Page 106 of Third and Ten

“Hey, what’s up? Everything okay?” He must think I’m crazy for calling him over in public, especially with only minutes until kickoff.

Just then the band begins playing, triggering a domino effect that includes the cheerleaders running along the sideline with a giant Camellia High flag in hand and the crowd rising to its feet to yell loudly. I try to explain myself to JD, but it’s impossible.

“How do I get down there?” I shout.

“Just…jump, I’ll catch you!”

Just jump? Seriously?

I glare at him, his face stationed well below my feet. There’s no way to make that drop on my own. I’ve never been under the impression that I’m athletically inclined enough to do any jumping of any kind, and having big boobs means that I’ve never even bothered to try. But I remind myself that this is literally a life-and-death situation. I nod briefly, and he positions himself nearby with his arms ready. I squat and attempt to hop down gracefully, but I end up panicking and grabbing the bottom railing, leaving myself hanging from the bleachers, a few feet from the ground.

JD only chuckles and steps over to wrap his arms around my thighs, then calls for me to let go. I finally oblige and latch onto his shoulders instead, and he loosens his hold just enough to allow me to slip down in the security of his arms.

I hold my breath, feeling his capable hands moving up my backside and locking eyes with him as the front of my body slides down over his. This is certainly not the time for a steamy interaction—in public, nonetheless. He gulps and stares intensely, his hands stopping at the small of my back, my feet dangling just above the grass.

“Um, thanks. You can put me down now,” I mumble, and it seems to take a second for it to register with him. He finally lets go so I can stand on my own.

I glance around and realize we’ve garnered some attention, the band having stopped and the cheer squad and half of the football team watching. Ethan glares at us with an unreadable expression, his helmet tucked under his arm. Hopefully the fans in the bleachers are at least too high up to have seen us inadvertently groping each other.

JD clears his throat, bringing me back from my thoughts. “Are you all right?” he asks again.

I sigh. “Mom called. My dad took a turn for the worse this afternoon. They’re not sure he’ll make it through the night.”

“Dang, Ten. I’m so sorry.” He grabs my hand and squeezes. “Are you leaving for home right now?”

I nod solemnly. “I think I need to take Ethan back, too. I know this is a big deal, this game, but he’ll never get another chance to say goodbye,” I say softly, my voice breaking at the end once the realization hits me. I’m talking about whether we’re going to spend my dad’s last minutes together.

“Yeah, definitely,” he agrees. “I just don’t know how he’s going to take the news.”

We both turn and look at Ethan expectantly, and he gives his helmet to a teammate before taking off in our direction. JD drops my hand as he approaches.

“What’s going on?” he asks gruffly once he’s close enough for us to hear.

“Ethan, Mawmaw just called,” I begin. He looks down at his feet, probably preparing for the worst. “She doesn’t think there’s much time left. Tonight may be it.”

He’s quiet for a minute, and JD places a comforting hand on his shoulder. Surprisingly, Ethan leans into his touch just the slightest. “I should go.” It’s a statement, but his eyes are questioning, looking for confirmation from JD.

“I think so too, man.” JD gives his shoulder a slight squeeze before he turns to me. “Do you want me to drive you both home?”

I furrow my brow. “You can’t leave the team.”

“That’s not what I asked you,” he replies sternly.

I’m not surprised that he’s willing to drop everything to take care of Ethan and me. That’s the only version of JD I’ve seen so far, and I know he wouldn’t hesitate to cut a playoff football game and drive over three hours to get us home in time. It’s the impulse to take him up on his offer and the sudden dread of going through this without him that shocks me.

“I’ll be fine to drive. And if I get upset or tired, I promise I’ll pull over and take a break,” I tell him, ignoring those feelings.

“Are you sure?” he asks, glancing back and forth between Ethan and me.

“Yeah, we’ll be good, Coach. But thanks,” Ethan answers. “Just…can you tell the guys I left for a good reason? I don’t want them to worry or anything.”

“Of course. Why don’t you just grab your things from the locker room and leave your helmet back there?”

“All right, I’ll meet you in the car,” he declares before exchanging a handshake-half-hug with JD and jogging off.

“Keep me updated?” JD asks after a second.

“Yes. Maybe you could ask someone to text us game updates, for Ethan?’

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