He smacked the top of my helmet and dropped back to the line of coaches.

I jogged out to the rest of the guys in our pared-down line of scrimmage, getting head nods, and took my spot at the end.

My fingers sunk into the warm ground and I zeroed in on my only goal.

Adrenaline shot through my veins. These weren’t my teammates. They were the obstacles to me making it out of this shit town and out of my shit life.

The heat beat down on the back of my neck, sweat beading.

The center called out the play and I punched through the non-existent defense as explosively as if I’d needed to take down a three-hundred-pound linebacker. My side screamed like I’d been punched all over again. I dug deep, my cleats gouging into the turf and took off, coming up not too far behind the wide receivers before turning back and looking for the pass.

Bennet let go of his throw and the ball ripped through the air like a bullet. With quick feet, I shook the defense and palmed the ball, before bringing it in tight to my chest and rushing for the end zone.

First play down and I could feel the attention riveted to me. I tossed the ball back to the ref and got back to my line. My field. Finally, my time.

* * *

I flung my door open and flinched, bending to get out of my car. The adrenaline from the game and last night had worn off, draining me, but seeing Bay through the kitchen window still made me smile. The rib wasn’t broken, but this would fucking suck for the next couple weeks, especially after the scrimmage today.

Coach had brought me in after and said anyone would be a fool not to pick me up after what I did out there on the field. It made every gasping breath worth it. And now I got to see Bay, which made any day a thousand times better.

I grabbed the key from under the flower pot on the back step and let myself in. Gently closing the door behind me, I walked through the screened-in back porch and into the living room. “Bay?” I hadn’t checked to see if her mom was home. I didn’t want to wake Molly, if she was still asleep.

Inside, the stillness and peacefulness of the house calmed me. No one raged here. There weren’t abandoned bottles of rum clattering against one another on the floor. Now more than ever, I could appreciate this place—because I no longer had a home.

Her voice drew me farther into the house.

The words were indistinct and lost over the distance of the walls between us. But the feelings were there like always. They warmed and soothed me like a balm rubbed on my heart.

I closed my eyes and gave myself over to the untroubled melody growing louder.

“Dare!” Bay shouted.

My eyes snapped open.