Page 57 of Chasing Football Dreams

"It's because of you,"

"Well, I am telling you. That you've got that power inside of you to pull this off. You just need to believe, and you will attain it,"

"Thanks, Dad," I whispered before jogging off with my team.

"You ready?" Duncan asked, sinking into his position.

I nodded skeptically, praying that I truly possessed the power that everyone believed I had in me.

"You've got this, Zo," I whispered, slipping my mouthguard back into my mouth.

I got behind Duncan focusing on the defense as I squatted. "Set. Hut-hut!"

Chapter Twenty-Seven

There was a whiplash of players running scrambled, and people yelling to block the run. But my feet moved backward, my arm pulling back with the ball safely tucked in my hand and my eyes searching for my receiver.

I pushed my arm through the air, watching the ball spiral across the field. Seconds ticked by as Terence ran into his position and caught the pass. It felt like time stopped when I watched Terence go for a touchdown.

"Zoey!" I heard a scream off to the side before a shoulder crunched into my chest throwing me off my feet and my body hit the ground.

My head was in a faze, everything felt hazy as if I was stuck in a room full of fog. The crowd cheered and for a minute I believed it was for the tackle on me, but the moment Duncan's face met mine after he pulled the player off me. The clarity rushed in, and my gaze shifted to the scoreboard.

"We won," I dumbly grasped.

Duncan chuckled, removing my helmet and cupping my face in his hands. "You did it. You passed an 80yard pass,"

"What?" I blinked.

"You took 5 yards too far back and ran another 5 back," He explained smiling.

I blinked at his words. "I did,"

The adrenaline spiked in my veins, making me jump, not realizing I had taken too many steps back.

"You do realize what that means," He asked.

My gaze lifted when my team joined us. All of them smiling.

"You threw the longest pass this season," Xander informed me.

"Not bad for a girl, huh?" I repeated the words of everyone I've met along the way.

The team laughed and congratulated me with fist bumps. Duncan helped me to my feet, his hand lingering on my hip when he noticed my limp.

"I know you want to be brave, but you need to see the medic. You took quite a few tackles today," He softly explained, waving at the crowd.

"Can I at least just enjoy this moment before I have to face reality?" I asked, noting the applause.

"This is reality, love," He smiled at me. "We won the championship,"

My shoulders quivered as the moment sunk in. I heard a song blasting over the speakers and my gaze caught the cheerleaders dancing to the side. Monique was nowhere to be found. Denise was leading the squad.

I finally took in the crowd cheering my name. "What's going on? Where is Monique?" I asked, looking at Duncan.

He raised his shoulders emphasizing that he didn't know. "I don't know. The girls must have grown tired of her bullying intentions after they found a strong woman to look up to,"

"Denise is pretty tough,"

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