“Are you and Ford dating…I mean, are you boyfriend and girlfriend?”
I glance around the room, and eyes dart, and heads turn away, pretending like they’re not listening. “Yeah, we are.”
A round ofsqueals theroom, and I feel myself blush, and I smile sheepishly.
Piper turns around, looking at me wide-eyed. “That. Is. So. Awesome.” She grabs my shoulders and squeals, and we both jump up and down.
“Hannah Clark has conquered the unconquerable Crawford Cross,” Leah yells across the room.
“All hail Clark,” Aubrey shouts.
“Oh my gosh, stop it, you two. Ford is just a guy. He’s my guy, but he’s still just a guy.” I laugh.
The stadium is packed tonight. It’s easy to spot all the college scouts and recruiters in the stands. It helps that they’re all sitting together. There’s an exciting energy running through the crowd tonight. Everyone is eager to see these two teams play. It’s going to be a crazy night. The players come out on the field to warm up, and a few minutes later, I see Ford, Ty, and Jack trail onto the field. I want to wave, but Ford doesn’t see me, and he has more important things to worry about than saying hi to his girlfriend. He needs to concentrate on the game. I just wish I’d gotten a chance to wish him good luck, like I did last week. I said goodbye to him after school. He had to stay for a football meeting, and I haven’t talked to him since. Leah calls everyone to attention for a last-minute pep talk.
22. Attitude, Effort, Hustle
Coach Anderson finishes giving us his speech. He’s good at pumping up the team and making all the guys excited to play. I’ve had butterflies fluttering around in my stomach since I got to the school tonight, but they’re turning into crows. I have a lot riding on tonight’s game. Coach dismisses us, and everyone files out of the locker room until only me, Ty, and Jack.
“How are you feeling?” Jack asks.
“I’m good,” I say.
We both look at Ty. “I’m pumped.” He jumps up and down on the balls of his feet.
“And you?” I ask Jack.
“Is it bad if I say I’m scared shitless?”
“No. There’s a lot of pressure on us tonight. Bring it in.” I put my hand out, and the guys each pile a hand on top of mine. “We’ve got each other. We do what we always do when faced with a dilemma. We lean on each other and worry about the things we have control over.”
“You’re right. I need to stop worrying about what could go wrong and get excited about everything that’s going to go right. I’ll always have your back,” Jack says.
“T., my man, start us off,” I say, hitting his shoulder.
“Hustle. Full speed to the finish line.” Tyler’s edgy tonight. He can’t stand still. “What’ve you got, Jack?”
“Effort. I will achieve victory.” Jack pounds his fists against his chest. “What do you have to say, Ford?”
“Attitude. Checkmate every time.”
“You can count on me,” Ty says, putting his other hand in the circle.
“You can count on me.” Jack slaps his hand on top of Ty’s.
“Hell yeah! You can count on me. We’ve got this,” I say, placing my hand on top of my teammates. “One, two, three….”
“TITANS!” We holler together and head out onto the field.
“Holy…” Ty trails off, looking up at the stadium.
I cover my hand over my helmet to get a better look. “I’ve never seen the stadium this full.” I glance back at Jack. He’s turned pale. I punch his shoulder and face him. “It doesn’t matter if there is one person or 1000 in the stands. What matters is the game.”
Jack nods.
“You good?”
Jack just nods again.
