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In that moment, everything narrowed to the sound of my rushing pulse.

“You need to watch it, Four-Eyes.” He stood in front of me now, and his chest rose and fell from the sprint. He was close enough that I could see the intensity still sharp in his expression, all that focus still there.

My irritation flared immediately, and it was completely unfiltered. “You need to find your insults somewhere other than the late 1900s.”

He went still, but the look on his face changed to mild curiosity as he studied me for a brief second. A whistle cut across the field, pulling his attention back. He glanced over his shoulder, then back at me. This time his gaze held for a fraction longer before he turned and jogged away.

I bent to collect my notebook and brushed dirt from the pages with quick, precise movements. My pulse hadn’t settled, and I pressed my pen against the page harder than I intended to.

Highlanders practice. I paused, then added another line beneath it. Running back with an attitude problem.

I underlined it twice, and clenched my jaw as I snapped my notebook shut again. This assignment was already off to a wonderful start.

2

Trace

I bounced the balls off my feet near the sideline and rolled my shoulders loose, but my mind was stuck on the stadium noise that had been building around me. It was the first time I had experienced anything like it, and it felt very weird. Sure, I was used to noise and crowds encouraging their team, but that sound was never made for me or a team I was in. So now that it was, it felt spectacular.

The Highlanders didn’t have much, but after literally working their asses off, they finally had this. A brand new field of our own, even though it wasn’t quite done yet, and a crowd of actual supporters that was bigger than any of us expected it to be. My heart swelled, and I allowed myself a moment to look up at the bleachers.

People kept coming in and filling the gaps. They had even settled into rows that had been empty the year before. It wasn’t completely packed, but it was no longer just a dead piece of aluminum like it had been when the guys started. And I had to give it to them, for a program that barely existed a season ago, they really managed to turn things around.

I looked back to the field and saw that some of my teammates were walking my way.

“Try to downplay that look, man. Right now it feels like you’re attending a funeral,” Lucas said, nudging me with his elbow. “You’re creeping me out.”

I huffed out a breath. “I’m just trying to act serious.”

“Dude, you’re staring at the crowd like you’re about to give a eulogy.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

Lucas gave me an exaggerated look of disappointment, and I let my arms fall to the side because I honestly didn’t know what else to do. It was the first time in my life that I had been in such a position, and I had absolutely no idea what was expected of me.

“I’m not going to be giving a… whatever that was,” I said, rolling my shoulders again.

“Good, because as far as I know, no one died,” Lucas teased.

I shook my head and dragged a hand over the back of my neck, then I turned my attention back to the field. The starters were running warm-ups. Their helmets flashed under the bright stadium lights, and their cleats cut into the turf. It was the best thing I had ever experienced. The energy carried across the field, and even from the bench.

Behind me, the unfinished stadium loomed with exposed beams and scaffolding holding everything in place. In a few weeks it wouldn’t be the same place. It would be a lot bigger than the field we were standing on, louder too, and I was sure everyone would talk about it.

My attention was drawn away from the fans when a whistle blew near midfield. Dick Pine stepped out with a microphone in his hand, and I exhaled quietly. I hated speeches because they always took an eternity to end, and the speaker usually kissed so much ass they’d need a decontamination chamber when they were done.

“Geez, gents,” Malik said as the older guys swore under their breath. “Give the man a minute.”

He folded his arms over his chest and put on his best version of a neutral expression, but Ethan didn’t seem all that pleased with the idea.

“The venom that man spews needs less than a minute to kill,” he scoffed. “If I had my way, he’d have nothing to do with this school.”

“Ooh, burn,” Cam said, but Lucas quickly slapped him upside the head.

Pine cleared his throat, and suddenly his voice carried over the speakers. “Good evening, everyone. Before we get started, I wanted to thank you all for coming out tonight and for supporting the Highlanders.”

A few cheers scattered through the crowd, and it was clear that many people felt the same way Ethan did. I felt like one of them in that moment, so I shifted my weight, only half-listening to what the man had to say.

“We made incredible progress over the last year,” the athletic director continued, gesturing to the construction site. “And that wouldn’t be possible without the support of some very important people.”