“Of course.”

  “You just… kept a stick covered with your urine lying around your bedroom this whole time?”

  “Yeah.”

  He grimaces. “Ew.”

  I glare. “Are we done here?”

  “Did you tell Junior?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Grant…”

  “He said you broke up with him.”

  I say nothing as my eyes brim with tears.

  “Why?” he asks.

  “Because we can’t be together,” I say, swallowing hard. “We never should have been in the first place and we both know it.”

  Grant shakes his head. “Alyssa, you’re having a baby together.”

  “So, what?” A fresh wave of nausea plagues me. I’ve felt it a lot since last night. There’s a slow burning inside that never goes away. “Junior will never choose me,” I say, my voice weak.

  “Over what?”

  “Over football. Over everything. Fame. Money. Power. All of it.”

  “That’s crap,” he says.

  “Is it?” I ask. “My dad chose it all over me. My mom chose freedom over me. What makes Junior any different?”

  “The difference is that Junior loves you.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “It’s written all over his face, honey.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Even if he loves me now, how long will that last? How long will he let me and this baby hold him back before he leaves us for good?”

  Grant sighs, his jaw flexing with sad frustration. “Alyssa…”

  I reach across him, reclaiming my makeup bag. “We have a show to do.”

  He slides into the vanity next to mine. “Well, for the record, I think you’re making a really stupid mistake, Alyssa.”

  “Noted.”

  A really stupid mistake.

  I would love to admit that I’ve made a mistake and race out of here to fall back into Junior’s loving arms, but I can’t. Junior has wanted to play in the pros since he was a little kid. His family is expecting it. Who am I to take that from him? What kind of person does that make me to take away everything he’s worked so hard for? To ruin his life?

  My father is right.

  Junior never has to know.

  CHAPTER 44

  JUNIOR

  My phone vibrates in my locker. A new text from Grant.

  Daddy knows.

  I lean against the locker, my chest constricting. I re-read it once. Twice. And again to make sure my eyes aren’t playing tricks.

  Of course. What else could upset Alyssa this much?

  He knows.

  “Everybody gather around…”

  Cary Pierce scans the locker room, his eyes landing on each of us in our uniforms.

  “This is it, guys,” he says, his grin full of pride. “You’re one more win away from playing in the regional championship game.”

  The team erupts, screaming and slamming their fists against the lockers. I do nothing.

  He raises his hand to calm them down.

  “But to me… it won’t matter if you win or lose tonight because, in my mind, we’ve already won. The group of guys I met back in September don’t exist anymore. They were weak, they were losers. You are bigger. You are better. And tonight, you’re winners.” His eyes fall on me. “All of you.”

  I look away as they cheer again, fear coursing through me.

  “This is as much of an achievement for me as it is for you,” he continues. “I came to this school to make a difference. I’m pretty sure I did. Win or lose, the world knows who you are now. And they will not forget.”

  The team bangs and shouts again.

  “But still…” He grins again. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’d rather win tonight, so let’s go out there and be winners. Come on!”

  I grab my helmet from my locker and follow the rough scrape of cleats across the floor as the team rushes for the field. Their enthusiasm pulses through me, forcing all doubt and fear aside and replacing it with powerful adrenaline.

  As I pass by Coach, he lays a thick hand on my chest to stop me.

  “Hold on, Junior,” he says.

  I fall back against the wall, feeling the power in his hand even beneath my pads.

  The rest of the team passes by without notice and races outside onto the field along with Bob.

  Once their shouts echo away, Cary Pierce looks at me and smiles.

  “I’m proud of you, Junior,” he says, keeping his hand on my chest. “You’ve come a long way.”

  I nod, torn between fear and admiration. “Thank you, Coach.”

  “The night we met, I told you one thing. Do you remember what it was?”

  “You said I had a legendary arm,” I quip, my nerves getting the best of my words.

  He doesn’t react. “What else?”

  “I’m sorry, Coach. I don’t remember.”

  “I told you to stay away from my daughter,” he says, staring hard at me. It’s odd, but this is the first time I’ve noticed that he and Alyssa have the same blue eyes. “Do you remember now?”

  His hand slides off my chest, but I still feel the weight of it, along with the crushing blow of the last few months. Every kiss, every minute spent inside of her. All behind Cary Pierce’s back.

  “Coach, I can explain—”

  “You’re benched, Junior.”

  My jaw drops. “What?”

  “You’re not playing tonight. You can sit this one out.”

  I look at the field, listening to the thunderous cries of the crowd. “You can’t just not let me play! It’s the final game of the season.”

  “I can and I will.”

  “We’ll lose.”

  “Good.” He doesn’t even blink. “Maybe having this championship pulled out from under you will make you think twice about disobeying me again.”

  Every part of me rages red. “She’s an adult,” I say. “She can date whoever she wants.”

  “Don’t you dare talk about her.” He steps forward, towering over me like a damn giant. “You’ve done enough scoring this season, Junior. Next season, you can try again.”

  I shake my head. “This is bullshit. You have no right—”

  “Don’t say another word or I’ll make sure you never pick up another ball for the rest of your life.” He narrows his eyes. “Think about that, Junior. Is she really worth throwing your dreams away for?”

