“I’ll see.”
“You’ll come.” The corner of her mouth tipped.
“You sound awfully sure of yourself.”
“Who, me? See you around, Miley. Lil.” Ashleigh waved us off as she disappeared down the hall.
“Is she always so…”
“Weird?” Lily snickered.
“I was going to say confident.”
“Ashleigh is the kind of girl who knows what she wants and goes after it. She’s one of the best people I know.”
“That’s nice. I never really had that… a ride or die friend.” I’d had friends over the years, sure. But never one that stuck. And once Dad left, I kind of just stopped trying.
I think that’s why I’d fallen so easily for Avery.
I let out a resigned sigh.
“I know you messed up last year, Miley, with the exposé. But it isn’t a reason to hide.”
It was such a bold statement from the girl who I found cowering in the bathroom.
“How do you do it?” I asked quietly.
“Do what?”
“Pick yourself up like that?”
Lily looked at me and swallowed. “I’ve gotten really, really good at hiding things.”
I managed to avoid Avery for the rest of the day. But there was no avoiding him after school. Coach Ford had invited me to attend one of their meetings. I didn’t really know what to expect, but when I stepped foot into the darkened room it didn’t matter, because all I saw was him.
Avery was sitting forward in his chair, a Raiders ball cap pulled backward on his head, elbows propped on his thighs and chin nestled on his fists. He looked up and smiled, but it quickly fell when I didn’t smile back.
Did he really think I was going to be okay with everything?
“Ah, Miss Fuller, glad you could join us. I thought it might be useful for you to join one of our strategy meetings.”
“Where’s everyone else?” I asked, noting only Avery was here.
“Typically, this is something we do with our QB when we have a big game coming up. The Eagles have a big defense, so we want Avery to know what to watch for, which players to avoid. But we also want to learn their weak spots, and tailor our plays to fit their strategy.”
“Sounds complicated.” I laughed, but it came out strangled.
“Studying film tape is all part of the process. It’s how we learn and grow.” Coach offered me a chair and I sat down, relieved I wasn’t near Avery. It was bad enough being in the same room as him.
“You know, a little birdie told me you didn’t come to the game last Friday.”
“I… no, I didn’t. I don’t need to attend games to write the article.”
“True,” he said. “But we’d really like you to be there on Friday. It’s our rival game against Rixon East and they always prove to be exciting.”
“I’ll… think about it.”
“I’ve put a ticket aside for you.”
“Thanks.”
“Okay, let’s get started.” Coach pointed his remote at the tv screen and pressed the button. Footage of the Raiders rival team, the Rixon East Eagles filled the screen. I didn’t know much about football, but even I knew about the bitter rivalry between our school and the high school across the river. It dated back decades, and there was no escaping rivals week.
Historically, both schools would prank each other in the lead up to the game, but that had been stamped out over recent years after a prank went wrong back in Coach Ford’s days.
I watched quietly as Coach, Avery, and the assistant coaches paused the footage every few minutes and discussed play options, and defensive strategy. Coach made notes on a whiteboard, scribbling lines and circles and arrows that I recognized as play strategy, but I had no real idea what it all meant.
They seemed to forget I was even there, until forty minutes later, Coach flipped the light switch and startled me.
“Still with us, Miss Fuller?”
“Just about, sir.” I smiled.
He chuckled. “Well, maybe it’s given you a little insight into just what goes into game day.”
I gave him a small nod.
“And think about the offer of that game ticket.”
“I will, sir, thank you.” I got up and moved to the door. “My report is due to Mr. Jones Monday, and then I’ll be out of your hair.”
“I look forward to reading it. Hopefully we’ve managed to change your mind a little about us.” He went over to Avery and the other coaches and I slipped out of the room, inhaling a deep breath.
Coach Ford was insistent on making me see that there was more to the team than just drunken parties, missed assignments, and cocky attitudes… but why? It didn’t make any sense. Nothing had really changed because of my article. Sure, Principal Kiln and Mrs. Bennet were implementing stricter academic expectations of its star athletes, but eventually it would all fade away. I knew that, everyone knew that.
But he seemed so intent on changing my mind.
I threw my bag over my shoulder and started down the hall, but a voice stopped me.
“Miley, wait.”
My heart lurched into my throat as I forced myself to turn around.
“I looked for you today,” Avery said. “I wanted to talk to you about some—”
“It’s fine,” I rushed out. “We don’t have to do this.”
“We don’t?” He frowned.
“No, I thought about it, and you’re right. This, us, it could never work.” My heart splintered. “Goodbye, Avery.”
I walked away, and this time…
It was for good.
Chapter Eleven
Avery
“Feeling good?” Ben asked me as I tied my cleats.
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
It was game night and the biggest night of my life. Not only were we playing against Rixon East, our rivals, but the scouts from Notre Dame were also coming out to watch me.
“Look alive, ladies,” Coach entered the locker room, and a ripple of anticipation went through the air. The crowd was electric above us, a constant rumble of applause as they made the various announcements.
“Chase, you with us, son?” Coach drilled me with a concerned look.
“I’m good, Coach.”
“Glad to hear it. Tonight is your night to shine. Stick to the playbook
