“Hey, can I sit with you?” Matt called from across the aisle.
“Sure.” She scooted over, handing him her football stuff to put in the other seat.
“You look scared to death, man,” he said, offering her a granola bar, which she took only to be nice, not because she had an appetite.
“I am,” she whispered so no one else would hear. “I keep thinking I’ll goof up a play or something and everyone will wonder why Coach picked me over Chance.” She wet her lips, staring at her hands.
“Just pretend we’re at practice. Once you get out on the field, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” He shoved more food into his mouth. That boy could put some food away, that was for sure.
Payton clasped her hands together and cracked her knuckles. “Do you know anything about Clarksdale’s team?” She wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know about their opponent but needed the conversation to distract her. Hell, they could talk about ninja chickens, and that’d be fine too.
“Not really. Just that they finished only behind Lawson last year. I think they’ll be tough but not anything we can’t handle.”
Payton peered around the bus at the other players, trying to see if they were as nervous as she was. Neal gave her a nod, as did a couple of the offensive linemen, the guys that’d be protecting her back in the pocket today. At last she found the one face she’d been searching for. Chance was listening to his iPod, staring out the window. He didn’t seem fazed in the least by the upcoming game.
As if sensing her eyeballing him, he shifted his gaze. His ivy-colored eyes met hers, almost as if challenging her to look away first. But for the first time in days, she didn’t see hostility in them. Payton tried to drag her head back around, but that was like telling a sumo wrestler that he should go on a diet. It just wasn’t happening.
At last he dropped his glance and began fidgeting with his headphones, not looking up again for the remainder of the ride.
A while later, they pulled into the Clarksdale stadium parking lot, and already there were fans looming about as well as the Knights’ mascot. Payton inhaled deeply, trying to let it out slow, wanting nothing more than to quell the panic that was ready to drown her. Okay. She just had to stay calm.
A familiar voice sounded in her ear as she leaned over to retrieve her helmet and pads. “You can handle it, Carter,” Chance said softly, before pushing past her.
It took a second for her to overcome the shock of him talking to her again. Yet, if he thought she could handle the quarterback position, then by all means she could do it. He was the Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master teacher, to her Luke Skywalker. Ever so slowly, she felt the tension ease up. Maybe she could get through this—she was a Carter after all.
The team headed for the locker rooms, and Payton saw Elway, who’d just gotten off the other bus.
“Hey, how you holding up?” He grinned.
“Other than being on the verge of losing my lunch, okay, I think.” She chewed her bottom lip.
“Don’t worry about it. The first game is always the worst, but I promise they get better as you go. Just kick butt today. We’re all here rooting for ya.” He clapped her on the back. “We’ll be in the first row.” He gestured to his team.
“I’ll look for you.” Payton turned to follow her teammates. When she got into the locker room, Coach Youngman directed her to an open office with a shade, and Mrs. Atkinson followed her.
Payton stripped down until she was only in her sports bra and white underwear. She was glad she’d remembered not to wear any of her colorful, lacy panties or black thong, otherwise the boys would’ve gotten quite a show through the white football pants.
“Here, let me get your shoulder pads hooked on for you,” Mrs. Atkinson offered. “If you need me to, I can braid your hair back so it’ll tuck up under your helmet. We don’t want to give those boys anything extra to grab hold of.”
Payton thanked her then sat waiting for the coach to come get her. After a few minutes, a knock sounded, and he yelled for her to come join everyone else.
She sat down next to Matt, who handed her the black paint for under her eyes. In the end, though, she allowed him to put it on for her and shifted to listen to Coach Youngman.
“All right, people, this is exactly what we’ve been working toward these last couple weeks. I want you to play your best. I’ve got a few reminders for you regarding Clarksdale—which will hopefully keep you focused out there.” He glanced down at his pad of paper. “They’ve got one of the leading sackers on this defense, and he’s gonna be gunning for the quarterback. I don’t want him getting to her, so that means the line better be on their toes. Also, their quarterback has a favorite target in Michale Hendri, so mark up on him.” He went on to add a few other tidbits, before looking at his watch. “Okay, it’s time. How about a short prayer before we go out?”
Once the prayer was done, everyone grabbed up their helmets and started for the door. “I want you to stretch out for a few minutes, get those muscles warmed up.”
Matt and Neal followed close to Payton, which she was grateful for because she definitely needed all the support she could get. When they emerged from the locker room, she was glad to see her brothers and dad standing near the fence.
“Carter,” Marino yelled, making his way over to her. “Hey, smile, tiger! This is your game. Just remember everything you’ve learned, and you’ll be fine.”
Payton spotted Marino’s best friend, Craig, coming up to the gate as well. And for a moment she forgot all about Chance Montgomery. Craig Helton was tall, with raven-black hair and piercing blue eyes. His skin was always tan, like the sun worshipped him on a permanent basis, but unfortunately he thought of her as a sister.
“Good luck, Payton. Give ’em hell.” He grinned, waving to her as she made her way onto the field.
Payton looked back once more to find Craig still watching after her. He had his phone in hand, taking pictures. One of her brothers had probably asked him to get a couple shots.
