Page 32 of Campus Muscle

“Get the hell out,” he said, his voice sharp enough to cut through bone. “And this time I’m not kidding. Leave me the hell alone.”

I didn’t move because I wasn’t sure how serious he was.

But then he added, “Now!”

It left no room for argument. Anger flared fast enough to push past the flicker of something else that had tried to settle there.

“Fine,” I said, snapping my notebook shut.

I turned and headed for the door without looking back, but then stopped because I wasn’t done with him yet. My expression set and my eyes sharpened as I turned back toward him.

“I’m going to figure this out, with or without you.”

Trace didn’t respond, and on the surface it looked like he didn’t care. But I saw something cloud over his face before he locked it down again.

“And when I do,” I added, keeping my voice steady. “You better hope you haven’t made a decision that you can’t take back.”

I held his gaze for one more second, trying to calm my rage and failing miserably.

“Think about your sisters.”

Then I turned and walked away, allowing the door to swing shut behind me. This wasn’t just a story anymore, and I wasn’t going to back off because everyone wanted me to.

12

Trace

It didn’t matter how long I stood there looking at it, the stadium still didn’t feel real. The rest of the team moved around me as if it didn’t mean anything, but to me it was a life-changing experience.

The lights were brighter than anything we had played under before, so bright they cut across the field in clean white beams. The stands were completely packed, and waves of noise rolled down, hitting a whole lot harder than the smaller crowds we had grown used to.

But it wasn’t just loud or full. The new seats gleamed with fresh paint, and our logo was stamped onto literally everything. People leaned forward with their phones out, pointing and talking as they took it all in.

I wasn’t like them—gawking. This was something I could feel in my gut. There was more curiosity than there was support, but no one really seemed to pick up on that. They were just excited to be playing in our new stadium.

“It’s a big night,” Lucas said, bumping my shoulder as he walked past me.

I nodded, but I wasn’t able to tear my eyes from the field. Big was an understatement. We were going up against the defending champions, the Endicott Gulls. And it was the first game in our brand-spanking new stadium. Everything was stacked, and everyone was watching, but my head was nowhere near where it needed to be.

Dakota’s words cut through the noise and shattered any illusion I had of peace. Think about your sisters, she’d said, as if they didn’t cross my mind every time I ran out here. I clenched my jaw, trying to force my focus onto the game. Dakota knew nothing. She had no idea what it took for me to stay here or what it was like to carry something bigger than yourself every time you stepped onto the field.

She got to chase a story and dig into whatever aspect caught her attention. And when things got complicated, she got to walk away and find a new sensation. A new scoop. I didn’t have that luxury. There was no walking away for me.

“Prescott.”

I blinked at the voice that was dragging me back to the present and saw Coach waving me over. “Locker room. Now.”

I felt the shift with the first step I took. The noise dulled and was replaced by the crisp energy of the locker room. Pads hit benches, and voices came through lower and tighter.

I dropped onto the bench and pulled my helmet on as Coach stepped into the center of the room.

“Listen up,” he said, and everyone grew quiet. “We’re not here to admire the new stadium or get lost in the lights. We’re here to play football and to show these people we’re worth it.”

A few of the guys nodded, but most of us just waited for him to finish because we were all nervous and worried about what we were about to face.

“Endicott doesn’t care about where we’re playing or who is watching. They’re coming here to do what they always do… Destroy the opposition.”

He didn’t need to say it; all of us already knew that. It was exactly why the tension in the locker room was so high.