I kept staring at the clock, anticipating for school to end for the day. My foot kept tapping in nervousness.

Today was the day. The big game. The game that I would get to start on the defensive line. Yeah, you heard me right. I WILL BE ON THE STARTING DEFENSE! I've never started before....ever!

So, naturally all day I've been a nervous wreck. What if I mess up? What if I don't tackle my guy and they end up scoring and we lose. My mind was reeling all day, throughout all my classes. I even tried to avoid Zoey as much as I could today... I really didn't want her to see me so nervous. Not that I care that much...

Okay. Maybe I do. But that's because I wanted to appear unfazed. Totally chill about it. I'm a tough guy who doesn't get nervous for a measly football game. Yeah...

I also didn't want the guys to think I was freaking either, because honestly, they all were not worried. Apparently, the team we were playing, Worthington High School known as the Worthington Warriors, was a slightly smaller school than ours and weren't that good either. Hearing those things from the guys relieved some of my anxiety about the game, but I still was nervous because what if I mess up? I'd get made fun of by all of them, especially Ryan. Ugh, and he would make sure to make me feel like crap, that's for sure.

Only one more minute until I'd race to the locker room to get ready. Sixty seconds. That's it, yet it felt like this minute was infinite.

*Ring Ring*

Thank god!

I rushed out of the classroom, ignoring the fact that Zoey seemed to wanted to talk to me. There was no way I could talk to her right now. I seriously couldn't even think straight due to the empty pit in my stomach.

And to make things even better (note the heavy sarcasm there) as I just got to the boys locker room, I felt a very familiar dainty hand grab my arm. I instantly stopped and turned my head around.

"Josh , hey," Zoey's bubbly voice spoke to me. I awkwardly ran my hand through my hair. I really didn't want to talk to her right now.

"Um hi ..." I said nervously.

"So, um... good luck tonight!" She exclaimed to me. She then rubbed her arm and set her gaze down at the ground as if she were shy, which she isn't ... at all. Why was she acting so awkward?

"Oh, uh thanks! I'll see ya later!" I quickly said to her with a smile. She looked up and nodded with a small smile as well.

"Yep! See ya later!" she gave me a slight wave, the excitement in her eyes still very much apparent. I felt my pulse quickened as I thought about her hand on my arm, wanting to tell me good luck. Of all people, too! I smiled at the thought and felt myself burning up...

Pull yourself together, Josh!

You have a game to focus on for crying out loud!

****

All of us guys were huddled in the locker room, preparing to make our way to the field. Here at Lakewood, its tradition to run onto the field through a banner that the cheerleaders make and hold up for us. I don't know why we do it cause it just seems a bit too much for a high school football game, but apparently the cheerleaders love doing it and this school is very set on tradition.

I looked over at Charlie. He had his eyes closed and seemed to be going over the plays in his mind. He didn't seem necessarily nervous like I was, he was just very focused. Something that I should be feeling now but nooo ... my stupid brain had to be thinking of the worse possible scenarios that could happen tonight. I also kept thinking of Zoey too. God damn, I've barely known her a week and she already has an effect over me.

Finally, after waiting for a few minutes so the cheerleaders could get all set up, we started to bunch behind the banner; the seniors and offensive starters obviously get to run through it first. (I honestly am not a fan of cheerleaders, they're so stuck-up and annoying. Like, most the time they don't really know what's going on. But like I said, this school is nuts about keeping things traditional. )

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are here tonight to watch the Worthington Warriors go against our very own... LAKEWOOD GIANTS!" the announcer shouts as Eye of the Tiger plays. This was our cue to burst through the banner and run onto the field looking badass and shit.

As I'm running , trying to not trip over my own two feet, I look up to our student section in the bleachers. Right away I pinpoint Zoey, wearing a blue and white spirit jersey and blue leggings. She notices me as I look up at her and gives me a huge wave while screaming, "Yeah, Josh! Let's go Giants!"

