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believe that tonight had really happened. Scott had been perfectly willing to talk football with me, but when it came time to discuss anything else, he d shut down and
been ready to end the night. How could this be the same guy who I could toss a ball around with and tease during practice to someone who didn t have anything to say
to me at all?
 That was fun, Whit, he finally said as he steered his black Volvo into my driveway.  Almost as much fun as chilling with you during practice.
I smiled, but felt a lump rising in my throat. It hit me for the first time that practices with Brenden and Scott were over for good. I wouldn t get to run drills and take
water breaks with them anymore. There would be no more making fun of Jason when he threw a particularly ugly pass or doing my best to outshine him. There would
be no more walking to the athletic building together after Chem class.
It ended so abruptly that I hadn t even had a chance to prepare for it, a chance to think about what it would be like to go back to being the old version of me that
didn t have football in my life. I d been so sure that I had a spot on the team locked up, even if it was just third string, that I had never bothered to consider what it
would be like if everything just...stopped.
 Yeah, I said.  Too bad it s over.
  It doesn t mean we won t be friends, Whitney.
I nodded even though my heart sank at his words. Friends. Was that all this had been to Scott? A casual outing between friends? Between almost-teammates? That
wasn t exactly what I had thought he had in mind. I hadn t wanted to admit it to myself, but in the last week, I d grown kind of...attached to Scott. I d begun to think of
him as someone I could see myself with, as someone that would always be there.
But maybe this was really all for the best. Scott had what I wanted. He was a star at Ash Valley; he got to suit up for games and walk onto the field under the lights to
the cheers of the crowd and play the sport I loved. Eventually, I d begin to resent him for that. So it was better to stay away...wasn t it?
 Yeah, I said.  I know we ll still be friends.
 I ll see you Monday, okay, Whit? he asked as I opened the passenger side door and stepped out of his car.
I nodded again, startled that he hadn t even bothered to walk me to the front door.
Yeah, this has definitely been nothing more than a trip for pizza between friends.
I sighed and unlocked the front door. My luck had finally turned sour.
VI.
That Saturday afternoon, I climbed the steps to the top of the bleachers at Ash Valley s football stadium. On the muddied field below, fifty of the school s supposed
finest ran over drills and plays in preparation for Tuesday s season opener.
I sighed and sat down, staring up at the clouded gray sky, waiting for the rain to fall.
As I watched the team practice, it started to make less and less sense to me. Why wasn t I being given the same chance as the rest of the guys?
Yes, I knew Coach Harrington s reasons. I even understood them, when I really thought about it, but that didn t mean it was right. I was just as good as the guys in
uniform and we all knew it.
Playing football had been all I d ever wanted to do for eleven long years. I d lost my love of the game when I d lost my dad, but now I was back, ready to play
again, and I couldn t.
What would my dad say if he knew about all of this?
I paused, then realized I knew exactly what he d tell me.
He d want to know why I was sitting around, feeling sorry for myself, watching others do what I knew I could do, trying to put on a brave face, wishing for
something I would never, ever get. He d asked me why I wasn t trying something else to make my dream a reality.
Not that there was a whole lot I could do. I knew Coach Harrington would never let me play. But...hadn t Scott mentioned something last night? About Clinton
Central s football team? I hadn t thought twice about it then, but now.....
Well, why not? It seemed a little far-fetched, maybe, but I d already come this far. Would it kill me to look into it a little?
Clinton Central High School. If I did manage to make the team there, what sweet, sweet revenge that would be. The Panthers were, without a doubt, Ash Valley s
biggest rival and playing for them...well, Coach Harrington would have to realize what a huge mistake he d made by cutting me.
And what if I even managed to start for Clinton Central?
My fantasy began to spiral out of control now. Starting against Ash Valley in a rivalry game, maybe even in the state championship! There was nothing I wanted more
and I could practically taste the deliciousness of my new plan.
And then it hit me and the weight of its meaning almost bowled me over. Not only would I be going up against Ash Valley, but I d also be thrown into a head-on
collision of the quarterbacks with Jason Victorino.
Maybe that idea would have scared me before, but it didn t now. Nothing appealed to me more. I began to tap my foot wildly as I imagined the possibilities, the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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