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The roar of the croas deafening The Stallions were up by six, but the opposing teao

Charlotte turned wide eyes on me "This is insanity"

"If theyto be even worse," I warned

The Stallions were heavy favorites this year, and losing their first ga out their defensive chants, re the players on the field of the pressure that was on the football--the constant pressure to win

Soh school and when I played in college, the fun went out of the game for me I wasn’t sad at all for my football career to be over, and neither was h my entire adolescence Not that I could ever share that with anyone in my hometown That was akin to blasphemy in a football town You either played football, or wanted to be playing

"I want one of those giant pretzels," Charlotte said "I’ this There’s no line"

I had to laugh at her indifference to the game There ere in the middle of a nail-biter, and she wanted a pretzel

"I’ll go with you," I said, taking her hand in mine

"You sure? Don’t you want to see what happens?"

"I’ood," I told her as we stood up and headed down the bleachers "I’ve seen enough football games to last me a lifetime"

As alked down the metal steps, she wrapped her free hand around h school was for you?" she asked "Friday-night lights and all that?"

"Yeah Duke and I played We even went to college on scholarship"

"That’s awesoe"

"You miss it? All the hype? The attention?"

"Not really" As soon as the words were out ofto strike me where I stood

"What about the cheerleaders? I’ll bet they were all over you"

"There were a few," I said with a chuckle "I had soht?"

A spark of jealousy flickered in her eyes, and before I could say another word, Charlotte tugged otten

Her lips were onThe storew louder with each tick of the clock, but all I could do was concentrate on the beautiful woue were doing their dah school ht have been lingering in rabbed one of the metal support rods above my head and steadied us as I wrapped the other ar with the maple syrup, she would have had her fill ofout under the bleachers like two sex-starved teenagers

"You forget about them yet?" She s to catch our breath

"Baby, they were never even a meet that pretzel and get the hell out of here"

Chapter Twelve

Charlotte

The crowd thundered overhead as Luke grabbed e of the bleachers where people were already pouring from the stands

"Shit," he mumbled "Game must be over"

"Does that hed when rumbled "How is that even louder than the people around us?"