My knees were already going soft, and the game hadn’t even started yet! Tori must have sensed me staring because she glanced down. As our gazes locked, her whole face lit up, as if I had done something heroic simply by existing.
My chest squeezed so hard I almost dropped my helmet and I had to take a couple of deep, calming breaths to regain my composure.
At that moment, the pressure of the night intensified, turning into something feeling like a promise.
I’m going to make her proud.
The whistle blew and everything narrowed down. Noises blurred, colors sharpened, and my heartbeat synced with the thudding rhythm of boots on turf.
The first defensive series began with their offense lining up in a tight ace formation. It looked like a standard run, the kind of thing a rookie would overcommit to.
But rugby habits never fully died in my blood. The way the guard set his feet told me he wasn’t pulling. He had too much weight on his heels, and I saw their quarterback’s eyes skim the far sideline.
Fake outside. Inside hit.
The ball was snapped and the runners scattered. The crowd roared as I launched myself without thinking. Angling my shoulder downwards, I pumped my legs, closing the gap before the block had even formed. The brutal impact of the collision cracked through my pads as I tackled the runner and drove him back three steps.
He hit the turf with a grunt and the stadium exploded.
Reece leapt on my back. “Sunshine! That’s what I’m talking about, bro!”
“I knew you had it in you!” Tane yelled.
I looked instinctively toward the stands, finding her colorful hair amidst the crowd. The bright red streaks in her hair glowed under the stadium lights, while her hands were cupped around her mouth as she cheered forme.
My lungs forgot how to work, and I felt as though I were hurtling down a rollercoaster.Best bloody ride of my life.
I had difficulty holding back the crazy laugh threatening to bubble up, because this tiny, handmade shirt meant more to me than any stat line ever could.
Tori was here.
She came for me.
Coach tapped my helmet. “Seam route. Hey, listen, listen. You got this. Let’s fucking go and show them how it’s done!”
We lined up and Reece mouthed, ‘Don’t embarrass yourself in front of your girl’.
I flipped him off and a blink later, the ball was snapped. Pushing off the line, I fought my way through the linebacker’s hands with an inside step and then burst vertical.
The safety bit on Reece, just as we’d hoped, and suddenly the field ahead of me was wide open. The quarterback released the ball, sending it high in a beautiful spiral. All I could hear was Tori yelling in my head: ‘Use your height, idiot! It’s literally the one thing you can’t mess up!’
Launching myself into the air with my arms outstretched, I went airborne. Everything lined up, and I caught it cleanly, the leather hitting my gloves with a satisfying smack.
My feet hit the turf, and the world crashed in as two defenders collided with me, trying to drag me backward.
But my legs kept driving.
One step.
Two.
Three.
The crowd got louder with every push, fueling my movements. It almost felt like I could single out Tori’s screams even though I knew logically it was impossible. I didn’t go down until five yards later, when the weight finally brought me down.
The stadium roared like I’d set myself on fire for their entertainment and when I jumped to my feet again, adrenaline pounding through my veins, Reece shook me like a ragdoll.
“Who are you and what have you done with my Sunshine?!”
