Page 58 of Second Down Darling

I’ve always enjoyed football games. Maybe it’s because I grew up going to them so I could cheer on Jake, but being on the field is surreal. The energy is incredible. I can see why the guys love this. Why they sweat and slave allyear.

I can’t hold back the smile on my face when I see Jake. He’s so stoic. So focused. I love how committed he is to this team. Aiming through my viewfinder, I make sure to get several shots of him. It’s easy to spot Billy because he’s already horsing around and lifting his arms to thecrowd.

As the team heads for the sidelines, Jake spots me and seems to make a point to walk by me. I hold out my pinky. He snags it back and then hooks his other arm around me and hugs me to him. I’m dwarfed by his size—he’s even bigger with all of his gear—but he feels so good wrapped around me, Isigh.

“Good luck today, though you don’t needit.”

“Thanks, cupcake.” He winks. “I like seeing you outhere.”

He jogs off, and I stand there with a dopey smile. I have it so bad for thatman.

Some guy with a pad of paper nudges me. “Is Jake Ramirez yourboyfriend?”

I spot the word ‘reporter’ on his lanyard and almost choke. “He’s my best friend. That’sall.”

It’s probably not smart to talk to Jake at the games. He needs to focus, and I have work to do aswell.

The dude seems like he wants to ask me more questions, so I haul my equipment downfield as quickly as possible. Capturing the coin toss gives me an excuse toescape.

We win possession, and the Broncos take thefield.

I double-check the aperture and shutter speed on the camera with the long lens. Football is fast, and it would suck if my photos were blurry. Sports photography requires good light, a fast shutter speed, and a small aperture to give you depth-of-field. Unless you want the background blurry, and then you need a large aperture, which means a smaller f-stop. That opens the lens and allows in morelight.

The one benefit to my old manual SLR that died in the fire is I know how to manage the settings on these cameras. I don’t have to rely on automode.

While I’ve never shot sports before, now that I’ve had some time to consider how to shoot it and studied several tutorials online, I feelready.

I force myself to watch everything through the viewfinder as I shoot the game. My camera whirs as I capture image after image. Having a top-of-the-line camera with a drive that takes almost instantaneous pics, one right after the other, is prettycool.

On the first drive, Ezra’s pass is deflected, but on the second down, he findsJake.

Jake cradles the ball and cuts right, barely escaping two Longhorns. Someone else lunges for his legs, but he picks up speed. Everyone seems to drop away as he takes it downfield and right into the endzone.

The crowd loses its mind. Jake’s handsome mug flashes on the jumbotron, and I snag a pic. I feel like I’m going to burst with pride forhim.

These guys make the game look easy. No one sees all of the hours they put in at the weight room. Running drills. Studying plays. Watching film. At the scrimmages and meetings. All while juggling school and homework. And in Jake’s case, while also being a father. He’s so good with Asher and loves him so much. He deserves this moment where all the Bronco fans in the stadium scream hisname.

UT manages to score on the next possession, and it’s a close game, but we pull it out in the end. Jake nabs two touchdowns and also executes a beautiful lateral pass that results in his teammatescoring.

I capture everything. The looks of elation on the Broncos’ faces. The fans celebrating. Mr. Pearson’s little granddaughter getting a victory trip on thegoat.

When it’s over, I’m so exhausted, I can barely stand. I can’t imagine how tired the players mustbe.

There’s no way I can find Jake in the crowd that rushes the field, so I head for the exit. When I get home, I have a text fromhim.

You’re my lucky charm, cupcake. Hope you can come to all mygames!

I collapse on my bed with a smile on myface.

The next afternoon,I’m curled up on the couch with Duke, scrolling through all the images I uploaded onto the laptop I borrowed from the sports department. I owe Roxy big time for hooking me up. Now I’ll be able to finish the calendar for Second Chances at home instead of always needing to be oncampus.

I pause on a shot of Jake laughing with Billy on the sidelines. Jake’s sweaty and his hair is sticking up in ten different directions and there’s a streak of dirt on his face, but he’s never looked morehandsome.

The only drawback to digital is I won’t get to develop this image in the darkroom. Although I probably shouldn’t spend hours staring at thisman.

Jake carries Asher over from the kitchen, and they drop down next to me. “You gonna let us see thephotos?”

I tap my chin. “Hmm. I don’t know. Whatcha gonna giveme?”

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