“Okay, guys, line up and get stretched.” Coach brought her back to reality. “Carter, Montgomery, and Atkinson, I want you three to be the captains for the coin toss.”
Payton nodded then went back to stretching. The opposing team walked across the field. Already she heard them talking smack as they passed the Tigers’ bench. The ever-creative “ooh—didn’t know we were playing the girls’ team” taunts had been expected, so she blew them off. Payton was well aware that she’d have a chance to show them up on the field—a much better way to get back at them.
After a few minutes, the referees met at the fifty-yard line, calling for the team captains.
“Okay, we’re going to have a fair game today. Tigers, since you’re the visiting team, you can call it in the air.” One of the refs tossed the coin up.
“Heads,” Chance said, as they stepped back to watch the coin hit the ground.
“Heads it is. Tigers, would you like to kick or receive?”
“Receive,” Chance said. They hurried over to join their teammates.
At that moment, the guys in the commentating booth began their spiel. “Let’s introduce the visiting Aller Falls Tigers,” the announcer said and started reading off the players’ names.
“The Tigers’ quarterback, number three, Payton Carter, is the first female to ever play in our division.”
Payton rushed out onto the field, giving everyone fives as she ran down the line. In the stands, she heard her dad’s air horn blowing along with the cowbells he insisted “had to be” brought to every game.
At last, the receiving team made their way out onto the field, and Payton waited patiently on the sideline, knowing she’d be out there in a couple minutes. She stretched her arms and swung them around to keep them loose. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment then turned to watch the kickoff.
Johnson took the kickoff back for fifteen yards before being tackled, which at last brought the offense onto the field.
Payton wiped her sweaty hands on her
jersey as she called her team into a huddle. “I think we need to come out with a passing play,” she said in a low voice. “Who wants the ball?” She eyed her comrades. Chance’s hand was the first to go up. “It’s yours then. I want you to run orange twenty-two. That’s a slant play up the center, then break for the right. Visser, I want you to go about five yards out and cut back in toward the center. On the count of two, break!” They clapped their hands and lined up.
Payton slid in her mouthguard, standing behind Matt.
“You’re kind of pretty for a quarterback.” One of the defensive linemen grinned. “But you’re gonna eat dirt.”
“You won’t get to her lying on your back,” Matt growled.
“Orange twenty-two, orange twenty-two.” Payton looked over her guys. “Hut-hut!” The ball was snapped, and she took a couple steps back. She spotted Chance getting into position and let the ball go. He easily caught it and turned to run up the field, dodging a few tackles. “Go!” she yelled before he was brought down on the fifty-yard line.
“And the Tigers open up with a thirty-five-yard first down.” The announcer’s voice carried across the stadium, sending the people in the stands into frenzied hollers and cheers.
Payton felt her worrisome thoughts slip away when the team huddled up once more. “I think we need to do another passing play, this time I want to go to Visser. Red twenty-three. Chance, I want you to do a short drop near the sideline. On three,” she ordered, putting her mouthpiece back in.
Matt snapped the ball, and once again Payton scurried back, finding her receiver near the thirty-five-yard line. She pump-faked right to Chance then threw the pass to Visser. He caught the ball and was able to get to the thirty-yard line before being brought down.
“Another first down, for the Aller Falls Tigers,” the commentator stated.
“Be—aggressive! Be-ee aggressive! BE AGGRESSIVE, let’s be aggressive!” the cheerleaders shouted, getting the fans to join in.
Payton shot an annoyed glance over to Kibby, who was leading the cheer and doing backflips, which got some hoots and hollers from the males. There’s nothing like showing your butt off to a few hundred spectators.
“Okay, let’s shake things up a bit and try a running play—Chance, I want you in motion. I’m doing a one count, so be ready to book it,” she stated. The defense tore right through the offensive line, and the running back was stopped at the line of scrimmage, gaining no yards.
Shit. Payton sighed, realizing that they were likely going to be forced to keep passing, which could be good and bad. Good, if they could outrun the other team and find plays that would surprise them, but bad if they started double-covering her receivers.
“Short pass, Dallas forty-three, run a post—on two,” she called, watching Coach motion in the play. “Dallas, forty-three, Dallas forty-three, hut-hut.” She dropped back. And just as she suspected, both of her receivers were tied up, and her running back was busy blocking. Payton spotted the big defensive lineman coming right at her, the same one who’d promised she was going to eat dirt. Fuck. She had one of two choices: either take the sack and lose yardage, or pretend she was part cheetah and run for her life.
Payton pulled the ball in and ran—and was surprised when Matt threw a block opening up a small hole. She rushed to get out of bounds to avoid the hit, but before she could get there, she felt a helmet crack into her back, driving her right into the hard turf.
She held on to the ball for dear life, feeling every last breath evaporate from her body. Payton squirmed to get out from underneath the burly guy, but he just lay there for a moment.
“Welcome to Clarksdale,” he snarled. “I’ve got your number, princess.”
“That’s funny because I don’t give my phone number to assholes,” Payton said from between clenched teeth.
