Football star Dallas Gunther has everything any 18-year-old boy would want - a fast car, good grades, supreme popularity, and most importantly, unparalleled athletic talent. But after a cocktail of injuries, pressure to perform, and teenage drama se...
The ear-shattering screech of a whistle stopped us all in our tracks so quickly, I almost stumbled over my own feet. I glanced over at Kaia, her freckled cheeks red and the front of her gray t-shirt stained with sweat.
"Dallas Gunther!"
The grating sound of my name out of Coach Knox's mouth was something that would haunt me well after I left high school. He stood on the far sideline, arms folded over his too-tight blue Nike polo shirt. I felt the heat of his glare from across the field, and it pulled me toward him like a wayward comet caught in a planet's orbit. I swallowed the dry lump that had formed in my throat and jogged over to him.
"What's up?" I didn't realize how out of breath I was until I tried to speak, my words like knives dragging up and down my throat.
"Why in the hell is my star quarterback overexerting himself in gym class?" he asked. "On the first god damn day of school, no less."
"Overexerting myself?" I echoed with a forced chuckle. "I'm not overexerting myself, I'm just...proving a point."
Coach Knox glanced over my shoulder as our gym class dispersed, and I followed his line of sight to Mr. Baxter, who could only cower under the heat of Coach Knox's gaze. If I was a king among my peers, Coach Knox lorded over all the faculty - an executioner for athletic director Kane to unleash at will. Football ruled all, and everyone knew it.
"Son, I need you to understand something." Coach Knox clamped his hand down on my shoulder. "Rivalries aren't healthy. Someone always takes it a touch too far, and it never ends well. You're a lion, Dallas Gunther. A lion doesn't need to let anybody know he's a lion, he just shows up and people already know what he's capable of."
The imagery wasn't lost on me - our god damn mascot was a lion.
"I got it." I nodded.
I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirrored lenses of Coach Knox's aviators, my hair a sweaty mess and my cheeks so red it looked like someone smacked me.
"Well that's good to hear, Now get yourself suited for practice and I'll see you out here in 30."
"Yes sir."
School. Practice. Study. Tutor. Party. Be great. Be invincible. Try not to collapse. One day down. 179 to go.
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we're doing alright, we'll be fine everything's okay that's what we tell ourselves all the time we can't make the pain go away we can't slow down, we can't stop now, but we all turn around
running / a r i z o n a
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Raise your hand if you've ever been personally victimized by the pacer test in high school.
I am absolutely living for Dallas and Kaia's dynamic, but also I think Dallas and Chris's friendship may be one of my favorite friend duos I've ever written. Let me know your thoughts, predictions, etc!
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Ups! Gambar ini tidak mengikuti Pedoman Konten kami. Untuk melanjutkan publikasi, hapuslah gambar ini atau unggah gambar lain.
