Page 195 of Glitched Play

The entire O'Ryan row chuckles.

"They'll fix it," Greyson says.

Parker claps. “Come on Tigers!”

Without thinking, I smile. "Failure isn't bad."

Four heads turn toward me.

"It's just data." I shrug. "It tells you what to do next... and what not to repeat."

Silence.

Not stadium silence.

Our row.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Witt.

His jaw tightens so fast it's almost imperceptible. The color drains slightly from his face. He doesn't look at me, just stares forward.

"What was that?" His voice is quiet.

"What?"

"What you just said."

"Oh." I glance back toward the field. "Failure isn't bad. It's just data. It tells you what to do next... and what not to repeat."

His eyes lock onto mine.

Not soft.

Not confused.

Focused.

Like every processor in his brain just powered on at once.

His thumb stops rubbing circles against my hand.

His breathing changes, enough that I notice.

"You okay?"

A long beat passes before he answers. "Yes."

But his voice is distant.

Almost mechanical.

Like he's somewhere else entirely.

Coach sends the offense right back out. The next series couldn't be more different. Simple throws and hand-offs to the running back.

Six yards. Five more.

First down.