  My vision blurs with spots of white. The crowd fades in my ears, leaving nothing but the pleasant memory of Alyssa laughing in my bed.

  “Okay, fine. I admit it,” I say. “I’m dating Alyssa, but that’s not enough of a reason to let the team waste an entire season.”

  “It’s not?”

  “No.”

  “Then, how about this?” He lowers his voice, growling through a thin line between his teeth. “I’m benching you for letting me down, for letting this team down, but mostly, I’m benching you for knocking up my daughter.”

  My heart sinks. “Wait. What?”

  He points a stiff finger at the field. “Get out there, sit down, and don’t get up again until the clock strikes zero… or you’re finished.”

  Alyssa.

  “Now, Junior.”

  I pause, split between her and the team and everything in the middle. My feet carry me toward the field, drifting slowly. I don’t even realize it when I sit down on the bench.

  Alyssa Pierce is having my baby.

  CHAPTER 45

  JUNIOR

  “Junior! Junior! Junior!”

  At the start of the game, their cries were eager and excited. A lot can change in ninety minutes.

  Now, they’re angry and confused. They’re calling my name with seething hatred, just like Cary Pierce wants them to. I have to sit here and take it or else my life as an athlete is over.

  I keep my head down. I stare at the grass, avoiding their eyes. Avoiding the team’s eyes.

  It’s not their overwhelming disappointment keeping me in place on this bench. It’s not the plummeting scoreboard leaving me numb inside, nor the constant sound of my teammates getting trampled across the gridiron.

  It’s her.

  Alyssa knew about this. She didn’t tell me. I like to think I know her pretty well at this point. After ninety minutes of letting this sink in, I’m sure I know why she kept this from me.

  She’s scared.

  She met my family. She spent time in my childhood home, my bedroom. She knows how important this sport is to us and how much opportunity I have now that Cary Pierce is leading me straight to Draft Day. She knows I can’t do that on my own.

  Having a baby right now could derail that into oblivion.

  “Her existence made achieving my dreams a lot harder.”

  From the man himself. Cary Pierce told me that in his office. I’m damn sure the bastard said the same thing to her when he found out. That’s why she broke up with me. It wasn’t because she wanted to. She thought it was the best thing to do for me and my future.

  Well, I disagree.

  I stand up off the bench.

  “Junior.”

  Coach’s bark carries over the rest of the fray. He stares at me with hateful eyes, firing a warning shot for me to sit back down.

  I ignore him. I drop my helmet on the grass.

  “Junior!”

  Alyssa doesn’t know how much she means to me. She doesn’t know how I’d go to hell and back just to see her smile again. She doesn’t know how much I’ve fallen in love with her.

  But she’s about to.

  I walk off the field, cutting through the haze of cameras and screaming voices, rushing down the ramp toward the stadium exit.

  A hand grips my shoulder. “Junior—”

  I jerk away from his grasp. Away from Cary Pierce, my childhood hero.

  “I’m out,” I say.

  His hard eyes twinge with amusement. “I never thought you were this stupid, Junior. Don’t give up your dreams over something like this.”

  “Playing ball isn’t my dream, Coach. She is.”

  He doesn’t reply as I turn my back on him one last time.

  I break into a sprint, peeling off the layers weighing me down as I run. I toss my jersey to the ground. My shoulder pads. I won’t be needing them anymore.

  I cut through the quad, weaving through the grass, dodging the confused faces of students hanging out, and plow right through the doors of Talon Hall.

  The lobby is silent. I hear the gentle echo of voices on the stage before I reach the auditorium, including hers.

  My Alyssa.

  “Excuse me, sir?”

  Some douchebag stops me in front of the auditorium doors. He stares at me with an upturned nose, flashing me what little authority the theatre department has bestowed upon him.

  “You can’t go in while the show is in-progress,” he says.

  “I need to talk to one of the actors,” I say, nearly choking, out of breath. “It’s important.”

  “It can wait until curtain.”

  I grunt at him with impatience and take off down the hall, following the sound of her voice around the corner until I find the backstage door.

  It’s almost pitch black inside. I take a moment to let my eyes adjust and to catch my breath with my ears tuned to her voice.

  I smile. She’s recited this monologue over a dozen times in my bed.

  “Junior?”

  I squint into the dark curtains until I see Grant’s stunned eyes staring back at me. “Grant—”

  I rush to him. He holds up his hands.

  “What are you doing here?” he whispers. “You can’t be back here.”

  “I need to talk to her.”

  “Okay. Cool. She’s a little busy right now.”

  I look over his shoulder and there she is, standing on the other side of the stage. Her hair is curled and dolled up on her head — absolutely nothing like her usual style. A yellow sundress hugs her body. For a second, my mind runs wild.

  Soon, her body will change. Our child will grow and kick. Someday soon, I’ll hold it in my arms.

  I fall in love with it.

  I fall in love with her all over again.

  “Let me go on.”

  Grant blinks. “Um, no. This is not a wrestling match. I cannot just tag you in.”

  “This is the ending, right?” I ask. “Page ninety-seven.”

