Page 132 of How to Score Off Field

Dating. Babies. School. Football.

Family.

Telling people. Not telling people. Keeping it private. Having our privacy invaded and our faces plastered on the news.

My tiny apartment. My roommates.

Classes.

Morning sickness. Going to the doctor. The fact that we’re long-distance.

Yeah. We definitely need binders.

Or five.

My head would spin if it wasn’t attached to my head.

“I would be your boyfriend.”

I squint at him. “Are you just sayin’ that because you knocked me up before our first date?”

He shrugs, which is comical.

How real could we possibly be tonight.

I would be your boyfriend.

His words settle over me like a comforting embrace, reminding me that strength often lies in the willingness to face the unknown—and he’s had his fair share of it, being a football player at a Big Ten school.

He smiles. "I won't pretend I have all the answers, Tess and we don’t have to figure this shit out tonight. But I do know that I'm here for you, for us. And together, we'll figure things out."

Together we’ll figure things out.

When, though?

“Why do you always say the perfect thing?”

Drew chuckles, his fingers lacing through mine. "I don’t. In fact, ask Drake—I say plenty of stupid shit and he probably has screenshots of most of it.”

As we lay there, side by side, the weight of the situation feels a little lighter.

"Hey. Promise me something," Drew says.

"What is it?"

"Promise me that we'll be honest with each other no matter what happens. That we'll communicate and not keep anything from each other. Finding out from the press was horrible—and not because I felt betrayed but because I thought you did it because you had no other choice. And I know that’s not true, but…no more surprises.”

“No more surprises.” Tears prickle at the corners of my eyes, touched by the depth of his request. "I promise, Drew."

His smile is like a sunrise, warm and full of promise. "Then we've got this. And we've got each other."

DIARY…

Why am I so sad lately? It’s my junior year, I should be excited—one more year until HS graduation but I can’t get myself out of this funk.

I didn’t even care when Grady moved out but I can’t stop feeling…empty inside now that the Colter boys aren’t in school anymore and I never see them in the hallway. Not the Colter Boys. THE Colter. As in the ONLY Colter for me.

Drew.

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