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Back Cross My Heart Save as PDF
Chapters (54)
  1. Cover
  2. Prologue
  3. Chapter One
  4. Chapter Two
  5. Chapter Three
  6. Chapter Four
  7. Chapter Five
  8. Chapter Six
  9. Chapter Seven
  10. Chapter Eight
  11. Chapter Nine
  12. Chapter Ten
  13. Chapter Eleven
  14. Chapter Twelve
  15. Chapter Thirteen
  16. Chapter Fourteen
  17. Chapter Fifteen
  18. Chapter Sixteen
  19. Chapter Seventeen
  20. Chapter Eighteen
  21. Chapter Nineteen
  22. Chapter Twenty
  23. Chapter Twenty-One
  24. Chapter Twenty-Two
  25. Chapter Twenty-Three
  26. Chapter Twenty-Four
  27. Chapter Twenty-Five
  28. Chapter Twenty-Six
  29. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  30. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  31. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  32. Chapter Thirty
  33. Chapter Thirty-One
  34. Chapter Thirty-Two
  35. Chapter Thirty-Three
  36. Chapter Thirty-Four
  37. Chapter Thirty-Five
  38. Chapter Thirty-Six
  39. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  40. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  41. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  42. Chapter Forty
  43. Chapter Forty-One
  44. Chapter Forty-Two
  45. Chapter Forty-Three
  46. Chapter Forty-Four
  47. Chapter Forty-Five
  48. Chapter Forty-Six
  49. Chapter Forty-Seven
  50. Epilogue
  51. Author’s Note
  52. Acknowledgements
  53. Keep Reading …
  54. About the Publisher

The girls burst out the tunnel with their sticks in the air, howling to the sky as the walkout song of our choice, Luke Combs’s ‘Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma’ blares in the stadium, the enormous chunk of OKC fans packing the stands on their feet, towels already in the air. I run out last with the UOKC spirit stick, a crosse that’s been in the school for generations, with a dozen ribbons in a dozen shades of orange and white tied around it, one for each past captain. I jog under the tunnel of crosses the girls make for me, coming out on the other end to raise the spirit stick at the fans, who roar in reply. The energy is palpable. In just about two hours, we could be standing here as champions.

We stand for the anthem first, and at the end, post-applause, break to the bench to strategize. Coach, binder in hand, is already prepared.

‘Okay, girls,’ she says, head down. We all crowd around tight. ‘I’m gonna put May at the draw. I want my starters on. Cover May’s right. No matter how the ref puts that ball, the girl that takes draws for AT is going to try and force May to the right – always does. I’ve instructed May to use that momentum to carry the ball back, hopin’ that puts us in possession for the first play. Sound good?’

Nods and affirmatives all around. This is it. First play of the championship.

We jog back on and into positions. Lights flash and massive cameras follow the game as I line up at the midline, opposite the girl from Augusta Tech. I look up for a brief moment, and my heart thunders in my chest when I let myself take it all in. If I give it my all tonight, push it as hard as I can … we could walk home with the biggest piece of hardware we’ve ever had. And I could open major doors for my career. For the MLL.

But only if I decide I want to open those doors. Isn’t this beautiful? This crowd? This sport? Isn’t this what I want to do for as long as it’ll have me?

I shake away the thoughts. I can’t do that right now. I can’t think about what I have to gain and lose weeks from now when there’s so much on the line right here.