Page 57 of Second Down Darling

But now that I’ve gone down the rabbit hole, I’m not sure I can put a lid on this anylonger.

I can only hope I don’t screw up ourfriendship.

21

CHARLOTTE

The athletic director,Mr. Armstrong, unlocks the cabinet and waves a hand at the shelves. “Take what you need. Be sure to always sign out the equipment with my assistant. I already have a copy of your school ID, so you’re good to go anytime you want toshoot.”

Getting a new ID was a whole ordeal. When you’re broke, everything is tough. I’d babysit Asher for free because I love him to pieces and he’s my nephew, but Jake’s been paying me, and I finally have enough to replace a few more things that were lost in thefire.

Wait. What did Mr. Armstrongsay?

My mouth drops open. “I can borrow anything?” There are three top-of-the-line SLRs, several telephoto lenses, camera bags, a tray of memory cards—everything I could possiblyneed.

He chuckles. “The boosters went a little overboard, didn’t they? But this is one of the perks of working for a Division 1 school with a marqueeteam.”

God bless the boosters. “Thank you for this opportunity. I promise I’ll take good care of everything. Are there particular images you want besides action shots of thegame?”

“Anything that shows Bronco spirit. So cheerleaders, fans, and mascots are all great. Next weekend, if you want to also get some of the tailgating in the parking lot before the game, that might be fun for mynewsletter.”

That all sounds doable. I start to relax. “Noproblem.”

“Check in with me on Monday. We’ll go through the images and talkmore.”

“Yes,sir.”

“If this works for us, maybe you’ll consider shooting baseball in the spring?” He gives me a hopefullook.

Laughing, I nod. “I’m totally open toit.”

When he’s gone, I reverently run my hands over the beautiful sleek camera bodies. I could never afford anything this nice, but it gives me something to aimfor.

Once I pack a camera bag, I heft it over my shoulder and head out for thefield.

A guard stops me. “Credentials,please.”

I proudly point to my newly laminated badge hanging on the lanyard around my neck, and he waves me through. I feel soofficial.

Stepping out onto the field is surreal. The staff is setting up for the tunnel run, so I head to the sideline and unpack my gear. The stadium is quickly filling, a buzz of excitement in theair.

I get two cameras strapped around my neck, one with a telephoto lens, and one with a shorter lens to shoot anything close up. When I spot our cheerleaders, I wave at Roxy. She looks so darn cute in her cheer outfit. She gives me a saucy wink before she does a backflip. I start shooting the squad, hoping to get some good ones for the AD, maybe even a few Roxy can give herparents.

I get down on my knees to photograph Mr. Pearson and his goat Essie, who’s a local celebrity. They’re both decked out in Broncocolors.

Which remindsme.

I scan the arena, looking for Merle, but there are too manypeople.

When I told Jake what a huge fan Merle was of the team, Jake got him a pair of tickets for this game. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been able to volunteer at the shelter since the fire, but Merle said he understands and that as long as I’m rehabbing Duke, working on the calendar, and making more flyers, he’s happy. Plus, since Jake mentioned the shelter at the press conference, Merle says he’s had plenty of help, which is arelief.

The announcer introduces UT, and the crowd goes crazy. Since we’re close to Austin, there are tons of Longhorn fans here. It’s a charged, wild atmosphere. It feels like anything could happen this afternoon, which makes me anxious for Jake. This is a big game, and he was broody this morning. I wondered if he was rattled about my sister’s show, but he says no one has really bothered him about it yet, which is arelief.

When it’s our turn to get introduced, the crowd goes from loud to ear-blisteringlyinsane.

I get as close to the edge of the field as possible before I start to shoot. It’s so loud, I can’t even hear the whirring of my shutter that’s pressed to myface.

As “Paradise City” by Guns N’ Roses blares, the guys race out the tunnel and through this huge blow-up archway. Smoke machines make them seem almost mythical, like they’re Greek gods charging onto a battlefield. The crowd chants the lyrics and hops up and down to the beat while waving Broncotowels.

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