and turn back toward my teammates just as they come crashing into me.

“Fuck yeah!” Lucas says, grabbing my facemask. “Fuck. Yeah!”

Somebody else pounds me on the shoulder pads. I laugh, shove my way free, and jog back toward the sideline.

The Tigers answer almost immediately.

Their offense moves fast, and before we've even had time to settle down, they're in the end zone.

Tie game.

Whatever, no big deal. Back to work.

We get into the huddle, and Links looks around at us. “They were number two in the league last year. Every starter's a senior, and they've played together their entire football careers. We're holding our own.”

“Fuck yes, we are!” Someone yells.

“One yard at a time. No rush, no mistakes. All right, on three...” Lucas yells as he throws his hand in the middle.

I take over, “Two. One. Pussies!”

The guys crack up. Links looks at me.