The QB's Nerdy Addiction novel · Chapter 23 of 24

Chapter 23: The Valor Bowl

The Valor Bowl kicked off at noon in thirty-degree air, and I sat in the front row of the student section with a new notebook open on my knee.

Dani sat on my left with a thermos.

On my right was a girl I had never met, in a Panthers hat, who whispered, "Are you really her?" and then, "Sorry, I'll shut up."

"It's fine," I said. "Do you want to see the chart?"

She did.

By the end of the first quarter, half of row one was watching me write.

Pinecrest had the better team.

Everyone said so, and the scoreboard agreed.

At halftime we were down 10 to 6, and Gage came off the field with his helmet in his hand and looked straight up at section 112.

I looked where he looked.

Dale Sullivan sat by himself near the thirty, in a plain black coat.

No camel.

No phone to his ear, no producer, no big watch showing at his wrist.

He sat with his hands between his knees and watched his son walk into the tunnel.

Gage looked at him for a long time.

Then he looked for me.

He found me, nodded once, and went in.

I had my third page of notes.

I had written one line twice.

When the slot motions, the corner jumps the out. Every time. Again.

Pinecrest had done it six times.

It had worked against us twice, and I had circled the other four.

In the third quarter our defense stopped them.

In the fourth, Gage found the end zone on a quick slant, and it was 13 to 10, us.

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