I almost stopped in my tracks. She cheered for me. A girl, besides my mom and sister, cheered for me. I felt that same burning feeling again, and I tried to shake it off. I really need to focus on this game, or else I'm gonna suck ass tonight.

As both teams' captains joined up in the middle for the coin toss, I noticed Skylar scanning the bleachers. Probably looking for Margo. I nudged his arm and nodded my head towards where Zoey and Margo were standing. Margo was also in a blue and white spirit jersey and she seemed to be in a deep conversation with Zoey. Well, more like Zoey was blabbing away while she sat and listened.

Skylar winked and I could see the creepy smirk through his face mask. Why is he such a weirdo? 

"Buddy, I know you like Zoey... but you don't need to keep reminding me." I rolled my eyes and let out a grunt.

" I was actually pointing out Margo for you since I noticed you were looking around for her." I replied. I waited for a snarky remark back, but instead, he frowned.

" I actually was looking to see if my dad was here, but I don't know why I always look... he never comes." Shit. Now I feel like an ass for assuming.

"Oh, sorry man." I squeezed his shoulder as a form of comfort. I honestly thought he had a perfect family and home life, considering how perfect everything else was for him. He gave me a slight smile.

"It's alright, I'm used to it. Now let's get focused back on the game. Or are we going to have to ask Zoey to leave so you can fully pay attention to the game?" And now he's back to himself. I shot him a cold ( but playful) look and laughed, hesitantly.

"Alright, alright. Let's go over by the others."

We walked over towards our coach and the other starters. It felt weird doing this as I usually stayed further down on the sidelines, waiting for kickoff.

"Josh, hey, get out on the field... the other team has the ball," coach demanded and I followed without a seconds notice.

I felt the nervous sweat trickle down the back of my neck. Gosh, I'm such a nervous wreck.

Jordan and Cameron were alongside me, Cameron also played on offense since he was both strong and fast. Jordan, being a huge mammoth , was usually placed in defense. His job was to sack the quarterback, which, according to him, happened a lot.

I nodded to them and Jordan gave me a sly smirk back. He then turned to the other team with a menacing glare as we crouched on the ground, ready to pounce and get the ball back. The Warrior's quarterback looked pretty measly; Jordan could easily break this kid's leg or something.

Then, the gawky quarterback yelled, "23 15 Hut!!" and I noticed his body angle towards the kid I was supposed to cover. Instantly, he threw the ball right before Jordan tackled him to the ground. My body jerked over to my guy, he was a fairly built guy and was fast, so I booked it over towards him. The ball spun right towards him, but before he could grab it, I reached forward and snatched it. I GRABBED THE FREAKING BALL, HOLY SHIT!

I heard my teammates on the sidelines screaming for me to run towards the goalpost. So, I ran as fast as I could. Our defense was phenomenal as I had like no one to stop me. I reached the end of the field, scoring the first touchdown of not only the game but of our season, while being only a defensive cornerback!

HELL YEAH!

"Dude! Holy crap! That was awesome!" Jordan ran over to me and slapped my back. I winced slightly from the harsh impact.

"Uh thanks. I honestly didn't think I'd grab it in time." I looked over to the sidelines where Coach motioned for me to come over by him.

"Jesus, Josh! Where the hell did that come from?" My coach yelled in excitement , throwing his hands on his head in most likely shock.

"I'm not sure. Just kinda happened," is all I said with a shrug and smile. I wasn't one for attention, let alone compliments.

"How about you play offense? I'll take Greg out and you can be a wide receiver tonight." My eyes widened as he spoke. Did he seriously ask me to play on starting offense? Holy crap!

"Yeah, sure!" was all I exclaimed as he pushed me back out on the field.

Am I dreaming right now?

"Josh, hey, over here. I'm gonna do play 4 to start so you'll run over to the left edge of the 25 yard line and in towards the middle. I will fake a throw to Ryan, but will throw it to you. Got it?" Charlie gave me a determined look, and I nodded in response. I've never been placed on offense, let alone a receiver.