Neal Visser rushed over to where Payton was still stuck under the other player, his face contorted in rage. “Get the hell off our quarterback.” He gave the bigger kid a shove, knocking him off. Neal was the same height but was outweighed by about fifty pounds. His brown eyes burned furiously as he reached a hand down to help Payton up.
The guy from Clarksdale stepped forward and was about to get in Neal’s face when the ref rushed out and stood between them.
“You okay?” Visser asked, following her back to the huddle.
She chuckled, shaking her head. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“Visser!” the coach yelled. “Watch it!”
The wide receiver shrugged and stared after number fifty-seven. “Okay, boys, no more dancing around these idiots—we’re going end zone.” Payton smiled. “Their safeties and corners get mixed up quite a bit out there with the coverage assignments. So Chesler and Visser, I want you to go deep and cross paths. Montgomery, head straight up the middle between them and hit the end zone. Three count, got it?” She eyed them, wanting nothing more than to score her first drive out. Well, that, and she wanted to wipe the smug grin off of number fifty-seven’s face. With the crowd getting into the game, she focused her sights down the field as the ball was snapped.
She saw the defense was blitzing, which, luckily, Matt was able to help with by throwing his body forward in a massive block. Payton released the ball, just as she was nailed from behind, sending her sprawling to the ground. However, she watched her pass reach its target, and Chance Montgomery stood in the end zone for the Tigers’ first touchdown.
Payton slid out from beneath the big oaf and rushed down the field, hitting everyone on the pads. She even managed a high five out of Chance, who was grinning from ear to ear.
“Touchdown, Tigers—and who said girls couldn’t play football?” The commentator laughed.
Payton’s dad’s air horn and cowbells were going nuts in the crowd, and she gave her family a quick wave before getting back into position.
Payton held the ball for the point after, watching it easily sail through the uprights, putting them up seven to nothing.
By the time the game reached its end, Aller Falls had beat Clarksdale 17–0, thanks to both Visser’s touchdown in the early fourth quarter and the field goal in the last thirty seconds of the game.
The locker room went wild as the team filtered in after the game. Payton had never been more thrilled in her life. Her first time out for football, and she’d already racked up a win. There was nothing that could give her a rush like winning a game. If only the days to come would go as smoothly.
“Good game last night, Carter,” Todd Ralston, one of the varsity players, called out as Payton passed him in the hall the next morning.
“Thanks.” She waved. Holy crap. Senior guys were talking to her. They knew who she was. Not that it was probably that hard, since she had older brothers.
From behind her, she heard Kibby laugh. No one could ever mistake her witch-like cackle. Any moment now, Payton expected Kibby to break out chanting “double, double, toil and trouble” and turn someone into a toad.
“Puh-lease, she was lying on the ground practically making out with the other team.” Kibby snorted.
“For the football-impaired, we call that a tackle.” Payton batted her eyelashes at the other girl. “Oh, but you’d know that if you weren’t too busy bouncing up and down and lifting your skirt for the crowd.”
Kibby’s mouth dropped open, but no sound came out, kind of like a deflated balloon.
Jake threw his head back in laughter. “Come on, Rocky, let’s get to class.” He led her to first-hour English literature, where the teacher had already set out the novel they’d be reading this term.
Payton was pleased to find that it was Pride and Prejudice. She loved the movie and was pretty sure the book would be much better.
“Hello, class.” The teacher smiled as the students poured in. “Let’s get in our seats so we can take roll.”
Payton peered up when Chance slid into the seat next to her, barely beating the bell.
“Cutting it close, weren’t you?” She quirked an eyebrow at him. His brown hair was st
ill damp from what she assumed was a morning shower, his green eyes looking anything but happy.
He just shrugged, indicating that he still wasn’t talking to her, even after their win the previous day. She had no idea how to make this guy forgive her. Even when he’d put up a high number of yards the day before thanks to her. For hell sake, it wasn’t like he’d gotten cut from the football team. He had a great position as a starting receiver. Payton wasn’t sure if she’d ever figure out the male mind—even after living in a house full of them her entire life, she still couldn’t understand them.
The class took turns reading aloud from the book, getting through the first two chapters before stopping to take a short quiz over what they’d just read. Then they were assigned to read through chapter four that night and answer the questions on the sheet Mrs. Bradford gave them.
After class, Payton stopped at her locker and grabbed her astronomy books then hurried down the hallway, nearly colliding with Craig Helton, who wore his varsity football jersey. Okay, so he was her brother’s friend, but he definitely looked all hot and stuff.
“Hey, sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going.” She smiled, trying not to drop her things.
“Where you headed?” His tall frame leaned over to get a look at her book.
“Astronomy, Mr. Decker.” She spotted a few freshmen staring in awe at them as they walked by, like it was a rare phenomenon for a freshman girl to talk to a senior boy.
“I’m going that way, too. I’ll walk with you,” he offered, letting his midnight-blue eyes rest on her face as he swiped his hand through his dark hair.
“Sure. So are you stoked for tonight’s game?”
“Yeah, with it being senior year, this is the last chance to impress the college recruiters.” He gave her the most adorable dimpled smile she’d ever witnessed in her life. The kind that made your legs go all wobbly.
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