The locker room felt empty with only seven guys in here. This could be my last time in this room. I looked around at the lion logo painted on the cinderblock wall. Voices and sounds echoed in the nearly-empty room. Lockers rattled closed and guys tested out their mouth guards, even though there would be no contact.

Knox came out and slipped his pads over his shoulders.

Coach pushed the locker room door open. “Were you waiting for an invitation? The other team is already out there on the sidelines.”

Bennet, Knox and I traded glances and fist bumps before following him out.

Stepping out into the field, the smells of sweat, freshly cut grass, and liniment muscle rub brought me back to the first time I’d played for Greenwood. The stands were full—not at capacity, but more than most people would expect for an almost friendly seven-on-seven game.

In the stands were fans with jerseys waving banners in the air. And there were cameras. A sea of guys in non-branded athletic wear used their phones, but there were also those set up on tripods to capture the whole field. After winning the state championship four years in a row, the number of cameras had grown.

The tapes coach sent out were reviewed, but everyone had their own special formula for making their final choices, including coming here in person or sending their own scouts.

Coach called us into the huddle. “We have a lot of people here today, but it doesn’t mean a thing. Some of you have already signed your letters, but today we’re all out here giving it everything we’ve got. We need everyone for both halves of this game. Explosive energy. Do your jobs and don’t do anything stupid.”

Knox leaned in and mumbled, “Hell of a pep talk.”

“Try having him as your dad.” Bennet shook his head and put on his helmet. “Can’t say I won’t mind having another coach next season.” He tugged at the neck of his shoulder pads.

Knox walked beside me. “You ready for this?”

“I don’t have a choice. It’s now or never.” I shoved my helmet over my head.

Coach pulled me aside and grabbed my face mask. “I want to see explosive energy out of you on that first step. You hit and take every pass out there. It’s time to be a little bit selfish.” He held my gaze, more intense than I’d ever seen him before.

I looked over my shoulder at the rest of my teammates.

He jerked on my collar, so I was facing them. “Everyone else out there has already signed their letters or has at least a year or two to lock one down. This is your last chance, Dare. I know you’ve been dealing with more than the other kids on this team.”

I opened my mouth like I always did to deny, deny, deny.

He growled and shook his head. “This is your chance to get the payoff for all the hard work you’ve put in. Don’t let this slip through your hands again. We don’t always get second chances and now you’ve got yours. This is your life. Do you understand?”