Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 97882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Holden had to physically hold him back with a hard hand on his shoulder when they started making jokes about his mom.
They were relentless, screaming so loud when our offense was on the line that Blake could barely be heard calling out the plays. Holden was steady through it all, though, watching on the sidelines with his arms folded hard over his chest. He pulled each player aside at one point or another during the game, holding them by the helmet as he told them what they needed to hear.
And somehow, by some strike of luck, we’d managed to hold them, to keep the score close.
In the end, a last-second field goal had sealed the win.
I could still see it as I showered in my hotel room, the way Clay and Zeke had carted Riley up onto their shoulders and paraded her around the field as the fans were silent for the first time all game. It was the most beautiful sight, that sweet vendetta.
I could also still see the concern in my father’s eyes when we’d checked into the hotel, the team rowdy and ready to celebrate. He’d watched me from his peripheral the entire time he stood at the lobby desk, and when he handed me my key, he held onto it a touch longer than necessary.
“I’m proud of you,” he said.
I swallowed, holding the key with my eyes on the ground below it. “Why?”
“Because you’ve really turned a corner, Julep. I can see it in everything that you do. Tonight, on the sidelines, working with the players… I haven’t seen you that focused, that passionate about anything since…”
He cleared his throat, and I looked down, hoping he wouldn’t finish that sentence. He didn’t need to.
“I just… I don’t want you to throw this away,” he said softer, finally releasing the key.
I almost laughed. “I’m going to bed, Dad,” I told him, finally meeting his eyes. “I’m tired.”
Dad nodded, though concern still etched his brow. “Good. Me, too.”
It wasn’t a lie. The exhaustion I felt was bone deep as I cut the hot water of the shower and stepped out, wrapping myself in a towel. I combed out my wet hair and slathered my face with night cream. Giana and Riley were my roommates tonight — which was fitting, since we were the only females traveling with the team. Apparently, Riley was used to rooming by herself as the only female player, and Giana was typically assigned a room with her boss, Charlotte.
But tonight, it was the three of us, and I was looking forward to eating pizza and passing the fuck out.
All those dreams were dashed when I emerged from the bathroom to find Giana hair-spraying her curls while Riley finished off her makeup.
They both looked at me at the same time, exchanged a look, and before they could even say a word, I knew what was about to happen.
“We’re going out, aren’t we?” I asked on a sigh.
They just smiled in answer, and without argument, I flipped open my suitcase and pulled out the one dress I’d packed just in case this happened.
As tired as I was, part of me was excited to go out with the team. I hadn’t had the chance, other than the one party at the Pit, and that had been a different vibe. That was a high-stress, let’s blow off steam kind of night.
This was a celebratory one.
My dad’s warning flashed briefly in my mind as I applied a little bit of makeup, but I quieted it, knowing that I felt in full control of myself tonight.
Plus, we were in a new city, and with everything that had been tangling up my thoughts lately, I had a feeling even with the weight of a long day bearing down on me, I wouldn’t find sleep easy.
And maybe, maybe, a small part of me wanted to see Holden.
“You look like you’re about to crawl out of your own skin,” Riley said in the Uber on the way to the bar.
I blinked, turning from where I’d been watching the city lights blur past. “I kind of feel like I already have,” I admitted.
Giana frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean… I’m not feeling like myself lately.”
“In what way?” Riley probed.
I considered, trying to figure out how to explain it without sounding like a crazy person. “I just… I’ve been feeling… weird lately.”
“Like sad?” Giana asked.
“No.”
“Angry, disheveled?” Riley chimed in.
“No… the opposite, actually. I’m used to feeling depressed. But this… I don’t know.” I picked at my thumbnail. “I feel kind of… excited? But also, a little freaked out. Anxious, maybe?”
Giana grinned then, leaning into my shoulder. “Ah, football season does that to all of us.”
I forced a smile. “Yeah. Football.”
Riley arched a brow, her gaze zeroing in on me like she saw something Giana didn’t. But she didn’t have time to ask because our car pulled up, and Zeke ripped open the back door before hauling Riley out on his shoulder like a sack of flour.