Page 141 of Hometown Halftime

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not about to stand in the middle of a random field screaming like a lunatic.”

“You already cried on me today. We’re past the point of having any dignity,” he teases.

I glare at him, but he grins. Then his expression softens.

“You said you wanted to scream.” Riley gestures around us. “Nobody’s out here. Nobody’s listening. So let it out.”

I pause, standing there while the wind moves through the tall grass around us. Then, finally, feeling deeply ridiculous, I let out one short yelp. It sounds more like a dying bird than an emotional release.

Riley’s brow pinches. “Oh, come on, Malone.”

I shake my head. “I can’t do this.”

“Did you hear how weak that was?” He drags a hand down his face dramatically. “That was embarrassing.”

I shove his shoulder. “You’re embarrassing.”

Riley points toward the mountains again, fully committed.

“C’mon. Is that really all you’ve got?”

I laugh, but Riley steps closer, eyes locked on mine with that same steady intensity he uses during practice.

“Get angry.” His voice is deep and low. “C’mon, Kinsey,” he says more quietly this time. “Let it all go.”

And suddenly all the emotions I’ve been trying so hard to keep contained crack open at once as I take two steps forward.

“I HATE THIS!” I scream.

The words tear out of me so loudly that they echo through the hills.

Riley points at me. “There you go.”

Tears sting my eyes now. “I HATE BEING SCARED!”

The words rip out of me harder this time.

“I HATE THAT MY BODY IS BETRAYING ME!”

Riley steps closer beside me.

“Again.”

“I HATE THAT EVERYTHING FEELS OUT OF CONTROL!”

My voice cracks halfway through the sentence, but I keep going.

“I HATE THAT I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!”

The tears come hard now, mixing with breathless laughter because this whole thing feels insane and freeing and overwhelming all at once.

And then suddenly Riley’s yelling too.

“YEAH, THIS IS COMPLETE BULLSHIT!”

I choke out a laugh through tears.