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Chapters (40)
  1. Cover
  2. Catch
  3. What Reviewers Say About Kris Bryant’s Work
  4. Bold Strokes Books Social Media
  5. Bold Strokes Books Newsletter Signup
  6. By the Author
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Dedication
  9. Chapter One—Win the Game, Lose the Girl
  10. Chapter Two—Rivals
  11. Chapter Three—Fumble
  12. Chapter Four—When Past and Present Collide
  13. Chapter Five—Sacked
  14. Chapter Six—First Meeting, Again
  15. Chapter Seven—Turnover
  16. Chapter Eight—The Defense
  17. Chapter Nine—Touchdown
  18. Chapter Ten—The Coach and the Cheerleader
  19. Chapter Eleven—First Touch
  20. Chapter Twelve—Turnover
  21. Chapter Thirteen—First Kiss
  22. Chapter Fourteen—The Same Team
  23. Chapter Fifteen—Neutral Zone
  24. Chapter Sixteen—One Minute of Truth
  25. Chapter Seventeen—The Snap
  26. Chapter Eighteen—First Kiss
  27. Chapter Nineteen—The Gay Quarterback
  28. Chapter Twenty—The Marriage
  29. Chapter Twenty-one—The Quarterback and the Cheerleader
  30. Chapter Twenty-two—The Troubled Quarterback
  31. Chapter Twenty-three—Scrambling
  32. Chapter Twenty-four—First Touch
  33. Chapter Twenty-five—First Meeting
  34. Chapter Twenty-six—Touchdown
  35. Chapter Twenty-seven—The New Girl
  36. Chapter Twenty-eight—Fair Catch
  37. Epilogue—Lose the Game, Win the Girl
  38. About the Author
  39. Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
  40. BOLDSTROKESBOOKS.COM

Who pretends not to care but watches football with us every Sunday and knows more about the game than we do.

Chapter One—Win the Game, Lose the Girl

Past

Clear your mind, Sutton.

I had thirteen seconds to get us close enough for Joey Ritchie to kick the tying field goal or find somebody open to run it in for a touchdown to win the game. It sounded so easy. We were down fourteen to seventeen and the winner went to state. Sure, a win and a trip to state would be nice, but my bruised ego and shredded heart wanted Grayson Moats and the Hilltop Hawkeyes to lose. Not because they were a great team and always went to state, but because Grayson Moats took something from me and I wanted him to pay. This was the only thing I could take from him that might hurt.

“As soon as you catch the ball and you see defenders, you drop to your knees and call time out. We’re twenty-five yards from the end zone and we need to get to the eighteen-yard line so Joey has a good shot.” I grabbed Max’s helmet to ensure he was listening. “No showboating. We need these points. If it’s not a clear shot to the end zone, drop. Do you understand me?” He nodded and shook loose. We were all on edge. Scouts were everywhere and some of my teammates were looking to get last-minute football scholarships. I wouldn’t be given the same football opportunities after high school, so this was my last shot at anything great.

“Just throw me the ball. I’ll get it in,” Max said.

I couldn’t tell if he was being confident or cocky. His eyes narrowed with determination as he wiped the sweat from his brow. It was forty-two degrees out, but we were all sweaty, dirty, and had hit new levels of stress.

The importance of this moment took my breath away. My lungs refused to fill. I was sucking in tiny gasps of air and fighting the anxiety that bubbled up in my throat. This was our moment. In the huddle, I was the boss. I’d spent three years winning this team over after the starting quarterback broke his leg at the start of our sophomore year. I made the team because of my talent, but most people thought it was because my father was the assistant principal. That is, until they saw me throw the ball.