Page 84 of Play It Off

We just scored a field goal, which means the opposing team comes jogging out onto the field, and I rest my hands under my thighs, hating how agitated I feel. My mother pats me on the arm, and I glance over at her, smiling softly.

“They’re going to win,” she whispers. “I can feel it. Mother’s intuition. It’s rarely failed me before.”

“It’s true,” Dad adds, his attention never straying from the field as he shovels popcorn in his mouth. He’s the only one who’s able to eat during the game. The rest of us just groan when he tries to push whatever it is he’s snacking on at us. “Hey, wait a minute. Joy, isn’t that the boy who was on the wrestling team with Coop?”

I sit up straighter, focusing on where Dad is looking. Guess he didn’t have his eyes trained on the field. Because I see exactly whohe’s talking about—Ryland walking up the steps toward the top of the stands, holding hands with a very pretty and very tall brunette.

“Who are you talking about?” Mom squints as she looks around.

“It’s Ryland,” I murmur, relieved he’s found someone else to focus on. Obsess over. He left me alone after that night at the party, and I’d even started to think he wasn’t that bad. But then I remember that one afternoon a few weeks back when Coop and I were at the store picking up snacks before we headed to his house and we spotted Ryland. He made some snide remark about me and Gavin being together, surprising me that he would be so bold. My brother was ready to tackle him in the middle of the supermarket, and I had to remind him that he couldn’t cause a scene. That he could risk his position on the football team if he did something stupid, and that seemed to get through to him. Thank God.

Yeah. Ryland doesn’t deserve my sympathy. I don’t need to make any excuses for him. I still feel awful for kind of using him, but he also got a little weird on me.

Okay, a lot weird. But now he’s someone else’s problem, and I can’t worry about him, especially not right now.

“I remember that boy!” Mom tries to find him, but he’s already gone, most likely in his seat. “I wish we could’ve talked to him.”

I am so glad we weren’t able to talk to Ryland. That sounds like my own personal nightmare.

There’s a group of girls who look around my age sitting not too far away from where we’re at, and when I glance in their direction, I catch a couple of them taking photos of me. This has happened on occasion after everyone found out that Gavin and I are together, and while it made me uneasy at first, I guess I’ve gotten used to it? Women used to come gawk at me at work, too, and Matty would waste his energy trying to run them off all the time. Until he finally came up with the bright idea of putting up a sign in the window. It saysGet a photo and autograph with Gavin Maddox’s girlfriend! Only fifty bucks!

No one really comes in and tries to take my picture or harass me anymore. Not that they harassed me, but they would ask lots of questions. Some of them personal. One time a girl asked for Gavin’s dick size. She brought in a ruler and everything.

Embarrassing.

I’ve been working a lot, though. Saving up my money for my future ice cream empire, as Gavin calls it. He calls me the ice cream queen, and I think that’s cute, even though I sometimes think my business idea is silly. Gavin never makes me feel that way, though. That man 100 percent believes in me. Just like I believe in him.

We resume our focus on the game, and I tear off my glove so I can nibble on a hangnail. A gross habit that I seem to fall back into every time I get nervous while watching a game. Gavin isn’t even on the field. My gaze drops to where he stands on the sidelines, Nico right beside him. Gavin’s got his hands on his hips, and his helmet is off, the cold breeze rushing through the bowl-shaped stadium making his hair ruffle, and I wish I was down there with him, offering him comfort.

But then again, I’m glad I’m not down there because when he’s this tense, he’s almost impossible to comfort.

“Coop is doing so well, considering he’s playing a different position,” Mom says after our defensive line, which includes my brother, keeps blocking the opposing team from gaining much yardage. They’re barely moving down the field, and I can tell the players are frustrated.

“He is,” I agree, and Everleigh nods. Coop filled in for an injured defensive lineman for the last couple of playoff games, and he’s playing better than ever.

They settle into position, and the play goes into motion, the players scrambling all over the field, the QB about to get sacked by one of our linemen when he throws the ball. He hits the ground, but the ball soars into the air, landing right in my brother’s hands.

“Oh my God!” I leap to my feet first, everyone else following me, and we’re jumping up and down as Coop runs down the field, heading for the Dolphins’ end zone.

“Look at how fast he is.” Pride fills Mom’s voice. “That’s our boy, Jerry!”

Coop makes it into the end zone despite the two guys on his tail trying to drag him down, which is near impossible, considering how big he is. The referee throws his arms up in the air, signaling it’s a touchdown, and half the stadium loses it. The joyous roar of the crowd is impossibly loud, and I’m hugging my mom and dad before turning to Ever, and I hug her and Claudia too. We’re smiling and laughing, and some of us are even crying, and during it all, my dad continues to shove popcorn into his mouth.

“Guess we’re celebrating tonight” is the only thing he has to say, which has Mom shaking her head.

“Oh, Jerry.” She wipes the tears away from her cheeks. “Our boy is a star!”

He is. They all are. And I can’t wait to rush the field in a couple of minutes and celebrate with the team. With Gavin. They did it.

And I couldn’t be prouder.

I’m on the field and it’s absolute mayhem. People are everywhere. Confetti still flutters in the air and is covering most of the field. Everywhere I look I see Dolphins team members celebrating with their family and friends. I got separated from my parents once we came down here, and I haven’t seen them or Coop. Haven’t found Gavin either. I’m starting to panic, and my head feels like it’s on a swivel, looking left, then right. Then left again. Where are they?

“Sienna!”

I jerk my head toward the sound of my brother’s voice, and I see him standing there flanked by our parents. I run over to them and giveCoop a hug, clinging to him for a moment before I tip my head back. He has the biggest grin on his face that I’ve ever seen, and he gives me a little shake.

“We did it.”

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