"Are you serious, Charlie? He has never played on offense before and you're going to throw away our first down like that? He got lucky... lucky in that last play," Ryan sneered behind my shoulder. Way to make me feel like utter shit, buddy.

"Ryan, shut up. I'm quarterback and coach wanted this play first. Let's go guys!" Charlie glared at him while putting a fist in the middle of us.  "Giants on three! One , two,..."

"Giants!!!" we all roared and spread out into our positions. I bit my lip in nervousness and set my head slightly down, so I seemed to glare at the guy in front of me. I wanted them to fear me.

"23, 4...Hut!!" Charlie yelled as I sprinted over to the 25 yard line curving in from the outside to the middle. I saw him fake a pass to Ryan making half of the other team run towards him. This gave Charlie time to spot me and throw a perfect throw towards me. The cornerback that was following me lagged behind me, obviously not their best one since they figured I'd suck. I reached out and grasped the pigskin ball between my hands, firmly. I shifted my body from the side towards the end zone. After reaching the 50 yard line I was tackled down.

"First down! Giants!" the announcer screamed. I quickly got up, full of adrenaline, as Charlie came over and gave my butt a congratulatory slap. I gave him a quick nod as the rest of the guys huddled around.

"Nice job, Josh. Okay, guys... next play is number 2, I'll be passing to Ryan since coverage will be more towards Josh. Josh run over to the right and try to remain as open as you can, if I can't get to Ryan, you'll be getting the ball."

We all placed our fists in the middle and shouted "Giants!" once again before taking our positions. I quickly glanced over towards the bleachers again and saw Zoey beaming. Her hands wrapped around the ledge and she jumped in excitement, yelling. I smiled to myself at how adorable she looked.

Adorable? Oh my god I'm turning into such a wuss. 

I shook my head, trying to get focused again. So I run to the right and keep open. Sounded easy enough. As I turned my gaze forward, I noticed that a different kid was in front, and he was way bigger and bulkier than the other. Well crap. This may be harder than I thought.

"14, 2, Hut!!" I heard Charlie yell as I tried to book it over towards the right, snaking around the big kid. He not only was huge, he was insanely fast too! How was that even possible?

I turned my head towards Ryan, he looked like he was struggling to keep open as well, but then Charlie passed it towards Ryan with utter ease. Charlie really is a good quarterback. I'm sure he'll get a scholarship since he's that good.

Ryan grabbed the ball and made it 15 yards before being slammed down by two members of the opposing team.

"First down! Again, Giants! And time out called by the Warriors!"

We all sprinted towards the sidelines to our coach. Coach bore a huge grin as we approached him. His gaze shifted from Charlie to me.

"Great job, boys! You guys are looking good out there! And Josh, holy crap... why didn't I have you playing on offense sooner? You and Ryan are definitely the best receivers I've had on the team in a long time!" I smiled, but then looked over at Ryan who bore a scowl. Geez... was that the only facial expression he had?

"Coach, should we do the 6th play where I'd do a side pass to Josh? I'm sure that'll throw them off and josh would be able to possibly score then." My gaze shifted from Ryan to Charlie. He gave me that lopsided grin like when I had first met him. He seemed to trust that I was capable to do a little more difficult play.

"Yeah, that sounds good! Okay boys! Now go kick some Warrior ass!" Coach Manz yelled as we charged back onto the field. I seriously loved our coach. He knew how to take charge without being a complete dick.

We got back in position and the play started with Charlie ordering us. I rounded towards the side waiting for the ball to be passed to me. Charlie, turned his head and instantly I felt the ball between my hands. I ran around him and towards the end zone... only ten yards away.

I hauled ass and before I knew it, I was crossed the line into the end zone. Touchdown bitches! Then, my body was shoved down hard. My eyesight was starting to blur and a loud ringing occurred.

"Good job, lucky piece of shit." Ryan. Ryan freaking Overton slammed me into the ground. WE ARE ON THE SAME TEAM YOU ASSHOLE!! I screamed in my mind.

