Dillon, Texas. A tight-knit town, deeply rooted in tradition and devoted to its high school football team, the Dillon Panthers. It is a place where residents rally together every Friday night, filling the stadium with passion, pride, and unwavering...
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On Thursday night, the entire school gathered at the Coach's house for the traditional rivalry BBQ. It was a new experience for Maisy, as she had never seen a small house filled with football players and their families before. As Maisy walked in carrying a fruit platter, she offered her help to Coach Taylor and his wife.
"Coach, do you need help?" Maisy asked as she entered, her fruit platter large enough to feed the whole team and then some.
Mrs. Taylor intervened, shooing Maisy away from the kitchen. "Oh, Maisy, thank you for the food. Just go mingle," she said. "Have fun."
However, Maisy wasn't keen on mingling. She felt partially upset with the team for not standing up for her or supporting her against Voodoo. She wondered if they viewed her as nothing more than a servant for the team. Or perhaps everyone was just staying quiet to maintain appearances. Maisy couldn't decipher their true intentions.
Seeking a conversation with someone unrelated to football, Maisy looked around for Julie, who she knew must be somewhere at the party. She stepped into the living room, hoping to find Julie and speak with her, when suddenly a brick came crashing through the window. Maisy quickly dodged, avoiding the flying glass, and picked up the brick. It had a paper wrapped around it, bearing the words "die panther pigs."
Coach Taylor swiftly snatched the paper out of Maisy's hand and glanced out of the window. "Don't worry. We'll take care of this," he assured her, before kindly guiding her into the next room. However, Maisy didn't feel like staying around, so she left the house and decided to walk away.
Choosing to prepare for her work shift instead, Maisy headed to the Alamo Freeze slightly early. It seemed more appealing than being stuck at the party or being alone at home.
She walked in, grabbing her apron from the back room before jumping right into prepping for the nightly rush they always had.
---
Later that night, as Maisy finished her shift at Alamo Freeze, she took two full bags of garbage out through the back entrance. Lost in her own thoughts, Maisy approached the dumpster and tossed the bags inside. As she turned to walk back to the building, she noticed a red pickup truck pulling up behind the building, near the entrance.
"You Maisy Coleman?" one of the guys from the backseats asked, his head hanging out the window.
"Who's asking?" she asked, unsure of who they were and what they wanted.
"Just asking for a friend." another replied, laughing and snickering. "You are the Dillon Panther's student manager, right?"
