“And have fun,” I remind them with a smile.

The defense all give me hugs on their way onto the field, and I have to laugh. I wonder what would happen if I tried to hug Coach Marcus or Coach Andrews before I headed out on the field before the game on Saturday afternoon.

“A little different than our games, huh?” Julian asks, watching me wish the girls luck.

“Maybe a little.” I smile, and he looks down.

The cheerleaders can’t hold a candle to the dancers, and Camille’s pink team wins the game easily, 28–6. The girls all huddle around me and Julian, jumping up and down and losing pieces of their tutus all over the field. I get wrapped up in their excitement, too, and soon we’re all chanting and hopping in the middle of the field. Julian watches from nearby with a smile on his face, but he seems tired or something. Every so often he stretches to his right and rubs his side.

The crowd in the stands joins in the chanting, and pretty soon the cheerleaders join us and everyone is hugging and screaming. This is so different from a regular football game, all I can do is laugh. Girls are congratulating one another with hugs and made-up dances while posing for selfies with their opponents. Moms and friends swarm the field with balloons and flowers.

When the extended revelry finally dies down, the girls head into the locker room and Julian and I are left on the sidelines to collect equipment and clean off the field. There are streamers and silly string and pieces of tutu strewn all over the grass.

“This makes me excited about our first game,” Julian says to me as he opens up a big trash bag and starts cleaning the field.

“I’m nervous,” I tell him, grabbing a long piece of pink tulle from the grass.

“Been a while since you’ve been under the lights in front of a crowd,” he says.

“You could say that.”

Thunder rumbles in the distance, and lightning flashes in the fast-moving clouds above.

Camille is waiting for us by the field house with Bucky, and Darien and Nate are nearby. “We’re headed to Burger Barn! Our fearless coaches are coming, too, right?”

I look at Julian, whose face is pale. A line of sweat is forming on his forehead, and he’s hunched a little at the waist. “I’ve got a ton of homework I’ve got to catch up on, Camille. You go have a blast. You guys kicked some serious ass out there,” he says.

“Party pooper,” Camille says. “How about you, Elijah? One of these dorks can bring you home after.” She gestures to Bucky, Darien, and Nate.

I want to go. I want to do something normal. Something that a seventeen-year-old kid would do on a Wednesday night with his friends. I glance at Julian again.