The Bright Side of Darkness

Thirty-Nine

Coach calls a timeout with only thirty seconds left on the clock, and I'm thankful for the break. I jog to the sideline and pull my helmet off, wiping the sweat off my forehead. An assistant coach hands me my water bottle. I thank him and take a greedy gulp of the water, careful not to drink too much and make myself sick.

"Alright, boys. We gotta do something. If anything, try to keep them as far away from that goal as possible. We're getting to the end, so if we're gonna lose, let's make sure we go down fighting." He frowns. That's obviously not what he wants to be saying at this point. But there isn't anything else to say. We can try our best to win, but that's almost impossible now.

Coach sighs. "I wish I could say more, but that's all I got. Get back out there," he says just as the refs blew their whistles.

We all line up in Cover 1 defense. It's simple, but at this point, it's all we have.

"Can't believe they let you out on the field," Number Eleven sneers. "I didn't know we'd be playing the three blind mice."

The fuck did he just say?

The quarterback begins the play and prepares a pass. With the pressure in front of him, there isn't much he can do, so he throws the ball to Eleven. I watch it sail through the air, trying my best to block the player in front of me.

Then I notice it.

Eleven doesn't seem to realize, but the ball is going to sail right over his head. And as it does, I jump, catch the ball, and spin around him, taking off toward the end zone. The crowd roars with cheers at the interception. I jump over players as someone tackles them and take off. Some Dawson High players shake off their marks and follow me. One gets dangerously close and lunges at me, but not before Travis comes out of nowhere and knocks him to the ground.

I keep running, unchallenged until I reach the end zone. Right after the ref blows his whistle and raises his hands, I slam the ball into the ground and fall to my knees, fists raised toward the sky.

"Fuck yeah!" I shout to the heavens, right as Parker and Julian slam into me in a hug.

"We did it!" Jackson shouts as he reaches my side.

I look up at the timer. It lets out a long buzz as the timer runs out. I feel like crying. But that won't go over well while I'm surrounded by guys.

When they let up on their hold, we all jog toward the sideline, but instead of stopping, I keep going. Right until I reach the track.

My breath is quick as I walk up to her and pull off my helmet. Emori stands stock-still, watching me. I step closer, and she hesitates to move, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I know you wanted time," I say. Her brows pull together, and I shake my head. "I know. But... these past two weeks have been hell. I mean, these past few months have been, but it was worse knowing that I couldn't talk to you." I close the distance between us and brush my fingers over her cheek. She closes her eyes and leans into the embrace. When I speak again, her eyes flit open. "You said we might need time. But I don't think we do. I've loved you for most of my life. And I'm hoping - damn, am I hoping - you'll give me another chance to prove to you how much I'm in love with you."

"I've been wanting to say that for weeks," she whispers as she looks up at me. Her honey-colored eyes shine in the light of the stadium. Everything about her makes my breath catch in my throat. I imagine it always will. Nothing can change that.

"And I thought I was the only one still hung up." I chuckle, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Don't let it get to your head," she says as she wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me close until her lips meet mine.

Everything I've been through in the past few months has led up to this. Losing everything I considered to be mine changed my life in ways I never thought possible. But if I could do it all again and still end up here, I sure as hell would.