Page 27

Gina shoved her again. “Nah, I like grass stains too much, apparently.”

The bus rolled to a stop as they pulled into the parking lot. Coach Konicki started belting from the front of the bus, telling them to turn off the music and get their heads in the game.

“I’m going to miss this,” Rory admitted.

To her surprise, Gina reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Yeah, me too. Let’s make it count.”

* * *

They did. It was halftime, and already they were dominating six to zero. Avalon didn’t stand a chance with the energy they’d brought from Haverport.

Rory huddled up with her team, sweaty with dirt-covered knees as she listened to Coach’s plays for the rest of the game. Despite their massive lead, he wasn’t backing down on the intensity. He was determined to give the seniors an excellent last game, and they were all about it. No mercy. It made Rory grin.

Helen led them in their final halftime cheer before breaking the huddle. Rory screamed at the top of her lungs with the rest of them, tears streaming down her cheeks. After a fierce team group hug, Rory let her eyes wander over to the stands on the other side of the field.

Her heart leapt when she saw Melanie bolt up from her seat, cheering loudly. Rory held up her arms and cheered back, so happy to see her friend. She wasn’t sure anyone would come to cheer her on, especially because it was a decent drive from home. But there she was, sitting down next to a familiar group, the sight of them making her tear up all over again. Blake sat next to her wearing his Scoops hat, but it was the sight of what Tyler wore that made her keel over with laughter.

Tied at the top of his head was a lime green handkerchief, just like the one she donned at his games.

She shook her head, pretending to throw a football in his direction, which he stood up to catch. He then yelled for Rory to kick ass. She shaped a heart with her hands and held it up, proud of the way the Homecoming King openly swore in front of everyone with no shame.

So okay…maybe they were still best friends. Maybe she was being ridiculous about the whole thing. Her heart swelled at the sight of her friends in the stands, even when she didn’t ask them to come.

But her spirits dimmed slightly as she scanned the crowd, searching for the one person who wasn’t there. It seemed Gabi couldn’t get out of her diner shift. Standard.

She’d disappointed her. Again. And Rory just let it happen to her. Again.

She shook it off, bouncing back and forth and forcing thoughts of her mother out of her head. She wouldn’t let the disappointment ruin her last game. Under the sun of another warm November day, she was determined to enjoy every moment.

* * *

After scoring two more goals and shaking hands with a defeated-looking team from Avalon, Rory sprinted across the field to hug her friends, forcefully rubbing her sweat all over Blake’s face until he screamed for her to get off.

Melanie swung an arm around Rory’s shoulders, squeezing tightly. “Has anyone ever told you how incredible you are?”

“Hmmm,” she replied, pretending to think about it. “No, please sing my praises.”

Blake was still wiping his face. “You’re the devil, actually.”

Rory cackled and flailed her arms toward him again.

She felt a firm hand slap her back. “Great game, Ry,” Tyler said. “You guys ate them alive.”

“Thanks, Ty.” She grinned up at him. The handkerchief was now around his neck, and he had a tight smile stretched across his face. He looked…nervous.

She frowned. “What?”

“Rory! You were amazing!”

She turned and was surprised to find Zoe standing there, waving at her. She looked…perfect. Her golden hair flowed with the wind alongside the maxi dress she wore, almost like they were paid actors. She looked like an autumn goddess. Rory’s uniform, stained with dirt and grass and blood after scraping her knee, seemed even grubbier-looking in comparison.

But Zoe didn’t seem to mind the dirt or the grass or the blood as she reached out and pulled Rory into a hug, squeezing her tight. Rory froze, her arms by her side, eyes wide as she looked at Tyler. He curled his lips in to hold back a laugh.

“Um, hi, thank you,” Rory mumbled.

Zoe jumped back. “God, sorry! I should have asked if you liked hugs.”

“She likes hugs,” Blake blurted. “Too much, actually.”