  “… Yeah.”

  “I know the scene, man. Ally and I ran it a thousand times. Let me do it.”

  He stares at me, emotionless. “You’re serious.”

  “Completely.”

  “You’re gesturing right now, aren’t you?” he asks. “This is a love gesture.”

  “Are you going to help me get her back or not?”

  Grant smirks, his eyes filling with lovable pride. “Okay.”

  I take a quick step around him, but he pulls me back.

  “Whoa! Are you in cleats?”

  I look at my shoes. “Yeah.”

  “You can’t walk onto a stage in cleats, you filthy savage,” he says. “Take them off.”

  I kick them off with impatience while Grant slides his suit jacket off.

  “Put this on, too,” he says. “You’ll look ridiculous, but it’s better than whatever the hell it is you’re wearing now.”

  “Thanks, Grant.” I throw the jacket on. “I owe you one.”

  “You’re lucky I’m a hopeless romantic.” He shakes his head. “Mr. Young will never cast me in anything ever again after this…”

  “I’ll make it worth your while.”

  “Please don’t fuck this up.”

  “I won’t.” I peek through the curtain. “Holy shit. That’s a lot of people out there.”

  Grant slaps my cheek. Hard. “Man up, Lover Boy. That’s your cue.” He spins me around and gives me a firm shove through the doorway. “It’s showtime.”

  I stumble out onto the stage. Bright white lights shine on my face, instantly blinding me. And I thought the stadium lights were rough.

  There’s a hum of confused voices in front of me. I can barely see them behind the spots taking hold of my vision.

  A gasp. Alyssa.

  She freezes with a mix of anger and surprise invading her face. She studies me from my head to my socks, not once blinking her icy blue eyes.

  Oh, shit.

  What the hell am I doing?

  CHAPTER 46

  ALYSSA

  What the hell is he doing?

  The audience shifts in their seats. I stiffen my neck to avoid breaking the fourth wall. I keep my eyes on Junior, trying not to show shock, but holy shit — what the hell is he doing right now?

  Grant waves at me from backstage, urging me to continue on like normal, but I can’t stop every muscle in my body from shaking.

  A tear slides down my cheek. I wipe it away. “It’s over,” I say to Junior.

  He doesn’t hesitate. “I don’t accept that.”

  My lip quivers. “I don’t care what you accept,” I say, slipping as far into character as possible, but part of me still shines through. “It’s over, we’re done. I can’t do this anymore.”

  Junior steps forward with nervous energy, his eyes obviously so tempted to look out at the gawking crowd, but he keeps his focus on me instead. “You’ve sung this song before, Nora. What makes this any different than any other time you’ve run away from us in the last ten years?”

  “It’s…” I inhale deep, forcing the emotions just below the surface. “It’s the first time I’ve thought more with my head and not my heart.” My chest tightens, feeling every word. “This is the right thing for both of us, Danny. I know it.”

  “If this is right…” He pauses. “Then why does it feel so wrong?”

  “It feels wrong because we don’t know any better. You just need a little time to think about it like I have.”

  “Nora, I don’t give a good goddamn what your head thinks,” he says. “All I care about is what that beautiful heart of yours feels. It feels the same as mine.”

  Junior steps closer. I brace myself for the next line.

  “I love you,” he says. “I’ve always loved you since the day I saw you… and I refuse to let you go.”

  “Love isn’t enough,” I say, my heart breaking.

  “I will spend the rest of my life proving that it is.” He cups my face and wipes the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. “I don’t care what I have to give up. It’s you and me, Nora. It always will be.”

  He kisses me and the music cues on, rising to a crescendo before the lights go black. The curtain falls, drawing a sudden, heavy clamor of applause from the other side.

  I break our kiss and shove him away with all the strength I have.

  “Junior, what the hell are you doing here?!” I squint at him in the dark, making out the sincere shock on his face.

  “Ally, I—”

  I shove him again, just barely rocking his muscled body backward. “Do you have any idea how stupid that was?! Did you even think about it for more than two seconds?!”

  Grant swoops in and grabs my hand while brushing Junior off the stage. “Curtain, curtain!” he whispers. “We have curtain!”

  I bite down, swallowing my words as the curtain rises on a standing ovation. We raise our arms. We take a bow. The rest of the cast walks out. We bow again. I force a smile. A laugh. Another bow.

  The curtain falls.

  I spin on my heels and there’s Junior, lingering in the wings like a fucking idiot.

  He walks toward me. “Ally, we need to talk,” he says, his voice barely audible as the clapping continues.

  “You bet your ass we do!” I point at Grant lingering nearby with the rest of the confused cast. “And you!”

  “Don’t blame him,” Junior says, blocking my hand. “It was all my idea.”

  “It was your idea to embarrass me? To ruin any chance of me ever standing on this stage again?!”

  “Ms. Pierce!”

  I jolt at Mr. Young’s fierce growl, counting down the seconds until I can say my theatre education is officially over. “Mr. Young, I am so sorry—”

  He stops in front of me, but his eyes instantly lock on Junior. “What happened to Grant? Who the hell are you?”