"Ryan, what the hell?!? He just scored us a touchdown and you freaking do that to him?" Skylar's voice rang in my ears. Before long I felt a hand grab mine and pull me up. I felt dizzy and sick to my stomach but held myself up. I didn't want to appear weak and hurt in front of Asshole.

"It's fine. I'm fine. Let's just go so we can get defense back out here."

I slowly stalked over towards the sidelines. Coach ran up to me with a worried expression.

"Josh, you okay? Do you want to have the athletic trainer see you for any injuries or for a possible concussion?" I shook my head. No. I was fine.

"Nah, I'm fine. All good. Just got the wind knocked out of me for a sec." I snapped my head over to Ryan. He was trying to sneak by without having to face Coach.

"Ryan where the hell do you think you're going?" Coach sneered obviously very pissed. I bit my lip so I wouldn't give him a smirk.

"Um just was gonna go get a drink, Coach." He glared at me and proceeded to walk towards the orange cooler filled with Gatorade.

"Ugh...anyways, Josh... great job! I'm gonna have you play offense the rest of the game, alright?" I nodded with a half smile. My head began to hurt a little. Screw Ryan! He gave me a headache from pushing me down like that.

The rest of the game went by with ease. Ryan scored a couple touchdowns for us and Coach seemed to forget about him literally shoving me into the ground.

I managed to keep scoring first downs, making only minor errors here and there. Honestly, I was expecting to screw up a lot, but I guess I really was a "lucky piece of shit" like Ryan had said.

After scoring another touchdown, with this time it being Skylar making it, we won the game 35-3. The whole student sectioned rushed over towards us with girls jumping in their boyfriends arms, friends hugging and giving each of us guys high fives and many congrats.

I was drenched in sweat, so I tried to get away from all the craziness towards the locker room. My parents usually just waved goodbye and congratulated me at home. They weren't ones to be super into the game and such.

Before, I reached to the gate where the locker room was separated from the field, I felt someone hug me from behind. I flinched because first of all, I was startled and second of all, it was a pair of girl's arms wrapped around my waist. I just stood still, paralyzed, not in fear, but because I knew who those long and lanky arms belonged to ... Zoey.

"Amazing job out there, Josh! And you said you were only backup... you're such a liar!" Zoey chirped while I turned around to face her. She still kept her arms around me. Her face was flushed with excitement, and I'm pretty sure I felt myself blush.

"Thanks Zoey! And, honestly, I usually am back-up ... I guess I got lucky tonight." She scrunched her nose up and released her grip before crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Mmhmmm sure... you are freaking good and you know it... Mr. 'I'm-so-humble'." She rose an eyebrow and I laughed.

"Well, I guess I played alright, but that's cause I had some awesome fans cheering me on." I winked, and she let out a laugh before covering her face.

Did I just flirt with her? Holy shit.

"Mmhmm whatever you say ... well, I guess I'll see you at my party then?" She gave me a hopeful smile, and I nodded.

"Yeah of course, I just gotta shower and get cleaned up." She then smiled, like probably one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen. Like bigger than a kid's when they see all their presents Christmas morning.

"Yay! Awesome!! See ya later, Josh!" She gave me a flirty wave before heading over towards Margo and Bryan. Bryan had his arm slung around Margo. They both noticed me and smiled and waved. I waved back before heading into the locker room.

I had a feeling this party was going to be anything but average.

***A/N***

Hey everyone!

So here is a long update for you!

What are your thoughts on Josh's performance during the game? Also, how do you think the party is going to pan out?

Also, isn't Ryan such a jerk? Like, seriously... I created him and I seriously despise him. But maybe he has a reason for being a jerk? Hmmmmm....

Lol thank you guys again for reading, commenting and voting! I also entered this book and my other book, "The Fallen Guardian" in the #wattys2017, so if you could vote for me... that would be so SO awesome!!

One again, please vote, comment and share if you love this book and/or have suggestions for me.

Much love <3

~Madelyn Joy